We have passed the half-way mark in the regular season of the Texas High School football season in Central Texas and it’s just a short 10 week until the UIL State Championships in Arlington. There are 51 area teams taking a rest with an open date this week.
RED ZONE GAME OF THE WEEK
VALLEY MILLS EAGLES (4-1) (1-0) at AXTELL LONGHORNS (4-1) (1-0)
7PM Ellison Field, Axtell
In 2023 Axtell was riding an undefeated regular season into the playoffs where a bi-district round match-up saw them against a 6-win Valley Mills team. The Eagles won 29-18 in an upset. Axtell has gone 16-3 since that game and now face the Eagles as a district rival. Both defenses have combined for five shutouts this year and average less than two touchdowns given up per game. While the defenses give the scoreboard operator a break, the offenses light it up. Axtell averages 37 points per game and Valley Mills is. Averaging 38. On paper these two teams are evenly matched. The Eagles offense has been able to fill in holes from last year, but the Axtell returns its signal caller in Levi Leathers this year from an injury. Leathers may be a better baseball player than football player, but his play at quarterback will be the difference in the game.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS AND THE BRAZOS VALLEY
PFLUGERVILLE HENDRICKSON HAWKS (3-2) (2-1) at COLLEGE STATION COUGARS (1-4) (1-2)
The College Station Cougars finally got the monkey off their back last week with a 56-point win at Kyle Lehman. The Cougars are in unprecedented territory as it is the first time in school history the Cougars have had more than three losses in the regular season. A preseason contender for the district championship, the Cougars will need to win the rest of their district game and get some help to win the 12-5A crown. Hendrickson’s record may be deceiving as they have one win against a team with a winning record.
MIDWAY PANTHERS (4-1) (0-1) at SHOEMAKER GREY WOLVES (5-0) (1-0)
Both Midway and Shoemaker entered district play last week with undefeated records and looking to contend for the 12-6A title. Midway lost a 3-point game to Harker Heights, while Shoemaker won by 3-poiints at Temple. The Grey Wolves look to take a command of the 12-6A race while the Panthers can get back in title contention with a win. This game may not decide the district championship but will factor into seeding and which team will have to face the likes of DeSoto, Duncanville, or Waxahachie in the first round of the playoffs.
ROGERS EAGLES (4-1) at #3 COLUMBUS CARDINALS (3-2)
Rogers travels to Columbus to face off against the defending 3A Division 1 state champ. In Casey Carr’s first year at Rogers has the Eagles off to their best start since starting 9-0 in 2019. After having five players sign with Division 1 programs after last year’s state title Columbus has gotten off to a 3-2 start. All of those games have big against bigger 4-A schools. This will be a big test for Rogers as it is only the second team they have played this year that has a winning record.
#6 CHILTON PIRATES (4-0) (1-0) at MART PANTHERS (1-3) (0-1)
Only 38 miles separate these two schools, but back in 2023 these two teams were in different regions. That led to a great state semifinal game where Mart won 38-24. Now in the same district, Chilton is rebounding from a 3-win season in 2024. The Pirates are 4-0 and have moved into the 2-A Division 2 state rankings. Defense is the name of the game for the Pirates as they have only allowed 12 points all season and have three shutouts in four games played.
Mart has played a tough non-district schedule, playing mostly larger 3-A schools. Two of three non-district games were against 3-A schools, and the only non-district win was against a 2-A Riesel. Last week Mart opened district 10-2A play with a loss at Bremond and a tradition rich Panther team is hungry to start stacking up wins.
COOLIDGE YELLOWJACKETS (4-1) at MOUNT CALM PANTHERS (5-0)
With one loss combined between these teams, this has the potential to be a great game. This year Coolidge has already racked up wins against Oakwood and last week had a one-point win at Oglesby but have yet to crack the state rankings. Coolidge hits the road again and faces a Mount Calm team that look to stay undefeated. The Panthers have taken care of their opponents, winning each of their five games by 45-points or more. This game will show us who the pretenders and contenders are six-man football.
MIDFIELD RANKINGS
The Midfield Rankings is a listing of the pound-for-pound best teams in Central Texas and the Brazos Valley regardless of their classification.
- BREMOND TIGERS (4-0) – Bremond got revenge from their only 2024 regular season loss with a 28-20 win against Mart. This week the Tigers travel to Wortham to face off against the winless Bulldogs.
- LEXINGTON EAGLES (5-0) – Lexington shut out Hearne 37-0 last week. This week they are back on the road in Caldwell to face the Hornets.
- AQUILLA COUGARS (5-0) - Aquilla got the 54-8 victory against Jonesboro last week at home. The home stand continues against Bynum on Friday.
- BRENHAM CUBS (5-0) – The Cubs continue winnings as they traveled to Longview last week for the 49-7 win over Gilmer. This week they travel to Waco to face a winless Lions team.
- FAIRFIELD EAGLES (5-0) – Fairfield flies into the rankings for the first time this year after 61-14 win over McGregor. The Eagles have outscored their five opponents 296-68. Most of 9-3A is idle this week as they start district play next week.
After a 36-point loss at Stephenville, La Vega has fallen out of the rankings. Cherokee, Chilton, Mount Calm, Brazos Christian, and Jewett Leon are all playing well and knocking on the door of the Midfield Rankings Top 5.
Don’t forget to watch Red Zone on Friday where Shahji Adam and Donna Conrad will have all the high school football action starting at 10:10PM.
