Preview: 6A Playoffs Quarterfinals in Central Texas
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The quarterfinals have arrived for 6A Central Texas football teams. Now, only four Central Texas teams remain with Steele, Westlake, Vandegrift and Hays. All these teams face each other this week which creates some tough matchups given the amount of…
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Continue ReadingThe quarterfinals have arrived for 6A Central Texas football teams. Now, only four Central Texas teams remain with Steele, Westlake, Vandegrift and Hays. All these teams face each other this week which creates some tough matchups given the amount of talent each team posses. These are the players to keep an eye on this week from each team.
1. Steele vs Westlake (Saturday at 2 p.m.)
- Grey Nakfoor (W) – Although the spotlight was on junior quarterback Cade Klubnik Cade Klubnik 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Austin Westlake | 2022 State TX last week when he thew for 300-plus yards and four touchdowns, the senior Nakfoor also had a big day with 68 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Nakfoor has been a consistent scorer, scoring a rushing touchdown every game this season for a total of 17. He also has 677 rushing yards to boot. Considering Nakfoor’s consistency, he is one to watch considering there is always a chance for him to explode. This is especially the case since he scored the most touchdowns against Stevens than he has all season.
- Josh Fahrner (S) – For the other team, it is also the running back to keep an eye out. The junior back Fahrner scored one touchdown and rushed for 89 yards in Steele’s win over United South last week. Fahrner has also been pretty consistent throughout the year with 666 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. His biggest game was against Madison a few weeks ago when he rushed for 189 yards and three touchdowns. In the past three games, he has been consistent in both yards and scoring. There is always that chance for Fahrner to explode as he did against Madison, and Steele will need all the help it can get against the juggernaut of Westlake.
- Jaden Greathouse Jaden Greathouse 6'2" | 210 lbs | WR Austin Westlake | 2023 State TX (W) – A sophomore receiver with an electric year and he still keeps producing. Greathouse had 90 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the game against Stevens and has a total of 12 touchdowns and 973 yards on the year. Greathouse has scored six touchdowns in the last three games and has had 277 yards. Greathouse is a machine, only having a few bad games this year but has consistently risen back from each. He has become one of Klubnik’s favorite targets, so he will be in the spotlight this week.
2. Vandegrift vs Hays (Saturday at 2 p.m.)
- Ryan Back (V) – The senior quarterback did not have the best of games last week against Brennan, he threw for 140 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Despite the recent setbacks, Back has been one of the underrated quarterbacks in Central Texas as he has thrown for 1,737 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Vipers face a tough matchup against Hays, and they will need Back to rise back up against the Rebels as he has shown the potential all season of doing. He is one to watch given the pressure of Vandegrift being so close to the state title.
- Michael Boudoin III (H) – The senior running back rushed for 112 yards and one touchdown against Johnson a couple of weeks ago. There have been a couple of games this year where Boudoin has been electric, including the game against Akins when he rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Although the Hays offense is stacked with players like senior quarterback Durand Hill, Boudoin has emerged as the one with the most potential to really annihilate a defense if the setting is right. Vandegrift has a good defense but has struggled at times, so the setting might be right for Boudoin.
- Austin Skoglund (V) – Speaking of defense, the senior Skoglund is among the leaders for the Vipers. He had 11 total tackles against Brennan last week with seven of those being solo. He also had one sack in the game. Overall, the Viper defense can be lethal, as they came away with 70 total tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and one forced fumble. Hays has a good offense, but the Rebels will have to do their best to not make any mistakes because the Vipers will strike if they do.