FRIDAY FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Texans and Tigers ready to punch their ticket to the State Semifinals

Two Hays County teams remain alive in the playoff hunt as the Wimberley Texans and the Dripping Springs Tigers look to punch their ticket to the State Semifinals.

Wimberley is set to defend their Region IV crown once more, as the Texans take on the Sinton Pirates.

Since 2019, the Texans have dominated Region IV, winning three regional titles in the last four years.

Wimberley comes into the matchup with a 13-0 record, winning their last three playoff games with an average score of 60-7.

Sinton comes in with a 10-2 record having beaten Bishop, Lago Vista and Navarro.

The Texans are led by quarterback Cody Stoever, who has passed for 2,477 yards with 39 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Stoever also leads the team in rushing with 144 carries for 1,148 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Along with a stout wide receiving core led by Noah Birdsong and Nolan Waida, the Texans averaged 49.4 points per game in the regular season.

Not to be outdone is the vaunted Code Red defense, which held opponents to just an average of 13 points per game in the regular season.

Sinton comes into the game powered by the running game headed up by running back Derek Garcia, who led the team with 219 carries for 1,812 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Kickoff for Wimberley- Sinton is set for 7:30 p.m. today at the Southwest Legacy Stadium in San Antonio.

Up the highway on Ranch Road 12, Dripping Springs looks to make history by advancing to their first-ever State Semifinals, as the Tigers will take on the Cibolo Steele Knights.

The Tigers come into the Regional Final with a 11-2 record, having defeating Cedar Park Vista Ridge, Converse Judson and San Antonio Jay in the playoffs.

Cibolo Steele comes in with a 12-1 record, after defeating San Antonio Brandeis, Round Rock McNeil and San Antonio Harlan in the postseason.

The Tigers are led by one of the strongest defenses in the Greater Austin area, holding teams to an average of 11.9 points per game in the regular season. In the playoffs, opponents have averaged just 25 points per game.

The Tiger defense will face one of their toughest matchups to date, against a high-powered Steele offense.

The Knights are led by the aerial attack of quarterback Chad Warner and receivers Jalen Cooper and Royal Capell.

In the regular season, Cibolo averaged 43.7 points per game, while in the playoffs, the Knights have averaged 44 points per game.

The Tiger offense has stepped up their game in the playoffs, averaging 40.6 points per game in their last three playoff games.

Maddox Maher leads the offense with 1,713 yards passing with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Jack Robert Tyndall leads a punishing rushing attack with 227 carries for 1,599 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Kyle Koch helms up the passing attack at wide receiver with 74 catches for 1,181 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc