Preview: 5A Playoffs Week 1 in Central Texas

The 5A playoffs are also starting and Central Texas has a vast number of talent to go around. Here is a look at just a sample of players to watch this weekend as high school playoffs begin all around the state of Texas. 1. Seguin vs Hendrickson (Friday at 7:30 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Micah Rodriguez (S)</strong> - The senior quarterback for Seguin has some of the best stats out of Central Texas this season. Rodriguez has 2,122 passing yards for 31 touchdowns and three interceptions. Those three interceptions came early on in the season as well with maybe some rust due to COVID-19 being the cause. After that bout, Rodriguez has not thrown an interception and has been slinging it showcasing his accuracy and decision-making abilities.</li> </ul> 2. Georgetown vs Dripping Springs (Saturday at 1 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Cameron O’Banan (DS)</strong> - One of the most elite receivers in Central Texas comes out of Dripping Springs. The senior has 1,386 receiving yards for 20 touchdowns on the season. In the last game of the regular season, O’Banan had 410 yards and six touchdowns against Seguin. He also had 15 receptions, making his total for the season 66. O’Banan has proven that he is deadly, and Georgetown will have to play its best defense to stop O’Banan from running all over the field.</li> </ul> 3. Cedar Park vs Veterans Memorial (Friday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60485" first="Ryder" last="Hernandez"] (CP)</strong> - One of the most well-known names coming out of Central Texas is the senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="60485" first="Ryder" last="Hernandez"], who has appeared in numerous articles on Prep Redzone. Hernandez has 2,436 yards for 34 touchdowns and has yet to throw an interception this season despite playing against some elite defenses like Vandegrift and Pflugerville. Hernandez has proven he can not be truly stopped, so Veterans Memorial will just have to try and disrupt.</li> <li><strong>Caleb King (VM)</strong> - One of the keys to that disruption is the junior defensive back, Caleb King. He has two interceptions this season alongside senior defensive back [player_tooltip player_id="60477" first="Simeon" last="Woodard"]. This duo in the secondary can prove to be troublesome for Hernandez and he will have to make sure he does not make a mistake as either of these defensive backs could be the first to pick off Hernandez this season.</li> </ul> 4. Canyon vs Pflugerville (Thursday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Micah Williford (C)</strong> - The leading rusher for Canyon is the senior Williford, who has 1,342 yards and 23 touchdowns on the season. Williford has rushed over 100 yards in every game but one against Clark at the beginning of the season, and has scored a rushing touchdown in every game but one against Veterans Memorial. Williford is a beast and although Pflugerville has a great team this season, the Panthers will have their work cut out trying to stop this back.</li> <li><strong>Jake Iloka (P)</strong> - On the other team, it is the sophomore Iloka who is a tough player to stop coming out of Pflugerville. Iloka has 831 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. Although, Pflugerville has a two-back system which includes junior <strong>Elijah Oakman</strong>, who has 798 yards and 10 touchdowns. This running back duo is one of the best in Central Texas and if either is struggling to produce, the other back fills in the gaps. This duo is one of the reasons Pflugerville has been so successful this season.</li> </ul> 5. Brackenridge vs Southwest (Thursday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Andre Mitchell (S)</strong> - The senior running back out of Southwest has made a name for himself within the San Antonio area. Mitchell has 1,129 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Although Mitchell has not put up single-game numbers like Round Rock senior running back Israel Morgan, Mitchell is still just as dangerous as he scored six touchdowns and rushed for 263 yards against Rio Grande City to close out the regular season.</li> </ul> 6. Rouse vs Northeast Early College (Friday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Mason Shorb (R)</strong> - The sophomore quarterback is the leader of the Rouse Raiders and has had a successful season out of Leander, Texas. Shorb has thrown for 2,263 yards and 27 touchdowns with just five interceptions. His longest play this season was a 91-yard bomb against Bastrop. Shorb has not really missed a beat besides the game against Glenn to close out the season. Still, Rouse is a dark horse in the playoffs and Shorb is a dark horse quarterback going under the radar.</li> </ul> 7. Liberty Hill vs Glenn (Friday at 7:30 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Trey Seward (LH)</strong> - The leading back for the Panthers is the senior Seward. Another under the radar player out of Central Texas, he has rushed for 1,002 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. That may not grab a lot of headlines from guys like Morgan, but it provides productive scoring for Liberty Hill, which is most important during the playoffs. Seward is preparing to get in the endzone on Friday.</li> <li><strong>Daniel Hanna Jr. (G)</strong> - This junior defensive back has gotten four interceptions this season against teams like Veterans Memorial, Brenham, Pflugerville Connally and Cedar Creek. Hanna is a ball hawk and has racked up 36 total tackles and two tackles for loss. He will be lurking in the secondary waiting for Liberty Hill to make any mistake.</li> </ul> 8. Alamo Heights vs Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest (Friday at 6 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Gage Maples (AH)</strong> - Another ball hawk, this time coming out of San Antonio is Maples who has racked up four interceptions this season. Maples has gotten an interception against Boerne-Champion and Lockhart but got two interceptions against Tivy. He also has a sack and 25 total tackles. Whenever Maples is on the field, the opposing team's quarterback will have to make sure to keep track of his number.</li> </ul> 9. McCallum vs East View (Friday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Isaiah Quinton-Jackson (EV)</strong> - Moving back to the offense, another under the radar player is this senior out of East View. The leading rusher for the Patriots, Quinton-Jackson has had some electric performances including when he rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns against Pflugerville Connally. In total, he has 887 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. East View will be looking to him often as the Patriots take on McCallum.</li> </ul> 10. Brenham vs Marble Falls (Friday at 7:30 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Cameron Richardson (B)</strong> - The leading receiver for the Cubs is the senior Richardson, who has 40 receptions for 744 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. Quickly emerging as junior quarterback Steven Stackhouse's favorite target, Richardson has been successful throughout the season. Despite a few hiccups, Richardson has always bounced back better and it is safe to say Stackhouse will be looking his direction on Friday.</li> </ul>