High School Football
VYPE rankings: The top 20 entering postseason play
Matt Malatesta
Nov 15, 2017, 2:35 pm
Originally appeared on Vype.com.
And just like that, the 2017-18 high school football regular season is over. Hard to believe isn’t it?
The season took a wild turn due to Hurricane Harvey and some schools will never be the same. Everyone came together and made adjustments to pull off a great season.
So now it’s do-or-die as the playoffs begin this week. Here are the rankings entering the postseason.
Several of the names are familiar power programs including Katy, Manvel, The Woodlands, Klein Collins and Westfield among others. Other teams who are not household names may include Ridge Point, Langham Creek, FB Bush and New Caney, but they are in the dance.
So let’s get it started as the race to the state finals begins this week.
Rank | Team (Record) | Comment |
1 | Katy (8-0) | Another Undefeated Season; Regional Favs |
2 | Klein Collins (9-0) | Gave Up 8 Pts per Game; District Champs |
3 | Cy-Fair (9-0) | Original CFISD Team Closes Out Historic 17-6A |
4 | Westfield (9-0) | Rolled Through Season; Defense Gave Up 8 ppg |
5 | The Woodlands (7-1) | Only Loss on Last Second Kick by Katy; Peaking |
6 | Ridge Point (8-1) | Kings of FBISD |
7 | Lamar (7-1) | Only Loss to No. 2 Klein Collins in 1st Game |
8 | Atascocita (7-1) | Eagles are for Real; Umblemished in District |
9 | Spring (8-1) | Solid on Both Sides of Ball; Could be Sleeper |
10 | Bush (7-1) | Class 6A DII Regional Favorites |
11 | Langham Creek (8-1) | Loss to Cy-Fair, But Could be DII Challenger |
12 | Cinco Ranch (8-1) | Kuithe Brothers Out Will Make it Tough |
13 | Clear Springs (7-2) | Took Down Clear Lake for District Title |
14 | North Shore (6-3) | Here Come the MUSTANGS |
15 | Hastings (6-2) | Fear the District Champ Bears |
16 | Klein Oak (6-3) | Good Bounce Back Season After Slow Start |
17 | Deer Park (6-3) | Solid Defense; Solid Offense – Nothing Sexy |
18 | Cypress Ranch (7-2) | Pretty Strong Finish; Graduation Caught Up to Them |
19 | Strake Jesuit (7-2) | Crusaders Headed to Playoffs |
20 | Dickinson (7-2) | Gators Coming Alive |
Rank | Team (Record) | Comment |
1 | Manvel (9-0) | Now the Run to State |
2 | Angleton (9-0) | Are they at Full Strength? |
3 | FB Marshall (7-2) | Will be Tough Out in Playoffs |
4 | New Caney (7-2) | Unleashed on Crosby |
5 | Crosby (9-1) | Limping Into Postseason? |
6 | Magnolia West (8-1) | Stumbled Vs Hunstville |
7 | Waltrip (8-0) | Big Game Vs Crosby |
8 | Magnolia (5-4) | Slips into Playoffs |
9 | Porter (7-3) | Great Back-to-Back Seasons |
10 | Foster (6-3) | Falcons Have High Hopes |
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!