1. We blinked, and here it is. We have two undefeated teams playing for state championships this week in Mart and Oglesby. Yet both are underdogs. Let's start with No. 2 Mart first, who will face No. 1 Albany again, just like last year. It was 41-21 Albany last year, viewed as a big upset. Will payback be the factor that pushes Mart over the hump?

2. Neither team has played a lot of close games this year, with the Panthers having to rally in the second half in their last two playoff games. So, if this does turn into a close game, does that favor one team over the other, since they haven't had much experience with that?

3. Oglesby is 13-0 and in their first title game in school history. The Tigers have scored at least 60 points in their last six games, and yet they're a 41-point underdog to No. 1 Benjamin. When you're doing something for the very first time, how do you avoid that "we're just happy to be here" feeling?

4. We are a little less than two months away from the UIL realignment announcement for the 2024-26 school year, and the cutoffs were announced last week. After a four-year run in Class 3A, Lorena will be moving back up to 4A, Division IIand, guess what, China Spring and La Vega also drop down to 4A Division II. One plausible projection out there has it aligned as China Spring, La Vega, Robinson, Connally, Gatesville, Lorena and Hillsboro.

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1. We asked Santa for an all-Centex matchup in the state semifinals, and we got it under the tree as Mart and Chilton face off in the state semifinals, just the fourth all-time among Central Texas teams. How special does this one have a chance to be?

2. Fill in the blank: Chilton wins if ...

3. Fill in the blank: Mart wins if ...

4. Oglesby is playing for a six-man state title for the first time in school history, but they're a 41-point underdog to defending state champ Benjamin, despite being undefeated and coming off a win over traditional power Richland Springs last week. What do the Tigers need to do to ensure the Jerryworld stage is not too big for them?

5. We had three teams bow out in the fourth round last week in Lorena, Marlin and Jonesboro. When you look back at these deep playoff runs, what will you remember most about the 2023 editions of the Leopards, Bulldogs and Eagles?

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1. There were no food comas after Thanksgiving for our Centex teams, as six local schools won going away in round 3 of the playoffs. But they won't all be advancing to the state championship game, presumably, so which local team has the earliest expiration date — i.e., who has has the toughest game in round 4?

2. The Lorena-Franklin rematch is one of the most enticing games in the state this week. The cliche is that it's hard to beat a team twice. What do the Leopards need to do to make it happen?

3. If Mart and Chilton both win this week, we'll get an all-Centex game in the state semifinals. It happens fairly often in the regional final around here, but how cool would that be? It would guarantee us at least one team at Jerryworld, too, obviously.

4. It's that time of year where coaching changes start bubbling up frequently. This week, it was Clint Zander at Bosqueville, who has spent the last 15 years with a successful run leading the Bulldogs in many sports, though the football team has fallen off in recent years. We talk about whether Bosqueville is poised for success, and about local small-school programs generally in Central Texas.

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1. It is Turkey Week, and let us give thanks because we have some tasty matchups. Every Central Texas team out there has a 9-3 record — all in the same gravy boat. So which of these Round 3 face-offs has the potential to produce the best game? Lorena-Columbus, Whitney-Winnsboro or Chilton-Granger?

2. There's one all-Centex matchup on the slate, with Oglesby vs. Iredell in the regional final in six-man 1A Div. II. Who would you take in this fight of Tigers and Dragons?

3. We have a real shot at three all-Centex matchups next week in the state quarterfinals (and semifinals in six-man): a Lorena-Franklin rematch, a Bremond-Chilton rematch or a slugfest in Jonesboro-Abbott. Which of those is most likely to happen, and which would you most like to see?

4. Let's pour one out for China Spring: The Cougars' 13-game win streak ends at the hands of Anna to thwart the title 3-peat. Let's reflect on how impressive this run has been, and do you feel like the Cougars will still be one of those elite Class 4A programs going forward?

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1. As we get to better matchups here in the second round of the playoffs, eight of our Centex teams are playing teams with 10 or more wins this week. But which Centex team with a single-digit win total has the best chance to knock off a double-digit win total team? (That's China Spring at 8-3, La Vega at 7-4, Gatesville at 7-4 or Teague at 8-3.)

2. Flipping this around, we have several Centex teams still alive with double-digit win totals. Which 10-plus win team has the toughest game in round 2 and might get upset? (Your options include Belton, Whitney, Mart, Chilton, Abbott, Jonesboro, Oglesby or Iredell.)

3. We do have one team playing for a state title this week in the TCAF six-man ranks. DJ went to Methodist Children's Home this week to write a feature and gives us the inside scoop on what makes the Bulldogs and head coach Matt Rodgers tick.

4. DJ got a little giddy last week watching Teague-West, so that prompts us to ask: What's your favorite thing about high school football or football in general? Like a play, a player a tradition, a game, or what aspect of the game?

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1. A whopping 43 teams made the playoffs in Central Texas, and there's certainly a case to be made that too many teams do — nobody wants to watch a 9-1 team play a 2-8 team, after all. But enough negativity: What first-round matchup has you intrigued among our Centex teams? How about West-Teague, La Vega-Dunbar, Midway-Waxahachie, Axtell-Valley Mills or Gatesville Gonzales? 

2. Football's a physical game, and we've seen some injuries in recent weeks to big-time playmakers like Connally's Kiefer Sibley and University's Cade Bynnom. That has us wondering: Who is the most indispensable player in Central Texas? Who matters most to their team, and that team couldn't afford to lose him?

3. Fun fact time: Here are some nuggets about our playoff teams that might be interesting — Connally players' futures, the coaching fraternity in Central Texas, and shout-outs to Kopperl and Penelope breaking playoff droughts with first-year head coaches.

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1. We've reached Week 11 of the regular season, and it's time to talk playoffs. So let's go trick-or-treating: What's one Centex team that we expect to make a sweet run, and one team that could be sneaky trouble for its opponents?

2. Let's do the monster mash: What monster stat line impressed you the most this season?

3. If one of our Centex mascots showed up on your front porch on Halloween, which which would be the scariest? 

4. A real trick-or-treat question: What candy classic do you want to see in your bag?

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1. It's Week 10, which means we have some showdowns for district championships, not least among them Pflugerville Weiss at Midway, Madisonville at Connally and Whitney at Grandview. Let's rank those in terms of most likely to win on Friday night. Is Connally an underdog? Is Midway the biggest longshot? 

2. Lorena can clinch an outright district championship on Friday after last week's epic 52-49 toppling of No. 1 Franklin last week. So let's talk about Braylon Henry: He started out 2022 at linebacker, moved to safety and picked up some accolades, but now is shining as running back with 17 TDs and several 200-yard games in his last six contests. Henry seems to be one of those guys, wherever you put him, he's going to make an impact. But which other Centex players might fit into that category? 

3. DJ recently spotlighted Hispanic kickers for Hispanic Heritage Month, and a good kicker is a real luxury at the high school level — we certainly have several superlative ones around Central Texas. Who's the best kicker you've seen this season around the area? 

4. Do you know who the highest-ranked team in Central Texas is? It's Methodist Home, if you go by the sixmanfootball.com rankings in TCAF. Let's give some love to Coach Matt Rodgers' Bulldogs and do-it-all star Londen Bickham, who has some eye-popping numbers. 

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Special guest David G. Campbell, former sportswriter with the Trib and The Eagle in Bryan, joins Trib sportswriter DJ Ramirez, non-Trib sportswriter Chad Conine and Trib sports editor Brice Cherry are back to talk some Centex football as we head into Week 9. 

1. He's cash money: China Spring QB Cash McCollum now has a Centex-leading 2,300 yards passing, 35 TDs and just two picks on the season after last week's seven-TD effort against La Vega in an incredible 52-49 win, where he passed Shawn Bell on the all-time list. Only one player has won Super Centex Offensive Player of the Year twice: Lorena and Texas football legend John Henry. What's the likelihood Cash can be the second?

2. Speaking of legendary names, another big one is Mart's Quan Cosby, who's the only player to win the Super Centex Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year double — he was just that good. Dave, where does he rank among the players you've covered over the years?

3. Yet another storied name in Central Texas is David Haynes, where senior and junior did big things in the 1980s and 2000s, and now third generation Trey is leading the Whitney Wildcats as our reigning Super Centex Defensive Player of the Year. These are high times for undefeated Whitney: Can the Wildcats beat Grandview for the district crown, and just how far can Whitney go in the postseason?

4. Let's circle back to some Class 6A football, where Midway dusted Copperas Cove with ease last week, getting to 3-1 in district play, and now head to Merrill Green Stadium this week to face the Bryan Vikings, featuring the Voice of the Vikings, one David G. Campbell. At 2-1 in 12-6A play, Bryan has, like Midway, been better in district than non-district, beating Cove in overtime but struggling against Weiss last week. How does this one shake out?

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1. It's October, so that means we've reached some games of real consequence in the high school football scene, including some district-deciding clashes this week. On top of that list in China Spring at La Vega, the latest chapter in the storied history. China Spring is explosive, as both we and Alvarado know (after the Cougars put up 50 in a quarter against the Indians last week), but let's not sleep on La Vega, which dusted a good Waxahachie Life square 56-20 in Week 7. What are the odds of a Pirates upset in this one, and would it even really be that much of an upset?

2. The other game that sets up a district title game is Marlin at Riesel, the Indians being undefeated on the year and a plausible top-10 team. This feels a little bit like a toss-up, so we'll make the argument for each team to win this one.

3. Live Oak coach Brice Helton has announced his squad will be moving up from six-man to 11-man football next year. How tough a transition will that be for the Falcons, and which other growing schools in Central Texas can you see maybe moving up and being successful, regardless of classification? How about China Spring as a 5A team?

4. We cover some 70-odd schools around the area, so we inevitably give some good teams less attention than they deserve. So here's the shout-out segment: Which team is "quietly" doing big things and needs some podcast love?

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