Tyler Legacy’s Micah Igaya looks for room to run after making a catch against Rockwall Oct. 25 at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium. (Michel Alfaro/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Tyler Legacy will play its final regular season football game in 2024 at 7:30 p.m. Friday at City Bank Stadium in Forney.

The Red Raiders are trying to position themselves to grab the final playoff spot in District 10-6A. Legacy enters this game with an overall record of 3-6 and a district record of 2-3. Forney is 3-5 overall and 1-3 in district.

A win by Legacy coupled with a Rockwall win over Rockwall-Heath would clinch a playoff spot for the Red Raiders. Any other combination would leave the Red Raiders needing some help on Week 11 to have a chance at the postseason.

“It’s playoff football right now,” Tyler Legacy head football coach Beau Trahan said. “Win and advance. That’s the message to the team. The game plan is in. They’ve got to go execute it and take care of the football. We are challenging them to play a clean game on both sides of the football and special teams. If we do that, I think we have a really good chance to win.

“The reality of it is, you win and you’re in. If you lose, you need some help, and it doesn’t look great. Forney is in the same situation. They’ve got to win two to get in. We’ve got to win one. We’ve got to go out and focus on that.”

Legacy and Forney both have two-game losing streaks with the setbacks coming to Longview and Rockwall.

“We have to win this game,” Legacy junior cornerback Zion Alexander said. “If we don’t win, we go home. We’re really fighting to win this game. We’ve been practicing hard to come out with a big win.”

“We need to really win this game because I really want to go to the playoffs,” senior tight end JP Rainer said.

The Jackrabbits are led by four-star junior quarterback Nelson Peterson Jr., who is the younger brother of former Palestine High School and NFL standout Adrian Peterson. In a 2023 area round game against Class 4A Division II state champion Gilmer at Christus Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium, Peterson was 13 of 32 for 190 yards and two touchdowns, and he carried the ball 18 times for 147 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-38 setback while playing for Sunnyvale.

“He is really good,” Alexander said. “He’s like the Crowley quarterback but a little thicker. He can run through tackles, but we have the guys to stop him.”

“He is really good,” Trahan said. “He can run with it. He can throw the deep ball. He has an elite arm. He’s a big kid. We’re going to have to contain him. They’ve got some speed on the outside to throw it to, also.

“They’ve got a running back that’s elite. I think he’s the No. 1 guy in the state of Texas for his class. He was out last week with an injury, but we are expecting him to be back, but don’t know for sure.”

Javian Osborne is the running back, a four-star junior who is a top five running back in the nation. He has 125 carries for 756 yards and 14 touchdowns. Peterson is 94 of 176 for 1,763 yards with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he’s carried the ball 60 times for 416 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, the Jackrabbits have four-star Texas A&M commit Kelvion Riggins at linebacker.

AROUND DISTRICT 10-6A

Rockwall (5-3, 3-1) is taking on rival Rockwall-Heath (3-5, 1-3), and Longview (6-2, 4-0) is hosting North Forney (6-2, 4-0).

With Legacy off next week, the Week 11 games for the district are Longview at Royse City, Forney at Rockwall-Heath and Rockwall at North Forney.