Stephenville (15-0) vs. Kilgore (14-1), 11 a.m. Friday at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium

Unbeaten Stephenville will look for a seventh state title as they take on Kilgore, which is back at UIL State for the second straight season.

Stephenville’s got a tremendous resume with back-to-back wins over Canyon West Plains and Celina along with non-district wins over Louisiana powerhouse Ruston and Waco La Vega.

The ‘Jackets knocked off defending state champion Celina last week, 24-21, ending the Bobcats 31-game winning streak. SHS was minus-two in turnovers on the day, but they were able to overcome the mistakes as RB Zyler McClendon ran for 107 yards and two scores, while QB Trot Jordan tallied over 250 yards of offense and a touchdown pass.

However, with the game tied at 21-21, Celina missed a field goal to take the lead with 1:08 left and Stephenville was able to move into range for a walk-off 45-yard field goal from Brighton DeVivo.

Kilgore has been among the most dominant teams in the state during the playoffs. In the last four games, the Bulldogs have allowed just three total points and pitched three shutouts, including a 49-0 obliteration of La Vernia.

QB Kayson Brooks threw for 236 yards and three scores and added a score on the ground, while Texas State commit Lakeyleon Graves tallied a punt return for a score.

Kilgore’s defense held La Vernia’s vaunted rushing game to under 100 yards on the night and just 143 yards of total offense. In addition to punt return for a score, Kilgore’s special teams also blocked a punt, which gave the offense a short field.

Last year, Kilgore got to this point and got hammered by Celina. They are much-improved this season, but Stephenville’s explosive offense will be the Bulldogs' biggest test since the season opener against Carthage and SHS has an elite group on defense.

I expect an absolute slugfest but Stephenville’s edge in the trenches on both sides of the ball is what propels them to title No. 7.

Stepp’s Pick: Stephenville 28, Kilgore 24

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Stephenville

Jr. QB Trot Jordan - Stephenville had to replace the Big Three (QB, RB, WR) from last year’s 12-2 team. Jordan’s emergence has turned an offseason question mark into a team focal point. He has 3,163 yards and 44 touchdowns to just 4 INTs.

Sr. DL Kolton Dearth - Dearth Vader strikes fear into the opponent’s heart from his defensive line spot. The Army commit has 76 tackles, 26 tackles-for-loss and 2 sacks on the year. Stephenville will also line him up on offense in short-yardage situations.

Sr. LB Caleb Taylor - Taylor and fellow senior Hudson Butchee combine to create one of the state’s most feared linebacker tandems. Taylor is a downhill thumper who arrives at the ball carrier with bad intentions. He is the linchpin of a Stephenville defense that surrenders just 8.1 points per game.

Kilgore

Sr. QB Kayson Brooks - Brooks broke multiple school records in his first year as a starter, leading Kilgore to a state championship game. His senior year encore has been just as spectacular with 3,134 yards, 29 TDs and 5 INTs. He’s also a dangerous scrambler.

Sr. WR/LB Lakeyleon Graves - Graves, a Texas State signee, is one of the state’s best two-way players. On defense, he has 132 tackles, 10 pass breakups and 6 INT. On offense, he has 790 receiving yards and 8 TDs. But he’s also a triple-threat with 2 punt return TDs.

Sr. DL Cam Christian - Christian will join Graves at Texas State, but the pair has one more game in the Kilgore red, wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. The senior nose guard blows up plays before they start, with 72 tackles, 10 TFLs and 5 sacks.

- Carter Yates

PREDICTIONS

THE PICK