Super Centex high school football podcast

• It took long enough, but La Vega has finally made it into the state rankings at No. 10. Obviously there are stout teams in Class 4A Div. II like Carthage, West Orange-Stark and Bellville, some of whom are in the Pirates' region. So what does a path to Jerryworld look like for La Vega?• If it's Week 11, that means a lot of games have playoff implications, including West-Whitney, which is a longtime rivalry. Who you got in this one, and considering how tough this loaded district is, how far can the winner go in the postseason, even as a fourth-place team?• This is the end of the regular season, which means there is a lot of football left to be played. But before we turn the page to postseason action, what's your most memorable thing that's happened so far in Centex football?• New Midway quarterback Andrew McNair is nicknamed "Sunshine," which seems like a clear "Remember the Titans" reference. So let's come up with some movie-related nicknames for Centex players, and even give ourselves some nicknames, too.----- Music: https://purple-planet.com

• It's been quite a painful season in Central Texas, as the Super Centex All-Injury Team includes Cash Pullin, Carlos Talton and Donovan Jones of the Midway Panthers; London Smith and JD Bell of the University Trojans; Whitney's Jontae Johnson, China Spring's Matthew Battles, West's Coy Klish and Axtell's Levi Leathers. Of the guys on the shelf, is there one who's most indispensible and if one of these guys were to return, would he immediately impact his team's playoff chances? • Some pretty interesting district showdowns this week in La Vega-Connally, Fairfield-Palestine Westwood and University-Brenham — all of those game with clear underdogs, but those underdogs definitely have a puncher's chance. How close do you expect these game to be, and which underdog has the best shot? • Many times this season, Gatesville head coach Aaron Hunter has called star running back Rayshon Smith "the most underrated player in Central Texas." So let's appreciate Rayshon Smith for a few minutes, as he currently leads the area in rushing. • One prediction nobody saw coming is China Spring and Lorena being 3-13 coming into Week 10, both fighting for their playoff lives. So who wins this desperation matchup? ----- Music: https://purple-planet.com

• It's election time: That means stump speeches — but in this case, we're going to stump for the Super Centex awards. Yes, this is a bit premature — there's still a lot of football to play, including deep playoff runs on the horizon — but if the season ended today, who would get the nod for Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year?• The Game of the Week, or maybe Game of the Year, is La Vega at Robinson for (presumably) the district title. This promises to be an instant classic, but would any outcome in this game actually surprise you at this point?----- Music: https://purple-planet.com

• In the history of classic football rants, Dennis Green's reigns supreme: "They are who we thought they were! And we let them off the hook!" A lot of interesting scores came out of the first full week of district play last week. Who was who you thought they were? And were there any surprises?• In the 21st century, there has been no more consistently good Centex rivalry than China Spring-La Vega. The Pirates are clearly the district favorites. But is this a rivalry game "anything can happen" cliche? Or is that even a possibility?• Two years ago, University and Belton played an epic Week 11 matchup for the district title, won by the Tigers, 31-29. Last year, it was a 24-14 Belton win down south. So surely the Trojans are ready to break through and take revenge this week, right? And how badly do they need a bounce-back after that Rudder game?• Helmet stickers are earned, not given. And we don't want to overlook any Centex teams. Several teams are quietly putting together some great seasons. Who's flying under the radar? How about Fairfield, Clifton, Axtell, Bremond, Aquilla or someone else?----- Music: https://purple-planet.com

1. Quality games abound across the board this week as district play gets into full swing. Who can really elevate themselves as a contender if they were to win this week?2. Right now we have 8 public schools ranked in the statewide polls: Robinson, Hamilton, Mart, Abbott, Jonesboro, Aquilla, Oglesby and Iredell. But which unranked team do you think is likely to go deepest in the playoffs?3. Is there any district out there that's any more wide open than 13-2A D-I — Marlin, Crawford, Rosebud-Lott, Riesel, Bruceville-Eddy and Moody? Who's the favorite there, if anybody?4. In honor of the Gatesville press box spread, we ask: What's your favorite food to eat at a high school football game?----- Music: https://purple-planet.com/

Brice Cherry, Chad Conine and DJ Ramirez are back for more #TribFridayNight football on the Super Centex podcast.• Last year, three of our “C” schools – China Spring (8-4), Crawford (6-5) and Chilton (13-2) – combined to go 27-11. This year they’ve struggled to a 2-12 start to the season, including an 0-5 mark for the Pirates. But they’ve all got good coaches and some promising players, plus tough nondistrict scheduling, and the season isn’t over yet. Which of the three has the best chance to not just get in the playoffs, but maybe even win some games in the postseason? • It’s a light week around Texas, with teams in six-team districts taking their bye weeks before district play begins. But there are still district games happening – in the likes of District 12-6A (Midway), District 7-2A Div. I (Axtell, Bosqueville and others) and District 10-2A Div. II (Mart, Bremond et al). Which of this week’s games in those districts will have the most impact on the district championship race — or perhaps the playoff race when it’s all said and done? • Chad wants to do a music-themed edition of the podcast in honor of the late, great singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, who died last week. So here's a music-related question: If you could name the official musical artist of one of our Central Texas schools, who you would pick and why? And would that team have a particular theme song? ----- Music: https://purple-planet.com/

• It's district time already for a few local loops, including 12-6A (Midway, Temple et al), 7-2A (Axtell, Bosqueville, Dawson, Valley Mills, Itasca, Italy, Rio Vista) and also 10-2A (Mart, Bremond, Chilton, Wortham, Frost, Hubbard, Meridian, Goldthwaite). Which of these districts do you expect to be most competitive? • District play kicks off with a bang with No. 1 Mart facing No. 4 Bremond. This is seemingly the de facto district championship game between two state-ranked teams. Can the Tigers hope to win in Mart? • Robinson shocked the state last week with a 49-42 win over then-No. 2 Glen Rose. Are the now-ranked Rockets the favorite in a stacked district that includes La Vega, China Spring, Connally, Gatesville, Lorena? • We know how important O-line success is for teams, even if those guys don't get quite enough pub from newspapers and other media types. Who's the best overall best offensive line you've seen this year, or a specific O-lineman? ----- Music: https://purple-planet.com/

• We have eight Centex 11-man teams who are undefeated: Midway, University, Connally, Groesbeck, Troy, Hamilton, Axtell and Bosqueville. Survivor draft time: Who would you take to be 10-0 at the end of the regular season?  • On the flip side, Crawford is in a very unusual 0-3 position, and the Pirates face Axtell this week, meaning 0-4 is a real possibility. Crawford has had 10 double-digit winning seasons since 2010 and are one of the area's most consistent programs. What's going on here? • Our first edition of StatsPlus came out this week. Does anybody among the Centex statistical leaders jump off the page at you? Who would you like to see play? • We had two new stadiums debut last week in Central Texas at Abbott and Live Oak. What do you think makes for a good Texas high school football stadium/venue? Do you have a favorite place to cover a game? ----- Music: https://purple-planet.com/

Brice Cherry, Chad Conine and DJ Ramirez are back for more #TribFridayNight football on the Super Centex podcast. • We've got a dream Centex matchup Thursday with China Spring playing University at Waco ISD Stadium. These are two teams that don't often meet, which makes us wonder: What face-off would you like to see in a "fantasy" matchup?• Back to reality: Is China Spring capable of pulling off the upset? Or is it an upset? Debating the Trojans vs. the Cougars.• Let's talk stats: We cover all classifications of football, and know not all performances are not created equal — not all 200-yard rushing games are the same. How do you differentiate these things, say with a kid from a 6A school vs. a 2A school?• Brice loves fantasy football "punishments," even if nobody else does. So what would be a fun punishment for an 0-10 Central Texas team?----- Music: https://purple-planet.com/