The Cooldown: Week 10
Cover Photo via @PatDoneyNBC5 on Twitter
District play is in full swing across the state of Texas and we’re beginning to find out how some district races might shape out for the big schools while the small schools finalize the playoff bracket this weekend. The small schools have just one regular season game left while the big schools are about halfway through the season. Let’s recap last weekend’s action and look ahead to the best games in the metroplex this weekend!
Denton Guyer survives against Prosper
Prosper led Denton Guyer for the majority of the game before Guyer outscored Prosper 17-6 in the final period to win 24-23 on an Eli Stowers touchdown run as time expired. It doesn’t get any closer than that. Guyer’s win likely means that the Wildcats showdown with Allen at Eagle Stadium on November 14th will be for the district crown. Prosper would need to beat Allen to finish any higher than 3rd in this district. The Prosper Eagles will be a dangerous team to face in the playoffs along with the aforementioned Denton Guyer and Allen.
Stowers led Guyer in both passing and rushing and scored all three of Guyer’s touchdowns on the ground. The Texas A&M commit finished with 231 total yards of offense in the win. Prosper quarterback Jackson Berry accounted for all three of the Eagles touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground. Cameron Harpole and Houston Hawkins were on the receiving end of the touchdown passes. Many members of the media, including Matt Stepp, were impressed with the speed and tackling of Prosper linebacker Aiden Siano. I was impressed with Siano’s performance in Prosper’s win over Trinity earlier in the season. Siano and the Prosper defense should keep the Eagles in about any game they play in. Prosper dropped to 3-1 on the year while Denton Guyer moved to 5-1 on the season.
Arlington Martin holds off Lamar in overtime
Another one of the great games from last weekend was Martin’s win over Lamar. The Warriors raced out to a 23-3 lead in the 2nd quarter before Lamar rallied with two touchdowns to go into halftime trailing 23-17. Lamar would score the game-tying touchdown as time expired to force overtime. The Vikings got the ball first to start the extra period but missed a field goal and a Zach Mundell touchdown run gave Martin the 38-31 victory.
Arlington Lamar drops to 1-4 on the season and 0-2 in district play. The good news for the Vikings is the back half of the schedule is much easier than the first half. Still, Lamar has quite a bit of work to do in order to make the playoffs. Martin improves to 5-1 on the season and 3-0 in district play. Martin and Arlington Bowie are the only remaining undefeated teams in district play. Martin and Bowie will square off this weekend and I’ll have more on that game below.
Player of the Week
My player of the week is Lewisville quarterback Taylen Green! I mentioned last week that Lewisville’s playoff hopes would be on the line if the Fighting Farmers lost to Plano East. Lewisville bounced back from a loss with a win over Plano East and Green led the way. The talented senior won our MVP Bobblehead last weekend and he showed exactly what he’s capable of on Friday night. The Boise State commit accounted for seven total touchdowns and 416 total yards of offense in Lewisville’s 56-42 win. I still have concerns about Lewisville’s defense, but the Farmers offense showed they can be one of the best in the area on any given night.
Green will be the first to tell you that he has arguably the best supporting cast in the area. Running back Damien Martinez and receivers Isiah Stevens, Armani Winfield and Jalen Piece all combine to give Green some of the best weapons in the area. It’s all made possible behind Tahj Martin, Scotty Parker, Matthew Winger and the Lewisville offensive line.
Team of the Week
My team of the week is the Denton Guyer Wildcats. I had several good options for team of the week, but I went with Denton Guyer to give some shine to my Player of the Week runner-up Eli Stowers. Prosper is not an easy team to beat at home and, though it wasn’t pretty at times, Guyer got the job done on the road. Winning those kinds of games says a lot about a team and will help Guyer down the road, especially in the playoffs. I have November 14th circled on my calendar when the Wildcats face Allen in what will likely be the district championship game.
Games to Watch
Thursday, November 5
Aledo @ Mansfield Timberview
The game of the night in the area will be a district showdown between a 4-1 Aledo squad and an undefeated Mansfield Timberview squad. Timberview poses a big threat to Aledo in district play and if the Wolves can win this game, they’ll almost certainly win the district. This game truly is a toss-up but I’m taking Aledo by a field goal.
Northwest Eaton @ Keller
I originally thought this game would be for 2nd place in District 4-6A but Keller dropped a game to Keller Central two weeks ago. This game has become a must win for an Indians squad off to an 0-2 start in district play. Keller did get the Southlake Carroll game out of the way early but beating Eaton will be no easy task. Keller will feel a lot better about its playoff chances with a win but winning this one will be a lot easier said than done. Eaton is off to a 2-0 start in district play but still has to face Southlake Carroll. A win over Keller would go a long way towards securing the 2nd playoff spot for Eaton.
Friday, November 6
DeSoto @ Cedar Hill
DeSoto U. TTHL. The Battle of Beltline. This is the game of the weekend. Quarterbacks Kaidon Salter and Samari Collier will face off in a battle of heavyweights and one of the most heated rivalries in the state. All eyes should be on DeSoto and Cedar Hill on Friday night. I could talk all day about the talent in this game but I think the DeSoto defensive line has Salter scrambling all night long and I’m taking DeSoto in a close one.
Lewisville @ Flower Mound
We’ll see if the Lewisville offense can carry over momentum from last weekend against a Flower Mound team that desperately needs to win a district game. The Jaguars are losers of three straight games and off to an 0-2 start in district play. I thought Flower Mound and Hebron would be one of the most evenly matched games in the area last weekend and I was right. Hebron outlasted Flower Mound 25-20 in overtime. Lewisville is 1-1 in district play but still has tough games on the schedule. Flower Mound is getting all of the tough games out of the way early. The Fighting Farmers might need to treat this like a must-win game as well. I expect some fireworks in this one.
Arlington Martin @ Arlington Bowie
I mentioned above that these two teams are the only undefeated teams remaining in district play. Martin survived Lamar last weekend in overtime while Bowie won its last game over Lamar 19-13. This one will likely decide a district champion and I can’t pick against Arlington Martin, though I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Bowie pull an upset and run away with the district championship.
Sachse @ Lakeview Centennial
Sachse lost a heartbreaker to Rowlett last weekend after rallying from an early defecit. The Mustangs dropped to 2-2 and 2-1 in district play. District 9-6A now has five teams with two district wins but Rowlett is the only undefeated team. Lakeview Centennial is another team that is 2-1 in district play. The Patriots are 3-1 on the season. This game will help decide playoff seeding and both teams could use a victory this weekend. This should be a close one and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.
Flower Mound Marcus @ Coppell
Flower Mound Marcus has been steamrolling every team it faces. Coppell might be the latest victim this weekend. I really like this Coppell team, though. I don’t like the Cowboys enough to pick them, but I am interested to see if Coppell can keep this one close for a while.
Red Oak @ Colleyville Heritage
Colleyville Heritage is 3-0 and 2-0 in district play. The Panthers have yet to score less than 45 points in a game this season. Red Oak is 2-1 and 2-0 in district play and the Hawks are averaging 50 points-per-game in district play. This one is another toss-up and one of the best games in the area this weekend. I have a feeling a lot of points will be scored but I’m taking Red Oak by a touchdown over Colleyville Heritage.
Denton Braswell @ Denton Guyer
This game intrigues me because of Braswell’s typically high-powered offense. Braswell is 1-1 in district play and desperately needs to win this game with Prosper and Allen still on the schedule down the road. The Bengals will likely have to pull an upset against one of those three teams to make the playoffs. I have Denton Guyer in this one but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Braswell stick around for a while.