High School Football: Area Round Previews

 

SAN ANGELO, TX-- Thanksgiving is staring us down. That means one thing: Thanksgiving football!

All of the 11-man brackets have dwindled down to 32 teams as we've reached the Area round of playoffs. Only five teams from the Concho Valley remain in contention for the coveted State Championship.

Here are the matchups for those five remaining teams:

6A:

San Angelo Central (11-0) vs Mansfield (10-1), Friday Nov. 24, 7:00 pm, Vernon Newsom Stadium, Mansfield:

While it may not be a power like Allen, DeSoto, or Southlake Carrol, this game could be one of the best we've seen all year. Central and Mansfield have tremendous offenses. The Bobcats are putting up 39 points on average while the Tigers are putting up 34.7. Defensively, both teams are stout and allow under 20 points per game. Mansfield's defense has allowed a staggering 10.5 points per game and could very well be the best front Central faces this season. As near as I can tell, this is the first time these two teams have met.

 3A-D1:

Wall (11-0) vs Tuscola Jim Ned (9-2), Friday Nov. 24, 7:00 pm, San Angelo Stadium: 

Wall was dominant once again in their victory over Friona. The Hawks put up 370 yards rushing against Friona in a game that was always going to go their way. Now they get a tough Jim Ned team who's only two losses came to state-ranked Sonora and regional contender Comanche. In the game against Sonora, Jim Ned gave up a late lead and lost by four points. Jim Ned has a solid defense that is averaging 21 points allowed per game. However, nobody has been able to stop Wall in 2017.

3A-D2:

Sonora (11-0) vs Spearman (6-5), Friday Nov. 24, 4:00 pm, Antelope Stadium, Abernathy:

Much like Wall, Sonora has been on a upward trend all season. Last week they dominated Coleman in the first round. Spearman, on the other hand, has not lost away from home this season. The Lynx are 6-0 this season on the road or at a neutral site. Last week they upset a decent Coahoma team to make it to the Area round. Spearman's offense is averaging a respectable 31.2 points per game while Sonora is putting up 48.

2A-D1:

Mason (11-0) vs Shiner (8-2), Friday Nov. 24, 7:00 pm, The Pfield, Pflugerville:

This is one of the big matchups in the Region 4 side of the bracket. These two teams have storied histories and trophy cases with state titles. However, Mason is the most dominant team in Class 2A. The Punchers ran by Rosebud-Lott in a 49-0 demolition last week and notched their fifth shutout this season. Shiner shouldn't be overlooked, though. The Comanches have won eight of their last nine games. But good luck getting past a Mason defense that hasn't allowed more than a touchdown in a game this season.

2A-D2:

Menard (9-2) vs Lindsay (9-2), Saturday Nov. 25, 3:00 pm, Chesley Field, Cisco:

Don't have plans for Saturday? This game would be worth the drive to Cisco. Lindsay and Menard are fairly evenly matched and have hung their hat on defense in 2017.  Both teams are averaging around 16 points allowed per game. However, Lindsay has had the better success on offense putting up just over 45 points per game compared to Menard's 32.8 points. Lindsay blew past Haskell 62-7 last week while Menard beat Miles for a second time this season.

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