Why we love the playoffs:

It's all about the trophy These kids aren't playing for shoe and apparel contracts. Nope, they're playing for a wooden trophy - a stain-finished piece of walnut about 18 inches tall featuring a UIL seal and an engraving plate where champions are immortalized. They're also playing for each other, their schools and their communities. This is a pride thing. "You can watch kids play a sport because they love to play the game," said Aledo head football coach Tim Buchanan. "The kids are not playing for scholarships or a paycheck...just the love of the game." Dramatic finishes While you likely won't ever see a game end as dramatically as the Tyler John Tyler vs. Plano East contest did in 1994 (see On This Day...), playoff legends are made with fantastic finishes. From the players spilling onto the field and fans pouring out of the bleachers to the radio broadcast announcers screaming at the tops of their lungs, it's hard to not get goose bumps after a thrilling playoff victory that means at least one more week of the dream staying alive. Throw the records out Okay, it's an over-used sports cliché, but don't tell me it doesn't fit here. With four teams from each district advancing to the postseason, there are times when schools make the playoffs with unimpressive records. Those teams are not always doormats in the first round, either. You can ask Burleson (though I wouldn't suggest it.) The Elks were 8-2 and district champions entering the playoffs last season, but lost in the opening round to a 4-6 Midland Lee squad. Grapevine was only 6-4 after the 2006 regular season, but knocked of 8-2 Flower Mound in week one of the 5A Division II playoffs. Don't be surprised when several "underdogs" coming out biting this year. The Big Stadiums The playoffs often give football players a rare opportunity to play in some of the most hallowed football venues in the state. It's not every day a person finds himself running routes on the same Texas Stadium turf that Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman once battled on. Most people don't have the opportunity to chase down a ball carrier in Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium, where college heroes like Vince Young made themselves into household names. But, if you are lucky enough to advance to the Texas state high school football playoffs...you just might get that chance. Memories Most football players will never see the field again after their high school careers end. And while only one playoff team in each bracket will go out a winner, the memories made by a playoff run of any length will live on forever.