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As the 2026 high school football season enters Week 11 in Central Texas and around the state, the playoffs are fast approaching.
The American-Statesman's seasonlong staff picks for the week's 15 top Austin-area matchups feature high school reporters Colby Gordon and Shaun Chornobroff, high school correspondent Jay Plotkin and sports editor Richard Tijerina. Gordon is our defending champion.
The final week of the regular season is headlined by district clashes that will either see explosive teams hope to notch one final win or games with significant playoff implications.
Here are some Austin-area matchups that have caught our eye this week:
East View at Rouse
A pair of teams that are 4-5 overall and 2-3 in league play meet Thursday hoping to snag the final playoff spot in District 24-6A.
Rouse is coming off a stretch of battling Hutto, Cedar Park and Vandegrift in a four-game span. Although the Raiders dropped all three contests against the class of the district by 14, the team showed it could hang with each one of those squads.
East View lost by 13 to Cedar Park and 14 to Vandegrift earlier this season but also fell to Hutto 61-7.
Chornobroff's pick:Rouse 27, East View 21
MORE:Who leads the Austin-area high school football rankings after Week 10?
Vandegrift at Hutto
Whichever team wins this game will head into the postseason with arguably its best win of the year.
Vandegrift beat Rouse 42-28 last week, led by a five-touchdown performance from Preston James.
Hutto has one of the area's most explosive offenses. The receiving duo of Oklahoma-bound Jaiden Fields and Dylan Owens, a Western Kentucky commit, have both eclipsed 1,000 yards and combined for 37 receiving touchdowns. Carson Fields, Jaiden's younger brother, also has 729 yards and eight receiving scores.
Chornobroff's pick:Hutto 34, Vandegrift 28
Killeen at Georgetown
Georgetown launched itself into playoff position with a 41-38 win over A&M Consolidated last week. A victory Friday over District 12-5A Division I foe Killeen (4-5, 3-4), the Eagles (5-4, 4-3) will solidify their place in the postseason.
If Georgetown loses, it sets up a potential tiebreaker scenario with either Shoemaker or Hendrickson or potentially both teams.
Chornobroff's pick: Georgetown 28, Killeen 24
MORE:
Central Texas shines in first round of UIL volleyball playoffs
Round Rock at Cedar Ridge
A pair of playoff bound District 25-6A teams dealing with defeat will aim to end the regular season with a statement victory.
Round Rock (6-3, 3-2) fell 31-14 to Lake Travis last week but can end the regular season with a statement win over Cedar Ridge (8-1, 3-1), which fell 56-21 to Westlake.
Both teams have strong passing attacks orchestrated by senior quarterbacks. Round Rock's Dov Stickler has thrown for 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while Cedar Ridge's Dylan Snoga has tossed 22 scores and just two picks.
Chornobroff's pick: Cedar Ridge 31, Round Rock 23
Last Week:Gordon 13-2, Plotkin 12-3, Tijerina 11-4, Chornobroff 10-5
Season standings:1. Gordon 119-31, 2. Plotkin 117-33, 3. Chornobroff 110-40, 4. Tijerina 110-40
This Week's Games
Round Rock – None ; Cedar Ridge – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina
Vandegrift – Tijerina ; Hutto – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff
East View – Plotkin, Tijerina ; Rouse – Gordon, Chornobroff
Johnson – None ; Bowie – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina
Killeen – None ; Georgetown – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina
Conally – None ; Weiss – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina
Hendrickson – None ; A&M Consolidated – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina
Lockhart – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff ; Cedar Creek – Tijerina
Seguin – None ; McCallum – Gordon. Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina
Boerne Champion – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina ; Manor – None
Legacy Ranch – Tijerina ; Boerne – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff
Giddings – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff ; Manor New Tech – Tijerina
Lampasas – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina ; China Spring – None
Thorndale – Gordon, Plotkin, Chornobroff, Tijerina ; Bruceville-Eddy – None
This article originally published at Cedar Ridge vs Round Rock prediction: Picks for final week of football before playoffs.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cedar-ridge-vs-round-rock-011210746.html
