Who will win this week in Central Texas high school football? Our predictions
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As the 2026 high school football season enters Week 6 in Central Texas and around the state, the American-Statesman's season-long staff picks for the week's 15 top Austin-area matchups feature high school reporters Colby Gordon and Shaun Chornobroff, high school correspondent Jay Plotkin and sports editor Richard Tijerina. Gordon is our defending champion.
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Westlake opens up district play with a matchup against a Round Rock team that's already beaten Vandegrift and Dripping Springs. Additionally, Hutto and undefeated Cedar Park in District 24-6A will try to continue their strong run of form in district play.
Here are some Week 6 Austin-area matchups that we're really interested in:
Round Rock at Westlake
The game of the week is taking place at Westlake. Round Rock has surpassed expectations early this season with a strong passing attack and a defense capable of making big plays. The Chaps rebounded from a Sept. 11 loss to Prosper with a thrashing of Midland Lee last week. This is going to be a close game, one that could ultimately decide District 25-6A.
Chornobroff's Pick: Round Rock 31, Westlake 28
Rouse at Cedar Park
Rouse scored 34 second-half points to defeat Vista Ridge 51-28 last week. The running backs duo of senior Aubryn Davis and sophomore Amauri Dickson is dynamic and will need to be at its best Friday. Cedar Park is undefeated for a reason. The Timberwolves haven't allowed a point in their last two games and are averaging more than 50 points. This contest could have a lot of points.
Chornobroff's Pick: Cedar Park 41, Rouse 31
East View at Vandegrift
East View is sitting at 2-3 with wins over Legacy Ranch and Austin High. The Patriots will need a stellar game on all sides of the ball. While Vandegrift (2-2) hasn't had its best start, the Vipers have plenty of talent. This will be their first game since a 41-38 loss to Round Rock on Sept. 18. This should be a good opportunity to get back in the win column.
Chornobroff's Pick: Vandegrift 45, East View 21
Vista Ridge at Hutto
Vista Ridge has scored at least 20 points in each game this season, headlined by a 56-point outburst against McNeil. The Rangers also beat Bowie 40-37. Vista Ridge will need a stellar offensive showing if it hopes to topple a Hutto team with three FBS receivers and strong quarterback play. The Hippos have scored more than 60 points in three of their last four games and have one of the area's most potent offenses.
Chornobroff's Pick: Hutto 51, Vista Ridge 24
Westwood at Stony Point
This District 25-6A matchup between 1-4 teams could be one of the week's closest games. Westwood's lone win was against Austin High and the Warriors lost by only three points to Johnson. Running backs Maps Mehis and Christopher Polanco are both averaging more than six yards per carry. Stony Point beat Waco University and has scored at least 20 points in each game.
Chornobroff's Pick: Stony Point 28, Westwood 24
Johnson at Dripping Springs
Johnson is coming off a 13-point loss to Hays. And two weeks earlier the Jaguars beat Westwood for their only win so far. Victory will require the team's best performance of the season. Other than its loss to Round Rock, Dripping Springs has looked sensational. The Tigers have outscored opponents 179-35 in their three victories. This could be another convincing win.
Chornobroff's Pick: Dripping Springs 42-Johnson 17
Akins at Del Valle
Akins is looking to rebound from a 75-0 loss to Dripping Springs with a win over winless Del Valle. The Eagles have scored more than 30 points twice, including a 55-12 win over LASA. Del Valle is hoping to notch its first victory and should be well rested off a bye. The Cardinals have one-possession losses to Taft and Elgin. This could be the week they get a victory.
Chornobroff's Pick: Del Valle 24, Akins 21
Connally at Hendrickson
Hendrickson had a two-game winning streak snapped against a solid Killeen squad in its last contest on Sept. 18. Running back EJ Neal-Adams, who has 489 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, could be the difference maker. The Connally defense has struggled in recent weeks, but an offense that scored 51 points in a loss to Killeen last week has the potential to score points again.
Chornobroff's Pick: Hendrickson 37, Connally 30
College Station at Georgetown
College Station's lone loss is a 40-38 defeat to a quality Weiss team. Quarterback Noah Symank has 1,115 total yards and 12 touchdowns. Georgetown has won two in a row, but College Station will be much tougher than Connally or Glenn. This should be a solid contest. Ultimately, College Station has been more impressive.
Chornobroff's Pick: College Station 31, Georgetown 23
Glenn at Killeen
Glenn has dropped four in a row since beating Stony Point to open the season. Killeen will be another difficult matchup; it's on a three-game winning streak since losing to Liberty Hill to open the season. Each of those wins has been within 13 points. Expect a similar result Friday.
Chornobroff's Pick: Killeen 33, Glenn 20
McCallum at Cedar Creek
Other than a 48-0 win over Travis, McCallum has struggled. However, two of the team's three losses were within two scores, including a 39-31 loss to Manor last week. Cedar Creek started the season with wins over Travis and Navarro, but have lost three in a row. The Eagles need to find their stride.
Chornobroff's Pick: McCallum 31, Cedar Creek 28
Boerne Champion at Lockhart
After trouncing Anderson by 29 points last week, Boerne Champion and Ryder Flugence, the No. 1-rated sophomore prospect in the country according to 247Sports, faces Lockhart. Flugence threw for 206 yards and five scores against Anderson while also running for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Lockhart has had a quality start to the season, but a loss to Anderson in its last contest before a bye should signal how this game will go.
Chornobroff's Pick: Boerne Champion 51, Lockhart 14
Legacy Ranch at Liberty Hill
An intracity rivalry will be born when first-year varsity program Legacy Ranch takes on Liberty Hill. Legacy Ranch won its first district game against New Braunfels Long Creek last week and has flashed with wins against Pflugerville and Manor New Tech. But beating Liberty Hill would be a statement for sure. While the team's records are the same, Liberty Hill's losses are to Vandegrift and Midland Lee - two strong teams. The Panthers rarely throw the ball and sport a running game that's difficult to stop. Most analysis goes out the window in rivalry games, which often go down to the final minutes.
Chornobroff's Pick: Liberty Hill 31, Legacy Ranch 28
Fredericksburg at LBJ
Fredericksburg will hope to build on a strong season against an LBJ squad that has one win this season. The Billies have won two of their last three games, and have allowed nine total points against Marble Falls and Travis. LBJ is a historically good team, and it wouldn't be completely shocking to see the Jaguars string a win here.
Chornobroff's Pick: Fredericksburg 27, LBJ 21
Northeast at Travis
Northeast has suffered a pair of blowout losses to Elgin and Taylor with a 27-20 win over Navarro sandwiched between them in the last three games. Travis, similarly, was dominated by Fredericksburg and McCallum with a 39-0 win over LASA in between. Northeast opened its season with a 33-2 win over LASA. This one should be a tight game.
Chornobroff's Pick:Travis 27-Northeast 24
Last Week:Plotkin (12-3), Gordon (12-3), Tijerina (12-3), Chornobroff (12-3)
Standings: Plotkin (57-18), Gordon (54-21, -3), Tijerina (49-26, -8), Chornobroff (48-27, -9)
This week's games
Round Rock at Westlake: Round Rock - Plotkin, Chornobroff; Westlake - Gordon, Tijerina
Rouse at Cedar Park: Rouse - None; Cedar Park - Plotkin, Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff
East View at Vandegrift: East View - None; Vandegrift - Plotkin, Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff
Vista Ridge at Hutto:Vista Ridge - None; Hutto - Plotkin, Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff
Westwood at Stony Point: Westwood - Plotkin; Stony Point - Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff
Johnson at Dripping Springs:Johnson - None; Dripping Springs - Plotkin, Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff
Akins at Del Valle:Akins - Tijerina; Del Valle - Plotkin, Gordon, Chornobroff
Connally at Hendrickson: Connally - Plotkin; Hendrickson - Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff
College Station at Georgetown: College Station - Plotkin, Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff; Georgetown - None
Glenn at Killeen: Glenn - None; Killeen - Plotkin, Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff
McCallum at Cedar Creek: McCallum - Plotkin, Gordon, Chornobroff; Cedar Creek - Tijerina
Boerne Champion at Lockhart: Boerne Champion - Plotkin, Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff; Lockhart - None
Legacy Ranch at Liberty Hill:Legacy Ranch - None; Liberty Hill - Plotkin, Gordon, Tijerina, Chornobroff
Fredericksburg at LBJ: Fredericksburg - Tijerina, Chornobroff; LBJ - Plotkin, Gordon
Northeast at Travis:Northeast - Tijerina; Travis - Plotkin, Gordon, Chornobroff
This article originally published at Who will win this week in Central Texas high school football? Our predictions.