• Last season, the Rapoport Ravens shocked everyone with the first Centex boys basketball state title in 25 years. Is there a local 2026 state champion team quietly lurking under our noses?
• La Vega picked up a big win over Brock at the AAC this weekend. What was that environment like in an NBA arena? Was it a surprising win at all, and do the Pirates have some staying power?
• UIL realignment is coming up. What do you see as the winners and losers, in terms of movement? Lorena, Crawford, China Spring, Hamilton, or someone else?
• February's college signing day is coming up. Who are some unsigned football seniors in our area who we can expect to have success on Saturdays in the future? How about Evan Moreno, Qwae Willis or even a local 6-man star in Londen Bickham?

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• Hamilton is playing in its first-ever state championship and has had an underdog mentality all year, but they're facing another big underdog, a Joaquin team that went 6-4 in the regular season and knocked off No. 1 Refugio last week, a huge statewide upset. How do the Bulldogs keep their underdog mindset going when it's a David, not a Goliath, across the field?
• Hamilton is really balanced overall on offense. Who would you say is their best player?
• Going into Week 17, we've covered a lot of high school football. What are your most memorable games of the year?
• High school basketball shout-outs: Who do you want to spotlight this week?

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• Hamilton is back in the state semifinals for the second straight year after an impressive rematch win over the banged-up Axtell Longhorns last week, 24-3. They face the West Texas Comanches this week, a Panhandle team which hasn't played many close games this year. Do you think the Bulldogs can lean into that underdog role again and spring the upset?
• Coaching changes are happening, and there's a bit of a surprise with Tyler Beatty leaving China Spring, we learned this weekend. The Cougars obviously won back-to-back state titles not that long ago, but have definitely fallen off from that level in the last couple of years, not withstanding a very impressive fourth-place playoff run this year including a massive upset of Bellville. How attractive is this job, and do you think the Cougars will get back to that level?
• It's basketball season now, and several of the usual suspects, including Rapoport, Fairfield and La Vega, are state-ranked as we'd expect. Are there any other teams you've seen doing well that jump out as surprising?

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• It's round 4 in the UIL playoffs. Once you're past Thanksgiving, the matchups are much more hotly contested with nothing but really good teams left. What matters most for these teams when you're talking about these matchups? 
• Bremond vs. Mount Enterprise has one of the best athletes in Texas history, the Wildcats' Kaegen Ash, who's chasing Kenneth Hall's all-time rushing record. Do you think the Tigers' tough defense will stop him from doing that? 
• An all-Centex matchup is on tap at Robinson with Axtell vs. Hamilton in the regional final. They've played several times before — is this turning into a low-key rivalry? And who wins? 
• TAPPS 6-man state title games: Vanguard Prep and Valor Prep play Thursday at Waco ISD Stadium. How big will that hometown advantage be for the Waco private schools? How will they react to their first-ever trips to the championship?

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Weather delays, a Bremond-Mart slugfest, Axtell moving on, La Vega rolling into the regional final and more — Trib sportswriters talk about what we saw in playoff action on Friday.

#txshfb #TribFridayNight

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• Which team should be most thankful they're still playing in the 3rd round of the playoffs? Or, if you prefer, who's the most surprising team left in the playoffs as we reach the third round?
• The toughest game to pick this week may have been Whitney (10-2) vs. Pottsboro (11-1). How do you see this one coming out?
• La Vega has been impressive all year. Is there anything the Pirates need to worry about vs. La Marque?
• Let's talk turkey: Who is the turkey carver for our playoff teams? That is, whose hand do you trust to wield the knife to get the big job done when it counts?

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• Who had the most impressive bi-district win? China Spring over Bellville, certainly, is an obvious one, but were there others?
• We've got a lot of matchups between accomplished teams in round 2, teams with 9-2 and 10-1 type records. Which game was the toughest to pick this week? 
• We do a lot of predicting each week. But let's try to make one BOLD prediction for round 2 — doesn't have to be a result, could be a statistical performance, a parlay or what have you.
• Three local teams are playing for state volleyball titles this week. Can Central Texas go 3-of-3 with Clifton, Crawford and Blum?

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• There are always lopsided matchups in bi-district, especially with 2-8 teams involved. But there are also some great matchups. Which game this week will be an absolute banger, do you think?
• In Class 6A and 5A, teams now get to host in the first round. Is that a good idea, or do you like having neutral-site playoff matchups? And should it expand down to 4A and below?
• Finally, we're going to brag on our photographers. Let's show some of our best photos and pit them head-to-head in a bracket game. We’ll do an eight-photo bracket, so three rounds to declare our favorite.

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• We've reached Week 11, the final week of the regular season. We have some games that matter, and ones that definitely don't. If you're one of those teams without a hope of making the playoffs, what are you trying to get out of this last game?
• Who are the hottest Centex teams, playing the best going into the postseason?
• Crawford vs. Rosebud-Lott is one of the most interesting games this week. Who do you like, and could either of these teams make a deep run?
• Let's talk realignment, with the UIL's Snapshot Day in the rear-view mirror now. What are you most interested to see going into February's realignment?

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Instant reactions to high school football action including double-overtime in China Spring-Lorena, Robinson-Gatesville, Midway-Bryan and more.

Full coverage at go.wacotrib.com/hs.

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• Another district title showdown is here with 8-0 Brenham, ranked No. 6 in the state, facing University at Waco ISD Stadium. Both are undefeated in district. Do these types of high-profile matchups help teams get ready for the playoffs?
• University's London Smith is just an athletic marvel who's going to excel at any position, playing any sport. Who are some other guys around Central Texas who are like that, past or present?
• Let's break down 3 interesting games to watch this week: Gatesville-Robinson, Frost-Mart and West-Grandview. Plus, we'll sneak in a little Fairfield-Westwood, too.
• Friday is Halloween. What's the spookiest Central Texas mascot, one you wouldn't want to see trick-or-treating at your door?

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Instant reactions to high school football action including Bremond-Chilton, Gatesville-China Spring, La Vega-Robinson, Midway-Killeen and more.

Full coverage at go.wacotrib.com/hs.

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• La Vega is shaping up to be the state-ranked team we all expected, and there's likely the district title on the line vs. rapidly improving Robinson. Can the Rockets spring an upset here, or are they good enough for it not to be much of an upset? 
• The Chilton Pirates are back, and they've only given up 22 points all season. Meanwhile, Bremond and Tank Scott are on the other side. Who comes out on top in this state-ranked battle of unbeatens? 
• State-ranked La Vega, Robinson and Gatesville look like playoff teams. Who are you penciling in for the fourth spot between Connally, China Spring and Lorena? Cadets-Leopards is a huge game this week with both teams 0-2. 
• Who won the Super Centex fantasy league? It all came down to 1 point.

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For homecoming week at Waco ISD Stadium, we're welcoming in Trib sportswriters past and present for a special homecoming edition of the Super Centex podcast.

They include former assistant sports editor Jerry Hill; past high school writers Luke Gilliam, David G. Campbell, Jason Orts, Jim Barnes; plus current writers Chad Conine, Michael Haag and Trib sports editor Brice Cherry. (Note: We've tacked on our guests' introductions and "hey, where-have-you been" chat to the end of the podcast after the musical break — that way, we get straight into the football talk.)

Among the questions:

• Have you ever climbed out of a locked football stadium? Let's hear your best postgame tales.
• Playoff games at Waco ISD Stadium have a long and illustrious history over the last 25 years, including a time as the epicenter of postseason football in Texas. What are your favorite WISD stories, or some from the old Paul Tyson Field? We talk Louis Fite, LaDainian Tomlinson, Jordan Parcus, Quan Cosby and more.
• Is there a high school football moment that still gives you goosebumps now, even all these years later?
• Who are some of the favorite characters you've encountered around the high school football scene in Central Texas?
• What did you love about covering high school football the most?

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Instant reactions to high school football action including Robinson-Connally, China Spring-La Vega, University-Belton, West-Mexia and more.

Find full game coverage at go.wacotrib.com/hs.

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1. Which teams had a tough go in non-district play but seem poised to play spoiler in their districts going forward? Some of them may start with M — like Mexia, Marlin, McGregor.

2. We've got several matchups of two 0-1 teams facing off this week. How big does it make these matchups for a bunch of teams trying to avoid starting out 0-2? We're looking at Gatesville-Lorena, Grandview-Groesbeck, Cameron-Troy, Marlin-Bruceville-Eddy, Temple and more.

3. It's fantasy football time: We're drafting an all-Centex, all-offense team for one week only. Who are your picks for QB, RB and WR? We'll crown a champion next week.

Scoring:

• Non-PPR
• 1 point — for every 25 yards of rushing/receiving yardage
• 1 point — for every 50 yards of passing yardage
• 6 points — rushing/receiving TD
• 3 points — passing TD
• 2 points — rushing/receiving 2-point conversion
• 1 point — passing 2-point conversion
• 6 points — defense or special teams TD
• no other defensive stats

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