GAME PREVIEW

How about consecutive 1-point victories to get to your first-ever state championship game? That’s the life that Pottsboro is living these days.

Last week, the Cardinals defense came up with an interception in the end zone to hold off a Brock rally and escape the state semifinal round with a heart stopping 36-35 victory. QB Braden Plyler led the Pottsboro attack throwing for 216 yards and a touchdown, while running 30 times for 101 yards and two scores. That included the deciding TD for the third straight week as Pottsboro has won its last three games by a total of nine points.

Pottsboro rallied from a 35-24 deficit in the fourth quarter by scoring the last 12 points of the game. Plyer’s run with 5:27 left gave PHS the lead and set the stage for Tyler Farris to pick Brock off in the end zone with under a minute left to seal the win.

Grandview had no such drama last week as the defending state champions rolled past Columbus, 41-21, down in the Austin area. Junior QB Dane Jentsch was sensational throwing for a touchdown, rushing for a touchdown and getting an interception on defense, while Tremayne Gullate ran for three touchdowns as the Zebras raced out to a 41-7 lead before two late window dressing touchdowns from Columbus.

Grandview’s offense gets the headlines, but that defense, led by highly recruited DE Demetrious Crownover, has been dominant during its playoff run. This appears to be a team peaking at the right time. This veteran bunch could be bringing a second straight state title back to Johnson County. 

Stepp’s Pick: Grandview by 11

- Matt Stepp

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PLAYERS TO WATCH

Pottsboro

Senior RB Cy Shope (HUDL)

Shope’s not the fastest player on the field but he might be the hardest to tackle with nearly 2,000 yards rushing and over 30 touchdowns on the ground. Although he’s been slowed a tad in the playoffs, he’ll always be Plan A for the Cardinal offense.

Junior WR Titus Lyons (HUDL)

A talented 6-foot-4 wideout is a mismatch at any level of the state but especially at 3A Division I. Lyons has been Pottsboro’s big play target all season long with over 15 touchdowns and monster games against some of the Cardinals’ toughest games this season including Gunter and Gladewater.

Junior QB Braden Plyler (HUDL)

A big reason why Pottsboro is at AT&T is due to the elevated play of Braden Plyler. As teams game-planned to stop Shope in the postseason, the junior quarterback took greater command of the offense highlighted by a 242-yard passing, 86-yard rushing performance against Gladewater in the regional finals.

Grandview

Junior QB/S Dane Jentsch (HUDL)

Last year’s MVP on offense and defense in the 3A DI Championship game, Jentsch is no stranger to the big stage. The junior gunslinger is as dangerous with his feet as he is his arm and on defense, just when you lose sight of him, he has the knack for the game-breaking interception.

Junior DT/WR Dametrious Crownover (HUDL)

It’s never hard to spot the 6-foot-7 junior anytime he’s on the field, but somehow Ryan Ebner and the Grandview staff find ways to occasionally get him open or in a mismatch on offense when he’s not clearing ways as a blocker or disrupting backfields along the defensive line.

Senior RB/LB Elijah Golden (HUDL)

Pick your poison with Golden. He often sets the edge on the outside and disrupts plays at the second level for a fast Zebra defense and then on offense, he’ll flair out of the backfield as a lethal receiving threat when he’s not carrying the ball himself.

- Ish Johnson

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PREDICTIONS

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TEPPER'S PICK

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