Below is your one-stop shop for all things UIL regional final football: final scores, game stories, photos and must-read features from The Dallas Morning News. Looking for state championship TAPPS coverage? Click here.
Best photos
Quick links
Find the full statewide schedule, as well as scores for previous rounds of the playoffs for every team in the state, by clicking this link.
Friday
Waco La Vega 44, Argyle 20: Box score
Aledo 43, Ennis 36: Box score | Game story | Photos
Brock 31, Pilot Point 21: Box score | Game story
Carthage 24, Midlothian Heritage 7: Box score
Frisco Lone Star 38, Lancaster 20: Box score | Game story | Photos
Saturday
Denton Guyer 48, Amarillo Tascosa 7: Box score | Game story
Denton Ryan 56, Colleyville Heritage 10: Box score | Game story
Duncanville 49, Southlake Carroll 35: Box score | Game story | Photos
Spring Westfield 38, Jesuit 28: Box score | Game story
Rockwall 59, Prosper 42: Box score | Game story | Photos
Saturday’s games
— Jesuit’s historic playoff run ends with loss to Spring Westfield in regional finals
— Photos: Duncanville vs. Southlake Carroll
— Photos: Rockwall vs. Prosper
Friday’s games
— A ‘superstar’ of his own: Sophomore Garret Rangel’s breakout year continues for Frisco Lone Star
— Photos: Frisco Lone Star vs. Lancaster
Must-read feature
Legacy, loyalty and playing 10 days after hand surgery: How EJ Smith has fueled Jesuit’s historic playoff run
Quick preview: Rance Holman couldn’t believe it when he took the snap, turned around and saw the running back with the signature orange cleats.
Only one player on the Jesuit football team wore those, but there was no way the person behind the pads could be him. That player was in surgery for a broken hand just eight days before.
To Holman’s disbelief, the impossible was happening. It was actually EJ Smith.
“It was like a movie or something,” Jesuit head coach Brandon Hickman said of the moment Smith came out to practice the Wednesday before their first-round playoff game.
The last few weeks for Jesuit have been reminiscent of a Friday Night Lights-esque screenplay. The four-loss Rangers, coming off their worst season since they joined the UIL, have won three straight playoff games to advance to the regional final for the first time.
Smith, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, has taken a starring role, scoring 11 touchdowns, including all eight in Jesuit’s last two victories.
This almost didn’t happen. Many thought it shouldn’t have, but Smith came to Jesuit to leave a legacy, and he couldn’t leave his teammates hanging. Without them, Smith might have not played through the pain; without him, Jesuit might not be one of the last eight 6A-II teams in Texas.
Continue reading this story here.
Unbeaten and untested: An inside look at a challenge facing Dallas-area football powerhouses as the playoffs progress
Quick preview: On Nov. 7, the Duncanville football team posted a message to college recruiters on its Twitter page.
“Please don’t judge our kids on stats. Our starters have played in the 2nd half of 3 games this season.”
That was at the end of a 10-game regular season.
When Denton Ryan coach Dave Henigan submitted his all-state nominations on Nov. 24, he included a note at the top that started with, “Our guys played in only 2 full games the entire regular season, so their stats aren’t as impressive as other players.”
There are five undefeated Dallas-area teams — Southlake Carroll, Duncanville, Denton Ryan, Frisco Lone Star and Argyle — playing in this week’s regional finals, and they all have an average margin of victory of 30 points or more. Duncanville (13-0) is ranked No. 3 in the nation by USA Today and has outscored the opposition 593-77, but its opponent in Saturday’s 6A Division I Region I final will be eight-time state champion Southlake Carroll (13-0), the nation’s 13th-ranked team that is winning by an average of 37.3 points.
Starters on dominant teams often spend much or all of the second half relaxing on the sideline while the backups polish off another blowout. So how do those teams prepare their first-stringers for the late-game, pressure-packed situations that could arise as the playoffs progress and the competition gets tougher?
Continue reading this story here.
Realignment for 2020-2022
The UIL released enrollment numbers yesterday — and we have some thoughts about what was revealed. Read about those here.
Our notable coverage this season
Want to see what we’ve done in previous weeks? You’re in luck. Find all of The Dallas Morning News’ unrivaled high school football coverage — including stories, photos and more — here.
Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8
Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Bi-district | Area | Regional semifinals
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