Semifinals Preview: Players to Watch in Central Texas

The postseason is winding down as the semifinals begin for all schools 2A and up this weekend. This is when the pressure is starting to build to its highest but these players have been through it all this season. These are the young men to watch this week. 1. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="121941" first="Bo" last="Edmundson"] (JR-QB) - Lake Travis High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 3,239 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, 9 interceptions Lake Travis squares off against North Shore at 3 p.m. on Saturday. This is arguably one of the toughest opponents the Cavaliers have faced thus far, and for Lake Travis to continue its trek to the state title, the team will need Edmundson to play at his best. This should not be too hard, as Edmundson has been on a roll during the postseason and has helped his team to several victories over strong opponents such as Brennan, Bowie and Smithson Valley. 2. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60794" first="Derrick" last="Johnson"] (SR-RB) - Lake Travis High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 1,334 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns Next to Edmundson has been Johnson. He has done most of the work on the ground. Johnson not only has the speed to outrun opposing defenses but pure power as well. He is difficult to tackle, with defenses needing several players to bring him down. Johnson is a key element to the Lake Travis offense and he, too, will need to play at his usual elite level for Lake Travis to get the win. 3. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60713" first="Cade" last="Klubnik"] (SR-QB) - Westlake High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 2,619 passing yards, 34 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 405 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns Klubnik is a well-known stud at this point in his career. He has helped Westlake reach new heights but Katy stands in the way of another state title. The two teams face off at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Still, Klubnik has played as perfectly as can be coming back from injury. He has been a monster through the air but also on the ground in scoring position. No defense has been able to stop him thus far. 4. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60848" first="Jaden" last="Greathouse"] (JR-WR) - Westlake High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 53 receptions, 952 receiving yards, 15 receiving touchdowns One of Klubnik's favorite targets, Greathouse has also had a stellar year. He has been able to showcase his catching abilities as well as his route-running all season. He is athletic, fast, and strong. Defensive backs often struggle to cover him which is why he gets so many targets. If Klubnik is having a great game, Greathouse is not far behind. 5. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="138376" first="Noah" last="Long"] (SO-RB) - Liberty Hill High School (Liberty Hill, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 1,911 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns Although Alamo Heights mostly kept a lid on him compared to his other games, Long does not stay silent for long. He will have a chance to once again explode when he and Liberty Hill squares off against Crosby at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Long has been the main driving force for Liberty Hill all season. Still, the Panthers have excellent depth in their all-out rush offense. Any player on offense is capable of putting up scores which is why Liberty Hill is so deadly. 6. <strong>Jaybreon Riggins (SR-DB) - LBJ Austin High School (Austin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 25 total tackles, 12 solo tackles, 3 interceptions LBJ Austin is known for its tough and athletic players. Riggins is another one of them. The Jaguars face off against Chapel Hill at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Riggins has been the most prominent ball hawk on LBJ and has collected a bunch of tackles as well. For any opposing offense, they will need to keep an eye on Riggins. 7. <strong>Desmond Woodson (JR-QB) - Marlin High School (Marlin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 3,450 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions Marlin's high octane offense has helped the Bulldogs get this far into the postseason. However, Marlin faces off against Hawley at 7 p.m. tonight. At the helm of Marlin's offense is Woodson. Not only does he put up great numbers, but also makes very few mistakes. Woodson has a great arm and athleticism as well as excellent field awareness. If Marlin is able to keep up the pressure, then the Bulldogs could be looking at a state title this season. 8. <strong>Trajon Butler (JR-WR) - Marlin High School (Marlin, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 59 receptions, 1,371 receiving yards, 18 receiving touchdowns One of the favorite targets of Woodson, Butler has been on a roll all season. He has made every reception count and that is shown by his numbers alone. He has excellent hands and speed. On top of that, the chemistry between him and Woodson is off the charts. This pair is lethal especially when the momentum is on their side. 9. <strong>Robert Hickman (SR-RB) - Mart High School (Mart, TX)</strong> 2021 Season: 1,077 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns Mart is always a team that does well year after year and the Panthers find themselves in the semifinals facing Falls City. At 7 p.m. on Friday, Hickman is looking to help his team to earn the state title this year. Hickman is another player who has been all over the scoreboard all season. Although the pressure rises the further teams get into the tournament, Hickman has the experience behind him to look past that. He is fast, strong, and focus on the field.