Class 1A Division II Region IV Bi-District

Zephyr (9-1) vs. Evant (5-5)

7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 at Priddy

Fresh off their fourth consecutive district championship, the Zephyr Bulldogs – winner of 13-A Division II – battle the District 14-A Division II runner-up Evant Elks in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Last year in Goldthwaite, Zephyr emerged with a 46-0 bi-district victory over Evant.

The Bulldogs clinched their league championship last week with a 41-30 victory at Gustine as Zephyr compiled 370 yards, including 277 on the ground, while allowing 245 yards – 147 rushing and 98 passing.

Chayden Woodcock rushed for 208 yards three touchdowns for the Bulldogs, while Ethan Prochaska passed for 66 yards and a pair of touchdowns – 30 yards to Bauer Blair and 5 yards to Ryan Glosson. Reid Hamm pulled down a 31-yard reception as well, while Woodcock caught a 27-yard pass from Jetson Gowin. CJ Byers also rushed for 46 yards for the Bulldogs.

Defensively, Gowin led the Bulldogs with 14 tackles trailed by Byers with 12 and Glosson with 10.

Evant is led by Octavio Cardosa (908 passing yards, 19 TDs, 3 INTs), Texan White (1,229 rushing yards, 20 TDs; 237 passing yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT), Cooper Standford (36-738, 13 TDs receiving) and Edgar Dominguez (720 rushing yards, 9 TDs; 4-72 receiving).

According to sixmanfootball.com, Zephyr is a 45-point favorite.

Thursday’s winner faces either District 15 champion Richland Springs (9-1) or District 16 runner-up Calvert (4-5) in the regional semifinals next week.

***

Class 1A Division II Region IV Bi-District

Richland Springs (9-1) vs. Calvert (4-5)

6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 at Blum

The Class A Division II No. 3 Richland Springs Coyotes’ quest to expand upon their state record and claim a 10th state championship hits the postseason portion of the run against the Calvert Trojans.

District 15 champion Richland Springs has won nine games in a row since dropping its season opener to Class A Division I No. 1 Gordon.

The Coyotes shutout three of four district opponents, including league runner-up Rochelle, 62-0.

In that contest, Richland Springs finished with 224 yards – 137 on the ground and 87 through the air.

Billy Perry rushed for 50 yards and two touchdowns, passed for 42 yards and a touchdown, and caught two passes for 31 yards with another trip to the end zone. Ethan Deeds threw for 45 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 29 yards and another score. Cohen Ethridge chipped in 58 yards on the ground and crossed the goal line once, while catching a 14-yard pass as well. Layne Ward hauled in a 31-yard scoring reception, and Brice Roesler caught an 11-yard pass.

Defensively for the Coyotes, Ethridge led the way with 11 tackles followed by nine from Perry, and eight each from Ward and Rush Norris. Perry intercepted a pass and Deeds recovered a fumble.

Calvert is coming off a 64-16 defeat to Cherokee to conclude the regular season, with losses also suffered against Oakwood (61-0), Bryan St. Joseph (90-71), Burkeville (57-12) and Waco Methodist Children’s Home (50-0).

The Trojans have beaten San Marcos Academy (88-80), Highland (68-64), Buckholts (57-12) and Pawnee (61-0) this season.

According to sixmanfootball.com, Richland Springs is a 45-point favorite.

Thursday’s winner faces either District 13 champion Zephyr (9-1) or District 14 runner-up Evant (5-5) in the regional semifinals next week.

***

Class 2A Division II Region II Bi-District

Cross Plains (4-6) vs. Muenster (8-2)

7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 at Mineral Wells

The Cross Plains Buffaloes are making their first postseason appearance under head coach Jared Sanderson after securing fourth place from District 7-2A Division II with a 39-8 win over Winters last week. The reward for the Buffaloes is a first-round playoff date with the Harris Ratings Weekly No. 2 Muenster Hornets.

In Cross Plains’ win over Winters, the Buffaloes finished with 409 yards of total offense – 360 rushing and 49 passing – with a pair of turnovers, while giving up 152 yards – including 105 on the ground – with four takeaways.

Kye Schuman rushed for 188 yards and three touchdowns for Cross Plains, along with 80 yards and two scores from Tyler Mackey. Kevin Hopkins tacked on 42 yards and Landry Savell contributed 41 on the ground.

Through the air, Savell connected on 2 of 3 passes for 49 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown to Rylen Reed, and a 29-yard toss to Mackey.

Defensively for the Buffaloes, Mackey and Colt Sanderson led the team with six tackles each followed by William Albrecht with five and Jesse Bradford with four. Brandan Jones intercepted a pair of passes for Cross Plains, while Mackey and Savell each picked off one as well.

District 8 champion Muenster averages 48 points and allows 20 per game, led by quarterback Casen Carney (1,784 passing yards, 23 TDs, 1 INT; 1,142 rushing yards, 16 TDs), receivers Garrett Hess (31-576, 9 TDs) and Maverick Bayer (24-425, 5 TDs), and running backs Dustyn Croft (563 rushing yards, 9 TDs; 19-466, 6 TDs receiving) and Nolan Peel (544 rushing yards, 8 TDs).

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, there is no line for this contest. In Week 11, Muenster was rated 60 points higher than Cross Plains.

Thursday’s winner will face either District 5 runner-up Wellington (8-2) or District 6 third seed Haskell (6-4) next week.

***

Class 1A Division I Region IV Bi-District

May (9-1) vs. Gorman (4-6)

7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 at Gorman

The Class A Division I No. 3 May Tigers earned their first district championship since 2021, also the last season May reached the state championship game. The Tigers are hopeful a similar postseason run begins Friday night when they visit District 13 runner-up Gorman.

In last week’s 51-6 victory that clinched the District 14-A Division I championship for May, the Tigers were led by Lane Goodson’s 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns, 68 passing yards and another score, and 20 yards receiving. Cayson Dail added 103 passing yards and a pair of touchdown tosses and 30 yards receiving.

Jackson Lusk contributed 83 receiving yards and a touchdown; Kobey Morris notched 38 receiving yards and one touchdown with 34 yards on the ground; Brody Stice caught a 21-yard pass; and Kaden Watkins rushed for a 2-yard touchdown.

Defensively for the Tigers, Goodson and Mikey Scheriger recorded five tackles each; Kayden Psencik and Maddix Raffel logged three tackles apiece; and Lusk, Morris and Watkins notched two tackles each. Lusk also pounced on a fumble and Watkins picked off a pass.

Gorman has defeated Ranger (58-7), Lingleville (45-0), Baird (55-20) and Brookesmith (54-6) this season, with losses to Lometa (40-16), Zephyr (59-10), Iredell (71-36), Rising Star (46-36), Bryson (52-6), and Gordon (68-0).

Players to watch for the Panthers include Tyce Delgado, Tristan Lee, Edgar Gutierrez, Garrett Teague and Justin Brown.

According to sixmanfootball.com, May is 45-point favorite.

Friday’s winner faces either District 16 champion Runge (8-2) or District 15 runner-up Medina (8-2) next week in the regional semifinals.

***

Class 1A Division II Region IV Bi-District

Blanket (8-2) vs. Oglesby (9-1)

7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 at Priddy

The Blanket Tigers secured their second consecutive playoff berth under head coach Jalen Helms, and now seek their first postseason victory in a bi-district rematch with the Oglesby Tigers.

Blanket fell in last year’s contest by a 46-0 count in Hico.

Blanket enters the playoffs averaging 51 points and 339 yards – 273 rushing and 66 passing – per contest, while the defense yields 15 points on average.

Kannon Kensing has rushed for 1,614 yards and 35 touchdowns, caught seven passes for 146 yards and another score, and thrown for 56 yards and a touchdown. Mason Beck has chipped in 965 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, six receptions for 87 yards with a trip to the end zone, and passed for 323 yards and five scores.

Brian Shannon is the leading receiver (9-135, 4 TDs) along with Karter Keel (8-102, 5 TDs), Kade Russell (6-36, 2 TDs) and Cole Furry (3-82, 2 TDs). AC French (142 passing yards, 2 TDs) and Leo Valdes (93 passing yards, 5 TDs) have also contributed to the air attack.

Defensively, Beck leads the Tigers with 98 tackles and six interceptions followed by Kensing with 80 tackles and four fumble recoveries, Shannon with 55 tackles, five fumble recoveries and three interceptions, and Abel McLaughlin with 45 tackles.

Oglesby is led by Holdyn Goff (1,719 rushing yards, 37 TDs; 773 passing yards, 10 TDs), Jack Hendricks (13-350, 6 TDs receiving), Jaxon Markum (9-253, 4 TDs receiving) and Callan Webb (424 rushing yards, 8 TDs).

According to sixmanfootball.com, Blanket is a 35-point underdog.

Friday’s winner faces either District 16 champion Cherokee (9-1) or District 15 runner-up Rochelle (4-6) next week in the regional semifinals.

***

Class 2A Division I Region IV Bi-District

San Saba (6-4) vs. Rosebud-Lott (8-2)

7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 at Manor

The District 14-A Division I No. 3 seed San Saba Armadillos will attempt to secure their first postseason victory since 2020 when they face the District 13 runner-up Rosebudd-Lott Cougars.

San Saba is coming off a 22-0 loss to Mason last week in a game that could have given the Armadillos a share of their first league championship since 2019.

Against Mason, San Saba managed just 85 total yards with 66 coming on the ground and 19 via air.

Jason Everett rushed for 35 yards, while Luke Tharp added 24 on the ground and threw a 19-yard pass to Cash Bryant. Graden Lebow accounted for the Armadillos other 7 rushing yards.

Defensively, Melvin Umble notched 12 tackles followed by 11 from Everett and 10 from Lebow, who recovered a fumble. Kaylub Roberts also pounced on a loose ball, to go along with three tackles.

Rosebud-Lott is also heading into the playoffs with a loss as the Cougars’ five-game win streak ended with a 21-18 setback to Crawford in a district championship showdown a week ago.

The only other loss for Rosebud-Lott was to Bosqueville (35-21) in the pre-district finale.

Players to watch for the Cougars include quarterback Pryce Rabroker (1,419 passing yards, 20 TDs, 1 INT), running back Zaylon Wells (1,049 rushing yards, 12 TDs) and receivers Kaiden Johnson (27-555, 8 TDs) and Daniel Rincon (26-309, 3 TDs).

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, San Saba is an 11-point underdog.

Friday’s winner faces either District 16 champion Refugio (9-0) or District 15 fourth-seed Weimar (8-2) in second-round action next week.

***

Class 2A Division II Region III Bi-District

Goldthwaite (7-3) vs. Maud (5-5)

7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 at Ennis

The District 10-2A Division II third-seed Goldthwaite Eagles will attempt to duplicate last year’s postseason success as they meet the District 9 runner-up Maud Cardinals in first-round action for the second year in a row.

Last season, Goldthwaite cruised to a 55-12 victory in Corsicana.

The Eagles head into the playoffs fresh off a 40-14 road victory over Mart as Goldthwaite compiled 388 yards of total offense, including 287 through the air, with one turnover, while yielding just 191 yards – 131 rushing and 60 passing – with six takeaways.

Blake Howard connected on 10 of 17 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns – including 82, 68 and 44 yards completions to Aidyn Lee, who finished with five grabs for 203 yards. Talen Gardner added a 6-yard scoring reception and finished with two catches for 20 yards.

Landry Sanderson rushed for 94 yards and a 2-yard score for the Eagles, while Casen Wiedebusch hauled in a 63-yard reception.

Maud dropped all four of its pre-district games to Hawkins (41-34), Elysian Fields (42-26), Mount Enterprise (58-30) and Overton (49-26) as well as a district championship clash against Cumby (38-36).

Victories for the Cardinals this year came against Detroit (44-26), Clarksville (22-20), Simms-Bowie (26-18), Celeste (36-7) and Linden-Kildare (62-22).

Players to watch for Maud include RB/LB Huntley Ott, QB/DB Ryker Bailey, LB/RB Brady Allison, DL/TE Jayms Howerton, RB/DB Noah Howerton, WR/DB Ian Butler, OL Ayden Atkinson, DL Aidan Acosta, and OL Rex Foster.

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Goldthwaite is a 35-point favorite.

Friday’s winner faces either District 12 champion West Sabine (8-2) or District 11 fourth seed Overton (6-4) next week in second-round action.