Denton Guyer (10-1) vs Dallas Jesuit (10-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Frisco’s Ford Center: The Jesuit Rangers look to pull off the upset against ninth ranked Denton Guyer who most view as the favorite in Region I in 6A-Division II. Denton Guyer wasn’t offensively flashy in their 34-14 win over Flower Mound as their defense went to work. The Guyer defense was able to force five interceptions off of Florida commit Nick Evers. Not to be outdone, quarterback Jackson Arnold threw for 294 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. DB Eli Bowen stole for the show for the Wildcats picking off three passes and returning one for a touchdown. Dallas Jesuit had a nice scoreline as they beat Arlington 69-36. They used their potent ground game to run over the Colts. Running backs Robert Fitzgerald and Jake Musso each at least had 170 yards and combined for seven touchdowns, with Fitzgerald having the bulk of them. If Guyer’s last game showed anything, it is that its defense is legit. Jesuit will have to keep relying on a ground game that got them a district title. The key for Jesuit will be protecting the football if they want to pull the upset against Guyer. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s Pick: Denton Guyer by 14

San Antonio Taft (9-2) vs Edinburg Vela (11-0), 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Edinburg’s Flores Stadium: All eyes in the Valley will be on Edinburg as Vela, the wire to wire number one team in the RGV will host a strong San Antonio Taft squad. Taft had some late season struggles dropping two of three games from Week 8-10, but the Raiders have rolled in their last two outings, including a dominant 42-7 win to open the playoffs over Del Rio. QB Justice Hurt was the catalyst for the Raiders in the win, rushing for 130 yards and three touchdowns and he added 91 yards and a touchdown through the air as well. Vela went very vanilla on offense last week in their 17-7 win over San Benito, the Sabercats were led by the defense which picked off three passes. Versatile PJ Rivera accounted for both Edinburg Vela touchdowns and had 139 yards from scrimmage in the win. For Edinburg Vela to pull what most would be considered an upset against a good San Antonio squad they’ll need QB Chase Campbell to step up and put up big numbers, if that happens, Vela’s offense has the firepower. Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Taft by 4

Denton Ryan (10-1) vs Magnolia West (10-1), 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Waco’s Waco ISD Stadium: It gets real in 5A-Division I Region II this week as we’ve got some blockbuster matchups, including this Saturday matinee in Waco. Defending state champion Denton Ryan has been a bit of a roller coaster ride on offense this year, but one constant has been a suffocating defense that may be a tad bit better than last year’s group. The Raiders opened the post-season in style last week rolling past an overmatched Dallas White squad 49-14. Ryan led 35-0 at halftime and spent much of the second half playing backups, QB Khalon Davis threw three touchdowns in the victory. Ryan’s defense forced four turnovers and feasted on short fields in the win. Magnolia West’s only blemish on the season is a loss to unbeaten College Station and the Mustangs looked impressive in their playoff opener dominating Tyler in a 56-14 win. Magnolia West rolled up 528 yards of offense led by QB Brock Dalton who threw for three touchdowns and ran for two scores. Hunter Bilbo ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns and also added two receiving scores as well, Kai Aroca ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Magnolia West’s offense will be a test for Ryan, but the Raiders have seen elite offenses before and held them in check (see Guyer and Frisco Lone Star), this will be close, because I don’t have a ton of faith in Ryan’s offense either, but in a low scoring slugfest lean to the Raiders. Stepp’s Pick: Denton Ryan by 7

College Station (11-0) vs Frisco Lone Star (9-2), 7 p.m. Friday at Tyler’s TMF Rose Stadium: It’s another 5-5A Division I vs 8-5A Division I showdown, this one out in East Texas as College Station takes on Frisco Lone Star in a top five showdown. College Station’s flame-thrower offense easily took care of McKinney North at home last week, rolling past the Bulldogs 49-10. QB Jett Huff threw for 238 yards and five touchdowns in three quarters of action, his favorite target being Traylen Suel who had 117 receiving yards and three touchdowns. RB’s Marquise Collins and Nate Palmer combined for 210 yards on the ground and two touchdowns in a complete effort for the Cougars. Frisco Lone Star cruised in their bi-district opener taking down Dallas Adams 74-6 as Garrett Rangel threw for 188 yards and four touchdowns and Ashton Jeanty added in 130 yards and two touchdowns rushing. Both offenses in this game get the headlines, but this one will come down to defense, whichever defense can rise up and get key stops in high-leverage situations will get the edge in this elite area round showdown. Stepp’s Pick: College Station by 5

Pflugerville Weiss (10-1) vs Manvel (9-2), 7 p.m. Friday at Bryan’s Green Stadium: It's a top ten matchup in the 5A Division I Area round, as number nine ranked Pflugerville Weiss takes on number seven ranked Manvel. This will be a contrast in styles as Weiss features an up-tempo spread offense, while Manvel loves to ground and pound with a big offensive line and a stable of capable backs. Pflugerville Weiss had an all-around effort as they beat San Antonio Veterans Memorial 63-28. Quarterback Dior Bradfield had an eye-popping 382 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. Junior running back Daelen Alexander had 113 yards and a touchdown. Manvel pitched a shutout in their win over Beaumont United beating them 56-0. Using their potent running game, three senior players combined for 300 yards and five touchdowns. The Manvel defense also forced two turnovers, with one being an interception. Weiss won’t get shutout by Manvel in this one but look for the Manvel defense to try and stifle the offense. If this becomes a shootout, things look a little bit better for Weiss. Be on alert for an upset watch in this one. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s Pick: Manvel by 4

South Oak Cliff (9-1) vs Frisco (10-1), 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Arlington’s Globe Life Field: It’s the fourth straight year these two have met up in the area round of the playoffs and after taking the first meeting in dominant fashion, SOC has fallen to Frisco the last two years, including a heart-breaking loss in the waning moments a year ago. The Golden Bears were pushed for the first time in a while last week, but with a late flurry took care of a scrappy Everman squad 49-28. SOC got the running game rolling putting up 354 yards on the ground led by KeAndra Hollywood who ran for 153 yards and a pair of touchdowns. SOC’s run defense was up to the test as well and they’ll need to be even better this week against a big and physical Frisco offensive line. The Racoons knocked off Royse City last week 48-28 as five different backs ran for at least 40 yards. QB Wyatt Carson threw for 154 yards and two scores and added 70 yards on the ground as well, while Brandon Miyazono ran for 90 yards and a touchdown and Jordon Hamilton added 81 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The games between these two teams tend to be low scoring, defensive oriented contests and I expect nothing different. The difference in 2021 is SOC’s offense led by QB Kevin Henry-Jennings, the Bears ability to stretch the field and be efficient in the passing game gives them the edge in this Thursday showdown. Stepp’s Pick: South Oak Cliff by 6

Texarkana Texas High (10-0) vs Texas City (10-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lufkin’s Martin Stadium: Talk about a Lone Star battle as Texas High out of Texarkana takes on Texas City in an intriguing matchup between two teams who have the same school colors as well, but the best part about this showdown is it should be a classic. Texas High took care of scrappy Fulshear squad at home last week pulling away in the second half for a 42-14 win. RB Braylon Stewart was the key cog for the Tigers rushing for 311 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Texas City had no trouble with overmatched Houston Sterling squad with a 66-21 win. Sterling hung around for a while and had the game within a score early in the third quarter, but Texas City’s depth and playmakers proved too much as five different Stingarees found the end zone as TCHS scored the final 38 points of the game. Although it’s a long way from home, travel is no issue for Texas High and they’ve had past success playing in Lufkin, this environment is totally new to Texas City and add in the pressure of a second-round playoff game as well, the Tigers get the bad taste of last year’s area round meltdown out of their mouths in this one. Stepp’s Pick: Texas High by 10