Top 10 Texas high school football games to watch

Video: Mitchell Jonke's highlights vs. Belton
See the Allen quarterback in action.

When San Angelo Central hosts Allen in a Class 6A Division I Region I semifinal on Friday afternoon, the Bobcats will be carrying the hopes of West Texas on their shoulders.

Dominant for so many years, the western portion of the state has produced only one UIL top-classification football champion in the last 15 seasons.

Since two divisional champions are crowned each season in the top classification, that makes West Texas schools 1-for-30. Abilene in 2009 is the only team to hold the trophy.

State titles came in threes to Permian in the 1980s and then another in 1991, spawning "Friday Night Lights" lore. Midland Lee, led by Cedric Benson, in 1998 began a run of three state titles in succession.

While West Texas has been slumping in the last decade and a half, football fortunes in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have been on the rise. Allen is a perfect example. The Eagles (12-0) are 25-1 in playoff games over the last five seasons. Allen's streak of three consecutive state championships did not end until last year's six-point loss to Westlake in a state semifinal.

San Angelo (12-0) appears capable of ending the West Texas title drought. The Bobcats breezed to the District 2-6A title and were decisive victors in the first two playoff rounds.

Abilene (11-1) represents another West Texas hope in 6A-DII, but also faces a Dallas-area powerhouse, 12-0 DeSoto, Friday evening in Wichita Falls.

San Angelo has already beaten Allen on a coin flip to determine the home team. Now, West Texas waits to see if San Angelo or possibly Abilene can be the answer to the question: What has happened to West Texas football?

Here's a look at the top 10 games in Round 3 of the playoffs:

1. Allen 12-0 at San Angelo Central (San Angelo) 12-0, 6A-DI Region I, 4 p.m. Saturday
Mitchell Jonke has thrown for 1,995 yards and 20 touchdowns for Allen while Brock Sturges leads the team in rushing with 824 yards and 13 scores. Central has scored at least 50 points in eight games this season with contributions coming from dual-threat quarterback Cal Vincent, running back Daven Manning and receiver Adam West.

2. North Shore (Houston) 11-1 vs. Katy 10-2, 6A-DI Region III, 1 p.m. Friday, Houston's NRG Stadium
A match-up of the two Class 6A state champions from last season when North Shore took DI and Katy won DII. North Shore's defense is allowing only 11.3 points per game and after losing in Week 2 to Manvel, has won 10 in a row. Katy got off to a 1-2 start, but is back on form now. Joshua Oglesby replaced injured sophomore running back Deondrick Glass last week and rushed for 149 yards and two scores in a win over previously unbeaten Cypress Ranch (Houston).

3. Cedar Park 12-0 vs. Manvel 12-0, Class 5A-DI Region III, 2 p.m. Saturday at College Station's Kyle Field
Cedar Park, the Class 5A-II state champion last year, spreads the ball around on offense. Quarterback Mak Sexton is the distributor with 2,266 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. For Manvel, junior Kason Martin has thrown for 2,826 yards and 41 touchdowns with Keylon Stokes (1,006 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns) his favorite target.

4. Abilene 11-1 vs. DeSoto 12-0, Class 6A-DII Region I, 6 p.m. Friday in Wichita Falls
Since losing its opener to San Angelo, Abilene has flourished behind senior quarterback Peyton Killam (2,479 passing yards, 26 touchdowns), scoring 50 or more points in eight games. Dual-threat DeSoto quarterback Shawn Robinson, a TCU pledge, has thrown for 2,400 yards and 20 scores while rushing for 923 yards and 13 touchdowns.

5. Mansfield 10-2 vs. Cedar Hill 10-2, Class 6A-DII Region I, 7:30 p.m. Friday in North Richland Hills
Mansfield senior Kennedy Brooks, an Oklahoma pledge, has rushed for 2,651 yards and 38 touchdowns despite missing two games due to injury. Cedar Hill's Charleston Rambo, another Oklahoma pledge, has 70 receptions for 1,198 yards and 21 touchdowns. Quarterback Avery Davis, orally committed to Notre Dame, has thrown for 2,148 yards and 31 scores. The teams, former district rivals, met in Week 2 with Cedar Hill rallying late for a 42-41 victory.

6. Argyle 11-0 vs. Wylie (Abilene) 10-1, Class 4A-DI Region I, 7:30 p.m. Friday in Mineral Wells
Argyle has reached the state championship game in each of the last three seasons. Junior Don Williams is the chief threat this year with 1,488 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. Wylie has allowed more than 14 points in a game only once. A scheduled Week 4 Argyle-Wylie regular-season game was cancelled by lightning. 7. College Station 12-0 vs. Port Neches-Groves (Port Neches) 11-1, Class 5A-DII Region III, 7 p.m. Friday in Baytown
Dual-threat quarterback Marquez Perez and running back Chris Monroe Jr. are the top weapons for a very solid College Station club. Port Neches-Groves' sophomore quarterback Roschon Johnson rushed for 265 yards (his third consecutive game over 200 yards) and threw for three scores in an area playoff victory last week.

8. Elysian Fields 12-0 vs. Newton 12-0, Class 3A-DIII Region II, 7:30 p.m. Friday in Jasper
Senior quarterback Logan Hughes has thrown for 3,390 yards and 35 touchdowns for Elysian Fields, which is coming off a 4-6 record in 2015. Newton, a state finalist in 2014, has a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in senior JD Spikes and sophomore Darwin Barlow.

9. Richland Springs 12-0 vs. Calvert 12-0, Class 1A-DII Region IV, 7 p.m. Saturday in Hico
Richland Springs returned all but one starter from a 2015 state championship club and is seeking its fourth state title in the last six seasons. Calvert is 23-1 over the last two seasons, leaning on quarterback Ja'quan Thompson.

10. Crawford 11-1 vs. Mart 12-0, Class 2A-DI Region II, 7:30 p.m. Friday in Waco
Since losing its opener, Crawford, a state semifinalist a year ago, has reeled off 11 consecutive wins. Sophomore Tyrek Horne has rushed for 1,230 yards and 17 touchdowns for Mart while junior quarterback Jace Terry has had a hand in 29 touchdowns.