Football: Playoff preview

The 2013 regular season is in the books. Two local teams from District 14-5A and another TAPPS private school team have qualified for the playoffs, which begin on Thursday.

Oak Ridge War Eagles (7-3) vs. Westfield Mustangs (10-0)

Up Next: The Oak Ridge High School football team takes on District 13-5A champions Westfield Mustangs in the opening round of the Texas football state playoffs. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Spring ISD’s Leonard George Stadium.

Last Week: The War Eagles dropped a 46-21 decision to The Woodlands, their third consecutive loss after winning the first seven games of the 2013 season. Westfield completed a perfect season with a 31-14 victory over Dekaney.

What to Watch For: Can Oak Ridge shake off consecutive season-ending losses to the district’s top three teams (A&M Consolidated, Lufkin, The Woodlands) and hold down the big-play offense of No. 11 state-ranked Westfield? That’s the question the War Eagles have to answer if they intend to shock the world. Westfield has two running backs (Latevius Downs and Akpaffiong Tisdale, both juniors) each finishing the regular season with nearly 1,000 yards rushing. Oak Ridge counters with senior quarterback Jacob Norton, who is completing 67 percent (63-for-94) of his passes for 612 yards and three touchdowns. Junior running back Kwame Etwi averages nearly six yards per carry and has scored 12 rushing touchdowns.

Analysis: Oak Ridge yielded 40-plus points in each of the last three games and Westfield scored fewer than 30 points in only one game this season. The War Eagles must keep the Mustangs’ offense off the field by finding the running game that propelled them to seven consecutive victories to open the season.

The Woodlands Highlanders (8-2) vs. Klein Bearkats (6-4)

Up Next: The Woodlands High School football team faces the Klein Bearkats in the 2013 playoff opener at 7 p.m. Friday in Woodforest Bank Stadium.

Last Week: The Highlanders completed a perfect District 14-5A schedule and claimed the outright league championship with a 46-21 victory over Oak Ridge. Klein had a bye week after finishing the regular season with its fourth consecutive victory and fifth in the last six games by turning away Klein Collins, 45-28, on Nov. 1.

What to Watch For: This should be a good one. The Woodlands defense, in the second half of the last seven games (all victories) has allowed just one touchdown total and that was last week to Oak Ridge. Klein has averaged scoring 22 points in the second half of the last three games. The Bearkats came within a field goal (17-14) of tying No. 11 state-ranked and undefeated District 13-5A champions Westfield, holding the Mustangs 21 points below their scoring average (38). Three of Klein’s four losses this season were by a field goal (Atascocita 43-40 OT, Klein Oak 24-21).

Analysis: Klein is a physical team, running back David Hamm rushed for more than 1,500 yards this season and scored 17 touchdowns. But the Bearkats moved the ball in the air as well. Quarterback Rainer Ausmus threw for more than 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if the Highlanders can control the line of scrimmage especially in the second half with junior running back Patrick Carr, who already has more than 1,200 yards rushing (12 TDs) for the season, and junior quarterback Chris Andritsos, who has rushed and passed for another 1,200 yards.

The Woodlands Christian Academy (6-4) at Marble Falls Faith Academy Flames (10-0)

Up Next: The Woodlands Christian Academy football team opens the playoffs with a journey to Marble Falls to take on Faith Academy in a 7:30 p.m. Friday kickoff.

Last Week: The Warriors dropped a 20-19 heartbreaker to Bay Area Christian while Faith Academy had a bye week after completing a perfect season with a 50-19 victory over Central Texas Christian on Nov. 1.

What to Watch For: The Flames will line up and run it down your throat. Averaging nearly 330 yards rushing per contest, they present a strong challenge for the Warriors’ defense. Faith Academy sophomore Jacob Metcalf is averaging nearly 14 yards per carry (85-1,156). Junior Royale Brown averages eight yards (111-879) per try with 17 touchdowns.

Analysis: If the Warriors can stop the running game of Faith Academy, which is helping to produce better than 40 points per game, they’ll likely advance in the playoffs. A ball-controlling offense, led by Luke Hudson, who surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the season, would go a long way in that endeavor.