The Mart Panthers are looking to defend their title, but so are the Muenster Hornets, and only one team can win Thursday night to advance to the state semifinals.
"This game has been talked about since we dropped down to Division 2. So, everybody's thought that this is what it was gonna come to and here it is. Two, the two defending State Champions are playing each other," Mart Head Coach Kevin Hoffman said.
The Panthers and Hornets are both 12-1 on the year, undefeated in district, have had their fair share of shut outs this season, and know how to get the ball in the end zone.
So, it's no surprise Thursday's headliner at The Star will be a physical one.
Coach Hoffman hopes his team's speed will give the Panthers an edge over Muenster, but has made sure his guys know they will get stung if they try and look past the Hornets because when Mart lines up over the ball, they'll practically be looking in a mirror.
"We've been working hard all season, and they've been working hard all season. We got one loss to a 3A team; they've got one loss to a 3A team. We won state last year; they won state last year. They still got a lot of their good players, we got a lot of ours... so it's like the State Championship all over again except with different teams," Elijah Green, Mart senior OL/DE said.
"It's scary that how similar we are. Our defensive philosophies are very, very similar. Offensively, we're very similar. You know, we do what we do, and rely on our kids to make plays and to take care of what we've coached them to do. And so, it's gonna come down to the execution up front with our offensive lines and defensive lines, and who can force the other team to maybe get out of their comfort zone," Coach Hoffman added.
Kick off is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at The Star in Frisco.
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