State Preview: Lake Ridge vs. George Ranch

The Lake Ridge Eagles (15-0) will take on the George Ranch Longhorns (15-0) for the Class 5A Division I State Championship on Friday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. at NRG Stadium in Houston. Both teams come from schools that are relatively new to the UIL football stage; both being 4 year programs.

The Eagles and the Longhorns also boast impressive offensive lines, enhanced running games, and physically talented defenses.  Each team won their semifinals games by scoring 42 points in very similar fashions and giving up only 21 and 23 points respectively.

The George Ranch Longhorns demonstrate an up-tempo offense showcasing two powerful running backs that have a combined season total of 3300 plus  yards and 47 touchdowns. The Longhorns average 44 points per game. Throughout the playoffs the Longhorns have demonstrated the ability to spread out their opponent’s defenses by utilizing both the pass and running games.

Likewise, the Eagles have shown proficiency throughout the playoffs utilizing the explosive offense featuring the powerful arm of Texas Tech commit Jett Duffey, and the finesse-style quickness of University of Louisiana-Monroe commit running back Duke Carter.  Duffey has accounted for 4,400 plus yards of total offense and 49 touchdowns, with Carter boasting 2,000 plus yards rushing and 37 touchdowns.  The Eagles high powered offense averages 53 points per game.

The sixth ranked Lake Ridge Eagles will battle the seventh ranked George Ranch Longhorns for state supremacy in a showdown at NRG Stadium in the season finale.