SportsDayHS staff writers Greg Riddle, Joseph Hoyt, Tess DeMeyer and Sean Collins break down state championship football playoff games, as well as give their predictions.
Editor’s note: Games below are listed in order of when they kick off. Find a full statewide schedule of games here.
Friday, Jan. 15
Aledo (12-1) vs. Crosby (12-3)
Editor’s note: Aledo won this game 56-21. Read about it here.
Game info: 1 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium
Aledo
State championships: Nine (1998, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019)
Coach: Tim Buchanan. He was Aledo’s head coach from 1993-2014 before taking a break as Aledo ISD athletic director. He returned to coaching last season and led Aledo to a championship.
Regular season: District 5-5A Div. II champion. Aledo’s only loss was to Cedar Hill.
How they got here: Beat Hillcrest (77-6 in bi-district), beat North Forney (49-24 in the area round), beat Frisco (45-27 in the regional semifinals), beat Lovejoy (52-48 in the regional final), beat Wichita Falls Rider (55-28 in the state semifinals)
Players to watch
- Running back Demarco Roberts and receiver JoJo Earle are the standouts on this perennial offensive juggernaut. Roberts and the Aledo offensive line dictated the pace in the semifinal game against Rider, rushing for 155 yards and four touchdowns. He had 26 touches and nearly averaged six yards a carry. Any team that wants to beat Aledo has to slow down Roberts, but also stay wary of Earle, who had a rushing touchdown of his own against Rider.
Aledo will win if: Its offensive line can continue to give Roberts the space to get in the open field. Aledo can score quickly, especially if Roberts can scoot past the defensive line and use his speed in the open field. Crosby will have a tough task if it can’t limit Aledo’s run game.
Crosby
State championships: None
Coach: Jerry Prieto. Prieto was hired on as Crosby’s head coach ahead of the 2019 season, and he led the Cougars to a 6-6 season that year before breaking out to a championship run this season.
Regular season: District 12-5AII runner-up. Crosby’s only district loss was to the district champion, Nederland. It also lost to Richmond George Ranch and Manvel to open the season.
How they got here: Beat Fort Bend Willowridge (66-0 in bi-district), beat Texarkana Texas (62-42 in the area round), beat Huntsville (32-29 in the regional semifinals), beat Fort Bend Marshall (37-28 in the regional final), beat Liberty Hill (62-61 in the state semifinals)
Players to watch
- Crosby had a balanced offense in the semifinal game against Liberty Hill, but quarterback Deniquez Dunn and running back Reggie Branch provided the heavy lifting. Dunn did have an interception, but he also passed for 22 yards and three touchdowns. He was also a threat with his legs, finding 65 rushing yards and another score. Branch could match Aledo’s Roberts, as he had 121 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Liberty Hill.
Crosby will win if: It can build an early lead, especially by a couple touchdowns. Forcing Aledo to pass the football could be the best bet, but that’s easier said than done. Roberts is consistent and Aledo rarely struggles to score.
Prediction: Aledo 48, Crosby 45
— Sean Collins
Denton Ryan (14-0) vs. Cedar Park (14-0)
Game info: 7 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium
Denton Ryan
Coach: Dave Henigan (Seventh season)
Regular season: District 5-5A Division I champion
How they got here: Beat Bryan Adams (69-6 in bi-district), beat College Station (52-21 in the area round), beat Longview (27-9 in the regional semifinals), beat Highland Park (17-7 in the regional final), beat Mansfield summit (49-35 in the state semifinals)
State titles: Two (2001, 2002)
Players to watch
- Oklahoma signee Billy Bowman Jr. and Texas signee Ja’Tavion Sanders live up to the hype they’ve generated in the run-up to the title game. They’ve combined for 2,223 receiving yards and 29 touchdown receptions this season, most of which have come from quarterback Seth Henigan. The Memphis signee leads the offense with 3,558 passing yards and 43 touchdowns.
- Head coach Dave Henigan said wide receiver Keagan Cunningham is also worth keeping an eye on.
- On defense, Rice signee DJ Arkansas is a force at linebacker, and Henigan said defensive end Michael Gee is “just wreaking havoc on people.”
Denton Ryan will win if: Its defense can hold Cedar Park to less than five touchdowns. The 35 points the Raiders allowed in the semifinals against Mansfield Summit was the most they’ve given up all season, and Cedar Park enters the championship averaging more than 50 points a game.
Cedar Park
Coach: Carl Abseck (Sixth season)
Regular season: District 11-5A Division champion
How they got here: Beat San Antonio Veterans Memorial (72-20 in bi-district), beat Richmond Foster (51-15 in the area round), beat New Braunfels Canyon (27-16 in the regional semifinals), beat Manvel (54-24 in the regional final), beat Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (61-28 in the state semifinals)
State titles: Two (2012, 2015)
Players to watch
- Quarterback Ryder Hernandez has thrown for 4,240 yards, 58 touchdowns and a completion percentage hovering around 70%.
- Wide receivers Josh Cameron and Gunnar Abseck both have over 1,000 receiving yards, and Jack Hestera is close behind with 979.
- On defense, middle linebacker Shelby Battles leads the team with 151 total tackles, and defensive linemen Hunter Hewitt and Ian Ferguson are both averaging at least one sack per game.
Cedar Park will win if: It can limit the damage done by Denton Ryan’s Billy Bowman Jr. on offense and kick returns while also putting pressure on quarterback Seth Henigan. Alvin Shadow Creek defeated Denton Ryan in the 2019 title game with a stifling defense and held off a comeback by forcing Henigan to make a risky last-second throw on the run.
Prediction: Denton Ryan 31, Cedar Park 27
— Tess DeMeyer
Saturday, Jan. 16
Cedar Hill (12-1) vs. Katy (13-1)
Game info: 1 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium
Cedar Hill
Coach: Carlos Lynn (fourth season)
Regular season: District 11-6A runner-up. Only loss was to Duncanville.
How they got here: Beat Bryan (27-0 in bi-district), beat Tyler Legacy (45-0 in the area round), beat Tomball Memorial (38-21 in the regional semifinals), beat Rockwall-Heath (27-24 in overtime in the regional final), beat Denton Guyer (27-17 in the state semifinals)
State titles: Three (2006, 2013, 2014)
Players to watch
- Four-star dual-threat quarterback Kaidon Salter has six games with at least three touchdown passes and two games with more than 200 yards rushing. The Tennessee signee has accounted for 45 touchdowns (31 passing, 14 rushing) and 3,646 yards of total offense (2,571 passing, 1,075 rushing) while throwing only five interceptions. Salter will try to lead Cedar Hill to a third consecutive win over Katy in a state championship game. Katy beat Cedar Hill 35-24 in the 2012 state final, but when they met in the following two title games, Cedar Hill won 34-24 in 2013 and 23-20 in 2014.
- New Mexico State signee Javien Clemmer has nine touchdown catches, including five in the playoffs.
- Defensive lineman Charles Esters, a Texas Tech signee, has a team-high nine sacks for a defense that is allowing just 16 points per game. DeSoto is the only team to score more than 28 against Cedar Hill.
- Senior linebacker Jaheim Lowe leads the team with 92 tackles, and 39 of those have come in the last three games.
Cedar Hill will win if: It can shut down the running game like it did last week, when it allowed 131 yards on 24 carries against a Denton Guyer team that averages 269 yards per game on the ground.
Katy
Coach: Gary Joseph (17th season)
Regular season: District 19-6A runner-up. Only loss was to Katy Tompkins.
How they got here: Beat Fort Bend Elkins (forfeit in bi-district), beat Houston Lamar (60-7 in the area round), beat Alvin Shadow Creek (49-24 in the regional semifinals), beat League City Clear Falls (51-14 in the regional final), beat Buda Hays (63-7 in the state semifinals)
State titles: Eight (1959, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2015)
Players to watch
- Katy averages 275.6 rushing yards per game on the strength of two 1,000-yard rushers. Sophomore Seth Davis has run for 1,625 yards and 17 touchdowns, and his brother Jalen Davis has rushed for 1,409 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior.
- Sophomore quarterback Caleb Koger has attempted more than 10 passes in just six of his 13 games, but he did throw a season-high five touchdown passes in a 49-24 win over 2019 5A Division I state champion Alvin Shadow Creek in the regional semifinals. Koger has passed for 1,460 yards and 23 touchdowns on a team that has rushed for 3,583 yards.
- Katy has three elite recruits in its secondary — four-star Florida State signee Hunter Washington, four-star junior Bobby Taylor (30 college offers) and three-star Arizona signee Dalton Johnson. Washington is rated the 19th-best cornerback in the nation in the Class of 2021, and Taylor is ranked as the 25th-best cornerback in America in the Class of 2022.
Katy will win if: Playing in its 15th state championship game, Katy can win title No. 9 if it can get ahead and use its dominant running game to control the clock and keep Salter off the field as much as possible.
Prediction: Katy 35, Cedar Hill 27
— Greg Riddle
Southlake Carroll (12-1) vs. Austin Westlake (13-0)
Game info: 7 p.m. Saturday, AT&T Stadium
Southlake Carroll
State titles: Eight (1988, 1992, 1993, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011)
Coach: Riley Dodge (third season)
Regular season: 4-6A champion. Only defeat came to Rockwall, 44-42.
How they got here: Beat Haltom (49-14 in bi-district), beat Odessa Permian (38-7 in the area round), beat Arlington Martin (30-26 in the regional semifinals), beat Euless Trinity (59-35 in the regional final), beat Duncanville (34-27 in the state championship)
Players to watch
- To understand the capabilities of the Carroll offense, look at the last two weeks. In the regional final against Euless Trinity, Quinn Ewers — the No. 1 ranked junior recruit in the country — had a career day with 450 passing yards and six touchdowns. Receivers Brady Boyd and Landon Samson combined for 30 catches, 398 yards and six touchdowns.
- This past weekend, Duncanville’s defense contained Carroll’s passing attack, but sophomore Owen Allen had a big game. He had 33 carries for 192 yards and two touchdowns, including a highlight 37-yard score.
Carroll will win if: The Dragons score 30-plus points, just like every other game this season, and force multiple turnovers with a defense that features standout safety Cinque Williams.
Austin Westlake
State titles: Two (1996, 2019)
Coach: Todd Dodge (seventh season)
Regular season: 26-6A undefeated champion
How they got here: Beat Round Rock Cedar Ridge (57-14 in bi-district), beat Spring Branch Smithson Valley (62-3 in the area round), beat San Antonio Stevens (71-14 in the regional semifinals), beat Cibolo Steele (34-0 in the regional finals), beat Galena Park North Shore (24-21 in the state semifinals)
Players to watch
- Carroll isn’t the only team with a standout junior quarterback in this one. Westlake’s Cade Klubnik has 26 scholarship offers and is a unanimous top-10 pro-style quarterback in the 2022 class. He had the game-winning touchdown run against Galena Park North Shore last week.
- The Westlake defense, however, was probably the story. They held the back-to-back reigning champions to 21 points. North Shore averaged 50 points per game entering the state semifinals. Another player to watch is sophomore receiver Jaden Greathouse, a big-bodied pass catcher who can separate from defenders.
Austin Westlake will win if: Its defense can keep Carroll under 30 points and contain not only star quarterback Quinn Ewers, but the Dragons running game with sophomore Owen Allen.
Prediction: Austin Westlake 31, Southlake Carroll 28
— Joseph Hoyt
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