• Let's hype up La Vega-Celina, a No. 3 vs. No. 1 clash — one of the top matchups in the state. The Pirates dominated Kennedale 41-3 in Week 1, but Celina is a different beast. What does La Vega need to do to spring the upset? And how beneficial are these kinds of tough nondistrict games in the long run?
• Now that we've had a moment, is there an outcome or a big stat performance from Week 1? China Spring RB Chrishon Gregory went off for 337 yards, Connally's Jamarion Vincent had a big game on both sides of the ball, plus some standouts from McGregor, Whitney and elsewhere.
• We saw a lot of new coaches debut last night — some won, like at Robinson and Gatesville, but many didn't like at Mart, Waco High and University. How important is getting that first win?
• Sportswriter talk: Where is your favorite spot to write, especially after you've gotten kicked out of the press box?

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Trib sportswriters react to all the Week 1 action and talk about what they saw from Whitney-Mart, Robinson-West and more.

Read complete coverage at go.wacotrib.com/hs.

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The Trib team is back to preview Week 1 of the 2025 Waco and Central Texas football season:

• Who in Central Texas has the best shot to win state?
• Predict a surprise team: Who might emerge out of nowhere this year?
• Which Week 1 matchup are you most excited about?
• After all's said and done, how much can you tell from just one week? Can you confidently predict a team's fortunes based off it?
• It's a weird week with Baylor playing Auburn on Friday ('nuff said), but what are some other highlights you're excited about?

Join sportswriters Brice Cherry, Michael Haag and Chad Conine as they sit down to take stock of the season ahead and gear up for all of this week's action.

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• Chad and DJ both got to see La Vega up close at The Pfield last week vs. Sealy in the regional final, a game it won 48-30. What impressed you guys most about the Pirates' performance?
• Wimberley is a tough, tough team. The Texans have scored 60 or more points in 3 of their 4 playoff games. Will this be the toughest test yet for La Vega's defense on Friday night in Georgetown?
• When you pull out a game like Hamilton did last week, 15-14 coming from behind vs. Axtell, how much does that boost a team's confidence? And how much will the No. 10 Bulldogs need that confidence this week vs. No. 1 Stamford?
• Our other 2A team still alive is Bremond, which actually finished out of the top 10 in the final regular season poll. Yet many of those ranked teams are not playing anymore. Have people underestimated the Tigers this year?

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• Great defense is just fun to watch, so of the seven Centex teams we have left in the playoffs — La Vega, Marlin, Hamilton, Axtell, Bremond, Abbott and Oglesby — who are some of your favorite guys to watch?
• The Hamilton Bulldogs face the Axtell Longhorns in an enticing Friday-night matchup this week in the region final. These two teams met in the playoffs two years ago with a 35-21 Bulldogs win, and undefeated Hamilton is now having its best season in school history, while Axtell is no slouch with a 12-1 record. So who do you like in the "red dead redemption" matchup?
• Our local six-man teams are just one game away from Jerryworld, with Abbott and Oglesby both playing for a trip to state. Who do you think is most likely to get there, the Panthers or the Tigers, and could we go two-for-two?
• Let's give some eulogies to the dearly departed on Thanksgiving week: Gatesville, Live Oak, Aquilla, Jonesboro, Iredell and Valor Prep. Which of those talented third-round teams will you remember most this season?

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• They say it's tough to beat a team twice in a season, and the La Vega Pirates will test that theory as they face off with West Orange-Stark on Friday in Magnolia. We've talked about the Pirates being a sleeper team for Jerryworld — what is it about the Pirates that suggests they could knock off the Mustangs this time?
• We still have seven teams alive in the playoffs in Class 2A: Hamilton, Axtell, Crawford, Marlin, Bremond, Mart and Wortham. We know that one guy can make a lot of difference on a 2A team. So who would you say is the top difference maker among our seven local 2A teams playing this week?
• One of the ways we judge how good a game might be is whether it was easy for us to pick it in our weekly predictions, or whether it was a tough call. So with that in mind, what was the hardest game to pick this week and why?
• It's driving-long-distances-to-cover-sports season, but what's on the car stereo as you spend hours in the car each week? What's your go-to road trip song?

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• The playoffs are finally here. And we get some really good matchups right out of the gate. What's the best local matchup this week in the first round?
• Gatesville coach Aaron Hunter is fond of calling running back Rayshon Smith "the most underrated player in Central Texas," but he's probably not the only one. Who else is flying under radar, probably unfairly?
• The playoffs are tons of fun, as we all know, with neutral-site games and traveling fanbases with high-stakes action every week. What's your favorite thing about the Texas high school football playoffs?

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• It took long enough, but La Vega has finally made it into the state rankings at No. 10. Obviously there are stout teams in Class 4A Div. II like Carthage, West Orange-Stark and Bellville, some of whom are in the Pirates' region. So what does a path to Jerryworld look like for La Vega?

• If it's Week 11, that means a lot of games have playoff implications, including West-Whitney, which is a longtime rivalry. Who you got in this one, and considering how tough this loaded district is, how far can the winner go in the postseason, even as a fourth-place team?

• This is the end of the regular season, which means there is a lot of football left to be played. But before we turn the page to postseason action, what's your most memorable thing that's happened so far in Centex football?

• New Midway quarterback Andrew McNair is nicknamed "Sunshine," which seems like a clear "Remember the Titans" reference. So let's come up with some movie-related nicknames for Centex players, and even give ourselves some nicknames, too.

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