Galena Park North Shore (12-2) vs Lake Travis (14-0), 3 p.m. Saturday at Houston’s Thorne Stadium: North Shore rolled to their eighth consecutive Region III title last week in a 46-29 win over previously undefeated Dickinson at the University of Houston. Utah State QB commit Kaleb Maryland continued his sensational run in the playoffs as he threw three touchdown passes and ran for two other scores to pace the Mustangs attack. In a battle of unbeaten teams, it was defense that made the difference for Lake Travis as the Cavaliers took down San Antonio Johnson 27-19. The Cavs faced some early adversity trailing 13-0, but they stayed the course and their sensational defense led by TCU DE commit Carter Buck and Kentucky DE commit Ben Duncum came up with several big plays to get back in the game. Two interceptions and a Johnson special teams miscue got the Cavs back in front at 20-13. After Johnson cut the lead to 20-19 and had the ball in the red zone with a chance to take the lead back the Cavs defense came up with a huge fourth-down stop and then RB Van Hopping ripped off a 76-yard run to get the Cavs into scoring position, where Buck caught a touchdown pass from QB Luke McBride. Despite Lake Travis only getting one first down in the second half, the Cavs defense held their water in the second half with six sacks and holding San Antonio’s best offense in check. North Shore’s offense, with their array of speed and playmakers, will be a major challenge for this Lake Travis defense. But can North Shore’s offensive line, which has struggled this year, hold up and protect Maryland? The game comes down to this matchup and I think Maryland is elusive enough to make some things happen on the fly and the Mustangs get back to the state title game. Stepp’s Pick: Galena Park North Shore by 7

Southlake Carroll (14-0) vs DeSoto (11-3), 2 p.m. Saturday at Mansfield’s Newsom Stadium: One of the state’s best playoff rivalries is renewed as unbeaten and top-ranked Southlake Carroll tangles with an explosive DeSoto team looking to get to their third state title game in four years. It seems like when these two programs clash in the playoffs it always winds up being a classic. When they played two years ago, Carroll came in as the underdog against top-ranked DeSoto and nearly pulled the upset on the eventual state champions. This time the roles are reversed as Carroll comes in as the state’s No. 1 team and DeSoto sits in the role of underdog, a role Claude Mathis’ squad thrives in. After a slow start last week, the Dragons got things rolling in a major way racing past Denton Guyer 51-19. Trailing 13-7 halfway through the first quarter, the Dragons ripped of 38-straight points to put the game out of reach, as RB Davis Penn ran for 161 yards and a score, while QB Angelo Renda threw for 235 yards and two scores. Carroll’s defense played well and even had a fumble return for a score in the second half that put the game on ice. DeSoto knocked off Willis for the third straight year in a chippy, penalty-filled affair that lasted over fours. When the dust settled, DeSoto pulled away late for a 60-41 win in a game that featured 1,057 yards of offense, 35 enforced penalties and 355 yards of enforced penalty yardage. Obviously, DeSoto can’t expect to beat Carroll with 22 penalties and 200 yards of penalty yardage; that has to be cleaned up. But DeSoto would like to bring that running game with them on Saturday as the Eagles rolled up 438 yards on the ground and averaged over 10 yards per attempt. RB SaRod Baker continued his incredible season as he ran for 384 yards and seven touchdowns as DeSoto gashed Willis. The question in this game is simple: which defense can get stops? I think DeSoto at this point in the season is easier to diagnose because they are so heavily reliant on Baker. If you slow Baker, you probably beat DeSoto. But he’s the best player on the field in my view, so it’s a difficult task. I think the Dragons are up to it and get back to the state title game for the second straight season. Stepp’s Pick: Southlake Carroll by 10

Sheldon King (12-2) vs Austin Vandegrift (12-2), 6 p.m. Saturday at Waco’s McLane Stadium: Defending state champion Austin Vandegrift proved the doubters wrong last week by avenging a lopsided Week 1 loss to Dripping Springs with a 27-20 win in the Alamodome. This week the Vipers face up-and-coming Sheldon King, who, for the second time this season, beat Humble Summer Creek, this time in a 24-21 slugfest. The story for Vandegrift last week was the defense as the Vipers forced three turnovers and held a dynamic DSHS offense in check. Kansas State QB commit Miles Teodecki always saves his best games for the playoffs and he was key in leading the Vipers. CE King is into the state semifinals for the first time in school history and it’s because of an explosive offense that might be top-to-bottom the fastest unit in the state. Rice commit Dionne Sims ran for two scores last week and is the headliner, but QB Timothy Potts has been nails all season for the Panthers and sophomore ATH Dillon Mitchell has pure track speed on the outside. The questions with the Panthers much of the year have been with their defense and can they get stops in key moments? They did last week, but can they do it again against a Vandy squad that’s the defending state champs and looking to get to their third state title game in four years? Vandegrift is 2-0 in state semifinals against Houston area teams and I think that playoff experience makes the difference this week in a bit of an upset pick. Stepp’s Pick: Austin Vandegrift by 3

Aledo (14-0) vs Frisco Lone Star (14-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Mansfield’s Newsom Stadium: One of several battles of unbeaten teams in the state semifinals this week features the two most dominant teams in the DFW area at the 5A-Division I level. Aledo raced past district rival Denton Ryan, 43-17, last week. QB Lincoln Tubbs completed all seven of his pass attempts for 152 yards and a score, while adding 105 yards on the ground and four touchdowns. RB Kaden Winkfield had a big night as well with 137 yards on the ground and a score. Aledo’s defense was the story as the Bearcats forced three turnovers and held Ryan to just 26 yards on the ground. Lone Star’s offense was the story last week as the Rangers put together a dominant effort in a 58-38 win over Highland Park. Sophomore QB Trey Wright saved his best performance of the season for the biggest stage throwing for 477 yards and three scores, while adding 176 yards on the ground. Baylor ATH commit Karece Hoyt had four short touchdown runs as well. This will be a game of pace. Aledo wants to use their defense to drain the life out of the Lone Star offense, while Lone Star wants to get this into a track meet where their explosive offense can dictate the pace. Lone Star is dangerous, but picking against Aledo at this stage of the playoffs doesn’t seem advisable. Bearcats defense is the key. Stepp’s Pick: Aledo by 10

Port Arthur Memorial (14-0) vs Smithson Valley (13-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Katy’s Legacy Stadium: Defending state champion Smithson Valley and their stellar defense will face their toughest test of the season as an explosive Port Arthur Memorial offense comes calling in a fascinating contrast of styles. Memorial in front of a huge crowd in the Golden Triangle held off a game Barbers Hill squad in a 48-35 victory. TCU QB commit Amante Martin led the charge with 153 yards and two touchdowns on the ground; he also threw for 185 yards and two more scores. Houston WR commit Keavon Roberts hauled in both of the scoring tosses and the Titans defense after struggling in the middle part of the game came up with a key stop and turnover in the fourth quarter to swing momentum their direction. Smithson Valley’s defense shut the water off last week in New Braunfels as the Rangers held the Unicorns to just 175 yards of offense and forced four turnovers in a 24-0 win. SVHS limited New Braunfels to just 41 yards rushing on 23 attempts for an average of less than two yards per carry. QB Ty Knutson tossed two touchdown passes while RB Gunnar Shoquist ran for 179 yards and a score and also caught a touchdown pass in the win. Port Arthur Memorial will be the fastest team Smithson Valley has faced this year by a large margin. The Rangers must be sound on defense and can’t let the Titans playmakers have space. They’ll struggle if they do. The magic number is 30. If this game gets into the 30’s that’s a Port Arthur win; under that number is a comfortable place for Smithson Valley to reside. I think the Rangers get to their third straight title game as big game experience is going to be massive in this one. Stepp’s Pick: Smithson Valley by 8

Melissa (11-2) vs South Oak Cliff (13-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Dallas’ Cotton Bowl: Playoff football returns to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas as two of the most physical football teams in 5A-Division II will renew their playoff rivalry. Melissa and SOC met in the playoffs in 2022 and 2023 with the Golden Bears getting hard-fought wins both years. Melissa survived not having their QB Brett Holloway for the first half last week in a 20-19 win over Argyle. The Cardinals trailed 13-7 at the half, but they rallied late as Holloway ran for 134 yards and two scores. South Oak Cliff took down Port Neches-Groves 28-0 last week as the Golden Bears defense held PNG to just 196 yards of offense and forced two turnovers. QB Jayden Williams threw for 288 yards and a score to lead South Oak Cliff, and RB Levon Morton ran for a pair of scores. But a point of concern was SOC couldn’t run the ball with the consistency they had for much of the season. Melissa is good enough in the front seven to make SOC work. The key will be can the Cardinals offense move the ball against what many consider the best defense in all of 5A-Division II? I’m not sure there’s an offense in 5A-Division II that can do that consistently, so the Golden Bears become just the eighth team in UIL history to play in five consecutive state title games. Stepp’s Pick: South Oak Cliff by 12

Richmond Randle (14-0) vs Boerne (13-1), 7 p.m. Friday at San Antonio’s Alamodome: The more things change, the more things stay the same for Randle, which took down Iowa Colony last week for the second time this season (and the second straight year in the regional finals). This week they get a state semifinal rematch with Boerne. What is different is Randle has to basically play a true road game against the Greyhounds in San Antonio. Last week the Lions took care of Iowa Colony for the fourth time in the past two seasons, this time beating the Pioneers, 45-35. The incomparable Landen Williams-Callis ran for five touchdowns as the Lions had an answer for a game Iowa Colony squad time and time again. QB Tyler Skrabanek had a good day throwing for 304 yards. The concerning thing for Randle is he did throw a pair of interceptions. He’ll need to take better care of the ball in these final two games for the Lions. Boerne also earned their second win of the season over a district rival last week as QB Grant Sweeny connected with Zach Freasier for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left to lift BHS to a 56-49 win over Alamo Heights. BHS looked like they might cruise leading 41-28 early in the third quarter, but Alamo Heights rallied and with under two minutes to go took a 49-48 lead before Boerne’s game winning drive. QB Sweeny had a monster night finishing with 319 yards passing and three scores; he also added 144 yards rushing and four scores. Boerne’s defense and team speed disadvantage against Randle are real concerns in this one. The Lions, who hold a 30-game winning streak and are the defending state champions, are just a different animal than anything in Region IV. Boerne keeps it closer this year because Randle’s defense isn’t quite as dominant a year ago and it’s basically a home game for the ‘Hounds, but Randle hits the gas after halftime. Stepp’s Pick: Richmond Randle by 22

Last Week’s Record: 11-5

Last Week’s Win %: 68.8%

Playoff Record: 94-18

Playoff Win %: 83.9%

Season Record: 232-80

Season Win %: 74.4%