Marquee game

Smithson Valley vs. Austin Westlake, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Pflugerville’s The Pfield: The red-hot Rangers look to keep rolling when they take on Westlake in a Class 6A Division I second-round showdown.

Smithson Valley (8-2) has won two in a row, topping Judson (35-32) in its regular-season finale on Dec. 4 and rallying to edge Reagan (24-20) last week in bidistrict. The Rangers trailed 20-3 at halftime vs. Reagan, but scored 21 unanswered points to prevail.

The defense sparked the comeback, shutting down Reagan over the final 24 minutes and recording three interceptions. David DeHoyos had two of the interceptions, returning one for a score, and Noah Flores added the other.

Smithson Valley’s challenge, though, gets a lot tougher.

Westlake (9-0), which won the 6A D-II state championship a year ago, is led by quarterback Cade Klubnik, wide receiver Jaden Greathouse and a stingy defense. A week ago, Klubnik passed for 237 yards and four touchdowns, including three to Greathouse, in a 57-14 win vs. Round Rock Cedar Ridge.

The 57 points marked the sixth time this season that the Chaparrals have scored at least 50 points in a game. They scored at least 40 twice and at least 60 once. Westlake is averaging 54.8 points and allowing 3.8. The Chaparrals have registered five shutouts in nine games. 

Notable games

Boerne Champion vs. Liberty Hill, 7 p.m. Friday at Cedar Park’s Gupton Stadium: A Class 5A Division II state semifinalist a year ago, Boerne Champion takes on an opponent that is playing with a heavy heart. Liberty Hill coach Jeff Walker died on Dec. 1 after a long battle with kidney cancer.

The Panthers (9-0) routed Leander Glenn 51-0 last week, riding a defense that recovered two fumbles and yielded only 33 yards. Champion (8-2) romped past Edcouch-Elsa 56-19 in the first round.

Johnson at Buda Hays, 7:30 p.m. Friday: For the second straight week, the Jaguars face an opponent who runs the Slot-T offense. Johnson outlasted Wagner 56-42 in a Class 6A Division II bidistrict encounter as quarterback Ty Reasoner passed for 410 yards and seven touchdowns. Wide receiver Shane Johnson had seven receptions for 210 yards and four TDs.

Unlike Wagner, which relied overwhelming on its rushing attack, Hays is more balanced on offense. Quarterback Durand Hill accounted for 290 yards — 184 rushing and 106 passing — last week as the Rebels popped Cedar Park Vista Ridge 38-7.

Hays coach Les Goad previously was head coach at Navarro, New Braunfels Canyon and Southwest.

Under the radar games

Alamo Heights vs. Georgetown East View, 7 p.m. Friday at Comalander Stadium: It will be offense vs. defense in this Class 5A Division II clash.

The Mules’ defense, led by the likes of linebackers Roan Erwin (67 tackles), Parker Klumpp (56 tackles) and Cody Burke (39 tackles) and defensive back Robert Zackary (44 tackles) is giving up 14.1 points and 183.1 yards per game, including 69.3 yards passing.

East View is averaging 460.9 yards (233.5 rushing and 227.4 passing) and 38.7 points. Quarterback Payton Adams has thrown for 2,042 yards and 18 TDs and running back Isaiah Quinton-Jackson has rushed for 1,007 yards and 19 TDs.

Southwest Legacy vs. Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Alamo Stadium: The Titans recorded their first postseason win with a 34-24 decision over Highlands. They now face unbeaten Veterans Memorial (10-0), which a year ago advanced to the Region IV-5A Division I final before falling to Wagner. The Eagles are led by quarterback Carter Senterfitt, who has passed for more than 2,000 yards and 18 TDs and rushed for nearly 700 yards and 17 more scores.

Southwest vs. Weslaco East, 6 p.m. Friday at Farris Stadium: It things hold to firm, don’t expect a lot of passing in this Class 5A Division I second-round encounter. Both teams rely on strong rushing attack, with Southwest leaning on Andre Mitchell and Weslaco East on the 1-2 punch of Avery Brown and Gio Guerra.

Mitchell rushed for 203 yards and two TDs last week vs. Brackenridge, the second straight game he has surpassed the 200-yard mark and the third overall. Brown had 186 yards and Guerra added 115 during last week’s win vs. Victoria East.

Tale of the tape

Brennan coach Stephen Basore vs. Edinburg Vela coach John Campbell: The longtime friends’ teams will square off in a Class 6A Division II second-round contest at 7 p.m. Friday at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.

 Basore and Campbell were defensive assistants at Jay on coach Larry Pullin’s staff in 1997. When Pullin retired in 204, Campbell was promoted to head coach and named Basore as his defensive coordinator. The two held the same roles at Katy Taylor in 2007 and at Brandeis in 2008.

In 2010, Basore left Brandeis to start the program at Brennan. Campbell went to Madison in 2016 for one season and has been at Vela since 2017, leading the SaberCats (6-0) to a 39-6 record during the stretch. Making the matchup even more intriguing, Campbell’s son, Joshua, is the linebackers coach at Brennan.

Steele’s defense vs. Round Rock QB Seth Ford: While Dragons running back Israel Morgan draws plenty of attention — he has rushed for 2,003 yards and 27 TDs in 10 games — it is Ford who perhaps makes the team go.

In Round Rock’s stunning 35-21 win last week vs. Austin Lake Travis, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Ford passed for 119 yards and three TDs and rushed for 70 yards and two scores. For the season, he has thrown for 975 yards and eight TDs and rushed for 604 yards and 10 scores.

Steele’s front seven, led by linebacker Caleb Lewis and linemen Dwayne Smith and Carter Darnell will be tasked with stopping Round Rock’s potent rushing attack. A week ago, the trio combined for 17 total tackles, including eight tackles for loss, as the Knights limited Madison to only four first downs in a 50-3 win.

The Knights and Round Rock play at 7 p.m. Friday at Reeves Stadium in Round Rock.

Roosevelt linebacker Josiah Carrillo vs. Austin Vandegrift QB Ryan Back: A senior, Carrillo had a memorable game in the Rough Riders’ 28-21 win over Judson. He had 18 tackles — three for loss — a sack and a fumble recovery. Carrillo will need another prime performance as Roosevelt tries to shackle Back, who has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and 20 TDs, and advance to the third round for the first time since 2001.

Roosevelt and Vandegrift meet at 2 p.m. Saturday at Buda Hays.

terrence@terrencesports.com

Twitter: @sa_terrence1