Lately there has been a routine for supporters of the DeSoto and Duncanville football teams as common as eating a lot of food on Thanksgiving.
Since 2020, the ritual has been DeSoto and Duncanville winning two playoff games apiece, then heading south to play a region-semifinal against a team from the Houston area, with the games in or around Austin, San Antonio or Waco. It’s been fun road trips as both teams are 5-0 in such games.
Both teams will continue the travel routine this weeekend. DeSoto (9-3) will play a Class 6A Division II Region II semifinal against The Woodlands College Park (12-0) on Friday at Gupton Stadium in Cedar Park. Duncanville (9-1) will take on Klein Collins (11-1) in the 6A-I level on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Hutto.
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When it comes to Dallas-area teams taking on Houston-area squads in the playoffs, DeSoto and Duncanville are among the best historically.
High School Sports
However, the opportunities to represent the big cities are generally limited. The opportunity is there for area 6A teams in Region II, such as Waxahachie playing Houston Cypress Ranch in a 6A-I matchup Saturday in Waco and Forney taking on Willis in a 6A-II contest, although that game will be the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.
Area 6A teams from Region I have had few chances to play Houston-area teams, especially lately. Since DeSoto and Duncanville often win Region II, the only chance to play a Houston-area team is in the state-championship round. It’s often a challenge for the Houston-area teams to make it that far with Region IV powerhouses such as Austin Westlake, Lake Travis, Converse Judson or Cibolo Steele standing in the way.
In classifications smaller than 6A the chances are even slimmer. In the current UIL alignment, Region II in Class 5A is generally filled with teams from North, East and Central Texas, although District 8-5A-II has some Houston-area teams. This is even more so the case for area Class 4A and 3A schools.
Here is a breakdown of how area teams have done against Houston-area schools in the playoffs. To qualify for the best or worst lists, the area teams must have played at least three games against Houston-area schools.
The geographic cutoff for Houston-area schools is approximately 60 miles from downtown Houston. This leaves out programs such as Bay City, Huntsville and teams from around Beaumont and Port Arthur.
Class 6ABest Playoff Record against Houston-area TeamsTeamRecordWinning PercentageDeSoto7-01.000Plano11-2.846Allen9-2.818Duncanville9-3.750Skyline6-2.750Garland3-1.750Lake Highlands3-1.750Southlake Carroll3-1.750Cedar Hill6-3.667Rockwall5-3.625
DeSoto has never lost to a Houston-area team in the postseason. The Eagles may have had the best run against Houston-area teams in 2023, outscoring its two opponents by a margin of 94 points, including a 74-14 thrashing of Humble Summer Creek in 6A-II state championship game.
What DeSoto can’t claim is 3-0 runs against Houston-area teams in one season. Three area teams have done this: Plano in 1987, Allen in 2013 and Duncanville in 2022. The 2013 Allen team, led by current Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, may have had the most impressive run of this group with a trio of 35-point wins including a 63-28 win over Pearland in the Class 5A Division I state championship game.
Reginald Samples is the area coaching leader when it comes to these games, leading Skyline to a 6-2 record between 2008 and 2014 and a 7-3 mark at Duncanville since 2018. Samples has endured three state-title game losses to Galena Park North Shore, but led Duncanville past North Shore in 2022 and 2023.
Three of Carroll’s four games have been in state-championship contests. The only blemish was a 16-15 loss to Katy in the Class 5A Division II state-title tilt in 2003.
Worst Playoff Record against Houston-area TeamsTeamRecordWinning PercentageMesquite Horn1-3.250Plano East1-3.250Mesquite1-2.333
Mesquite’s total includes a 22-12 loss in the 1974 Class 4A state championship to Clute Brazoswood, which is on the edge of the Houston area. Horn’s total includes a 1-1 mark in 2016 and 2017 when it ran into Houston-area teams in the bi-district round.
Class 5ABest Playoff Record against Houston-area TeamsTeamRecordWinning PercentageHighland Park6-1.857Mansfield Timberview2-1.667
Highland Park’s lone loss was a 21-14 decision to Klein in a Class 5A Region II semifinal in 1983. Highland Park’s total includes the epic 2017 Class 5A Division I state championship game, a 53-49 Highland Park win over Manvel with the HP defense stopping Manvel on the one-yard line on the game’s final play.
Worst Playoff Record against Houston-area TeamsTeamRecordWinning PercentageDenton Ryan1-2.333McKinney North1-2.333
Ryan is close to being 3-0 against Houston-area teams in the playoffs. The Raiders dropped a 45-37 decision in triple overtime to La Marque in the 2003 Class 4A Division II state championship game and fell 28-22 to Alvin Shadow Creek in the 2019 Class 5A Division I state title tilt.
Class 4A/Others
The only time a current Dallas-area Class 4A or 3A team played a Houston-area team in the playoffs was when Carter beat Conroe 15-11 in a Class 5A Region II semifinal in 1982.
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