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BRACKET OF DEATH: Who will come of out Class 6A Region II Division I?
If you survive the likes of Class 6A DI Region II, you should be the favorite to win state.
The likes of Duncanville, Westfield, Spring, DeSoto, Rockwall and The Woodlands are Texas High School Football brands, who strike fear in their opponents.
So, who gets through the gauntlet?
The Fab 5
No. 1 Seed -- Duncanville
D'Ville lost to Mater Dei of California, considered the top team in the country year after year, in Week 1. Since then, the Panthers have outscored their opponents 468-75. That is ugly. That's knocking off the likes of powers DeSoto, South Oak Cliff, Mansfield and Cedar Hill. Duncanville can score at will and is nasty on defense with Omari Abor coming off the edge. The Panthers will beat Belton and Sachse, before meeting Spring, likely.
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No. 2 Seed -- Rockwall
The Yellowjackets are really well-coached and have a serious offense with QB Braedyn Locke (Miss. State-commit), who can sling it. He has over 3,000 yards through the air, while Zach Hernandez gets it done on the ground (1,300 yards). Noble Johnson is one of the top juniors in Texas at WR. They are going to need to get some stops but Rockwall can outscore teams. The Jackets will take down North Garland, before playing a tough DeSoto squad. Then Westfield? That's a tough road.
No. 3 Seed -- Westfield
The Mustangs have run the table beating North Shore and Spring in the regular season. Their defense is nasty only giving up 84 points on the year. Cardell Williams (Tulsa) has had a HUGE senior year with 2,400 yards passing and a 34:2 TD:INT ratio. Anthony Holmes (Virginia) runs the defense up front and coach Matt Meekins has some DBs who can fly around. Conroe and Cain shouldn't be a problem but then it's Rockwall.
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No. 4 Seed -- Spring
After losing to district-mate Westfield, everyone stopped talking about Spring. Bad idea. Bishop Davenport (Utah State) has thrown for 3,000 yards and he has six WRs with over 250 yards. Yes, six. The Lions' defense has some teeth only giving up 94 points. The Woodlands are a tough, tough first-round opponent and Duncanville is two rounds later.
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No. 5 Seed -- DeSoto
QB Matthew Allen has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards and 34 scores with five receivers who can go. Their only district loss came to Duncanville and the defense is athletic. They look the part, but can they get all the way to the Regional Final to face Duncanville? VYPE says no.
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Braedyn Locke, RockwallBy Shana Willeford
PLAYERS TO WATCH
1. Braedyn Locke, QB, Rockwall (Miss State)
2. Omari Abor, DE, Duncanville
3. Bishop Davenport, QB, Spring (Utah State)
4. Martrell Harris, LB, The Woodlands (Texas A&M)
5. Cardell Williams, QB, Westfield (Tulsa)
PREVIEW: No. 14 Duncanville vs. No. 1 Mater Dei
With California's state regulations causing No. 1 Mater Dei football to halt a Fall season during the peak of COVID in 2020, the Monarchs return to Fall football Friday, August 27th as they travel to Texas to take on No. 14 Duncanville in the Panthers' first game of the 2021 season.
Mater Dei
Although the Monarchs missed the 2020 Fall season, they were able to play a Spring season in which they posted a 5-0 undefeated record. Fans across the country are going to want to keep their eyes on UCLA commit Cooper Barkate and Notre Dame commit C.J. Williams as they do everything they can to score and continue scoring against Duncanville on Friday night.
A strong offense backed by an extremely talented defense is a tough first opponent for Duncanville. Everyone watching the game can expect Mater Dei to show up with speed, agility, and a determination to move the ball down the field. Mater Dei is ranked as the No. 1 team nationally and won the High School Football America national championship in 2017 and 2018.
Duncanville
The Panthers have, arguably, one of the strongest teams in Texas high school football entering the 2021 season. With names like defensive end Omari Abor and offensive tackle Jaylen Early, Duncanville can be expected to put up a fight on both sides of the ball in their 2021 season debut.
Duncanville has a whole slew of Power 5 athletes like Early (headed to Florida State next year), Oregon State commit Quincy Wright, and Oregon commit Cameron Williams who will certainly give Mater Dei a run for their money. Duncanville is ranked No. 14 nationally after finishing the 2020-21 season in the UIL Class 6A State Semifinals game to eventual 6A State Champions Southlake Carroll.
What To Expect
It's going to be a physical game- there's no doubt about that. Duncanville might have the biggest chip on their shoulder and fire in their hearts to prove all of the nay-sayers wrong as they head into what is expected to be one of the biggest games in the country this weekend.
How To Watch
The game is set to begin at 7:30 and you can catch all of the action on FloSports!