Big Country brings muscle to the high school football playoffs

The high school football playoffs begin this week, with 12 Abilene-area teams finishing the regular season ranked in the top 10 of their respective divisions.

Benjamin was ranked No. 1 to start the season and the Mustangs finished atop Class 1A Division II with a 8-0 record.

The Mustangs can score, and can play defense. Benjamin has five shutouts and allowed six points twice.

Two teams that were preseason No. 1s slipped a little but will be formidable foes in the playoffs.

Stephenville, the defending Class 4A Division I champion, made a living on winning nail-biters, then succumbed twice in thrillers in district play.

Stephenville fell 38-36 to defending Division II champ China Spring, then 50-49 to Alvarado. Those losses paired with a 62-61 win over Everman and 43-42 victory over Wichita Falls Rider as the Yellow Jackets often needed to outscore its opponents.

Albany also was ranked No. 1 but injuries to key players hampered the Lions in a couple of key games. Albany lost to unbeaten Hawley 26-14 at home and the next week to Comanche, a 3A team that turned around its season in 2021 from 1-9 to 9-1.

Returning to full strength, the Lions finished the season with five straight wins, the final four by shutout.

After Benjamin, the highest ranked area teams are Nos. 2 Hawley and Westbrook.

The Bearcats, who made the Class 2A Division I final last year, backed that up with a 10-0 campaign. That included a dramatic rally at home against Cisco in the season finale, with the Bearcats winning 36-33 on a touchdown with 3 seconds to play.

The loss did not affect the Loboes, who take an 8-2 record and No. 8 state ranking into the postseason.

Cisco's only other loss was 30-27 to Breckenridge, like Brownwood and Comanche, a surprise team this fall.

Westbrook posted a 9-1 record and is ranked behind only unbeaten Abbott. The Wildcats' loss was to Garden City, 46-42. Garden City is ranked No. 10.

Breckenridge is 8-2, winning their first six games and making the state top-10. But a 28-21 loss to Vernon followed by a 32-25 loss to red-hot Jim Ned cost the Buckaroos the district title.

Brownwood lost just twice, both times to playoff teams.

The Lions, ranked No. 9 in Class 4A Division I, opened the season with a 30-24 loss to Wylie, won four straight before falling 42-21 to Stephenville, then winning four straight again. The Lions allowed 40 points in those last four wins.

One of the hottest non-ranked teams is Jim Ned, which opened the season with three losses before reeling off seven wins and capturing a district title. The losses came to Hawley, Holliday and Wall, which are all in the playoffs and have a combined record of 29-1. Wall's only loss was 18-14 to ranked Cisco.

Two years ago, Jim Ned won the Class 3A Division I title and bowed out in 2021 to eventual state finalist Brock.

Comanche and Coleman each lost to Tolar. The Bluecats also lost to Llano, which is 10-0 and ranked No. 5 in Division I.

The Big Country is loaded in the six-man ranks.

Following Westbrook in Division I are No. 6 May and No. 8 Gordon.

May, which lost to Westbrook in last year's title game in Arlington, is 8-1, lost only to No. 3 Jonesboro in the regular season finale, 65-40.

The Tigers have their paws full, however, playing 9-0 Irion County to start the playoffs. Irion County is ranked No. 7.

Gordon is 10-0. The Longhorns posted two shutouts and held two other teams to six points. And there was a 54-4 win over Lingleville.

In Division II, Loraine stands 9-1, its only loss at home to Benjamin by 61-30. In fact, Benjamin gave up 31 points to its other eight opponents combined.

Rising Star rose up to win nine of its 10 games, the only loss 50-44 in Game 2 to Sidney. No other game was close.

The Wildcats are No. 10.

Final State Rankings

CLASS 6A

1. Austin Westlake (9-0), 2; 2. Galena Park North Shore (9-0), 1; 3. Duncanville (8-0), 3; 4. Southlake Carroll (9-0), 4; 5. Katy (9-0), 5; 6. Denton Guyer (9-0), 6; 7. Spring Westfield (8-1), 10; 8. Humble Atascocita (7-2), 7; 9. Cibolo Steele (9-0), 8; 10. Prosper (8-1), 11; 11. Dripping Springs (8-1), 13; 12. Alvin Shadow Creek (9-0), 12; 13. DeSoto (7-2), 9; 14. San Antonio Brennan (8-1), 17; 15. Arlington Martin (8-1), 15; 16. Highland Park (9-0), 16; 17. Austin Vandegrift (8-1), 18; 18. Rockwall (8-1), 20; 19. North Crowley (9-0), 21; 20. Allen (6-3), 14; 21. New Caney (9-0), 22; 22. Round Rock (8-1), 23; 23. Trophy Club Nelson (8-1), 19; 24. Humble Summer Creek (6-3), 24; 25. Cy-Fair (8-1), 25

CLASS 5A DIVISION I

1. Longview (9-0), 1; 2. Mansfield Timberview (9-0), 2; 3. Aledo (7-2), 3; 4. Lancaster (7-2), 4; 5. Midlothian (9-0), 6; 6. Amarillo Tascosa (8-1), 7; 7. Frisco Reedy (10-0), 5; 8. PSJA North (9-0), 8; 9. Smithson Valley (8-1), 9; 10. College Station (7-2), NR

CLASS 5A DIVISION II

1. Argyle (9-0), 1; 2. Fort Bend Marshall (8-1), 2; 3. Liberty Hill (8-1), 3; 4. Grapevine (8-1), 5; 5. Montgomery Lake Creek (9-0), 6; 6. Midlothian Heritage (8-1), 7; 7. San Antonio Alamo Heights (7-1), 8; 8. South Oak Cliff (6-3), 9; 9. Lucas Lovejoy (7-2), 10; 10. Everman (8-1), NR

CLASS 4A DIVISION I

1. China Spring (9-1), 1; 2. Corpus Christi Calallen (9-0), 3; 3. Boerne (9-0), 4; 4. Anna (9-0), 5; 5. Celina (8-1), 6; 6. Lumberton (8-1), 7; 7. Kilgore (7-2), 8; 8. Tyler Chapel Hill (7-2), 9; 9. Brownwood (8-2), 10; 10. Kaufman (7-2), NR

CLASS 4A DIVISION II

1. Carthage (10-0), 1; 2. Gilmer (8-0), 2; 3. Cuero (7-1), 3; 4. Silsbee (9-0), 4; 5. Bellville (9-0), 5; 6. Wimberley (9-0), 6; 7. Texarkana Pleasant Grove (7-2), 7; 8. Wichita Falls Hirschi (6-2), 8; 9. Glen Rose (8-1), 9; 10. Aubrey (7-2), 10

CLASS 3A DIVISION I

1. Franklin (9-0), 1; 2. Malakoff (8-1), 3; 3. Columbus (8-1), 4; 4. Shallowater (8-1), 5; 5. Llano (9-0), 7; 6. Bushland (9-1), 8; 7. Brock (5-4), 9; 8. Lorena (7-3), 10; 9. Pottsboro (8-1), NR; 10. West (8-1), NR

CLASS 3A DIVISION II

1. Gunter (8-0), 1; 2. Holliday (9-0), 2; 3. Newton (8-1), 3; 4. Canadian (7-2), 4; 5. Bells (7-2), 5; 6. West Rusk (7-2), 6; 7. Poth (8-1), 7; 8. Palmer (9-0), 8; 9. Lexington (9-0), 9; 10. Wall (8-1), 10

CLASS 2A DIVISION I

1. Timpson (9-0), 1; 2. Hawley (9-0), 2; 3. Crawford (9-0), 3; 4. Refugio (8-1), 4; 5. Stratford (9-0), 5; 6. Shiner (7-2), 6; 7. Tolar (9-0), 7; 8. Cisco (8-1), 8; 9. Centerville (7-2), 9; 10. Coleman (7-2), 10

CLASS 2A DIVISION II

1. Mart (9-0), 1; 2. Burton (9-0), 2; 3. Wellington (8-1), 3; 4. Wink (9-0), 4; 5. Chilton (9-0), 5; 6. Price Carlisle (9-0), 6; 7. Albany (7-2), 7; 8. Collinsville (8-1), 8; 9. Santo (8-1), 9; 10. Granger (7-2), 10

CLASS 1A DIVISION I

1. Abbott (9-0), 1; 2. Westbrook (8-1), 2; 3. Jonesboro (8-1), 4; 4. Rankin (8-1), 5; 5. Happy (8-1), 6; 6. May (8-1), 3; 7. Garden City (8-1), 7; 8. Irion County (8-0), 8; 9. Gordon (9-0), 9; 10. Medina (9-0), 10

CLASS 1A DIVISION II

1. Benjamin (8-0), 1; 2. Cherokee (8-0), 2; 3. Balmorhea (8-1), 3; 4. Oglesby (9-0), 4; 5. Richland Springs (7-1), 5; 6. Sanderson (8-0), 6; 7. Loraine (8-1), 7; 8. Whitharral (8-1), 8; 9. Rising Star (8-1), 9; 10. Bluff Dale (8-1), 10;

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Big Country brings muscle to the high school football playoffs