The battle of top-five Xcellent 25 teams is our version of the BCS title game.
Kyler Murray and Allen would give Curtis a massive challenge in a mock BCS Championship Game.
Photo by Neil Fonville
Bowl Game: BCS National Title Game, Notre Dame vs. Alabama
High school equivalent: Curtis (River Ridge, La.) vs.
Allen (Texas)Rankings (Xcellent 25, MaxPreps Freeman Rankings): Curtis: 1, 147; Allen: 5, 2
Despite an undefeated season and marquee victories over the likes of Stanford and Oklahoma and a No. 1 national ranking, Notre Dame enters the national title game against Alabama as the underdog. Xcellent 25 national champion Curtis finds itself in a similar position.
Sherman Badie, Curtis
Photo by Roddy Johnson
The small school from Louisiana trounced Florida power Plant in September and then feasted on a relatively easy schedule en route to a No. 1 finish in the Xcellent 25.
The Patriots' highly proficient offense is led by senior quarterback
Patrick Morton and a slew of capable running backs, including
Sherman Badie and
Tevin Horton. Defensively, Curtis is especially loaded in the secondary, and surrendered only 60 points all season.
Allen emerged as the Texas' 5A-I champion, perhaps the high school equivalent of the SEC. With quarterback
Kyler Murray, Allen's offense is dynamic. But its defense, which shut down high-powered DeSoto, is equally impressive.
Despite its loss, many people in Texas felt that, by season's end, Allen was the top team in Texas -- superior to unbeaten Katy.
In Curtis, Allen would face an opponent that, like DeSoto, was teeming with athletes will who be suiting up on Saturdays. However, Curtis' offense would be a real challenge for an Allen defense that seemed to rise to the occasion in the playoffs.
Curtis is by no means a typical Class 2A school in terms of talent or roster size, but going up against a big, deep, talented Allen squad would really test the team's endurance. Could legendary coach and 500-game winner J.T. Curtis find a way to prevail?
Our computer projection (neutral field): Allen 31, Curtis 21
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