Southlake Carroll (14-0) vs Duncanville (12-1), 4 p.m. Saturday at McKinney’s McKinney ISD Stadium:

It’s the fourth straight meeting between the two metroplex powers deep in the playoffs, Duncanville took the first two meetings and a year ago Southlake Carroll pulled the upset on the Panthers to advance to the state title game. After allowing a long touchdown run on the game’s first play, Carroll settled in and rolled past a red-hot Allen squad 47-21. RB Owen Allen ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns to pace the SLC offense, while the Carroll defense employed a “bend but don’t break” philosophy allowing Allen to move the ball, but tightening up in the red zone. DB Avyonne Jones contributed for the Dragons with a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown, that put Carroll up for good at 14-7 in the first quarter. Duncanville for the second time this season took care of rival DeSoto 38-20 as the Panthers ferocious front seven did a number on the Eagles offense, with talented sophomore LB Collin Simmons getting a scoop and score touchdown in the second half that all but put the game out of reach. RB Malachi Medlock, a Toledo commit had a monster night for the Panthers rushing for 254 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 64 receiving yards and two touchdowns as well. This game for Carroll comes down to the Dragons offensive line, if they can protect QB Kaden Anderson, there are yards to be had against the Duncanville secondary. If Carroll plays on the front foot, that will take away the sting of Duncanville’s biggest weapon in Medlock who wears teams down in the second half. Carroll gets off to a quick start, puts Duncanville in a hole and forces the Panthers to throw the ball more than they’d like in this showdown. Stepp’s Pick: Southlake Carroll by 9

Galena Park North Shore (13-1) vs Lake Travis (12-2), 3 p.m. Saturday at Round Rock’s Reeves Stadium: It’s a North Shore-Lake Travis semifinal showdown for the third time in four seasons as North Shore looks to make it three in a row over the Cavaliers. North Shore’s going back to 2015 to get things done this year with a lock-down defense and an offense that relies on creativity and a number of different weapons to get the job done. Last week the Mustangs continued their dominance over Humble Atascocita with a 44-20 victory. Freshman QB Kaleb Bailey only threw for 116 yards and had two interceptions but he chipped in 74 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Xavier Owens and Damon Ford combined for 213 rushing yards and four touchdowns for GPNS. The Mustangs defense was outstanding in the as Evan Ford got an interception return for a touchdown and North Shore held Atascocita to just 15 yards rushing on the night. Lake Travis has had their up’s and down’s this year, but LTHS is peaking at the right time after dominating previously unbeaten San Antonio Brennan last week in a 42-17 win. QB Bo Edmundson threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns, while RB DJ Johnson ran wild with 213 yards rushing and two scores as Lake Travis rolled up nearly 600 yards of offense on the day. In North Shore’s past two wins over Lake Travis the Mustangs were able to take away the run force the Cavs to throw the ball almost exclusively, I expect a similar game plan this week, the difference is North Shore isn’t nearly as explosive on offense as they have been in the first two meetings, that means a much closer and much more hard-fought game. The Mustangs win, but it’ll be a grimy low-scoring affair. Stepp’s Pick: Galena Park North Shore by 5

Denton Guyer (13-1) vs Tomball (11-3), 7 p.m. Saturday at Waco’s McLane Stadium: It’s powerhouse Denton Guyer taking on a surprising Tomball team that had to win their final regular season game of the year just to finish fourth and make the postseason. Denton Guyer vanquished a familiar foe in Prosper with a 25-22 win, it was the Wildcats fourth close win over Prosper in the past two seasons. Guyer had to power back from a 14-3 halftime deficit to make the State Semifinals.  A very messy third quarter by both teams but things eventually fell in Guyer’s favor with a tough fourth quarter. Guyer outgained Prosper 417 yards to 197 and got 20 first downs to the Eagles six. Quarterback Jackson Arnold was the bright spot, throwing for 305 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The Guyer defense forced two interceptions from Prosper and that unit is what helped the Wildcats claw back from the early hole. Tomball continued their magical run with a big win against a Conner Weigman-less Bridgeland 48-13. In the brand-new Tomball ISD stadium, the Cougars reached the State Semifinal for the first time since 1985. Tomball ensured that they would seal the win by scoring four touchdowns in less than two and a half minutes. Quarterback Cale Hellums continues to be that dude for Tomball, as he threw for 111 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Hellums has been the breakout star of the post-season not only in the Houston area, but the entire state. Tomball has been nothing but an upset machine in these playoffs and it is a very well-oiled one. Guyer has been slower to start games out, although it hasn’t come to bite them yet. If Tomball gets to an early lead and is able to grind things out, they might be looking at another upset, but the playoff tested Wildcats are primed for their second shot at a state title in three years. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s Pick: Denton Guyer by 3

Katy (14-0) vs Austin Westlake (14-0), 2 p.m. Saturday at Waco’s McLane Stadium: It’s the showdown most of the state has been waiting for since October when it became evident that both Katy and Westlake would be in Division II this playoff run. Both defending state champions come into this one unbeaten, but Katy had to work to get out of Region III getting surprisingly pushed the last two weeks by Houston King and Humble Summer Creek. In last week’s 34-31 win over Summer Creek, Katy raced out to a 27-7 halftime lead but had to hold off a big rally down the stretch to win. The Tigers three-headed monster in the backfield of Seth Davis, Isaiah Smith and Dallas Glass combined for 362 rushing yards and five touchdowns to pace the Katy attack. Westlake had no such troubles last week as they decimated Austin Vandegrift 70-7, everything went right for the Chaparrals in the win as sophomore RB Jack Kayser ran for six of Westlake’s nine rushing touchdowns on the afternoon in an absolute destruction of a good Vandy squad. Has Katy been playing possum for two weeks laying in wait to ambush the defending champions or is this a flawed Katy team that is good, but not on the elite level we all believe Westlake is at? Katy will push Westlake more than anyone else this season, but in 2021 its all about the Chaps in Todd Dodge’s last run as a head coach and no one in Texas this year looks capable of slowing that train down. Stepp’s Pick: Austin Westlake by 15

Mansfield Summit (11-3) vs College Station (14-0), 7 p.m. Friday at Hewitt’s Panther Stadium: Mansfield Summit looks to pull out another big win against the undefeated and title hungry College Station in a true cat-fight at Waco Midway. The Jags are back again in the State Semifinals after avenging their loss to Colleyville Heritage earlier in the year with a 21-9 win last week. Although they were outgained in both yards and first downs, Summit’s defense came up big forcing four interceptions from Heritage. Summit was able to score a touchdown in all quarters except the third as they chugged along for the win. Quarterback David Hopkins kept things moving with 91 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception passing, while also running for 52 yards. College Station knocked off the defending state champions Denton Ryan 26-21 in a thriller to remain undefeated. The Cougars were able to hang onto a lead at halftime and outlast a talented Denton Ryan squad. Three-star running back Marquise Collins comprised the Cougars attack with 37 carries for 230 yards and three touchdowns. But the defense was the true star as they forced three interceptions as well as holding Ryan to 15 first downs. College Station has a whole lot of momentum behind them as they travel up north for the Friday clash. While Summit’s defense looked impressive the Cougars’ defense looked even more. Even though Summit is used to playing behind in the stats column they will need to make sure to keep it close if they want to have a shot at the upset. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s Pick: College Station by 10

Katy Paetow (13-1) vs Corpus Christi Flour Bluff (12-2), 7 p.m. Friday at San Antonio’s Heroes Stadium: Katy ISD has not one, but TWO teams playing in the state semifinals this week as in just their fourth varsity season the Paetow Panthers are regional champions. BJ Goette’s squad will look to cement their spot in the state title game this year against pesky Corpus Christi Flour Bluff. Both teams had to knock off district rivals a week ago to get to this point with Paetow blasting Fort Bend Hightower 35-12, while Flour Bluff won a defensive slugfest beating Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial 13-7. Paetow got an incredible 346 yards rushing and five touchdowns from Jacob Brown in the win, the Panthers only passed for 30 yards as they were having incredible success with the running game and a big offensive line. Flour Bluff needed a late goal line stand to hang on for their win, but the lack of offensive production has to be a concern going against a team that frankly is bigger, faster and has more depth across the board. Flour Bluff’s enrollment is actually 5A-Division II (they opted up to Division I), while Paetow has well over 3,000 kids on campus today and is moving to 6A in realignment. This one is a mismatch on paper and Paetow rolls to Arlington. Stepp’s Pick: Katy Paetow by 28

Lubbock Cooper (13-1) vs South Oak Cliff (12-1), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Abilene’s Shotwell Stadium: Lubbock Cooper exercised some playoff demons against Wichita Falls Rider last week with a convincing 22-0 shutout win to take home the Region I crown in 5A-Division II. The Pirates held an explosive Rider offense to just 194 yards and pitched a shutout, despite giving the defense short fields with some special teams and offensive mistakes. Baylor commit, DE Kyler Jordan’s 40-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the third quarter put the Pirates up 15-0 and really ended any hopes of a Rider rally as the Pirates defense was simply too much. South Oak Cliff had no signs of a let down after their big win over Aledo in the third round, the Golden Bears pummeled a good Lovejoy squad 42-21 in game that was 35-0 late into the third quarter. It’s SOC’s first trip to the state semifinals since 1970. QB Kevin Henry-Jennings threw for 250 yards and a touchdown and added a pair of touchdowns on the ground as the SOC offense spread the ball around and scored touchdowns on five of their first six drives to break the game wide open. Lubbock Cooper’s front seven will be a problem for the South Oak Cliff offensive line, but the SOC receivers will be an absolute matchup nightmare for the Cooper secondary. If SOC’s offensive line can protect there’s a lot of yards to be had through the air, but if the offensive line can’t protect, Cooper will control the tempo with their style of play and come away with a win. That being said, I think the SOC offensive line is very good and they’ll do their part, the Golden Bears start slow but pull away in the second half. Stepp’s Pick: South Oak Cliff by 16

Crosby (12-2) vs Liberty Hill (12-2), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bryan’s Green Stadium: It’s a state semifinal rematch down in Bryan as a year ago, heavily favored Crosby got all they wanted and then some in a 62-60 win over Liberty Hill to advance to the state title game. Many of the faces on both sides have changed but the constant is the contrast in styles as Crosby’s high-flying speedy offense is in direct opposite to the precision and deception of the Liberty Hill Slot-T offense. Crosby’s defense was the story last week as they won an absolute slug-fest a 14-7 win over previously unbeaten Texarkana Texas High. Liberty Hill rolled up big rushing numbers (as is the norm) in a thrilling 43-40 win over Alamo Heights last week, the Panthers had five different backs run for at least 60 yards, with Andon Thomas leading the way with 108 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. Crosby’s defense struggled a year ago with the Slot-T, expect the Cougars to be better equipped to deal with it in 2021 add in the fact that Crosby still has a massive edge when it comes their offensive speed against the Liberty Hill defense, that plays right into Crosby and a return visit to AT&T Stadium. Stepp’s Pick: Crosby by 10