The Texas high school football regular season is over, and bi-district matchups are finalized.
Here are high school sports editor Charles Baggarly’s biggest takeaways:
What are the best bi-district matchups?
The UIL bi-district round can be lopsided at times. In some cases, certain districts don’t match up well with others — there are levels to Texas high school football, and the gaps between playoff squads can be significant.
Still, there are several competitive matchups to keep an eye on.
Euless Trinity (8-2) will face Mansfield Lake Ridge (8-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Newsom Stadium. Historically, Trinity would dominate this matchup, but the Lake Ridge Eagles have made significant strides this season.
Another game that should be evenly matched is Fort Worth Arlington Heights (9-1) vs. White Settlement Brewer (7-3), which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Farrington Field. The Yellow Jackets have been dominant in District 4-5A Division I, while Brewer has scratched and clawed for a playoff spot while taking losses to powerhouses such as Aledo, Denton Ryan and Richland.
There are some interesting matchups in Class 5A Division II, too. District 3-5A Division II and District 4-5A Division II are some of the deepest in Texas — multiple squads have the potential to make deep runs. To do that, however, they have to get past the daunting first round.
If they do, the path to the regional finals becomes way easier. Colleyville Heritage (7-3) will face Melissa (7-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Melissa High School. Mansfield Timberview (7-3) will face Anna (8-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Anderson Stadium.
Several area squads end seasons
For many area squads, this week’s regular-season finale was the last game of the season.
And with the season ending, so do the high school football careers of senior athletes. A few teams fell just short of reaching the playoffs.
After a 5-0 start to the season, L.D. Bell dropped five straight, ending the year just outside of playoff contention. Keller Central had the same fate; the Chargers made massive strides in 2025, finishing with five wins after only having one victory in 2024.
Central finished with more than three wins for the first time since 2019 — it was a wildly successful season for Eric Vance in his first year as head coach at Central. The success could be a foundation for more growth.
A program like Arlington Martin fell short of expectations, but showed a lot of grit after losing star defensive end Jesse Ford to a season-ending injury in non-district play. Martin’s offense averaged 41.5 points, and the Warriors ended the year on a good note with a 49-48 overtime victory over Arlington.
With Boswell’s loss to Mansfield Lake Ridge, Crowley heads to the playoffs via point advantage in a three-way tiebreaker with the Pioneers and Mansfield Legacy.
Both Boswell and Mansfield Legacy showcased improvement. Boswell had one win in 2024, while Mansfield Legacy had three victories. Both squads finished with a 4-6 overall record.
Crowley’s reward is a matchup with the No. 1-ranked Southlake Carroll Dragons at 7 p.m. Thursday at Dragon Stadium. The Eagles have had an up-and-down year, and now they’ll face another state power, one week removed from a loss against North Crowley.
In that game, Crowley showcased tons of fight, especially in the first half. The Eagles led North Crowley 6-0 at the break, and then the 2024 Class 6A Division I champions found a groove in the second half for a 27-6 victory.