Jayton (14-0) vs. Oakwood (9-5), 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 18 at Arlington's AT&T Stadium

The four-day football extravaganza at the UIL Texas high school footballs state championships will kick off on Wednesday morning with a matchup of one of six-man football’s most famous programs taking on perhaps the state’s preeminent Cinderella story.

It’s no real surprise that Jayton is here — the Jaybirds have been highly ranked since the preseason and exceeded those lofty expectations, riding the one-two punch of running back Bode Ham and quarterback Sean Stanaland to a perfect record, including a non-district win over perennial power Westbrook, dethroning two-time state champion Benjamin in the regional final, and slaying Klondike for a second time in the state semifinals.

Oakwood, on the other hand, is one of Texas’ biggest party-crashers, starting the season at 2-5 before rattling off seven wins in a row, most notably upset wins over Iredell and state runner-up Oglesby to make their first trip to the six-man state championship. The Panthers’ numbers won’t wow you — they’re allowing more than 43 points per game game — but they’ve got some firepower through quarterback Dayden Velazquez, running back Gavin Wilbanks and do-it-all weapon Darrion Thomas.

The question here is whether Oakwood can continue its magic run, or if Jayton’s outstanding defense will smother them out of the gates.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jayton

RB/LB Bode Ham - The Jaybirds have terrific balance to their attack, but their bread-and-butter is running the ball, and Ham is the tip of the spear. He’s averaging nearly 18 yards per carry and has 41 rushing touchdowns to his name. Defensively, he makes big plays — he’s notched 107 tackles and forced six fumbles on the year.

WR/DB Colt Gentry - When Sean Stanaland throws the ball, he’ll look to someone like Gentry, the team’s leading receiver with 547 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 16 catches. He’s also the team’s leading tackler, notching 121 stops on the year.

Oakwood

ATH Darreion Thomas - Oakwood’s chief game-breaker is the the junior Thomas, who is the team’s second-leading rusher (753 yards, 13 TDs rushing) and second-leading passer (754 yards, 16 TDs passing). When the ball is in his hands, it’s hard to know what the play call is until it’s too late.

RB Gavin Wilbanks - The most consistent threat for the Panthers, Wilbanks averages 7.4 yards per carry and has hit paydity a team-high 17 times this year. His hard-charging style gives the Panthers their identity.

PREDICTIONS

THE PICK