Three teams outside of Brown County in the BrownwoodNews.com coverage area still have state championship aspirations, as the Comanche Indians, Coleman Bluecats and Richland Springs Coyotes look to continue their quests to reach Arlington.

Brief previews of those three games are as follows:

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Class 3A Division II Region II Area Round

#9 COMANCHE (10-1) vs. #5 BELLS (9-2)

7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17

at Springtown

The Comanche Indians have already turned around a one-win campaign in 2021 into a district championship, bi-district championship and double digit victories in 2022, and head coach Jake Escobar’s squad looks to continue its postseason run against the Bells Panthers.

Bells, the District 8-3A Division II runner-up, enters the game with five straight wins and losses only to Whitesboro (31-27) on Sept. 2 and Gunter (24-14) on Oct. 7. The Panthers knocked off Blooming Grove (42-13) in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

The only loss for Comanche this season was a 45-14 setback to Tolar on Sept. 16. The Indians have won seven consecutive games since, including last week’s 69-27 bi-district triumph over Henrietta.

Both teams enter the game ranked in the 3A Division II Top 10 by the Padilla Poll.

The Indians are averaging 48 points and 472 yards – 334 rushing and 138 passing – per game, while allowing 23 points with 30 takeaways and 26 sacks on the season.

Sawyer Wilkerson continues his all-state caliber season with 2,408 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns for Comanche, while quarterback Layden Welch (477 yards, 12 TDs), Cayden Davis (355 yards, 3 TDs), and Easton Gonzalez (224 yards, 3 TDs) have provided a spark on the ground as well.

Through the air, Welch has completed 78 of 136 passes for 1,515 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. Leading receivers are Miguel Martinez (40-747, 10 TDs), Kyler Beaty (21-376, 6 TDs) and Wilkerson (8-177, 2 TDs).

Defensive standouts for Comanche include Israel Medrano (109 tackles, 7 for loss, 1 sack, 3 fumble recoveries), Diego Gutierrez (80 tackles, 2 interceptions), Ezequiel Medrano (74 tackles, 2 for loss, 3 interceptions), Dom Rios (73 tackles, 12 for loss, 5 sacks), Welch (73 tackles, 2 for loss, 1 sack), Pierson Sorrells (69 tackles, 10 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception), Gonzalez (65 tackles, 3 for loss, 2 sacks), Aydan Fishback (56 tackles, 7 for loss, 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries). Martinez has picked off a team-high eight passes.

Bells is producing 47 points and 407 yards – 377 rushing and 30 passing – per game, while giving up 20 points on average, with 21 takeaways and 10 sacks on the season.

On the ground, leading rushers include Grady Waldrip (1,223 yards, 21 TDs), Spencer Hinds (1,049 yards, 16 TDs), and Brock Baker (961 yards, 16 TDs). Through the air, Jacob Aaron is 7 of 19 for 289 yards with four touchdowns. Baker (4-136, TD), Hinds (3-97, TD) and Lane Kendrick (1-74, TD) have caught the Panthers’ eight completions this season.

Leading the way defensively are Baker (142 tackles, 24 for loss, 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries), Koehler High (113 tackles, 22 for loss, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery), Bryson Thompson (93 tackles, 4 for loss), Cooper Smith (77 tackles, 16 for loss, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), and Peyton Washburn (76 tackles, 7 for loss). Aaron has picked off five passes.

Thursday’s winner will face either Holliday (11-0) or Scurry-Rosser (8-2) – who meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Weatherford – in the Region II semifinals next week.

Comanche is an 8-point underdog according to Harris Ratings Weekly and a 6-point underdog according to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

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Class 2A Division I Region II Area Round

#10 COLEMAN (9-2) vs. #3 CRAWFORD (11-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18

at Weatherford

A pair of Harris Ratings Weekly Class 2A Division I Top 10 squads will square off as the District 5 runner-up Coleman Bluecats tangle with the traditional power and District 8 champion Crawford Pirates.

The only blemishes for Coleman this year are losses to 3A Division I state-ranked Llano (31-6) on Sept. 16, and their district encounter to Top 5 Tolar (16-6) on Oct. 7.

Crawford carries a perfect mark into the second round of the playoffs with wins over the likes of Marlin (33-20), Riesel (43-0), Kerens (66-7) in the bi-district round, and Coleman’s district rival Goldthwaite (49-0) in the season opener.

The Bluecats are producing 38 points and 373 yards – 237 rushing and 136 passing – per game, while allowing 8 points and 154 yards – 77 through the air and 77 on the ground.

Quarterback Jadin Jackson has completed 75 of 123 passes for 1,453 yards with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 793 yards and 10 more scores. Ryland Gentry leads the way on the ground with 944 yards and 18 touchdowns, while other weapons in the rushing attack include Blaine Bouldin (271 yards, 3 TDs), Dayden Hunter (234 yards, 3 TDs), and Brent Bouldin (208 yards, 3 TDs). Primary receiving threats are Braxton Smith (32-611, 7 TDs), Hagen Cavanaugh (13-272, 5 TDs), and Keaton Beets (12-295, 5 TDs).

Crawford has outscored its foes 503-46 this season – an average of 46-4 per game.

In the bi-district win over Kerens, the Pirates amassed 574 yards of total offense – 450 on the ground and 124 through the air. Breck Chambers rushed for 166 yards and three touchdowns on just five carries and caught a 36-yard scoring toss. Cameron Walker chipped in 89 rushing yards with two trips to the end zone just six rushes.

Friday’s winner will face either Bangs (7-4) or Riesel (6-5) – who meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Burleson – in the Region II semifinals next week.

According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Coleman in a 7-point underdog and Dave Campbell’s Texas Football considers the game a toss up.

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Class A Division II Region IV Semifinals

#12 RICHLAND SPRINGS (8-1) vs. #8 LORAINE (10-1)

7 p.m. Friday

at Mertzon Irion County

The nine-time state champion Richland Springs Coyotes, runners-up in District 16-A Division II, look to march into the third round of the postseason as they clash with the upstart District 13 champion Loraine Bulldogs.

The Coyotes, who have experienced a whirlwind this season with the loss of players and coaches, put forth one of their best efforts of the season in the bi-district round of the playoffs with a 61-16 victory over a Zephyr team that carried a nine-game win streak into the postseason.

In that victory, Richland Springs finished with 374 yards of total offense – all on the ground – as the Coyotes attempted just one pass. The Coyote defense gave up 195 yards – 169 rushing and 26 passing – and both teams turned the ball over once.

Leading the way for the Coyotes offense was Billy Perry, who churned out 243 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 18 carries. Keston Lusty tacked on 95 yards and two trips to the end zone on nine rushes. Also contributing on the ground were Hutton Rogers with 27 yards, Cohen Tharp with 7 and Jayden Sutherland with two.

Cody Martin converted 5 of 10 two-point kicks for the Coyote offense.

Stalwarts of the defensive front for Richland Springs were Tharp with 8.5 tackles, Lusty with 5.5, Rogers with four, Sutherland and Kenny Triplett with 3.5 each, Perry with three, Jeremiah Beam with two, Jim Eckerman with 1.5 and Martin with one tackle.

Loraine enters the contest averaging 53 points per game and allowing 22, and is fresh off a 56-0 bi-district victory over Panther Creek. The only loss for the Bulldogs came at the hands of No. 1 Benjamin (61-30) on Sept. 30.

Friday’s winner will face either Cherokee (10-0) or Blackwell (7-4) – who meet at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Strawn – in the Region IV championship game next week.

Richland Springs is a 29-point underdog according to sixmanfootball.com, while Dave Campbell’s Texas Football lists the game as too close to call.