Inside Mansfield ISD's Vernon Newsom Stadium is a wall with a picture of every UIL State Champion team the district has ever produced.
There is not a single football team among them.
But with four of their schools still in the hunt for a state title, they've never had a better opportunity to change that.
"That would be great," said Philip O'Neal, Mansfield ISD Athletic Director. "It would be great to have two or three of them on the wall."
Mansfield, Lake Ridge, Mansfield Summit, and Mansfield Legacy have all advanced to the third round of the playoffs.
That's more teams than any other school district in Texas — a significant milestone for a community that is historically known as a basketball powerhouse.
"Over the last few years they've been training us to expect the success our high schools are having in the playoffs," laughed Mansfield Mayor David Cook. "It makes us have a lot of pride in our city. We're very happy for the kids obviously. And the coaches we have here in Mansfield ISD are amazing."
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In 2015, both Lake Ridge and Mansfield advanced to the state semi-finals for the first in each school's history — the Eagles making it all the way to the State Championship game, where they fell just short.
A year ago, three teams reached at least the third round of the playoffs.
O'Neal says that kind of progression and consistency is a testament to the athletes and coaches.
"We want people to think of our teams as elite programs," said O'Neal. "We want them to think about them like how they view some other great programs in the state."
Mansfield, Summit, and Lake Ridge all play Friday night. Legacy takes the field Saturday afternoon.
To view game times, locations, and opponents, click here.
If Summit and Lake Ridge win their games this weekend, they'd square off against each other for a spot in the state semi-finals.
