The second round of the 2022 UIL State Football Playoffs kicks off with some games Thursday.
Below are some of the storylines involving Dallas area schools to keep an eye on:
Battle of the Unbeatens
Denton Guyer and Highland Park will square off in a matchup of two 11-0 teams in 6A Division II. Guyer finished the regular season ranked No.6 in the state and defeated Flower Mound Marcus in the first round, 42-7, behind a four-touchdown performance from five-star quarterback and Oklahoma commit Jackson Arnold.
The six-time state champion Highland Park will have to find a way to slow down Arnold, who has thrown for 2,567 yards and accounted for 40 touchdowns (29 passing, 11 rushing).
Highland Park, the No.16 team in the state, defeated Arlington Bowie in round one. It’s led by quarterback Brennan Storer — a Western Michigan commit — who has thrown for 2,698 yards and 32 touchdowns on the year.
Guyer will have to slow down Storer without four-star defensive back Eli Bowen, who was injured in the first round and will miss the remainder of the season. But Guyer still has his brother, five-star safety and Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen, to contend with Storer.
Matchups to Watch
A couple of matchups in 6A Div. I are intriguing. No.15 Arlington Martin and No.25 Lewisville will square off in a familiar faceoff.
The two teams have gone head to head in the area round of the playoffs the past two years — Martin winning in 2020 and Lewisville winning last year.
Lewisville (10-1) is coming off a 43-18 rout over one of the most vaunted programs in the state in Allen, but Martin presents an even more challenging test. Martin (10-1) is coming off a 62-3 rout of Richardson Berkner.
No.18 Rockwall will battle Waxahachie in a matchup of two teams that have only lost to ranked opponents this season.
Waxahachie (9-2) is past the first round for the first time since 2017 and is after just its second double-digit win season in the last 25 years.
Rockwall (10-1) is looking to make it to the third round for the first time since it was a state semifinalist in 2019. It has won eight in a row since a 19-11 loss to No.10 Prosper.
In 6A Div. II, Dallas Jesuit and McKinney will battle in a matchup of two of the classification’s highest-powered offenses. McKinney (7-4) ranks 10th among area 6A teams in scoring, averaging 38.5 points, and Jesuit (9-2) ranks 11th at 38.1 points.
McKinney earned a spot in the second round with a 44-26 win over Coppell, while Jesuit defeated Arlington 41-14. Jesuit is looking to reach the third round for the first time since 2019.
McKinney had not made the playoffs since that year and has not advanced past the second round in the last 20 years.
In 5A Div. I, No.4 Frisco Reedy will put its undefeated season on the line against No.7 Lancaster. Reedy leads area 5A teams in run defense, allowing 64.1 yards per game, but Lancaster’s run defense is tough, too, ranking sixth at 93.5 yards allowed.
Lancaster owns a 21-3 win over defending 5A Div. II state champion South Oak Cliff and gave 5A Div. I’s No.1 team, Longview, its most challenging game of the season, leading 13-7 at halftime before falling 21-13.
Regional Final Rematch
Speaking of the defending 5A Div. II team, No.8 South Oak Cliff will face a tough challenge in Lucas Lovejoy. SOC defeated Lovejoy 42-21 in the regional finals last season en route to the state title win.
Both teams had high expectations going into the season, with SOC ranked as the No.1 preseason team in the classification and Lovejoy beginning the season at No.3.
The schools did not meet those expectations during the regular season and looked vulnerable in round one.
SOC beat Mansfield Summit 12-7, though it trailed until midway through the fourth quarter. Lovejoy beat Whitehouse 38-34 and also trailed at various times of the night.
The matchup features teams with contrasting styles. Lovejoy relies on a high-powered offense that averages 490.6 yards of total offense and 50.6 points per game, while SOC boasts the area’s top 5A defense, allowing only 186.2 yards and 11.9 points per game.
State Powers to Watch
The state’s top title contenders will face some of their most formidable opponents of the year, meaning they should be on upset alert.
In 5A Div. I, a 10-time state champion No.3 Aledo will take on Lubbock Cooper — two 9-2 teams that are used to going far beyond the second round. Both teams fell to SOC on its road to the state title last year, Aledo in the third round and Cooper in the fifth.
Cooper has not been eliminated before the fourth round since 2017.
5A Div. I top-ranked team Longview (11-0) is the heavy favorite against Frisco Lone Star (9-2), but it could be closer than most expect.
Lone Star has won seven in a row since a 2-2 start, including a 40-point blowout over Richland in round one. Its defense has been lights out, allowing an average of 8.6 points per game during the winning streak.
Still, Lone Star’s hands will be full against a star-studded Longview squad that has outscored its opponents 528-92, winning every game but one by at least 23 points.
In 4A Division I, No.1 China Spring (11-0) takes on Kaufman (8-3), one of the Dallas area’s top 4A programs. China Spring is the heavy favorite to defend its state title, but Kaufman looked dominant in its 41-0 win over Wilmer-Hutchins in the first round to advance to round two for the first time since 2017.
To check every classification’s playoff bracket and see all the state playoff pairings, visit the UIL website.
