FIVE THINGS TO WATCH
The second round of the playoffs bring Houstonarea fans a meeting of two 2014 state finalists, a rivalry renewed and hopefuls looking to make history. Here what to look out for:
1 State runners-up face off: Intriguing matchups abound this week, but none may be bigger than the one between Katy and Cypress Ranch in the Class 6A Division II bracket. They meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Tully. Both teams played in state championship games last season and have realistic hopes of going far again this season. Cy Ranch (101) has won 10 in a row with only one of those victories coming by single digits. The Mustangs again have a dominant running game led by quarterback Collin Rock, an SMU verbal pledge. But even the best offenses have fallen victim to Katy’s powerful defense. The Tigers (11-0) have given up 18 points all season. They have shut out their last five opponents. 2 Rivals meet again: For the first six years of its existence, Dawson’s closest rival was Friendswood. The Eagles didn’t play city foe Pearland, so nearby Friendswood provided the most emotional matchup. UIL realignment split up the pair when they moved up to 6A, and the football coaches decided not to play one another during the regular season. But for the second year in a row, they will meet in the second round of the playoffs. Dawson won last year 28-26 when Friendswood failed on a two-point conversion in the final minutes. The teams have split eight meetings with Dawson winning both playoff games.
3 Going for another sweep: District 24-6A turned a few heads last week when it won all four of its firstround games. The most surprising was Clear Springs’ victory over Alief Taylor. The district can’t sweep another district this week but can grab some more attention if it wins four more games. Clear Springs is the only one not facing a 22-6A team, instead taking on North Shore for the fourth time in the last two seasons. The Chargers have not won any of the games. Clear Creek will face Manvel, while Dickinson squares off against Pearland and Friendswood battles Dawson.
4 Looking for a breakthrough: It is often said that the second round of the playoffs separates the contenders from the pretenders. So which local teams have a chance to become a contender for the first time or for the first time in a long time? Atascocita, Strake Jesuit, Foster, North Forest and Stafford never have advanced to the third round and have a chance to do so this week. Among the teams still alive that have not been there since the turn of the century are Bellaire (1967), C.E. King (1989), Hitchcock (1996) and Sealy (1999).
5 NRG and TDECU enter the fray: The second round is typically when bigger stadiums start hosting games. Two of the city’s biggest will host five games this week. It gets started Friday night when Dawson and Friendswood meet at NRG Stadium and Foster and C.E. King vie at TDECU Stadium. Bellaire and Cypress Falls play at 1 p.m. Saturday at TDECU. NRG will host a doubleheader Saturday: Pearland and Dickinson kick off at 2 p.m., and Ridge Point and Crosby will follow at approximately 5:30 p.m.