After a 32-10 win over the Hebron Hawks (4-5, 3-4 in District 6-6A), the varsity football team (8-2, 6-1) moves on to a rematch of 2022’s bi-district round win against the Allen Eagles (6-4, 5-2).

“We were in the same position last year, so we already know what’s coming,” senior wide receiver Tye Miller said. “They really play like us, but I haven’t seen much that makes them special to be honest. We’ve just had to stay ready.”

The game will kickoff on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. at Plano ISD Stadium. It is the Farmers first neutral site game this season and their first game this season not played on a Friday. 

“We’re locked into what we have to do and what we’ve got to do,” head football coach Michael Odle said. “The days really run into each other and when it’s game day, no matter what day it is, we’ll be ready to go whenever they say we’re going.”

The Eagles are a run first offense with upwards of 50 rushing touchdowns. Senior running back Amir McDowell and junior running back Micah Ellis have a combined 26 rushing touchdowns, while junior quarterback Brady Bricker adds a dual-threat quarterback to Allen’s depth in rushers. Allen will likely have last season’s leading rusher, senior running back Kayvion Sibley, making for a deep backfield with plenty of rushing options.

“They’re a very good run pass option team,” senior utility player Jaydan Hardy said. “They love to run it. If they don’t have the numbers on the outside, they’ll throw the quick snap and RPO things outside.”

Senior defensive end Zina Umeozulu is the Eagles top overall player, ranked fourth amongst 2024 defensive end recruits in the state (texasfootball.com’s 2024 rankings). Umeozulu is a verbal commit to the Texas Longhorns and will be the primary disruptor for a Farmers offensive line which has allowed less than 20 sacks all season.

“Allen’s super talented,” Odle said. “They’ve got multiple running backs that are really explosive. They lost two district games by special teams mistakes. Otherwise, they’d be a district champion.”

Senior running back Viron Ellison finished with 1062 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns. The Farmers rushed for 322 yards and five scores against Allen a year ago, so Ellison is likely to receive the bulk of the team’s carries once again.

The Farmers defense finishes the season allowing one or fewer touchdowns in eight of 10 games. The unit scored six defensive touchdowns throughout the season and had 30.5 sacks on opposing quarterbacks, with 13.5 sacks and a touchdown belonging to junior defensive end Sean Oliver. 

“If we keep teams without scoring, we give our offense more opportunities,” Hardy said. “We can put more points up and extend our leads. We try to have fast starts from our offense so that we can control the clock and start looking toward the next game.”

Last year, the Farmers won 43-18 at Max Goldsmith Stadium, which gave the Eagles their first four-loss season since 2002. Entering this year’s game at 6-4, the team could lose a fifth game for the first time since 1996. 

“They still have a lot of the same players, and we have a lot of new guys, so it’s kind of an advantage,” Miller said. “We’ve been able to watch them, and they know less about us.”

Both teams lean toward a similar run-heavy offense, but the team turned to senior quarterback Ethan Terrell more often. Terrell threw 19 touchdown passes, 13 more than last year’s total. Additionally, Terrell rushed for one touchdown all season after finishing last season with 16 touchdown rushes. 

“You want to be balanced offensively and get multiple people involved to attack all aspects of the field,” Odle said. “That makes you hard to defend against, so it’s something we focused on and know we’re going to need to do moving forward.”

The game against Allen was one of the Farmers highest scoring games last season. With more trust between Terrell and his receivers being a priority in developing a more unpredictable offense, the team looks for the same ease in starting another deep postseason run.

“It’s definitely a heavyweight battle between two teams that are really similar,” Odle said. “It’ll come down to who executes, who takes care of the ball and plays a more physical, disciplined style of football.”