WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The playoffs are the most wonderful time of the year for high school football, and many Central Texas teams have made the postseason.
For 1A, the Abbott Panthers defeated rival Aquilla Cougars to finish the regular season undefeated and be crowned district champions.
It's a significant accomplishment under first-year head coach Kyle Crawford, but there's more work to do as they prepare for the Chester Yellow Jackets on Thursday.
"Everybody's zero and zero again — you've got to find a way to win five ball games one at a time," Crawford said.
"It's not me, it's them — they've set the expectation of wanting to finish with the state championship, and that's the bottom line."
Looking at 5A, the Belton Tigers, on paper, have not had a season to remember, but their two wins in district play were enough to get them into the playoffs and face Randle — the team that took them out last season.
"We deserve to be here, and now we're going to go out and see what we can do," said Belton head coach, Brett Sniffin.
"We want to make sure it's a game in the fourth quarter — we can shock the world if it's a game in the fourth quarter."
Then in 3A, the Mexia Black Cats were crowned district champions on Thursday as they prep for a clash against Pilot Point in Grand Prairie.
Mexia mourned Micah Kirven's death this season — when the Black Cats won the district title, they thought of Micah.
"It was like pinch yourself — is this real?" said Mexia football head coach, Aaron Nowell.
"We felt good going into Thursday night, and when that final buzzer sounded like, there were some smiles bigger than I've seen out of these young men in a long, long time."
To see all upcoming playoff matchups, click here.
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