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HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – There are officially three weeks remaining in the high school football for teams ranked in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 Fall rankings.

Last week, Michigan loosened the reins on its football season pause that began in mid-November with three games needed to crown eight state championships. Had Michigan’s season played out under normal circumstances, it would have ended on Thanksgiving weekend.

Well, Michigan resumes Saturday afternoon with the regional finals (or the quarterfinals). The semifinals are slated for Jan. 16 and the championship games are scheduled for Jan. 22 and 23 at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions.

The most intriguing game in Michigan’s Division I pits a pair of 9-0 teams with Cass Tech traveling to Belleville Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Bellville is currently ranked No. 2 in the Midlands Region. The winner of this one could run the table in Michigan’s large-school division.

In Texas, the Class 6A and 5A playoffs have reached the semifinals.

No. 1 North Shore (Galena Park), the reigning state champion, plays No. 8 Westlake (Austin) Saturday in the Class 6A, Division I semifinals at Katy’s Legacy Stadium outside of Houston. Kickoff is 2 p.m. CT for a battle of the unbeatens.

In the other semifinal, No. 6 Duncanville (10-1) plays Southlake Carroll (11-1) Saturday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, 3 p.m. CT.

Katy (12-1), a regionally ranked team from the Southland, meets Buda Hayes Consolidated (10-3) Saturday at Baylor University McLane Stadium in Waco, 2 p.m. CT. The Katy Tigers are two wins from retiring to the Elite 25 Fall rankings.

The UIL Texas Class 6A and 5A finals—four games—are next weekend at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Senior Writer and national analyst for Blue Media and compiles the Blue Star Elite 25 national boys and girls high school basketball and football rankings during the season. Lawlor, an award-winning writer, is a voting committee member and advisor for several national high school events, including the McDonald’s All-American Games. He previously wrote for USA TODAY and ESPN.com, where he was the national preps writer, while compiling the national rankings in four sports.

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