What did we learn in the bi-district round from the many lopsided matchups?

The UIL Texas high school football bi-district round is over, and the Fort Worth-area teams that notched victories are preparing for the area round.

Here are high school sports editor Charles Baggarly’s biggest takeaways:

Bi-district woes

Every year, the bi-district opening round creates matchups that are all but a formality.

In some cases, districts match up well to create competitive matchups, but inevitably, there are going to be plenty of teams that get run off the field.

The average margin of victory in matchups with a Fort Worth-area team involved was 32.26 points. The largest margin of defeat was Fort Worth Carter-Riverside’s 77-0 loss to Alvarado.

Although opening-round matchups pit state powers against inferior teams, that doesn’t take away from the accomplishment of making the playoffs. For a team like Carter-Riverside that played in the postseason for the first time since 1995, there are plenty of reasons to be proud despite the final score.

Other lopsided matchups include Byron Nelson’s 42-14 victory over Mansfield and Southlake Carroll’s 35-0 win over Crowley.

In Class 5A, Fort Worth Wyatt, Chisholm Trail and Saginaw suffered heavy losses to state powers Richland, Denton Ryan and Aledo, respectively.

Melissa ran away with a huge 41-10 victory over Colleyville Heritage, which ended the Panthers’ season in the opening round for the second consecutive season.

In Class 4A, Springtown shut out Lake Worth 55-0, Decatur trounced Castleberry 63-14 and Brock beat Dunbar 49-0.

One school made program history: Eagle Mountain. The Knights, in their second year, won their first playoff game with a 28-12 win over Fort Worth Benbrook.

District 3-5A Division II struggles

With the exception of Argyle, District 3-5A Division II squads struggled against District 4-5A Division II.

Mansfield Timberview lost 35-25 to Anna while Colleyville Heritage wasn’t even close, falling 41-10 to Melissa. Arlington Seguin lost to Walnut Prosper Grove, 35-21.

Both districts are among the best in North Texas, but it is obvious District 3-5A Division II has the upper hand in what has been a treacherous first-round pairing the last two seasons.

Mansfield Timberview held a No. 2 Fort Worth-area Class 5A ranking, while Heritage was right behind at No. 3. Arlington Seguin held a No. 5 ranking.

Although the rest of the district got bounced, Argyle flexed its strength with a 56-0 beatdown of Lucas Lovejoy, a squad led by former Southlake Carroll head coach Todd Dodge, a seven-time state champion.

Argyle (10-1) will face Abilene Cooper (7-4) at 7 p.m. Friday at Godley’s Wildcat Stadium.

Allen, North Crowley stand out

Mansfield Lake Ridge (9-2) defeated Euless Trinity 47-38 in the Class 6A Division I bracket. What does this mean for the group as a whole?

It suggests that North Crowley, the 2024 Class 6A Division I state champion, should still be considered to be on another level from the pack, considering the Panthers’ emphatic 62-17 victory over Lake Ridge in district play.

How the Lake Ridge Eagles fare against Odessa Permian, and potentially Allen in the next round, will give us a look at how other squads could compare to North Crowley. Speaking of the Allen Eagles, they had a tough first-round matchup against Lewisville, but secured a 22-15 victory.

North Crowley and Allen have faced each other in the playoffs the past two seasons, with the Panthers getting the upper hand both times. To set up a rematch, the Panthers will have to get through Midland Legacy and potentially a red-hot Coppell squad.

The road ahead will be tough. North Crowley is aiming to make a state semifinal for the third consecutive season, where a rematch with Duncanville could be looming.

Heading out west

It’s the time of year when many Fort Worth-area teams travel west to meet in the middle with area-round opponents.

Last season, local squads did well in the area round, winning 13 of 17 games (76%). Only one team lost while traveling west: Saginaw.

Arlington Bowie, Kennedale and Springtown also fell in the 2024 area round to opponents east of the Fort Worth area. What does that mean for the area-round teams this year? Things can change, but the Dallas-Fort Worth teams are often looked upon as favorites for good reason. The numbers back it up.

Check out the Star-Telegram’s area-round pairings for updates on game times and locations.

This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 11:49 AM.