Here are five thoughts from the area round of the UIL high school football playoffs.
Banner year for Midlothian ISD continues
If you can find a single multi-school district with a better combined record than Midlothian ISD, let us know. Because through two rounds, both Midlothian (12-0) and Midlothian Heritage (11-1) are still chasing a state title. A Week 1 loss to reigning 4A state champion Stephenville is the lone blemish to Heritage’s record.
Midlothian, No. 7 in The News’ area 5A rankings, beat Amarillo 56-28 in the 5A Div. I Region I area round. Quarterback Chad Ragle passed for 212 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushed for 188 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Heritage, No. 10, scored 26 fourth-quarter points to come from behind and beat Crandall 45-37 in the 5A Div. II Region II area round. Quarterback Kaden Brown passed for 267 yards and 3 scores.
Midlothian will play 10-time state champion Aledo in the regional semifinals next week; Heritage will take on South Oak Cliff, which knocked off Lovejoy on Saturday.
District 5-6A shows continues to flex
Preseason predictions pegged District 5-6A as one of the state’s deepest conferences. Through two postseason rounds, that’s held true.
Three District 5-6A teams — Denton Guyer, Prosper and McKinney — are still standing to play in their respective regional finals. Guyer (12-0), the area’s top-ranked 6A team, torched a previously-undefeated Highland Park team in the second half of the 6A Div. II Region II area round on Friday to win 63-42. Prosper (11-1), ranked fifth, beat South Grand Prairie 38-26 and McKinney (8-4), ranked 16th, left no doubts in a 42-7 win over Jesuit.
If Guyer can beat Trophy Club Byron Nelson (11-1), and if McKinney can beat Southlake Carroll (12-0), there’d be an all-District 5-6A showdown in the 6A Div. II Region I championship.
Anna shows it can contend for a state title
If Anna’s Week 4 win over area power Celina didn’t prove it, the area’s top-ranked 4A team’s win over state champion Stephenville on Friday does: Anna (12-0) is the real deal, and could make a serious run at the 4A Division I state championship.
The most impressive part of Anna’s 33-32 win over Stephenville? How it ended. Stephenville, trailing by a point with 5:19 left in the game, punted the ball back to Anna. What came next was a 17-play, 55-yard drive that ate up the remainder of the clock and didn’t allow Stephenville another shot at scoring.
Senior quarterback Evan Bullock, a Louisiana Tech pledge, passed for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns while Boise State pledge Jambres Dubar rushed for 191 yards and 2 scores.
In 5A, No. 2 Timberview and No. 3 Reedy set to face off
One of the Dallas area’s best 5A games all season will be played next week in the 5A Div. I Region II semifinals.
No. 2 Mansfield Timberview (12-0) and No. 3 Frisco Reedy (12-0) are set to play in a showdown of undefeated teams. Timberview beat Barbers Hill 35-7 in the area round, while Reedy toppled No. 4 Lancaster 30-27 despite being outgained 402-190.
There’s school district pride on the line for both, as Timberview is the last Mansfield ISD remaining in the playoffs and Reedy is the last Frisco ISD team standing.
Terrell’s hot streak carries into regional semifinals
After a 3-5 start to the season, Terrell (7-5) has won four straight games, including a 5A Div. II Region II area round showdown against Everman (9-3) on Friday.
Terrell, which rose from 4A to 5A during February’s biennial realignment, scored 28 unanswered second-half points to beat Everman 49-16. Chase Bingmon starred in Terrell’s run-heavy offense with 178 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. Terrell’s lone completed pass? A 33-yard touchdown from Lindon Henderson to Bingmon.
Terrell has a tall task waiting ahead of it in the next round as Melissa, the area’s No. 8 5A team, is waiting after a 42-38 win over Ennis on Friday.
On Twitter: @McFarland_Shawn
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
