Allen (11-2) vs Southlake Carroll (13-0), 2 p.m. Saturday at Denton’s Apogee Stadium: Two 6A juggernauts clash in the regional finals as Allen looks to present Southlake Carroll their first challenge of the playoffs. Allen got revenge against Euless Trinity after knocking the Eagles out of the playoffs last year. Allen got a 38-7 lead at halftime and never looked back, winning it 59-21. Jaylen Jenkins was the lead out of a trio of backs, who all had at least 50 yards and two touchdowns, earning himself 112 yards and two touchdowns. The Allen defense also stood tall forcing three interceptions out of the Trojans. Southlake Carroll pitched a shutout against a feisty Lewisville squad with a 52-0 win. Quarterback Kaden Anderson didn’t need to do much, throwing for only 130 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Owen Allen kept the clock moving with 29 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown. The Dragon defense locked the field down allowing only 153 yards and forced three fumbles, considering Lewisville has an offense loaded with playmakers the defensive performance is that much more impressive. An Allen squad that received a lot of criticism early could silence doubters with a win against a talented Carroll squad. But it will be a tall order since the Dragons have had it rolling on all cylinders all year. Both teams are peaking at the right time and they both have big fan bases, expect a massive crowd at UNT on Saturday afternoon for this one. It’s hard to go against Coach Riley Dodge and the Dragons at this point. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s Pick: Southlake Carroll by 7

Duncanville (11-1) vs DeSoto (11-2), 7 p.m. Saturday at Frisco’s Ford Center: It’s a rivalry game so good they’ve got to play it twice as favored Duncanville will look to make it four wins in a row over DeSoto and back-to-back regional final victories. Both teams come into this showdown playing maybe their best football of the season as Duncanville rolled past Spring 42-7 a week ago, while DeSoto cruised past unbeaten Spring Westfield 34-17. Duncanville’s defense was the story in the 42-7 blowout of Spring as the Panthers held Spring to just 223 yards of offense and had a pair of interception returns for touchdowns in the win. Duncanville’s offense didn’t roll up big yardage totals because they were constantly granted short fields by their vaunted defense. DeSoto’s defense employed a bend, but don’t break policy in their win over Westfield holding the Mustangs to two field goals on four first half red zone possessions, that enabled the Eagles to take a 14-6 lead into halftime, despite not playing very well on offense. The Eagles got the passing game going behind backup QB DJ Bailey who finished with 219 yards through the air and three passing touchdowns in the second half. DeSoto had three receivers with at least 100 yards receiving with Mike Murphy tallying 128 yards and two scores, Johntay Cook adding 102 yards and two touchdowns and Jaylan Bean adding in 103 yards receiving on nine receptions. Can DeSoto replicate that kind of aerial success against this Duncanville defense? If they can, they will pull the upset as this is not a dynamic Duncanville offensive unit, but what the Panthers do have is one of the state’s top defensive units and until proven otherwise, the Panthers get the nod over DeSoto. Stepp’s Pick: Duncanville by 10

Galena Park North Shore (12-1) vs Humble Atascocita (11-2), 7 p.m. Friday at Pasadena’s Veterans Memorial Stadium: North Shore and Humble Atascocita will meet up for the second time this year and Atascocita will look to put their struggles against North Shore aside and advance to the state semifinals. Atascocita has lost three-straight against NSHS. North Shore’s got some major injury concerns at QB as Wyndell Mitchell and Kaleb Bailey are both less than 100%. After running out to a big 26-0 lead against Katy Tompkins in the first half last week, but the Mustangs offense sputtered in the second half and their vaunted defense wore down late and they hung on for dear life in the 26-20 win. Humble Atascocita avenged their third-round loss to Ridge Point a year ago with a 24-21 victory. RB Tyras Winfield ran for 110 yards and a touchdown and sophomore QB Zion Brown continues to settle into his role as the leader of the Eagles offense after he was pressed into duty late in the year for Gavin Session who is out for the remainder of the season with an injury. The battle between the North Shore defensive line and the Atascocita offensive line will decide this one, if Atascocita can hold up they’ll have a chance at springing the upset, but that’s easier said than done as North Shore’s defense may be the best in 6A in 2021. Stepp’s Pick: Galena Park North Shore by 7

San Antonio Brennan (13-0) vs Lake Travis (11-2), 2 p.m. Saturday at Dripping Springs’ Tiger Stadium: The Austin area’s dominance over San Antonio is starting to get tested a bit as a week after pummeling Austin Bowie, the Brennan Bears have a shot to earn a bit more respect for the 210 this week as they tangle with Lake Travis, who has personally terrorized the Austin area in recent years. Brennan pulled away in the second half for a 59-36 win over Austin Bowie last week as junior QB Ashton Dubose had a monster night throwing for 318 yards and six touchdowns and adding 85 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Bears. Lake Travis got an unexpected push last week from Laredo United South, but the Cavs were able to grind out a 35-19 win. LTHS raced out to a 28-7 halftime lead as DJ Johnson ran for 211 yards and three first half touchdowns before grinding out the second half and holding off any late charge from United South. Although the final score line was a bit deceiving, Lake Travis seemed to be in control of the game the entire way, but they’ll need a crisper performance this week against a Brennan squad itching for a chance to take back some respect for their hometown that’s played second fiddle to Austin in recent memory. I’ve gone back and forth multiple times on this pick and I think Brennan keeps it close, but until a San Antonio team can take down Lake Travis (or Westlake for that matter) I have to stick with the capital city squad in this one. Stepp’s Pick: Lake Travis by 5

Austin Vandegrift (12-1) vs Austin Westlake (13-0), 2 p.m. Saturday at Austin’s DKR Memorial Stadium: It’s an all-Austin affair at the University of Texas on Saturday as upstart Vandegrift looks to cement their place among the elite football programs in Austin as they take on the biggest and baddest team on the block, the unbeaten two-time defending state champions Austin Westlake. Vandegrift had their late season stumble, but the Vipers have been on fire in the playoffs and that streak continued last week as they rolled past previously undefeated Edinburg Vela 38-14. QB Brayden Buchanan was lethal in the passing game for VHS throwing for 235 yards and five touchdowns, three of which came in a decisive second quarter that enabled Vandegrift to take a 28-0 lead to halftime. PSJA North was no match for the size and strength of Austin Westlake Friday as the Chaparrals destroyed PSJA North 56-0 in a score that probably doesn’t indicate how lopsided this game was from the start. Clemson commit QB Cade Klubnik threw for 234 yards and five touchdowns, in the first half as Westlake led 42-0 at halftime before emptying the bench in the second half. Westlake’s defense held PSJA North to just 93 yards of total offense on the day as well. The first quarter in this game is key, if Vandegrift can come out and punch Westlake and show the moment isn’t too big for them, then this could be a real battle. But if Westlake starts fast, it will be a long afternoon for the underdogs. Stepp’s Pick: Austin Westlake by 14

Denton Ryan (12-1) vs College Station (13-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Waco’s McLane Stadium: Defending state champion Denton Ryan has been pushed in a big way the last two weeks, but the Raiders have shown championship mettle each and every time and last week was no different as they slipped past Longview 37-33. QB Khalon Davis had an efficient day for the Raiders throwing for 239 yards and three touchdowns and the Ryan defense held off a late Longview rally down the stretch. College Station has had their way with Frisco ISD the last two weeks as the Cougars after pummeling Lone Star in the area round, got a test last week but pulled away for a 45-35 win over Frisco Wakeland. RB Marquise Collins again has a big day putting up 235 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, while QB Jett Huff added 200 yards passing and a touchdown. These two are two of the favorites to win a state title and this is College Station’s chance to slay the final DFW team that’s been a thorn in their side the past couple of seasons, the Cougs are a complete team in all three phases and although Ryan’s defense may be the single best unit in this game, College Station is the more complete team and the Cougs will make enough plays on offense to put Ryan in the chase position which is an unusual spot for them. Stepp’s Pick: College Station by 6

Katy Paetow (12-1) vs Fort Bend Hightower (11-2), 7 p.m. Friday at Houston’s Rice Stadium: Katy Paetow will look to take down Fort Bend Hightower for the second time this season and earn the Panthers a regional title in just their fourth season of varsity football. Last week the Panthers annihilated Cedar Park 65-14, yes that Cedar Park that played for a state title a year ago! RB Jacob Brown led the way with 241 yards rushing and four touchdowns, while QB CJ Dumas added 152 yards through the air and two touchdowns. Paetow’s defense picked off four Cedar Park passes in the victory as well. Hightower for the second time this season took care of Manvel, the playoff meeting had a bit more scoring than the regular season contest as Hightower won 31-21. RB Jeremy Payne ran for 224 yards and a touchdown, while WR Caleb Douglas (USC commit) added 72 receiving yards and a touchdown. WR Kaleb Johnson led the Hightower receivers with 86 receiving yards and a touchdown. Paetow blasted Hightower in the regular season meeting 55-7, this one will be much closer, but Paetow’s dominance in the trenches will pay major dividends once again this week. Stepp’s Pick: Katy Paetow by 17

Wichita Falls Rider (12-1) vs Lubbock Cooper (12-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Abilene’s Anthony Field: It’s part eight for these two powers in Region I as for the eight time in the last four years, Rider and Cooper hook-up and in each of the last four years, the regional title has been on the line. Lubbock Cooper has dominated the regular season meetings, going 4-0 against Rider, but in the playoffs Rider has taken two out of three. The regular season meeting between these two programs was the expected slugfest as Cooper got a 20-12 road win. Don’t expect much different in this one, as the personality of each of these teams is to rely on the defense and the running game. Last week Rider knocked off a scrappy Canutillo squad 28-7 as the Raiders only managed 177 yards of offense, but the defense was the difference as the Raiders held Canutillo to just 161 yards of offense. WR/DB Kaden Jones caught a touchdown pass and had a 33-yard interception return as well for Rider in the win. Lubbock Cooper was workman-like as well in their 27-7 win over Grapevine. RB Judge Thomasson led the Pirates with 204 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, while Cooper’s front seven led by Baylor commit DE Kyler Jordan and Oklahoma commit LB Kobie McKenzie held Grapevine to just 22 yards rushing on the afternoon. That defense for Lubbock Cooper is the key and may be what carries them to a regional title. Stepp’s Pick: Lubbock Cooper by 9

South Oak Cliff (11-1) vs Lovejoy (12-1), 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Frisco’s Ford Center: The 5A-Division II state title outlook has been blown right open as South Oak Cliff and Lovejoy look to make history as they continue their path towards AT&T Stadium. South Oak Cliff knocked off the defending state champions Aledo with a huge 33-28 win. Quarterback Kevin Jennings kept the offense in tempo completing 10 of 18 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. But the true star of the upset was the defense. The Golden Bears were able to force three sacks along with a vital pick six by Abdul Muhammad. The Golden Bears are all business as they face off against Lovejoy. The Leopards have slowly been losing their luster with close wins in the playoffs. That trend continued as they squeaked by Mansfield Timberview 24-20. Quarterback Alexander Franklin had a shaky game completing 13 of 30 passes for 173 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. But a trick play by Payton Pierce, throwing a touchdown after faking a run, sealed things for Lovejoy. While the playoff outlook of this bracket has changed, both teams see the opportunity to compete for a state title. If the Golden Bears can continue disrupting offenses and stay solid, they have a good chance in this one and could advance to their first state semifinal since 1970. Lovejoy is banged up, but still very dangerous and if the Golden Bears have any hangover from last week’s win over Aledo, the Leopards will primed to take full advantage. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s Pick: South Oak Cliff by 3

Texarkana Texas High (12-0) vs Crosby (11-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Lufkin’s Martin Stadium: It’s a rematch of an area round playoff game from a year ago, when Crosby announced themselves as a bona fide state title contender with a rout of unbeaten Texarkana Texas High. Once again unbeaten Texas High takes on Crosby, but this time the roles are reversed as Crosby comes into this one as the favorite on the strength of a strong regular season and the pedigree of last year’s run to a state title game. Last week Texas High crossed state lines into Louisiana and took care of Crosby’s district rival Port Neches-Groves with relative ease in a 44-21 win. RB Braylon Stewart continued his tear in the playoffs rushing for 190 yards and three touchdowns, while the Tigers defense held an explosive off from PNG to just 258 yards, with much of that coming when the game was well in-hand in the fourth quarter. Crosby on the other hand, had to hold off a furious rally from A&M Consolidated in a 53-50 victory. QB Cyrin Myles threw for 268 yards and added 122 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while WR/DB Kamren Kirkwood had over 200 total yards, a receiving touchdown and he picked off two passes for the Cougars as well. Last year Crosby’s offense threw up 62 points in their blowout of Texas High, that loss hasn’t been forgotten up in Texarkana so expect the Tigers defense to play inspired football, but will that be enough to slow down this incredibly dynamic Crosby attack? Stepp’s Pick: Crosby by 9