To hold trophy in late December at AT&T Stadium requires surviving 6 win-or-go-home tests.
Video: Texas Top 25 high school football rankings No margin of error as postseason gauntlet begins in Lone Star State.
A loss in the regular season can be overcome. But the regular season is finished. In the state playoffs, which begin this week, there is no safety net.
The teams in the MaxPreps Texas Top 25 high school football rankings and all the other post-season qualifiers know the score: Winners advance and the season ends for those on the short end.
Each of the five UIL 11-man football classifications over the weekend were divided into 64-team Division I and II brackets. That translates to 640 teams still entertaining dreams of becoming one of the 10 state champions crowned Dec. 18-21 at Arlington's AT&T Stadium. Championship week also includes Division I and II six-man title games matching the finalists from a pair of 32-team brackets.
An 11-man state champion is required to reel off six consecutive playoff wins against competition that, in theory, gets tougher each week.
For any team to play at peak performance for a month and a half on top of the 10 games already played is a lot to expect. Almost without exception, a state champion can look back on one or two games when good fortune on an off day played a role in a victory. Good luck is not required, but it does not hurt to have it.
Notes: No. 19 Clemens (Schertz) with its 34-30 Week 11 win over No. 20 Judson (Converse) along with unbeaten No. 25 Fort Bend Travis (Richmond) enter this week's ranking for the first time…Across all 11-man classifications, 47 teams managed to finish the regular season with a 10-0 record. Class 2A-I has the most unbeaten teams with eight and 2A-II the fewest with just one...No. 6 Longview is the only 2018 11-man state champion to enter this year's playoffs with an undefeated record.
MaxPreps Texas Top 25 high school football rankings
Ben Pruski, Clemens
Photo by Joe Calomeni
10-0
Last week: Beat Molina (Dallas) 49-0
Next game: Nov. 15 vs South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie)
2. (2) KatyRecord: 10-0
Last week: Beat Katy Taylor (Katy) 57-0
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Ridge Point (Missouri City)
3. (3) North Shore (Houston)Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Channelview 62-0
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Dobie (Houston)
4. (4) AllenRecord: 10-0
Last week: Beat Plano West (Plano) 34-10
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Sachse
5. (5) Carroll (Southlake)Record: 10-0
Last week: Beat Timber Creek (Keller) 49-8
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Lewisville
6. (6) Longview Record: 10-0
Last week: Beat Mesquite 49-14
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Temple
7. (7) Ryan (Denton)Record: 10-0
Last week: Beat Birdville (North Richland Hills) 41-14
Next game: Nov. 14 vs Granbury
8. (8) Shadow Creek (Pearland)Record: 10-0
Last week: Beat Terry (Rosenberg) 63-0
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Port Arthur Memorial (Port Arthur)
9. (9) Guyer (Denton)Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Fossil Ridge (Keller) 53-6
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Hebron at Prosper
10. (11) Westfield (Houston)Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Benjamin Davis (Houston) 52-6
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Klein Cain (Houston)
11. (12) Cy-Fair (Cypress)Record: 10-0
Last week: Beat Cypress Creek (Houston) 41-7
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Bellaire
12. (13) Lone Star (Frisco)Record: 10-0
Last week: Beat Heritage (Frisco) 77-7
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Legacy (Mansfield) at Frisco's Ford Center
13. (14) Highland Park (Dallas)Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Mansfield Timberview (Arlington) 43-21
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Wakeland (Frisco)
14. (15) Aledo Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Seguin (Arlington) 56-13
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Kimball (Dallas)
15. (16) ManvelRecord: 10-0
Last week: Beat Waltrip (Houston) 49-0
Next game: Nov. 14 vs Nederland
16. (17) Martin (Arlington)Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Bowie (Arlington) 44-19
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Central (San Angelo)
17. (18) Lake Travis (Austin)Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Anderson (Austin) 49-14
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Smithson Valley (Spring Branch)
18. (19) Westlake (Austin)Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Bowie (Austin) 63-0
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Steele (Cibolo)
19. (NR) Clemens (Schertz) Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Judson (Converse) 34-30
Next game: Nov. 15 at Bowie (Austin)
20. (10) Judson (Converse)Record: 9-1
Last week: Lost to Clemens (Schertz) 34-30
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Hays (Buda)
21. (20) Fort Bend Marshall (Missouri City)Record: 9-1
Last week: Beat Madison (Houston) 68-0
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Port Neches-Groves (Port Neches)
22. (22) Brandeis (San Antonio)Record: 9-0
Last week: Beat Taft (San Antonio) 28-12
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Johnson (San Antonio)
23. (23) DickinsonRecord: 9-1
Last week: Beat Alvin 49-0
Next game: Nov. 15 vs Pearland
24. (25) Tompkins (Katy)Record: 9-1
Last week: Idle
Next game: Nov. 14 at Fort Bend Travis (Richmond)
25. (NR) Fort Bend Travis (Richmond)Record: 10-0
Last week: Beat Fort Bend Bush (Richmond) 21-10
Next game: Nov. 14 vs Tompkins (Katy)
Ranking by classification
Class 6A1. Duncanville (10-0)
2. Katy (10-0)
3. North Shore (Houston) (9-1)
4. Allen (10-0)
5. Carroll (Southlake) (10-0)
6. Longview (10-0)
7. Guyer (Denton) (9-1)
8. Westfield (Houston) (9-1)
9. Cy-Fair (Cypress) 10-0
10. Martin (Arlington) 9-1
Judson (Converse) dropped out of the top 10 after a 34-30 loss Clemens (Schertz). Moving in was 9-1 Martin (Arlington) which went unscathed in a top-heavy District 4-6A. Seven of the top 10 are in the Division I bracket. Longview, Guyer and Westfield are the Division II exceptions.
5A-11. Ryan (Denton) (10-0)
2. Shadow Creek (Pearland) (10-0)
3. Lone Star (Frisco) (10-0)
4. Highland Park (Dallas) (9-1)
5.
Lufkin (9-1)
This season's playoff qualification for Highland Park is a state-best 61st in 97 seasons of 11-man competition for the school. A fourth consecutive state championship would be well earned for the Scots because No. 3 Lone Star (Frisco) and No. 5 Lufkin are in the same region and potential opponents should all continue to win. Lone Star defeated Highland Park 30-19 in a non-district game earlier this season. No. 1 Ryan's 10-0 regular season is its fifth in succession.
5A-21. Aledo (9-1)
2. Manvel (10-0)
3. FB Marshall (Missouri City) (9-1)
4.
A&M Consolidated (College Station) (10-0)
5.
Calallen (Corpus Christi) (9-1)
Calallen in Region IV saw its undefeated season end with a 17-6 loss to Calhoun (Port Lavaca). Big news for defending state champion Aledo was last week's return of senior running back
Jase McClellan, out for seven games with an injury. McClellan had eight carries for 154 yards in a 56-13 victory over Seguin (Arlington).
4A-11.
Argyle (10-0)
2.
Carthage (10-0)
3.
La Vega (Waco) (9-1)
4.
Decatur (10-0)
5.
Dumas (10-0)
Argyle and La Vega each need three playoff wins to meet for a second time this season in the Region II title game. Argyle on the road defeated La Vega, the defending state champion, 49-35 in Week 2. In 2018, Argyle won the Week 2 game 31-29 and La Vega took the fourth-round playoff meeting, 31-14.
4A-21.
Greenwood (Midland) (10-0)
2.
Pleasant Grove (Texarkana) (9-1)
3.
Navarro (Geronimo) (10-0)
4.
Estacado (Lubbock) (10-0)
5.
Connally (Waco) 10-0
Greenwood and Estacado could be on a collision course of unbeatens in the third round of Region I. Pleasant Grove and Connally are on opposite ends of the Region II bracket and would meet no sooner than the fourth round.
3A-11.
Wall (10-0)
2.
Whitney (9-1)
3.
Grandview (9-1)
4.
Malakoff (9-1)
5.
Pottsboro (10-0)
Defending state champion Grandview finished second in District 9 after a 26-21 loss to Whitney. The two potentially could get a rematch in the Region III final. Malakoff and Pottsboro could meet in a Region II third-round playoff.
3A-21.
Canadian (10-0)
2.
East Bernard (10-0)
3.
Gunter (9-1)
4.
Palmer (10-0)
5.
Rogers (9-1)
Gunter and Palmer could meet in a Region II third-round matchup. Rogers is in the lower half of the Region II bracket. Canadian, state finalist a season ago, is in the lower half of the Region I bracket along with District 4 champion Cisco.
2A-11.
Refugio (10-0)
2.
San Saba (10-0)
3.
Shiner (10-0)
4.
San Augustine (10-0)
5.
Holland (10-0)
Refugio is in the playoffs for the 51st time, the leader in its classification. San Saba (Region II) and San Augustine (Region III) are the only top five teams in this classification not in Region IV.
2A-21.
Bremond (9-1)
2.
Sudan (10-0)
3.
Christoval (9-1)
4.
Stratford (9-1)
5.
Wellington (9-1)
Sudan is the only team in this division to go undefeated through the regular season. Stratford and Wellington have found their way to the volatile Nos. 4 and 5 spots. Sudan and Stratford are part of Region I. Christoval and Wellington compete in Region II. Top-ranked Bremond is Region IV.
TAPPS 1.
Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth) 10-0
2.
Parish Episcopal (Dallas) 9-1
3.
Trinity Christian (Cedar Hill) 9-1
4.
Prestonwood Christian (Plano) 8-2
5.
Regents (Austin) 8-1
Nolan Catholic capped off a perfect 10-0 regular season with a 27-19 victory over Trinity Christian (Addison). It is the first time for Nolan to reach the 10-win plateau since 2013. Next is a TAPPS playoff against Bishop Dunne (Dallas) on Saturday.
