All games District 19-6A

Thursday

Seven Lakes (2-7, 1-6) vs. Cinco Ranch (5-4, 4-3), 6:30 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium

Last year: Cinco Ranch 56, Seven Lakes 17

• It’s a much different situation for Seven Lakes and Cinco Ranch as they enter the final week of the regular season. The Spartans are out of the playoff race and playing for pride, while Cinco Ranch still has a chance to get in but will need help from other games as well as a win.
  The Spartans come off a loss to Katy and will be looking to close out the season on a positive note. Seven Lakes was unable to slow down the Katy run game and it took a while for the Spartans to get into the game offensively. Shaan Patel threw a 25-yard touchdown to Davis Yates for the Spartans lone touchdown in the game while Seven Lakes ended up six rushing touchowns to the Tigers. They’ll look to be better in that area headed into this week.
  Cinco meanwhile comes off its bye week and will be well rested and very motivated coming into this week. There is only one scenario where the Cougars get into the playoffs, they need to get a win over Seven Lakes on Thursday and then they would need Jordan to lose to Morton Ranch on Thursday night as well. The Cougars will rely on an offense that has been explosive in many games this season and a defense that has gotten better as the season has gone along. The run game has been a strong point for the team behind Tessiah Young and Marcus Gadlin, while Davis Roup has been a good addition as quarterback for the Cougars.
  Cinco Ranch will have to have a strong day against the run game of Seven Lakes, as the Spartans will try to ground and pound their way into the endzone on offense, while the Cougars will have to be balanced on offense as they look for a big win. Seven Lakes defense will have to be ready to stop both the pass and the run while the offense of the Spartans will have to be balanced, mixing in the teams talented backfield with play action and shots downfield.

Jordan (6-3, 4-3) vs. Morton Ranch (2-7, 2-5), 7:15 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

Last year: Morton Ranch 36, Jordan 33

• Jordan and Morton Ranch face off in a rematch of their final regular season games for last year, but while Jordan is in the same position they faced last year the Mavericks are not and will just be playing for pride and to close out the season the right way. The matchup between these two was one of the most exciting of the whole season with huge stakes.
  The stakes are the same as last year for Jordan, win and you are in the playoffs, which would be the first ever playoff appearance for the Warriors. Jordan is coming off two straight losses and will look to bounce back as they continue to get healthier towards the end of the regular season. Jordan comes off a loss to Tompkins where they just could not stop the Falcons run game, giving up 487 yards on the ground overall. The Warriors pass game had explosive plays, with Zechariah Sample going for 81 yards on three catches, Van Keith Brown getting 75 yards on three catches and Andrew Marsh getting 57 yards on four catches, but the run game for the Warriors couldn’t keep up only gaining 67 yards on the ground.
  Morton Ranch will need to trust its run game, as the opposing run game has been a weakness of Jordan’s. They will try to use both quarterback and running back in the run game while adding deep shots with the pass game. The Morton Ranch defense will have to be strong against the pass especially as they hope to put together fourt strong quarters.
  Jordan will have to better against the run game, especially against a team that likes to run the ball in Morton Ranch while offensively they will look to continue their strong pass game and add more run as they look to clinch a playoff spot.

Friday

Tompkins (6-3, 5-2) vs. Paetow (2-7, 2-5), 6:30 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium

Last year: Tompkins 41, Paetow 17

• Tompkins and Paetow both come into Friday’s game having played well in the last few weeks with both on winning streaks as they enter the final week of the season.
  Tompkins is riding a five game winning streak and comes off a win over Jordan that clinched a playoff spot for the Falcons and will look to build off that coming into this game. Wyatt Young and Caleb Blocker combined to be a dominant force in the teams last win. Young ran for 231 yards and three touchdowns while Blocker ran for 208 yards and two touchdowns, Young also threw for 61 yards and a score as the Falcons wore down Jordan on the way to the win. The Falcons defense also stepped up, not allowing a touchdown in the second half and limiting Jordan especially in the run game, where they only gave up 67 yards.
  Paetow meanwhile won its second in a row by beating Taylor. The Paetow defense was huge in the game, the Panthers held Taylor to under 200 yards of total offense while recording three interceptions and stopping Taylor multiple times on fourth down. Offensively, Jamaal Comminie had 48 yards rushing while Kaleb Molina added 38 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Jackson Farrar only completed one pass but it was for a touchdown to Jabari Bush.
  Tompkins will try to do the same thing they have been doing, using a bruising run game to get ahead and control the clock while getting turnovers and stops on defense. Paetow will try to do the same things on defense, where they have been excellent, while the Panthers will try to be more explosive on offense as they try to win a third straight.

Taylor (5-4, 5-2) vs. Katy (8-1, 7-1), 7:15 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

Last year: Katy 49, Taylor 7

• What looked like it might be a battle for the District 19-6A championship coming into last week now is just a game for bragging rights, as both Katy and Taylor are locked into their positions in the playoffs and the final district standings.
  Katy comes off a big win against Seven Lakes, which was the Tigers seventh straight win and kept them unbeaten in district play. Katy also managed to clinch the district title last week and the top spot in the playoffs out of the district by beating Seven Lakes and with Taylor losing. The Tigers run game was once again a big catalyst in the win. Tremayne Hill, Romel Jordan and Chase Johnsey combined to dominate the game and combined to run for six touchdowns, while the Tigers defense only allowed one touchdown in the game and kept Seven Lakes offense from ever getting into the game.
  Taylor meanwhile, comes off a loss to Paetow that won’t effect playoff chances but killed the teams chances of winning a district title, and the Mustangs will be looking to bounce back with a strong performance before heading into the playoffs. It was a defensive battle in the last game for the Mustangs from start to finish. Both teams were held under 200 yards of total offense in the game as both Taylor and Paetow struggled to move the ball and both defenses played well, the Mustangs held Paetow to just 11 yards passing in the game. Offensively, Daniel Bruns threw for a 109 yards and a touchdown, Dante Archie caught five passes for 34 yards and ran for 41 yards while Jeremy McCullough had 32 yards receiving and a touchdown.
  it will be a battle of strengths in the game. Both teams will want to run the ball and stop the run and both have strong front sevens and offensive lines. While both teams have their spots in district and the playoffs secured, both will be wanting to close out the regular season with a win.