• Hamilton is playing in its first-ever state championship and has had an underdog mentality all year, but they're facing another big underdog, a Joaquin team that went 6-4 in the regular season and knocked off No. 1 Refugio last week, a huge statewide upset. How do the Bulldogs keep their underdog mindset going when it's a David, not a Goliath, across the field?
• Hamilton is really balanced overall on offense. Who would you say is their best player?
• Going into Week 17, we've covered a lot of high school football. What are your most memorable games of the year?
• High school basketball shout-outs: Who do you want to spotlight this week?

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• Hamilton is back in the state semifinals for the second straight year after an impressive rematch win over the banged-up Axtell Longhorns last week, 24-3. They face the West Texas Comanches this week, a Panhandle team which hasn't played many close games this year. Do you think the Bulldogs can lean into that underdog role again and spring the upset?
• Coaching changes are happening, and there's a bit of a surprise with Tyler Beatty leaving China Spring, we learned this weekend. The Cougars obviously won back-to-back state titles not that long ago, but have definitely fallen off from that level in the last couple of years, not withstanding a very impressive fourth-place playoff run this year including a massive upset of Bellville. How attractive is this job, and do you think the Cougars will get back to that level?
• It's basketball season now, and several of the usual suspects, including Rapoport, Fairfield and La Vega, are state-ranked as we'd expect. Are there any other teams you've seen doing well that jump out as surprising?

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• It's round 4 in the UIL playoffs. Once you're past Thanksgiving, the matchups are much more hotly contested with nothing but really good teams left. What matters most for these teams when you're talking about these matchups?
• Bremond vs. Mount Enterprise has one of the best athletes in Texas history, the Wildcats' Kaegen Ash, who's chasing Kenneth Hall's all-time rushing record. Do you think the Tigers' tough defense will stop him from doing that?
• An all-Centex matchup is on tap at Robinson with Axtell vs. Hamilton in the regional final. They've played several times before — is this turning into a low-key rivalry? And who wins?
• TAPPS 6-man state title games: Vanguard Prep and Valor Prep play Thursday at Waco ISD Stadium. How big will that hometown advantage be for the Waco private schools? How will they react to their first-ever trips to the championship?

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Weather delays, a Bremond-Mart slugfest, Axtell moving on, La Vega rolling into the regional final and more — Trib sportswriters talk about what we saw in playoff action on Friday.

#txshfb #TribFridayNight

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• Which team should be most thankful they're still playing in the 3rd round of the playoffs? Or, if you prefer, who's the most surprising team left in the playoffs as we reach the third round?
• The toughest game to pick this week may have been Whitney (10-2) vs. Pottsboro (11-1). How do you see this one coming out?
• La Vega has been impressive all year. Is there anything the Pirates need to worry about vs. La Marque?
• Let's talk turkey: Who is the turkey carver for our playoff teams? That is, whose hand do you trust to wield the knife to get the big job done when it counts?

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• Who had the most impressive bi-district win? China Spring over Bellville, certainly, is an obvious one, but were there others?
• We've got a lot of matchups between accomplished teams in round 2, teams with 9-2 and 10-1 type records. Which game was the toughest to pick this week?
• We do a lot of predicting each week. But let's try to make one BOLD prediction for round 2 — doesn't have to be a result, could be a statistical performance, a parlay or what have you.
• Three local teams are playing for state volleyball titles this week. Can Central Texas go 3-of-3 with Clifton, Crawford and Blum?

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