• UIL realignment is over. What are our biggest takeaways? Did the Rapoport Ravens get a raw deal?
• High school basketball coaches always have to roll with the punches. Which Centex coach do you think is doing the best job so far this season?
• National Signing Day No. 2 for football is Wednesday. We still have some big D1-bound players moving on to the next level. Considering the transfer portal seems to hurt opportunities for high school kids, does that make these kinds of Signing Days even more special?
• Bonus question: With early enrollment, are recruits missing our on something special with the last part of their high school years — friends, prom, graduation, etc.?

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Brice Cherry, Michael Haag and Chad Conine are back this week to dive into Centex hoops action:

• Another crazy scoring performance: Live Oak's Duncan Ogden went off for 66 points, hitting 14 3-pointers. What impressed you the most about this explosive performance?
• We've got to talk about that winter storm, which has wreaked havoc on teams everywhere, from soccer to basketball and more. But once the roads clear, what hoops matchups are the most intriguing this week?
• If you had to put a friendly wager on one of our Centex teams to reach state, who are you banking on?

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La Vega basketball coaches Will Cartwright IV (boys) and Marcus Willis Sr. (girls) join Brice Cherry and Michael Haag this week for a lively conversation about all things Modoc.

• What do they respect or appreciate about what the other guy has achieved with his respective group of Pirates?
• How do you break down the differences between Marcus Jr. and Qwae, Coach Willis' sons?
• What's it like when Will's boys team is missing a big chunk of its players through mid-December every year?
• What's it been like for Marcus to achieve his vision for the girls program?
• With La Vega's tradition, how much pressure is there to win, and do you hear about it from the Pirates community when you lose?
• If you had to coach each other, who would be harder to deal with on the bench?

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• Last Friday night in Mexia, Kelan Collins had a 58-point night for the ages. Where does that rank among greatest performances you've ever seen? Was Fairfield trying anything at all to stop him?
• Of all the active Centex basketball players you've seen play, boys or girls, which two would you want on your team in a game of 3-on-3?
• The high school football coaching carousel is already spinning in Central Texas. Of the schools which have made changes or have vacancies, what are you most intrigued by in terms of potential 2026 success?
• The Super Centex teams are coming out later this week. What will you remember most about the 2025 Centex football season?

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• Last season, the Rapoport Ravens shocked everyone with the first Centex boys basketball state title in 25 years. Is there a local 2026 state champion team quietly lurking under our noses?
• La Vega picked up a big win over Brock at the AAC this weekend. What was that environment like in an NBA arena? Was it a surprising win at all, and do the Pirates have some staying power?
• UIL realignment is coming up. What do you see as the winners and losers, in terms of movement? Lorena, Crawford, China Spring, Hamilton, or someone else?
• February's college signing day is coming up. Who are some unsigned football seniors in our area who we can expect to have success on Saturdays in the future? How about Evan Moreno, Qwae Willis or even a local 6-man star in Londen Bickham?

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• 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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