5 Key East Texas High School Football Regional Finals Showdowns

It's round 4 of the UIL Texas High School Football Playoffs. You can call this the regional finals or the state quarterfinals. Regardless, most of the conferences in Texas are down to the last 8 teams.

5 huge showdowns involving teams from the Pineywoods* will kick off Friday night. Here's a capsule on each of those games. (* We are looking at East Texas teams from south of I-20 to Highway 190)

San Augustine Wolves (10-3) vs Joaquin Rams (9-4)

Friday, 7:30 pm at Henderson High School
Winner advances to play either Mason or Refugio in the State Semifinals
The Wolves are District 11-2A (Div I) Champs. Joaquin finished 3rd in the same district
These two teams met on October 10, with San Augustine winning 28-21.
In their last two playoff wins, Joaquin is averaging over 550 yards rushing per game
The Rams' running game is giving opponents fits, but San Augustine has seen it before and was able to come up with enough turnovers on downs in their first meeting to get the win. The Wolves are well-balanced with a great rushing attack and a dangerous passing game. I think this game will be close, just like their first meeting, but I see more points being scored.
Prediction: San Augustine by 8.

Mt. Enterprise Wildcats (13-0) vs Bremond Tigers (13-0)

Friday, 7 pm at Palestine HS
Winner advances to play either Shiner or Junction in the State Semifinals
The Wildcats have scored a total of 800 points through 13 games. Running back Kaegan Ash continues to set state and national records. This season, he has scored 476, a national single-season individual record. He has rushed this season for 3821 yards.
Mt. Enterprise scores an average of over 61 points per game, but they give up nearly 33 points per game. This has made for some final scores that look more like pinball totals than football scores. Bremond vs Mt. Enterprise should be wild. I wouldn't be surprised if the winning team scores 70+ points while the losing team scores in the 60s.
Prediction: Mt. Enterprise by 10.

Arp Tigers (12-1) vs Newton Eagles (12-1)

Friday, 7 pm at Lufkin HS
Winner advances to play either Tidehaven or East Bernard in the State Semifinals
Arp's only defeat was a 42-6 loss to Troup way back in September. Newton slammed Troup last week, 46-13. The Tigers are playing their best football of the season right now, but the Eagles have been playing on another level. Since the start of district play and through the playoffs, Newton's average margin of victory has been around 60 points.
Prediction: Newton by 27.

Kilgore Bulldogs (12-1) vs Almeta Crawford Chargers (12-1)

Friday, 7 pm at Huntsville
Winner advances to play either San Antonio Davenport or La Vernia in the State Semifinals
Both teams defeated Lindale and Longview Pine Tree, so this looks like a game that could go either way. However, Kilgore's defense may be the best in all of Class 4A, Division I. All things being equal, the Bulldog's defense will tip this game in Kilgore's favor.
Prediction: Kilgore by 9.

Carthage Bulldogs (13-0) vs Athens Hornets (11-2)

Friday, 7 pm at Tyler Rose Stadium
Winner advances to play either Brock or Greenwood in the State Semifinals
This game features the champs and runner-up from District 9-4A. The two teams met earlier this season in a barnburner of a game. Carthage would take the victory at home, 61-56. Last week, the Bulldogs had a terrible first half against Pleasant Grove before staging a big comeback. This Friday, I think Carthage will try to set the tone early on both sides of the ball. I anticipate a great game, but I don't think it's as close as their first meeting.
Prediction: Carthage by 20