Following a 7-3 regular season record with a 6-2 mark in District 6-6A play, the varsity football team enters the Class 6A Division II bracket of the state 6A playoffs aiming to recapture the glory of yesteryear by winning what would be their eighth state championship. The journey starts this Sat. at 11 a.m. with a first round matchup against the Denton Guyer Wildcats at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Junior running back Brandon Stephens led the team in the ground attack throughout the regular season and looks to do the same in the postseason. Stephens praised the offensive line for their play throughout the season.

“I give all the credit to my offensive line,” Stephens said. “They do all the hard work to open up the holes in front of me.”

A near 1,200 yard rusher during the regular season with 20 touchdowns on the ground as well, Stephens’ play sparked the team to a three-way tie for second place alongside Plano West and McKinney Boyd in the nine team District 6-6A division.

“It really is the play of the offensive line that makes my stats look so good,” Stephens said. “They deserve a lot of the credit as well.”

However, junior wide receiver Garrett Frederick feels that Stephens and the other running backs deserve their share of the glory for their exploits so far this season.

“You have an agile back in Brandon, a speed back in Lopaka Yoro, and a brute, power back in Bobby Gray,” Frederick said. “They each encompass specific traits that help the running game flourish, which in turn helps out the passing game.”

That aforementioned passing attack received a boost for the final two games of the regular season with the return of senior quarterback Brooks Panhans from a fractured fibula suffered in the season opener at Tyler John Tyler that sidelined him for nearly two months.

“With the return of Brooks, our offense can be even more productive than before,” Frederick said. “The film on him is limited this year, which means the opposition can’t study his tendencies as much.”

In place of Panhans for seven complete games this season, original third-string junior quarterback Quinn Waterbury had the trust of his offensive teammates from snap one, according to Frederick.

“We succeeded with adversity this season, Quinn came in and went 5-2 as a starter,” Frederick said. “He thrived. It’s part of the reason that we don’t have any weaknesses, everybody on the team wants to win just as much as the next.”

Ultimately though, Frederick and the team are focused on the present and the task at hand come late Saturday morning.

“We know that Denton Guyer were the 4A state champions last year, but our team is really pumped for the game,” Frederick said. “Everyone dreams about playing in a venue like AT&T Stadium.”

The first round Class 6A Division II playoff tilt between the dueling Wildcat schools will kickoff at 11:00 am on Sat. at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Tickets are available for $6 in the Student Activities Office until 11 a.m. on Fri., Nov. 14, after which tickets will cost $10 at the stadium.