Allen opened the Texas high school football playoffs with a 73-0 victory over Hebron on November 12. A night later, North Crowley delivered a 55-0 shutout of Lake Belton. Both teams gave Barber Ball Banter’s Matt Steigerwald and Louis Darrouzet II plenty to like about their first-round picks.
But the result that separated the two came from Duncanville, which beat Midway 63-42 on November 13. In the episode, Steigerwald backed Duncanville; Darrouzet went with the upset.
Duncanville gives Matt the edge
Steigerwald questioned how far Duncanville could advance, but picked the Panthers to survive their opener. Darrouzet favored Waco-area Midway, leaving the two on opposite sides of the matchup.
Duncanville’s win gives Steigerwald a 6-0 record across the six first-round games tracked here. Darrouzet stands at 5-1. That puts their accuracy at 100% and 83.3%, respectively, for this limited sample.
Rockwall also beat Wylie 66-48. That game does not count toward the comparison because the exchange includes picks for both teams without clearly establishing each host’s final selection in the supplied transcript.
Six-game prediction tracker
| Matchup | Louis’ pick | Matt’s pick | Result |
| Allen vs. Hebron | Allen | Allen | Allen 73-0 |
| Duncanville vs. Midway | Midway | Duncanville | Duncanville 63-42 |
| Arlington Martin vs. Byron Nelson | Martin | Martin | Martin 45-17 |
| Coppell vs. South Grand Prairie | Coppell | Coppell | Coppell 66-29 |
| North Crowley vs. Lake Belton | North Crowley | North Crowley | North Crowley 55-0 |
| Aledo vs. Keller Central | Aledo | Aledo | Aledo 53-20 |
These totals cover only the six listed matchups, not every prediction in the episode or every first-round playoff game.
Two shutouts strengthen the favorites’ cases
Steigerwald was especially confident in North Crowley, calling the Panthers’ defense “unreal.”
“North Crowley is legit,” he said.
The Panthers improved to 11-0 with their playoff shutout. Allen also reached 11-0, keeping both unbeaten programs in contention for state titles.
Steigerwald’s optimism about Allen goes back to a September discussion, when he raised the possibility of another championship. The Eagles’ opening playoff win gives that prediction another week of life.
The two unbeaten teams cannot meet in these playoffs. Allen’s path runs through Class 6A Division I, while North Crowley competes in the Division II bracket. Each division crowns its own state champion.
Cedar Park’s perfect season ends
Outside the six-game comparison, Cedar Park supplied a harsher test of Steigerwald’s optimism. He praised the Timberwolves’ unbeaten regular season and discussed their postseason prospects.
Cedar Park’s run ended with a 44-41 loss to Waller on November 13. The Timberwolves finished 10-1, ending the possibility of a championship matchup with North Crowley.
Cedar Park does not count toward either host’s record in this six-game tracker.
The next round gives the surviving teams new tests: Allen faces Euless Trinity, North Crowley meets North Forney, and Duncanville takes on Rockwall.
