All Games District 19-6A

Thursday

Cinco Ranch (6-3, 5-2) vs Seven Lakes (1-8, 1-6), 6 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

Last year: Seven Lakes 26, Cinco Ranch 24

• Cinco Ranch is gearing towards the playoffs.
  After clinching a playoff berth last week, the Cougars enjoyed a well-timed bye week as they were able to get healthy before one final district game and the start of their playoff run.
  It’s been a historic year for the Cinco Ranch offense. Gavin Rutherford has already thrown for over 2600 yards, averaging 290 yards through the air per game and has thrown 25 touchdowns to just six interceptions while also rushing for nearly 500 yards and eight scores, while Seth Salverino is closing in on 1000 yards receiving on the year heading into the teams final district game.
  The Cougars will be hoping to use this game as a warm up for playoffs and to fine tune what they will need to do next week. Cinco has all but locked in the second spot in district and the top spot out of district in the Division I bracket.
  Seven Lakes will, on the other hand, is looking to go into its offseason on a bright note, trying to get a second straight win over a talented rival.
  The Spartans come off a tough loss to Katy, in which they were shut out and not able to get anything going on the offensive end.
  Tanner Perez completed six of 14 passes in the game for 44 yards, with Marcel Davis leading the way in the receiving department, catching two passes for 21 yards.
  Donye Lake led the team on the ground, rushing for 58 yards on six carries, while Jake Farris had 16 yards rushing.
  Defensively, the Spartans also struggled, as Katy was able to put up 356 yards and five touchdowns on the ground while not forcing things through the air.
  The Spartans will be trying to have a good performance defensively this week and put together a full, four quarter game to challenge Cinco Ranch.

Jordan (5-4, 4-3) vs. Morton Ranch (6-3, 4-3), 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium

Last year: Did not play

• The first of two games that will decide two teams fates comes Thursday night when Jordan and Morton Ranch face off.
  It’s do or die for both teams. The loser will be eliminated from the playoff hunt, while the winner will be very close to securing a spot in the playoffs, which would be a huge accomplishment for either team.
  Jordan comes off a rough game against Tompkins, suffering their worst loss of the year to the Falcons in a tough game on both sides of the ball.
  Jordan’s offense struggled, as Colin Willetts threw three interceptions, while throwing for 144 yards and one score, and the run game was not much better, as Jordan combined for just 150 yards on the ground, with Chad Gasper leading the team with 71 rushing yards.
  Defensively though, things were much rougher, as they gave up 538 rushing yards to Tompkins, including allowing a 200-yard rusher and four different players to go over 70 yards on the ground.
  That will be the key for Jordan in this game as well, as Morton Ranch has one of the best ground attacks in the district, led by two players that can rip you apart on the ground.
  Morton Ranch had a good week last week that they could build off of with a strong win over Mayde Creek to keep the Mavericks in the playoff chase.
  Santana Scott was once again on top of his game, as the senior continues to show why he is such a talented prospect. Scott rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns on the night while Ryan Hall was also strong, rushing for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Johnson continued his efficient play as well, completing five of seven passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 26 yards as well.
  The Morton Ranch run defense was also especially strong, holding Mayde Creek to negative rushing yards, but they did allow 219 yards through the air, which is a concern heading into a game against a pass game that is as talented as Jordan.
  Morton Ranch will try to once again, control and dominate the game through the ground, while defensively, they will hope to be stronger against the pass game and get a few takeaways to give the Mavericks extra opportunities.

Friday

Katy (9-0, 7-0) vs. Taylor (3-6, 2-5), 6 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

Last year: Katy 67, Taylor 17

• Katy continues to march towards the playoffs after a strong performance in a win over Seven Lakes last week.
  the Tigers had already wrapped up a district title, but came out just as strong as they kept their undefeated district title alive with the win. The run game was main catalyst offensively for Katy, who once again dominated with their ground and pound offense.
  Seth Davis had 131 yards and three touchdowns while averaging over 16 yards per carry in the game, while Dallas Glass once again showed why he I such a valuable backup by rushing for 103 yards and two touchdowns, averaging nine yards per carry. Jared Kelly added 66 yards and a score to the mix.
  Defensively, the Tigers held Seven Lakes without a score and under 150 yards of total offense in a complete team performance.
  Taylor comes off a loss to Paetow and will be trying to end their season with a good performance, but that will be a tall task against one of the best teams in the state.
  Taylor had a decent but not great day on the ground against Paetow, as they combined for 132 yards on the ground, with Joe Jefferson leading the way with 56 yards and Dante Archie rushing for 33 yards.
  Jefferson also threw for 121 yards in the game to go with a touchdown, but also threw two interceptions while facing the tough Paetow pass rush.
  The Taylor defense allowed Paetow to have a very good day throwing the ball, as the Panthers had 293 yards, while the Mustangs could not stop the run as well as they would like to either, allowing 147 yards on the ground.
  Taylor will be looking for a better perforacne from the run defense especially, and want to clean some things up on the offensive end to limit turnovers.

Paetow (5-4, 4-3) vs. Tompkins (7-2, 5-2), 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium

Last year: did not play

• Paetow has done an admirable job to keep itself in the playoff hunt the past few weeks.
  Staring down a must win situation, the Panthers have won two straight and still have a chance to get into the playoffs heading into the last week of the season.
  Paetow took care of business last week with a win over Taylor and showed big improvements in their pass game, as the switch back to the I-formation ahs greatly helped the offense settle back into a groove.
  Koby Truehill had a very strong day, throwing for 293 yards and three touchdowns, with Justin Stevenson showing how big of a weapon he is, catching for passes for 123 yards and three scores, while Jason Blue had 53 yards receiving and Jabari Bush had 52 yards receiving. Paetow also had a good day on the ground, rushing for 147 yards as a team, with Jamarious Bates leading the way with 63 yards and a score and Derrick Johnson going for 41 yards and a score.
  The Panthers defense did what it needed to do, allowing 132 yards rushing and 121 yards passing, but up against a Tompkins team that has dominated on the ground, the key will be how much they can slow down that ground attack and if Paetow can keep the passing success going without turning the ball over.
  Tompkins has the best chance of the four remaining teams vying for playoff spots to lock a spot down, win or lose, but a win would 100% secure that spot and that is what the Falcons are going for.
  Tompkins had a huge day against Jordan, behind a big run game from a number of players.
  Caleb Blocker had one of the best performance you will see all year, rushing for 256 yards and four touchdowns, all of which came in the first half of the game, and averaging over 25-yards per carry. Wyatt Young rushed for 92-yards and a score and Caleb Komolafe rushed for 84-yards and a touchdown as Tompkins rolled to a win.
  The Tompkins defense was also big on the day, shutting down a strong Jordan pass game and forcing them into three interceptions, as the Falcons took advantage of a strong pass rush and playing from ahead all day.
  That gameplan will the same that they try to execute against Paetow, as the Falcons will want to limit the Paetow pass game and force the into turnovers, and continue to ground and pound and not let Paetow’s front seven rear their heads back and attack in the pass rush.