Despite the struggles the Texas High football team has faced throughout the 2019 season, there is still hope to see the Tigers in the first round bracket of the UIL Football State Playoffs. 

With three games left to play in the schedule and four Friday nights left during the regular season of district play, it is purely a race of seven teams to find themselves in the top spots of the 5A-1 Region II District 7 standings.

Only four teams in the district will proceed to playoffs. Mesquite Poteet, John Tyler and McKinney North, three of the seven schools in the district, are thus far undefeated throughout district play which increases their odds of entering playoffs.

On the bottom of the standings for the district, Sherman, Wylie East, West Mesquite and Texas High have either one win or zero wins in district play. Fighting for the fourth spot to advance, these four teams have their work cut out for them to raise their win percentage and their margin of points for compared to their points against.

The one glimmer of hope that still shines for the Tigers is their schedule. In the first three games of district play, they faced the top three teams in the district. Now that they have surpassed the halfway mark in their season, the lower-ranked teams in the district are all that bar the Tigers from playoffs.

The Tigers will play against Sherman, Wylie East and West Mesquite in their three remaining games. Should the Tigers win these games and end their season 3-3 in district play, they would gain an advantage over the other teams receiving at least one loss.

The next game for the Tigers is against the fifth ranked team in the district, the Sherman Bearcats. A win against the Bearcats would put the Tigers ahead in the standings. The two teams that both the Bearcats and the Tigers have faced is Mesquite Poteet and McKinney North. Comparatively the Bearcats scored more and held the Pirates to fewer points, however against McKinney North the Tigers scored 13 more points in their game. So, the matchup against the Bearcats and the Tigers will be one of the most competitive of the season, and the outcome can likely point out the fourth team to enter playoffs.

The following game for the Tigers is against the Wylie East Raiders. This game has the highest odds to end in a Tiger victory, based off of the fact that the Raiders have scored a total of 28 points on the season and allowed 154. Although the Raiders scored more during the John Tyler game, the Tigers faced the John Tyler Lions right after losing their starting quarterback who should return for the remainder of the season. If this game ends in a Texas High victory, the Tigers would place at least sixth in the standings. In this event, their matchups against McKinney North and Sherman would decide their placement in playoffs.

The final opponent of the Tigers is the West Mesquite Wranglers, the only remaining team with a win under their belt. To Texas High’s advantage, this win is against the lowest team in district standings. Both teams already played the John Tyler Lions. The Wranglers lost to the Lions by a field goal; meanwhile, the Tigers were shutout by the Lions. 

All three of the remaining games in the regular season have a high chance of ending in a win. Should they all result in a win, the other teams fighting for the fourth spot will add a loss to their record, putting the Tigers ahead. Three consecutive wins does not guarantee advancement to playoffs, but considering the fact that the competing teams are now facing the top teams of the district, the Tigers have a legitimate chance of returning to the UIL Football State Playoffs after not advancing during the 2018 season.