Predictions for the three Concho Valley, San Angelo teams hunting for a state championship
With the conclusion of the regional semifinal round of Concho Valley High School football, this week's slate of regional final games are right around the corner.
With three teams in the Standard-Times coverage area set to play Friday, the newest edition of the Concho Valley Capstone series will highlight this week's best matchups.
LAST WEEK: Wall, Brownwood back in regional finals, while Richland Springs returns to state semis
Wall vs. Canadian
The Hawks (12-2) dismantled Lubbock Roosevelt last week in its 35-6 regional semifinal win last Friday. Wall racked up 382 yards on offense while the defense held the Eagles' explosive rushing attack to 139 yards.
This week, though, the Hawks face off against the same team that ended their season last year. Canadian (13-0) beat Wall 45-10 before ultimately losing to Class 3A Division II state champion Gunter 21-20 in the state semifinal. This year, the Wildcats ran through their schedule for an undefeated record never scoring less than 45 points in a game. The Wildcats run a spread offense led by quarterback Camren Cavalier that averaged 63 points this season.
Wall enters the game as a 14-point underdog but is coming off one of its best performances against Lubbock Roosevelt. If the Hawks flexbone offense can control the game — and the defense can make timely stops — they have a chance at one of the biggest upsets of the high school football season.
Prediction: Candian 45, Wall 24.
Brownwood vs. Decatur
The Lions (12-1) beat Springtown in the regional semifinal game behind stellar performances from all three phases of their football team. Despite an early interception, quarterback Ike Hall connected with wide receiver Carson Noe for multiple scores, the defense and special teams combined for four turnovers that turned into 17 points.
Decatur started the season 1-4 but is on an eight-game winning streak, including a dominant 52-21 win over Lubbock Estacado in the regional semifinal. In the Eagles' three playoff games leading up to the regional final, they have not scored less than 45 points and won by double-digit scores in each game. Decatur has a balanced offense that has 1,961 passing yards and 2,542 rushing yards after 13 games.
The Eagles are five-point favorites according to Dave Campbell's Texas Football. For Brownwood to come away with a win, its upperclassmen-heavy defense needs to slow down the Eagles' explosive offense. If the defense can hold up, Ike Hall and the offense can put up points against the Eagles' defense.
Prediction Brownwood 35, Decatur 32.
Richland Springs vs. Oglesby
Richland Springs (13-0) is back in the state tournament after a short hiatus. The Coyotes are looking to add to their Texas six-man record of nine state championships but first have a tough task ahead against the Tigers (12-0). Ogelsby was also knocked out in the regional round last year but bounced back this season with another state semifinal birth. These two teams have a recent history with Richland Springs ending Ogelsby's season in 2020 and 2021, which the Coyotes dominated. This year's Tigers squad ran through their playoff opponents scoring 60 points in each matchup and are in the middle of a five-game streak of scoring at least 60 points.
According to sixmanfootball.com, Richland Springs enters the matchup as a seven-point underdogs but is also in the midst of a dominant playoff run after scoring 78 points against its district rival Cherokee. While Oglesby is in the middle of an impressive scoring streak, the Coyotes are a more battle tested group.Prediction: Richland Springs by 14 over Oglesby.
TOP PERFORMERS: Wall's Nathan Pepper highlights this week's high school football top performers
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Concho Valley Capstone: Predictions for HS football regional matchups
