Fort Stockton (7-1, 1-0) at Big Spring (6-2, 1-0): It’s a big one out in West Texas this week as sole possession of first place in 2-4A Division I is up for grabs as Fort Stockton visits Big Spring. Defending district champion Fort Stockton got pushed at home by San Angelo Lake View but escaped with a 35-32 double overtime win. FSHS ran out to a big first half lead, but the offense was held in check in the second half and the Panthers had to escape in overtime with the hard-fought win. They’ll have their hands full this week with an explosive Big Spring squad that knocked off Andrews last week in convincing fashion 48-19. QB Gabriel Baeza threw for 405 yards and five scores, while chipping in 87 yards rushing, WR Eli Cobos was the top target hauling in eight passes for 110 yards and three touchdowns, Cobos also threw a touchdown pass for the Steers on a trick play. That dynamic Big Spring offense will be too much too handle and the Steers move one step closer to a district title this week. Stepp’s Pick: Big Spring by 10

Argyle (7-1, 3-1) at Kaufman (7-1, 3-1): The top part of District 7-4A Division I continues to be a dogfight as only one loss is the difference between the top spot and being 2 out of the playoffs altogether. Argyle has continued to rebound after their loss to Melissa, as they took care of business against Terrell 56-14. Quarterback Jett Copeland was 10 for 13 with 209 yards and four touchdowns, if Argyle can get the aerial game to go along with their ability to dominate in the trenches they’ll remain as a state title contender. Kaufman hurt themselves in the district title hunt as they lost to Paris 35-21. Running back Braxton Garmon shined as he had 28 carries for 149 yards and one touchdown, but the Lions inability to slow down a surging Paris ground game proved to be their undoing. These two played a heated game this summer in the state 7-on-7 title game and things got chippy, so expect this one to be physical with a lot on the line. Argyle’s dominance up front will be the key in this showdown. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s pick: Argyle by 14

Vidor (7-0, 3-0) at Huffman-Hargrave (6-2, 1-2): Vidor and their Slot-T offense moved into the state rankings this week as the Pirates are off to an impressive 7-0 start, they’ll look to move one step closer to a district title this week against formerly state ranked Huffman-Hargrave who bounced back last week from their two game skid with a 41-7 win over Splendora. QB Cody Gaitan threw for 321 yards and six touchdowns for the Falcons in the easy win over Splendora. Vidor took down defending district champion Livingston in convincing fashion, drubbing the Lions 40-7 as the Pirates offense rolled up another huge game on the ground and their defense held an explosive Livingston offense in check. Vidor has the look of a team peaking at the right time and they’ll be a real dark-horse in the playoffs. Stepp’s Pick: Vidor by 8

Smithville (7-1, 3-0) at Cuero (7-1, 3-0): The top two teams in 13-4A Division II hook up in Cuero with a potential district title on the line as surprising Smithville looks to take down the homestanding and favored Gobblers. Smithville took down Giddings 30-16 a week ago as QB Derrick Roberson had a hand in all four Tigers touchdowns, rushing for two scores and throwing for two scores in the win. Cuero blasted Navasota 55-14 a week ago as the Gobblers were led by RB Tycen Williams who ran for three touchdowns and had a touchdown reception as well in the dominant win. Williams finished with 127 yards rushing and 53 yards receiving to lead the Cuero offense that rolled up 524 yards of total offense on the night. Smithville’s overall team speed will give Cuero fits, but the Gobblers opportunistic defense and offensive balance gives them the edge. Stepp’s Pick: Cuero by 7

Sabine (6-2, 4-0) at Gladewater (6-2, 5-0): Sabine will look to pull the upset against their powerful neighbors from ten miles north on Highway 135. The Cardinals set themselves up for this showdown two weeks ago with a dominant 42-14 win over White Oak for their fifth straight win. QB Jace Burns led SHS with 228 yards passing and two touchdowns, while adding 151 yards on the ground and a score. RB Brannagan Willige had 104 yards on the ground and two scores as well. Sabine has had two weeks to prep for this one, while Gladewater is looking to wrap the regular season up with a sixth straight win after the Bears dispatched of White Oak 48-14 last week. RB G’braylon Polly ran for five touchdowns to lead the Bears rout and Kollin Lewis’ interception return for a touchdown early in the game gave Gladewater the lead for good at 14-7. Sabine is a solid team, but the end stretch of the season is tough with Gladewater and Tatum in back-to-back weeks, we’ll know just how good this team is soon enough. Getting out of Jack Murphy Stadium with a win is a tall order as Gladewater looks to be rounding into form for a possible regional title run. Stepp’s Pick: Gladewater by 11

West (8-0, 4-0) at Grandview (8-1, 5-0): The 7-3A Division I district title is on the line as West makes the short trip north on I-35W into Johnson County to take on Grandview in a showdown of state ranked teams. West was on a bye last week but the week before the Trojans were able to gut out a 14-10 win over Whitney. West’s veteran squad has powered them to an undefeated season, but they’ll face their biggest test of the year this week. Grandview took care of Whitney last week as they won 55-10. They relied on their junior athlete Kason English who had five touchdowns and 97 yards receiving. English, a FBS prospect hauled in two touchdown passes, he ran for a score, he returned a punt for a touchdown and even for good measure threw a touchdown pass. This will be a battle and should be a must watch game on Friday night. A low scoring game favors West but if the game opens up Grandview should thrive. Last year Grandview won this one 58-14, expect it to be much closer this year. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s Pick: Grandview by 3

Vanderbilt Industrial (7-1, 4-0) at Edna (7-2, 5-0): A possible regional finals preview in 3A-Division I Region IV will take place in Edna as powerful Industrial looks to take down a sneaky good Edna squad. The Cobras have battled injuries much of the year, but they’ve fought through it and have slowly gotten healthy as district play has progressed. Two weeks ago Industrial blasted Palacios 58-14 as the normally ground oriented Cobras showed incredible balance on the night. IHS ran for 210 yards and threw for 209 yards in the win, if Coach Jamie Dixon’s squad gets that kind of balance on a regular basis they will be the favorite to win Region IV. Edna has dominated in district play winning their five district contests by an average of 34.6 points per game. The Cowboys last game was also against Palacios and they also rolled in a 47-14 rout. Edna raced out to a 35-7 halftime lead as five different players found the end zone in the first half blitz and Edna’s dominant defensive line controlled the game all night. Industrial has had two weeks to gear up for this one and the Cobras may be peaking at the right time to go and get a massive road win. Stepp’s Pick: Vanderbilt Industrial by 3

Elysian Fields (7-1, 4-0) at Waskom (7-1, 4-0): It’s an old school showdown out in the Piney Woods as the blood feud between Elysian Fields and Waskom is renewed and once again a district title is on the line. EFHS blasted past Ore City last week 55-7 as QB Landon Swank threw for 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Williams Goodnight rushed for three scores on just six carries as the ‘Jackets dominated from start to finish. Waskom was equally dominant as the Wildcats blasted Harleton 67-0 a week ago. It was a total team effort from start to finish for Waskom as their flexbone offense tore through an overmatched Harleton defense. RB Tesean Hamilton ran for 129 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries, QB Cole Watson added 128 yards on the ground and scored twice on seven carries while also passing for 71 yards. D.J. Feaster scored twice and rushed for 70 yards on four carries. Zay Thomas carried three times for 59 yards and scored on all three of his carries. A healthy Watson at QB makes Waskom incredibly dangerous because he adds a strong passing game to the arsenal, this Waskom team is without question a state title contender and they make a statement at home this week. Stepp’s Pick: Waskom by 14

Hebbronville (7-0, 4-0) at Odem (9-0, 5-0): One of the best matchups in the state is down in Odem as unbeaten Hebbronville rolls into Odem looking for a district title in what should be a sensational showdown. Hebbronville had last week off to gear up for this one after taking down Skidmore-Tynan 43-12 two weeks ago. HHS rolled up over 400 yards of offense led by a balanced effort as QB Nate threw for 173 yards and a touchdown and RB’s Brandon Salazar and Josh Almaraz combined for 191 yards rushing and five touchdowns. Odem has been dominant on defense all season long allowing just over 5.6 points per game, in district play the Owls have allowed just 14 points in five games and pitched three shutouts. A defense like that travels well and will play even better at home this week as Odem wraps up an unbeaten regular season with a win over Hebbronville. Stepp’s Pick: Odem by 6

Timpson (6-0, 2-0) at Joaquin (5-2, 2-0): It’s a contrast in styles as high-flying Timpson visits Joaquin who lives and dies with their old-school Slot-T offensive attack. Timpson has only played six games this year as cancelations in non-district have followed the powerful Bears around all season, but the performance on the field hasn’t lacked as this offense led by sophomore QB Terry Bussey and senior RB Braden Courtney averages nearly 56 points per game. Joaquin last week slipped past a tough Shelbyville squad 36-30, the Rams don’t have a ton of team speed and trying to keep up with a Timpson squad that can absolutely fly will be a tall order. Stepp’s Pick: Timpson by 17

Quick Picks

Stephenville (8-0, 3-0) at Midlothian Heritage (6-2, 2-1) Stepp’s Pick: Stephenville by 18

Caddo Mills (6-2, 2-1) at Quinlan Ford (8-0, 3-0) Stepp’s Pick: Quinlan Ford by 4

Canton (5-3, 1-1) at Van (8-0, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: Van by 27

Hamshire-Fannett (5-3, 2-2) at Orangefield (6-2, 3-1) Stepp’s Pick: Orangefield by 2

Peaster (7-1, 4-1) at Brock (8-0, 5-0) Stepp’s Pick: Brock by 30

Woodville (5-2, 4-0) at East Chambers (6-2, 4-0) Stepp’s Pick: Woodville by 3

Hallettsville (7-1, 3-0) at Columbus (6-2, 3-0) Stepp’s Pick: Columbus by 1

Whitewright (4-4, 3-1) at Bells (6-3, 4-1) Stepp’s Pick: Bells by 16

Natalia (7-1, 4-0) at Poth (7-1, 5-0) Stepp’s Pick: Poth by 5

Santo (8-0, 2-0) at Albany (7-0, 3-0)  Stepp’s Pick: Albany by 15