Postseason Preview: (6A) Players to Watch from Central Texas

The playoffs have begun for Central Texas and there are a lot of great matchups beginning today and tomorrow. These are the players to keep an eye on this first week of the playoffs. &nbsp; 1. <strong>Kage Carmichael (SR-DB) - Belton High School (Belton, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 43 total tackles, 35 solo tackles, 1 sack, 6 interceptions, 6 pass deflections, 1 fumble recovery Carmichael has been a ballhawk, to say the least just based on his interception stats. He has consistently gotten turnovers from the secondary all season. Some of his biggest interceptions came in games against Killeen, Copperas Cove and a pick-six against Hendrickson. This is a defensive back to keep an eye on in the playoffs especially as the Tigers face an uphill battle against Duncanville at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60845" first="Re’Shaun" last="Sanford"] II (JR-RB) - Harker Heights High School (Harker Heights, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 2,179 rushing yards, 26 rushing touchdowns, 16 receptions, 272 receiving yards, 4 receiving touchdowns Harker Heights has been dominant all season and so has Sanford. He has been featured multiple times throughout the year and consistently put up big numbers that helped his team get the win. The Knights do face an interesting challenge in DeSoto but one of the many reasons to watch Sanford is that he has essentially not been stopped all season and he will look to continue his elite performances deep into the playoffs. 3. <strong>Trayvian McCoy-Gay (SR-RB) - Round Rock High School (Round Rock, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 1,373 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns Much like Harker Heights, Round Rock has also been a dominant force in Central Texas this season and that is in large part thanks to McCoy-Gay, who has also been a consistently excellent running back all season. The Dragons square off against Bowie and given how tough the Bulldog defense can be, McCoy-Gay will have an excellent chance to shine early on in the postseason. 4. <strong>Brayden Buchanan (JR-QB) - Vandegrift High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 2,113 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions The Vandegrift offense has played lights out all season and Buchanan is a large reason as to why. He has some of the biggest passing numbers in Central Texas and with few mistakes. It also helps that Buchanan not only has an excellent running back behind him but a lot of targets, mainly his favorite being Beauchamp. 5. <strong>Reece Beauchamp (SR-WR) - Vandegrift High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 37 receptions, 790 receiving yards, 13 receiving touchdowns Speaking of, Beauchamp has been one of the best receivers in Central Texas. He is consistent, has great hands and speed and seems to always score. The duo of Beauchamp and Buchanan has been one to watch all season and that will continue as Vandegrift shifts into the postseason and the Vipers take on San Marcos. 6. <strong>Trevor Harrison (SR-DL) - Vandegrift High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 65 total tackles, 58 solo tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, 13 sacks, 2 forced fumbles There is one more Vandegrift player to keep an eye on and that is Harrison, on the defensive side this time. Harrison creates a lot of disruption on opposing offenses and is constantly around the ball. Few offensive lines have been able to contain him. San Marcos will also need to keep an eye on him as the Rattlers look for an upset. 7. <strong>Justice Hurt (SR-QB) - Taft High School (San Antonio, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 512 passing yards, 9 passing touchdowns, 1,186 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns Although Hurt has not thrown the ball that much this season, he has been a terror on the ground. This also points to the fact that Hurt can both throw and run and is not afraid to switch to either given the situation. Taft heads into the playoffs to face off against Del Rio at 7 p.m. on Friday. 8. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60713" first="Cade" last="Klubnik"] (SR-QB) - Westlake High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 1,695 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 8 rushing touchdowns Klubnik is an easy choice to watch this postseason but it is also important to remember that he did just return from injury, but he made sure to come back swinging. He threw three touchdowns and rushed for two more in his return against Lake Travis. Klubnik has only thrown two interceptions this season to boot. Westlake squares off against Hutto at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. 9. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60848" first="Jaden" last="Greathouse"] (JR-WR) - Westlake High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 40 receptions, 715 receiving yards, 12 receiving touchdowns Greathouse is another receiver from Central Texas that has made a name for himself. His relationship with Klubnik has also been nothing but positive and has garnered success for the two athletes. Given that Klubnik is back and has not missed a step, the pair are looking to do some damage in the playoffs. 10. <strong>Benjamin McCreary (SR-RB) - Johnson High School (San Antonio, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 1,456 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns McCreary is another consistently good running back and has scored nearly every game this season. Given that Johnson will face off against New Braunfels at 7 p.m. on Friday, a team that is known for high-scoring, McCreary's number will likely get called often as Johnson will look to avoid a potential shootout.