The Houston football team will hit the road as the sixth seed Friday to open district play.
The Tigers, who lost their regular-season finale 29-18 at Liberty, will play No. 3 Strafford to open Class 3 District 2.
Strafford (7-2) actually finished second in the district but due to the head-to-head rule, fell one position to Mountain Grove in the final standings. Strafford had 41.32 points compared to 34.69 for the Panthers and a better record. But a 56-14 loss to Mountain Grove in the second week of the season was the deciding factor.
Houston (3-6) and Strafford last played in 2015. That matchup was also the opening round of districts – a 46-20 win for the Indians.
Strafford enters district play with a seven-game winning streak after edging Ash Grove 13-10 in the regular-season finale. The Indians’ spread offense is averaging 34.9 points per game – highlighted by a 62-0 victory at Stockton and 87-6 win against Pleasant Hope in back-to-back weeks.
Here are the first-round district matchups:
- No. 8 Diamond (0-9) at No. 1 Ava (9-0)
- No. 7 Willow Springs (1-8) at No. 2 Mountain Grove (5-4)
- No. 6 Houston (3-6) at No. 3 Strafford (7-2)
- No. 5 Cuba (3-5) at No. 4 Liberty (4-5).