Maize and Maize South football teams finished their regular seasons last week and enter the playoffs Friday with home games.

Maize South finished with a 5-3 record after losing to undefeated 6A power Derby. 

South has home-field advantage for the first playoff game against Heights (5-3). The Mavericks are the eighth seed; Heights is ninth. 

“Heights has the same record, but we got more heart,” senior running back Evan Cantu said. “The team who wants it more is going to win at the end of the day.”

Cantu finished the season with 1566 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns for the Mavericks.  

The Eagles are the No. 3 seed after finishing the regular season with a 42-14 victory over Hutchinson. The Eagles are 6-2, with losses coming against Ark City and Derby.

Junior quarterback Avery Johnson accounted for five of the Eagles’ touchdowns against Hutchinson, throwing for three and passing for two.

The Eagles’ first game of the playoffs is at home against Newton (2-6). Maize has already seen Newton once in the third week of the regular season and won 54-10. 

“We just don’t want to overlook Newton because we know what could happen if we overlook any team,” junior running back Daeshaun Carter said.