It is finally here. The last week of regular season football is upon us and still so much left to be decided across the state of Texas. District Championships are up for grabs, so teams need to win or their playoff hopes are over. And others are fighting for seeding. We've got all that for you in this weeks top 5 games you need to watch across Austin and San Antonio
WAGNER VS NEW BRAUNFELS CANYON
The battle for 2nd place is on the line in this District 12-5A Division 1 game. A loss at worst will drop them to 3rd but there is still much at stake here. The key to this game, one would think, would be stopping Deuce Adams of Canyon who has thrown for 2600 yards and only thrown 5 interceptions on the season. But I think it's going to come down to Canyon's Defense. When Wagner's Offense is rolling the have found success. They have scored 40 points in all of their wins this season. They've relied on their rushing game to do so with Juan'Ye Taylor who has amassed 886 yards on the ground this year while the team as a whole has run for over 2300 yards. I like Canyon in this one who, outside of their loss to Smithson Valley has looked great all year.
BRANDEIS VS REAGAN
The district 28-6A crown is on the line as Brandeis takes on Reagan. And while this one won't affect playoff seeding (Brandeis will be the 1 seed in Division 2 and Reagan the 1 seed in Division 1) it's always great to not only beat a district rival and to raise that trophy. Brandeis quarterback J.C. Evans has been great all season and will need to be again, and maybe more so, against Reagan if they want to beat the Rattlers. That is because of the two, I think Reagan has the more balanced team. If the Rattlers can contain Evans they should roll in this one.
SAN MARCOS VS EAST CENTRAL
Win and you're in. Lose and go home. The battle for 4 (maybe 3rd in East Central's case) is on the line in this 27-6A matchup. While yes Clemens could get in under the right circumstances, they would need to beat Steele to do so. The key to the game for San Marcos will be to hold onto the ball. Last week's game against New Braunfels saw the Unicorns score multiple times off turnovers which really helped seal the win for the Unicorns (including a backbreaking 99 yard fumble return that created a 14 point swing for New Braunfels). For East Central a forfeit by Judson has put them in this position and will rely on quarterback Austin Vivier to help get them in the playoffs. He has passed for 501 yards and ran for 614 more to lead the Hornets in both categories. If you keep him in check you can expect a win for the Rattlers.
LOCKHART VS KERRVILLE TIVY
Some interesting things can happen with this game depending on the outcome. Lockhart currently sits in the 4 seed and would most likely end up the 3 seed with a win. But a Tivy loss would most likely drop them from the 2 seed all the way to the 4 seed. That would pit them against a 1 seed which which most teams would want to avoid. Tivy has been dynamic through the air this year while Lockhart has been dominate on the ground (both Sean McKinney and Ashton Dickens have over 1,000 yards rushing). These teams seem really evenly matched and so in those situations you have to take the home team.
BOWIE VS LAKE TRAVIS
There are no playoff seeding implications in this game. This one is all about bragging rights. Bowie and Lake Travis have both lost to Westlake and Dripping Springs in the district and Lake Travis still has yet to get Bo Edmundson fully back. This could be a big time confidence game for Bowie heading into Division 2. Quarterback Conner Kenyon and Running Back Max Barnes have been a great 1-2 combo this year for the Bulldogs. The Cavs have struggled with the run this year so if the Bulldogs can use the pass to open up the run I expect this could be a close game that could come down to 1 or 2 possessions. If that happens I favor Bowie in this one.