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Frisco Centennial and Dallas Hillcrest have a lot at stake in their area-round matchup.

Centennial drew the short end of the stick last season, facing a strong Highland Park squad in the first round that sent the team packing after one quick game.

Centennial finished 2012 as the second seed in District 9-4A behind Frisco Wakeland and has a playoff win under its belt, but Hillcrest stands in the way of a long-overdue playoff run.

Hillcrest took the District 12-4A crown this season, running the table in one of the area’s weaker districts. However, Hillcrest has playoff experience from a run to the regional quarterfinals last season that took a talented Rockwall-Heath team to the third game in a best-of-3 series.

The winner of this area-round duel will then potentially face Rockwall-Heath in the regional quarterfinal next week.

Highland Park, Wakeland headed for rematch

In one of the more epic wins of the playoffs last season, Frisco Wakeland knocked off Highland Park on a two-run, walk-off homer in the third game of the regional quarterfinals.

Those two are one win away from another meeting in the same round this season.

Highland Park eked past Carrollton Creekview in the bi-district round, 1-0, and has North Dallas in its sights this weekend.

Wakeland found late life against McKinney North, taking the third game of the series 13-0 after two close games to begin the series. It will face Dallas Bryan Adams in the area round.

Class 5A Region I bracket heating up

Before the playoffs began, Arlington Martin head coach Curt Culbertson said the lack of DFW schools deep in the baseball playoffs was due, in part, to Metroplex teams falling to other local teams early in the brackets.

This year is no different.

The bottom of the Region I bracket will see two strong DFW teams fall at the hands of another North Texas team.

District 7-5A champion Southlake Carroll will face District 6-5A runner up Grapevine in area-round action this weekend. Also, District 8-5A runner up Flower Mound and District 5-5A champ Mansfield face off to play the winner of Carroll and Grapevine.

The setup will leave just one Metroplex team with the chance to advance to the bottom region semifinal in Region I.

Four District 6-5A boys basketball teams are competing for the final two playoff berths with two dates remaining in the regular season.

Richland and Colleyville Heritage have wrapped up the top spots, leaving Irving Nimitz, Irving MacArthur, Euless Trinity and Grapevine to scrap for the final two postseason passes.

Here’s a look at the teams remaining in the race for the final two playoff spots:

*Nimitz (8-6 in 6-5A), the surprise team under first-year head coach Joel Donalson, is in third place with two games remaining, at first-place Richland on Friday and home to last-place Irving on Tuesday. One win assures Nimitz of third place. Should Nimitz finish in a tie in the standings with MacArthur or Trinity, Nimitz owns the tiebreaker advantage, having swept both in head-to-head play.

*Fourth-place MacArthur (7-7), finishes against the two teams immediately below in the standings, hosting sixth-place Grapevine on Friday and visiting fifth-place Trinity on Tuesday. MacArthur posted two-point wins over Grapevine and Trinity in the first round of district games. Two MacArthur wins assure the Cardinals a playoff berth. They can also wrap up a spot with a loss to Grapevine and a win over Trinity, providing Grapevine loses to Richland in the season finale.

*Trinity (7-8), currently in fifth place, is open on Friday and finishes with a home game against MacArthur on Tuesday, a game it must win to have a shot at going forward. Trinity remained in the playoff hunt with a 53-43 win over Grapevine on Tuesday.

*Grapevine (6-8), lodged in sixth, plays at MacArthur on Friday and finishes at home against first-place Richland. It will have to win both to have a crack at the playoffs because Nimitz already has eight wins and the Trinity-MacArthur winner is assured of eight wins, as well. Grapevine was swept in the season series with Trinity, split with Nimitz and lost the first encounter to MacArthur.

Since stepping into the state’s boys basketball spotlight with attention-grabbing holiday tournament wins, Richland has gone on a bit of a roller coaster ride in its four-game return to District 6-5A play.

The Rebels (18-3, 6-1 in 6-5A), ranked No. 3 in ESPNDallas.com's Class 5A Top 10, host Grapevine (13-7, 4-3) at 8 p.m. on Friday.

Two weeks ago, Richland defeated defending Class 5A state champion Flower Mound Marcus 58-55 in the second round of the Whataburger Tournament and added a win over Plano West in the third-place game the following day.

Euphoria ended with a wakeup call. In the first district game after the tournament, Richland was beaten on its home floor by 6-5A foe Colleyville Heritage, 51-40, and dropped into a first-place tie with the Panthers.

Richland bounced back with a solid district road win at L.D. Bell, 60-48, and a blowout of rival Haltom, 106-77.

But the roller coaster took another dip in Richland’s narrow 78-76 win at Irving Nimitz on Monday. Nimitz (7-14, 3-4) outscored Richland 28-12 in the third period to take a two-point lead into the final quarter, but the Rebels survived the scare.

In addition to the loss to Colleyville Heritage, the other blemishes on Richland's record came courtesy of Dallas Woodrow Wilson in the season opener (68-63) and Milwaukee (Wis.) King (77-68) in a Whataburger semifinal.

The Rebels’ resume includes wins over DeSoto, Highland Park and Justin Northwest.

Richland has benefited from the play of a pair of senior transfer guards, 6-foot-2 Ricky Roberts and 5-foot-9 Antonio Mayfield Jr.

Roberts, who came over from Marcus, owns a 15.8 scoring average and has been the team’s leading scorer in seven games.

Mayfield, averaging a team-best 16.3 points, found his way to Richland along with his brother Malik, from Milwaukee, Wis. He’s led the Rebels in scoring in 11 games.

Two other Rebels boast double-figure scoring averages. Junior 6-foot-7 wing Leyton Hammonds is averaging 12.3 points per game and 6-foot-7 senior post Kris Brown averages 10.3.

CLASS 5A DIVISION II REGION 1 PREVIEW

Overview: Of the four regions in the two 5A brackets that include Dallas-Fort Worth area teams, Division II Region I is the only one without a state-ranked team. But what the region may lack in top-end talent, it makes up for with depth. Because of that, there should be very few blowouts, even in the early rounds.

UIL PLAYOFFS
STAFF PICKS Bi-district »   Area round » Region semis »   Region finals » State semis »   Finals »   Totals » STATE BRACKETS Class 5A: Div. I | Div. II Class 4A: Div. I | Div. II REGION BRACKETS 5A Division I: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 5A Division II: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 4A Division I: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 4A Division II: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2

The top half of the bracket features an Abilene team that always seems primed for a run at a state title, but the winner between Denton Guyer and Hebron in the first round might be headed for the region finals instead. Arlington and Mansfield also have the potential to make noise. The bottom half of the bracket seems to come down to two teams – Flower Mound Marcus and Colleyville Heritage, which might be the two best teams in the area not ranked in state. Mansfield Timberview and Abilene Cooper could be factors as well.

Favorite: Flower Mound Marcus. With most of the heavy hitters in Region I going in to the Division I bracket, the Marauders (9-1) have the potential to make a serious run at a state title. Their running game – led by bruiser Harvey Giddens and speedster Jeff Smiley – is as good as it’s ever been. Marcus hasn’t relied on its passing game much this year but it has the potential to blossom in the playoffs behind sophomore quarterback Cole Erwin.

Watch out for: Arlington. In a bracket full of dark horses, the Colts (6-4) might be the most dangerous if they can get by Abilene in the first round. The area round would pit Arlington against a west Texas team before facing a comparable team from the Metroplex (Denton Guyer, Hebron, Mansfield). Running back Tavarreon Dickerson has rushed for 1,686 yards and 22 touchdowns in averaging about 10 yards per carry.

Can’t wait to see: Hebron-Denton Guyer (2 p.m. Saturday, Cowboys Stadium). Colleyville Heritage vs. Mansfield Timberview might be just as good, but we’ll let the venue break the tie. If the young Wildcats (7-3) can come of age quickly, they have the raw talent to make another run through the 5A Division II bracket. Hebron (6-4) is back in the playoffs after missing out last year, and its defense and experience in close games could have the Hawks playing after Thanksgiving if it can pass this tough opening test.

We hope to see: Flower Mound Marcus-Colleyville Heritage. The region may be won in the area round with this presumed matchup. Both teams have forgivable blemishes on their records in the form of close losses to Allen and Euless Trinity, respectively. And the matchup would pit one of the area’s best running games (Marcus) against one of the area’s best passing games (Heritage).

Talent pool (FBS recruits): El Paso Americas: RB Jack Fields (Boise State). Arlington: RB Tavarreon Dickerson (uncommitted). Mansfield: DE Hassan Ridgeway (Texas). Denton Guyer: DL Dominic Ramacher (Oklahoma State); WR Conner Crane (Stanford); DT Cody Henessee (Rice); OL John Ferguson (uncommitted); DT Daniel Kottman (San Diego State). Hebron: WR/DB Kiante’ Griffin (Baylor); DE Deatrich Wise (Arkansas). Abilene Cooper: QB Clayton Nicholas (Texas Tech). Colleyville Heritage: DE Rex Montes (uncommitted).

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas -- With junior quarterback Brett Harbin leading the way, Grapevine found its offense in the second half.

Luckily for the Mustangs, their defense was stout from start to finish in a 21-16 victory over Richland on Friday night at Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex.

Grapevine’s victory prize: the final playoff berth from District 6-5A. The Mustangs (6-4, 5-3) will meet Mansfield in a Division II bi-district playoff next week.

After doing almost nothing in the second half, Richland (4-6, 3-5) came alive in the final five minutes and very nearly put its name instead on the playoff bracket instead of Grapevine.

“We knew we had to take it to them in the second half,’’ said Harbin, who led the Mustangs on three touchdowns drives in the third quarter to turn a 10-0 halftime deficit into a 21-10 lead. “It was a great game, up and down all night. We’re looking forward now to the playoffs. Finally.’’

Harbin displayed all facets of his game on the scoring drive that gave Grapevine a 14-10 lead. He turned receiver on a 20-yard flea-flicker, kicked outside on a 19-yard scramble to convert a third down and drilled a 17-yard touchdown pass on a post to his favorite receiver, Bryan Popp.

Harbin finished 10-of-19 for 139 yards passing and also added 31 rushing yards.

Riley Albus had touchdown runs of four and two yards for the Mustangs, who kept getting the ball back quickly and in good field position thanks to stops by their defense.

“Our defense was great,’’ Harbin added. “If they don’t play the way they did, I don’t know if we could have won this game.’’

The key defensive play for the Mustangs might have been made by linebacker Rafael Cortes. He chased Richland quarterback Walker Burns down on a sweep for a loss of seven yards on fourth-and-1 at the Grapevine 10 late in the first half as Richland threatened to build on its 10-0 lead.

“I had just fumbled the ball to give Richland its touchdown,'' said Cortes, who plays on both sides of the ball, "and I knew I had to do something to make up for it. My intensity was high on that play. We had to stop them right there.’’

Cortes' fumble was scooped up by Richland linebacker Jeremiah Tshimanga and returned 23 yards for the touchdown that made it 10-0.

Grapevine’s defense, which limited Richland to 212 yards, didn’t yield as much as a first down on the Rebels' first five possessions of the second half.

But down 21-10, Richland got a spark when it sniffed out a Grapevine fake punt at the Mustang 44 with five minutes to go in the game. Burns broke a 38-yard run to set up his 8-yard touchdown toss to Jordan Whitfield to cut the lead to 21-16. The conversion pass failed.

Richland got the ball back with 1:54 to go near midfield and turned to Josh Oestricher at quarterback because Burns was injured. The backup hit on four straight passes to get the Rebels as close the Grapevine 4 in the final minute. But the Mustangs stiffened, and after being sacked, Oestricher threw incomplete into the left corner of the end zone on third down and the right corner on fourth down.

The third-down throw was very nearly caught by Rebel receiver DaiJohn Isbell.

“We were nervous,’’ said Cortes, speaking for the defense. “But I really think we wanted to go to the playoffs a little more than they did.’’

High school volleyball playoffs began this week.

Lake Dallas did not do anything out of the ordinary to prepare for its playoff run, which began on a strong note with a 25-9, 25-23, 25-16 victory over Hereford on Tuesday.

Hereford won the state championship in 2008, but was no match for the strong serving of Olivia Chapman and an aggressive offense led by Samantha Llamas and Whitley Chambers.

“What we have been doing has been working so we continue to scout, watch film, lift weights and practice hard,” Lake Dallas Head Coach Heather Van Noy said.

The team is focusing on playing hard one game at a time and continuing to have a positive outlook during the ever-competitive playoffs. This is a team with a lack of playoff experience past the first round of 4A play.

“We have been playing in the moment and we have been successful that way,” Van Noy said.

Perhaps one reason for the team’s success is the fact that it is made up of a group who is very close and has played together since they were in intermediate school.

“We have strong individual contributors, but what makes us so strong is that team is more important to every one of them. The support from the entire roster is incredible to see. It is quite amazing and I have never coached a team like this,” said Van Noy.

The District 4-4A Falcons will play El Paso on Saturday for the area championship.

Colleyville Heritage moves on

Colleyville Heritage beat Midlothian, 25-20, 25-19, 25-22, on Tuesday.

The Panthers believe they have the potential to go deep into the playoffs with their strong chemistry.

Something they do need to work on during the playoffs is consistency. While they are capable of solid play, they need to play at the highest caliber each and every game from here on out. Colleyville Heritage just needs to continue playing as it has been and of course, it needs to play cohesively as one.

“I need every one of them prepared and ready to do their job. It's definitely a team effort,” said Head Coach Jamie deTurck. “We set a high bar, and we are determined to meet it. None of us want to let each other down, and will fight for every point for each other.”

Colleyville Heritage will face Coppell in the next round.

Southlake Carroll defeats Plano East

Southlake Carroll defeated Plano East, 25-12, 25-18, 25-12, in their first playoff matchup.

The Dragons are the No. 1 ranked team in Texas according to the Texas Girls Athletic Association poll.

Head Coach Arthur Stanfield found two areas that his team could work on in practice Wednesday.

“Pass serves and run the middle are our two main points we practiced,” said Stanfield, who despite the win was less than thrilled about his team’s pass-serve against Plano East.

The team should go into its next game against Grapevine feeling that it has more confidence and experience. Stanfield allowed essentially his entire team to take part in the win.

To see the complete volleyball playoff brackets, visit uiltexas.org/volleyball/playoff-brackets.

GRAPEVINE (5-4, 4-3 6-5A) vs. RICHLAND (4-5, 3-4)
7:30 p.m. Friday at North Richland Hills‘ Birdville Fine Arts/Athletic Complex

When we saw them last: With a big defensive effort, Grapevine limited 3-6 Irving MacArthur to two first downs and won, 10-7. Meanwhile, quarterback Walker Burns rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns in Richland’s 42-14 victory over 2-7 Irving Nimitz.

2010 result: Grapevine led 7-3 at halftime, then went on a 34-point scoring spree in the second half to defeat Richland, 41-23.

What’s at stake: The final available playoff berth in District 6-5A. Grapevine gets the spot with a win. Richland needs a win as well as a Euless Trinity victory over Irving MacArthur and a Colleyville Heritage win over Haltom.

Key matchup: Grapevine has scored only 10 points the last two weeks, while Richland has allowed only 20 points. The Mustangs’ Brett Harbin to Bryan Popp passing connection has resulted in 53 completions for 454 yards and three touchdowns. But in the last two games, they have connected only five times for 22 yards. Richland’s pass defense allows only 119 passing yards per game.

Players to watch: Harbin, a senior, has thrown for 1,070 yards and rushed for 491. Riley Albus has rushed for 453 yards for the Mustangs. For the Rebels, quarterback Burns is a bigger threat with his running. He leads the team with 957 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns and has yet to throw a touchdown pass. The Rebels' defense is led by linebacker Jeremiah Tshimanga.

Prediction: In what should be a defensive struggle, a slight edge to Grapevine with a better passing attack: Grapevine 16, Richland 15.

The top three playoff spots in District 6-5A are decided, but there exists a chance that as many as four teams could tie for the for the final berth.

Euless Trinity, Colleyville Heritage and Hurst L.D. Bell have secured postseason passes in the nine-team district.

In fourth position going into Week 10 is 4-3 Grapevine, followed by three teams at 3-4: Haltom, Irving MacArthur and Richland.

Grapevine would clinch the fourth spot with a win over Richland on Friday. Richland would clinch by beating Grapevine if, as expected, MacArthur loses to district champion Euless Trinity on Thursday and Haltom loses to district runner-up Colleyville Heritage on Friday.

If Richland beats Grapevine and MacArthur and/or Haltom pull off upsets, the final berth would be determined by three- or four-way tiebreaker procedures.

Grapevine (5-4, 4-3) comes in having won three of four, including a 10-7 gut check over MacArthur last week, the difference being a 21-yard Nik Grau field goal. The Mustangs defense limited MacArthur to two first downs and 124 yards, 79 of which came on the Cardinals only touchdown of the night.

Richland (4-5, 3-4) has put itself in contention by winning its last two games, 28-6 over Haltom and 42-14 last week over Irving Nimitz as quarterback Walker Burns ran for 163 yards and three touchdowns.

Richland and Grapevine both missed the playoffs last year after losing in the first round in 2009.

A playoff berth could be the prize when Grapevine hosts Irving MacArthur on Friday night at Mustang-Panther Stadium.

The District 6-5A schools are tied for fourth place with 3-3 records and the winner will have a one-game lead going into the final week of the regular season as well as a head-to-head advantage in the event of a two-team tie. The top four teams in each district qualify for the playoffs.

Both schools last made the playoffs in 2009.

Grapevine (4-4 overall) has completed play against the top three 6-5A teams, Euless Trinity, Colleyville Heritage and Hurst L.D. Bell. The Mustangs finish on the road against 2-4 Richland, a school with an outside shot at the playoffs.

Remaining on the MacArthur schedule is a Week 10 game against 9-0 Trinity.

MacArthur (3-5) is coming off a 53-13 domination of Irving Nimitz that saw five Cardinals rush for at least one touchdown. Juniors Justin Chavez and Jourdan McNeill each scored twice.

Chavez has thrown for eight touchdowns and 799 yards this season. He’s rushed for 12 touchdowns and 798 yards.

McNeill has rushed for six touchdowns and 647 yards.

Grapevine will try to bounce back from a 38-0 loss to Trinity.

The Mustangs’ offense is built around the passing of junior Brett Harbin, who has thrown for eight touchdowns and over 1,000 yards.

Assuming the standings of the top three teams remain the same, Bell will have more than a passing interest in the MacArthur-Grapevine outcome. If MacArthur is the fourth playoff team, Bell would drop into the Division II bracket of the playoffs. If Grapevine occupies the final playoff spot, Bell would play in the Division I bracket, which appears the more difficult of the two this season.

A remarkable drive to the playoffs by Irving Nimitz a year ago should serve as an example not to give up hope for a playoff spot in District 6-5A, where in the middle of the pack parity reigns.

A year ago, Nimitz was 1-4 in district play, won its final three games to match Grapevine with a 4-4 record and gained the final berth based on its earlier victory over the Mustangs.

If the season ended today, Grapevine (4-3, 3-2) would be the fourth playoff qualifier. The Mustangs travel to Euless Trinity this week and finish with Irving MacArthur at home and Richland on the road. Two wins in the final three should be enough for Grapevine. Two losses and the Mustangs might be out.

MacArthur (2-5, 2-3) and Haltom (3-4, 2-3) trail Grapevine by just a game. MacArthur has Nimitz, Grapevine and Trinity on its schedule. Haltom closes with Richland, Irving and Colleyville Heritage.

Nimitz is back at its familiar 1-4 this year and faces city rivals MacArthur and Irving sandwiched around a home game against Richland.

Richland is also 1-4 and concludes with rival Haltom, Nimitz and Grapevine.

It is a different story at the top of 6-5A. With two regular-season games remaining, Trinity (8-0, 6-0) has clinched its 14th consecutive playoff appearance.

Colleyville Heritage (7-1, 5-1) is close to clinching. The Panthers’ record is marred only by an overtime loss to Trinity.

Hurst L.D. Bell (5-3, 4-2) is well-positioned in third but still has to play Colleyville Heritage next week.

If the district finishes in the order of the present standings, Trinity and Bell would advance to Division I while Colleyville Heritage and Grapevine would go to Division II.

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- Forget all the pinpoint passes Cody Thomas delivered. And there were a lot of them.

It took a 70-yard touchdown run by teammate Jordan Hornbuckle to see the intensity Thomas brings to the quarterback position for Colleyville Heritage.

Thomas, a junior, followed the play downfield and made the clearing block on the final two Grapevine defenders to put Hornbuckle into the end zone.

With Thomas leading the way, Colleyville Heritage routed rival Grapevine, 38-3, Friday night in a lightning delayed showdown at Mustang-Panther Stadium.

“Well, I saw Jordan cut back and I just wanted to help,’’ Thomas said of the block.

As a passer, Thomas completed 20 of 36 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns. He scored the only touchdown of the first half on a 4-yard run.

Panthers coach Mike Fuller, speaking of Thomas, said, “He’s the best one I’ve coached.’’

Colleyville Heritage, No. 10 in ESPNDallas.com Class 5A Top 10, improved to 4-0 for the season and 2-0 in District 6-5A.

Grapevine dropped to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in 6-5A.

The start of the game was delayed by close to two-and-a-half hours by lightning.

It marked the second straight year the Panthers did not allow a touchdown to its rival.

“Yeah, we’re aware of that,’’ said Colleyville Heritage defensive end Rex Montes, who recorded three sacks. “It’s pretty sweet.’’

Colleyville Heritage was sparked in the second half by the insertion of Hornbuckle at running back. He totaled 118 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.

“We converted Jordan from a defensive back last season,’’ Fuller said. “He’s only 130 pounds, but he can really help us. You’ll see more of him.’’

Grapevine’s only points were supplied by kicker Nik Grau on a 26-yard field goal that made it 31-3.

Thanks for joining us for Week 3 of the high school football season. We have Travis L. Brown live from Plano West-North Mesquite at Mesquite Memorial Stadium, Jeff Andrews at Mesquite-Denton Ryan from Denton's C.H. Collins Athletic Complex and Randy Jennings joining you from Grapevine's Mustang-Panther Stadium for the District 6-5A opener between Grapevine and Colleyville Heritage. We'll keep you updated on the action right here at ESPN Dallas.

GRAPEVINE (2-1, 1-0) vs. No. 10 COLLEYVILLE HERITAGE (3-0, 1-0)
7:30 p.m. Friday at Mustang-Panther Stadium

When we saw them last: Both had successful District 6-5A debuts last week. Grapevine twice scored on fumble recoveries in a 46-13 rout of Irving. Colleyville Heritage quarterback Cody Thomas threw for 285 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-0 win over Irving Nimitz.

2010 result: Colleyville Heritage’s defense forced three turnovers and limited Grapevine to 136 yards of offense in a 35-0 victory in 2010.

What’s at stake: Bragging rights for the two high schools that make up the Grapevine-Colleyville school district. The winner will enjoy a share of first place in District 6-5A.

Key matchup: Grapevine pass-rushers against the Colleyville Heritage pass protecters. Thomas is completing 67 percent of his passes. Given time to throw, he is capable of producing big offensive numbers, as his 869 passing yards and 11 touchdown throws indicate. The Mustangs need to apply pressure to keep Thomas from settling into his game.

Players to watch: Grapevine receiver Bryan Popp has 21 receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Colleyville Heritage receiver Connor Davis is averaging over 23 yards per catch and has three touchdown receptions.

Prediction: Colleyville Heritage has beaten its rival in four of the last five seasons: Colleyville Heritage 31, Grapevine 21.

Several showcase events around the area highlight this weekend's action as the football season kicks off.

The North Texas Football Classic brings three games to the Cotton Bowl over two nights. On Friday, Duncanville faces Colleyville Heritage at 7:30 p.m. in a matchup of two 2010 playoff teams. Saturday's doubleheader starts with Midlothian-Grapevine at 4:30 p.m., and the event wraps up at 7:30 when The Colony takes on Sherman.

A powerhouse doubleheader will take place at SMU's Ford Stadium on Saturday in the Tom Landry Classic. Class 4A contenders Everman and Highland Park get it started at 4:30 p.m. At 7:30, ESPNDallas.com No. 1 Allen will be challenged by No. 8 Cedar Hill.

Carrollton's Standridge Stadium hosts two intriguing games in its annual Zero Week event. At 4 p.m., Denton Guyer takes on Garland. In the nightcap scheduled for 8 p.m., Class 4A Waxahachie battles 5A Flower Mound Marcus.

In one other game of note, Dallas Skyline will defend Texas' honor against Memphis (Tenn.) Ridgeway at Lancaster's Tiger Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Click here for the full schedule of this week's Class 4A and 5A games for area teams.

DISTRICT 6-5A

• Colleyville Heritage (9-3, 7-1), lost in DII area. Coach: Mike Fuller.
• Euless Trinity (15-1, 8-0), lost in DI state final. Coach: Steve Lineweaver.
• Grapevine (5-5, 4-4). Coach: Dave Henigan.
• Haltom (2-8, 1-7). Coach: Scot Hafley.
• Hurst L.D. Bell (6-5, 5-3) lost in DII bi-district. Coach Mark Smith.
• Irving (1-9, 1-7). Coach Jim Bennett.
• Irving MacArthur (4-6, 3-5). Coach: Brian Basil.
• Irving Nimitz (6-5, 4-4), lost in DI bi-district. Coach: Steven Hohenberger.
• Richland (5-5, 3-5). Coach: Gene Wier.

THE BIG QUESTION: Is a different offensive mindset in store at Euless Trinity?

Look for Trinity to go back to its formula of power running mixed with occasional play-action passes due to the graduation of wide receiver/quarterback Brandon Carter, now at TCU.

Trinity coach Steve Lineweaver added wrinkles to take advantage of Carter a season ago, and the Trojans made it to the Division I state title game before falling to Pearland, 28-24.

“We changed our offense last year for Brandon with reverses and gimmicks to get the ball in his hands because he was so good at making things happen,’’ Lineweaver said. “Without him, we'll change back and look for ways to attack the defense.’’

Going back to the old way is not really a gamble. The previous three odd-numbered years have ended in state titles for Trinity.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

DE/TE Rex Montes, LB/RB Justin Vallilee, Colleyville Heritage; LB Brian Nance, OL Hiva Lutui, OL Henry Lea’aetoa, Euless Trinity; RB J.J. Gibbs, OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Haltom; WR Bryan Popp, QB Brett Harbin, Grapevine; QB Kyle Romano, OL Kimo Tipoti, Hurst L.D. Bell; QB Paul Atwood, Irving; FS Taion Sells, QB Justin Chavez, Irving MacArthur; LB Mark Espinosa, TB/DB Steven Stewart, Irving Nimitz; LB Jeremiah Tshimanga, LB Mike Knoblach, Richland.

DID YOU KNOW?

Colleyville Heritage has an active streak of five straight playoff appearances, but four have ended in losses to Southlake Carroll. ... Euless Trinity will play its 10-game regular season in two stadiums, seven at home (Pennington Field) in Bedford and three at Irving Schools Stadium. ... Steve Hohenberger has Nimitz thinking like winners. Nimitz won only once in the 2007-08 seasons combined but has rebounded by making the playoffs each of the last two seasons. ... This season’s only change in head coaches in 6-5A is at L.D. Bell where assistant Mark Smith was promoted after Gary Olivo stepped down.

PROJECTED PLAYOFF TEAMS

1. Euless Trinity
2. Colleyville Heritage
3. Grapevine
4. Hurst L.D. Bell