The Cooldown - 5 Thoughts from Week three

DFW- Week Three

Most every team in the metroplex wrapped up its non-district portion of the schedule as we move into district play next week. Here is what week three told us about several area teams heading into district play.

1. Duncanville is that team
   Duncanville hosted St. John’s from the DC area. St. John’s came in ranked #14 in the nation and left with a 35-14 loss at the hands of a very talented Panther team on a mission to get back to the state championship. Senior quarterback and Texas commit Ja’Quinden Jackson dominated with 193 yards passing and two touchdowns to go along with 74 yards rushing and an additional touchdown. Trysten Smith had 119 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns on the ground. The Panthers won’t have another test that big until the playoffs roll around. There is a lot of time between now and December, but Duncanville has had a much better start than North Shore has. Starting the season with 3 impressive wins, Duncanville is the clear favorite to get back to the state championship game.
2. Offensive Game of the Week
   Every week thus far we've seen at least one wild shoot-out and last week was no different. Byron Nelson and The Colony combined for more than 100 points in a track meet that went down to the final minute. Byron Nelson looked to have the game on ice when a Max Modeste touchdown run put the Bobcats up 51-48. Byron Nelson left The Colony quarterback Mikey Harrington too much time as he was surgical cutting up the field. His 21-yard touchdown pass to Christian Gonzalez put The Colony up 55-51 and left Byron Nelson with enough time for one play, but the Bobcats failed to get in the end-zone and The Colony held on for a thrilling win! Harrington joined our Pat Doney on the show the next night to receive his bobblehead from his performance the previous week. We could have just as well handed him another as he passed for 460 yards and six touchdowns in the win. Myles Price caught four of the six touchdown passes and 172 yards. Gonzalez caught the other two touchdown passes and 153 yards. Modeste rushed for 195 yards and four touchdowns for Byron Nelson. Quarterback Hudson White passed for 219 yards and a touchdown. The Colony improved to a perfect 3-0 heading into district play while Byron Nelson fell to 0-3.
3. Early Surprise
   One team that has surprised me so far is the Prosper Eagles. Prosper has dominated in all three of their wins. Last week the Eagles rolled big over Flower Mound 57-34 after jumping out to a 36-0 halftime lead. Jackson Berry completed 73 percent of his passes against Flower Mound for 281 yards and three touchdowns. It was a balanced rushing attack that led the Prosper offense. JT Lane led in rushing with 131 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Tyler Bailey added 93 yards on just nine carries.Prosper hosts McKinney next week in the district opener. A 3-0 start is great but means nothing to the playoffs. Prosper will be a team to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
4. Streak Ended
   Frisco Lone Star upset Highland Park in Highlander Stadium to become the first Texas school to beat Highland Park in their own stadium since 1998. Lone Star picked off Senior quarterback Chandler Morris four times to help secure a 30-19 victory over the Scots. Sophomore quarterback Garret Rangel passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Marvin Mims was on the receiving end for 10 of those 16 completions. Mims finished with 219 yards and caught both touchdown passes. Jake Bogdon added 117 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Morris passed for 318 yards and a touchdown, along with the four interceptions. Opposing teams now have a blueprint to beat Highland Park. The three -time defending state champions have been hard to beat during this run, but forcing turnovers is a key to beating the Scots.
   5. Allen Survives
   Another home win streak almost ended last weekend, but Allen survived Coppell, 28-21 at home. The Eagles haven’t lost at Eagle Stadium since it opened in 2012. Allen quarterback Raylen Sharpe sat out with an ankle injury as a precaution before district play starts and it almost cost them. The Eagles probably don't win this game without Celdon Manning’s performance. Manning rushed for 246 yards and three scores on 26 attempts. Backup quarterback Drew Cerniglia got the start in place of Sharpe and passed for 105 yards, completing 10 of his 13 passes. Two of his three incompletions were interceptions. It doesn’t seem as if Allen has the depth that it has had in years past. That could come back to haunt the Eagles come playoff time. If Sharpe aggravates his ankle injury, Allen’s streak of making the state semifinals seven years in a row may be in jeopardy.