HS Football Area Playoffs: Who Will Mag West, Montgomery Play?

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX — Both Magnolia West and Montgomery high schools advanced to the second round of the the UIL Class 5A football playoffs last week.

Magnolia West (10-1) routed Tyler John Tyler 56-14 in the bi-district round of the 5A Division II playoffs. The Mustangs will face top-ranked Denton Ryan (10-1) in the area round at Waco ISD Stadium at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Magnolia West was ranked heading into the final week of the regular season, but the Mustangs suffered their first loss of the season to No. 2 College Station to fall short of a District 8-5A Division I title and drop out of the rankings. The Region II bracket is stacked, with five top-10 teams vying to come out of the region, not including the on-the-fringe Mustangs.

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Here's how Region II of the Class 5A Division I playoffs shapes up in the area round:

• No. 1 Denton Ryan vs. Magnolia West
• No. 10 Lancaster vs. Longview
• No. 3 Highland Park vs. Frisco Wakeland
• No. 2 College Station vs. No. 5 Frisco Lone Star

Predictions: Dave Campbell's Matt Stepp and Ishmael Johnson picked College Station to get out of Region II, while Ashley Pickle had Denton Ryan and Greg Tepper had Highland Park. Stepp, Pickle and Tepper had their Region II picks winning the state title.

Magnolia West historical perspective: After 10 straight playoff appearances from 2010-'19 was snapped last year, the Mustangs return to the playoffs for their 11th overall appearance. Magnolia West has an 8-10 playoff record.

In the Class 5A Division II bracket, seventh-ranked Montgomery (11-0) beat Nacogdoches 35-21 in the bi-district round last week to advance to area. The Bears will play Port Neches-Groves at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Baytown Stallworth Stadium.

Montgomery went unbeaten in the regular season to claim the District 10-5A Division II championship. The Bears have their eyes on a deep playoff run, especially after an upset loss by No. 2 Fort Bend Marshall to Barbers Hill leaves Region III wide open.

Here is how the Region III bracket stacks up in the area round:

• No. 6 Texas vs. Texas City
• No. 7 Montgomery vs. Port Neches-Groves
• A&M Consolidated vs. Barbers Hill
• No. 10 Crosby vs. Marshall

Predictions: All four experts from Dave Campbell's Texas Football picked Fort Bend Marshall to get out of Region III.

Montgomery historical perspective: The Bears won their first district championship since 1989 and their sixth overall. Montgomery has a playoff record of 12-16.