The Cooldown- Week 10
Cover Photo courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Special Contributor Jason Janik.
There’s just one week remaining in the 2024 Texas high school football regular season. It’s been a thrilling 10 weeks of action and, as always, the last 10 weeks have been the quickest 10 weeks of the year. That being said, we have one great weekend of football left before the most important six weeks off the season kickoff. Let’s recap a few of the best games from week 10.
Prosper Walnut Grove defeats Melissa
Prosper Walnut Grove took down Melissa 37-28 to all but clinch the District 4-5A D-II championship. That’s a significant accomplishment as the Wildcats are competing in one of the toughest 5A D-II districts in the state AND because Walnut Grove has only played football for two seasons. Walnut Grove finished the 2023 season at 3-7 and didn’t play in a district, meaning with a win on Friday the Wildcats will be one-for-one on winning district titles. This result is also significant because, without an upset and a lot of help, Melissa is the talented squad that will be left out of the playoffs in District 4-5A D-II despite likely finishing with a 6-4 (5-3) record and a season-ending win over Denison this week.
This game was tied 28-28 at the half. Prosper Walnut Grove kicked three field goals in the second half as the Wildcats defense pitched a second half shutout to clinch the win. A win over Frisco Independence would put a bow on a district championship and a 9-1 season.
Prosper Walnut Grove quarterback Hayes Hackney completed 22 of his 36 attempts for 380 yards and three touchdowns. Zaiden Crain led the receivers with three receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. Hayden Cooley added eight receptions for 113 yards and Luke Watkins chipped in four receptions for 71 yards and a score. John Hutson caught the other touchdown pass and finished with five receptions for 45 yards and the score. Cam Newton led the Wildcats rushing attack with 63 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Dominic Sciano was perfect on four PAT attempts in the first half and perfect on three field goal attempts in the second half to help power Walnut Grove to what I would describe as the biggest win in school history…thus far.
Melissa quarterback Noah Schuback completed 12 of his 27 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, and also added 30 yards and two scores on the ground. Jeremiah Tabor led the rushing attack with 93 carries on 17 attempts and Payhton Porter chipped in 69 yards on nine carries. Jacob Nye led the Melissa receivers with seven receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown. I’m not great at math or tiebreakers, but I believe Melissa would need an Anna loss to Frisco Liberty in order to make the playoffs. The likely playoff order in District 4-5A D-II is: Prosper Walnut Grove, Lovejoy, Anna and Frisco Emerson.
West Mesquite beats Carrollton Newman Smith
As impressive of a season as Prosper Walnut Grove has had, West Mesquite’s season has been just as impressive. The Wranglers haven’t won more than three games in a season since 2018, but West Mesquite is 9-0 and has a chance to finish off the season undefeated after wrapping up a district 6-5A D-I title with a 20-13 win over Newman Smith. West Mesquite just needs a win over Dallas Sunset this week to wrap up the season at 10-0, more wins than the Wranglers have over the last four seasons combined.
West Mesquite quarterback Demetris Ballard completed eight of his 13 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. The majority of those yards came on one play, an 82 yard touchdown connection to Greg Gipson II. Sean Hunt added three receptions for 76 yards and Alex Sachez caught a 24 yard touchdown pass from Ballard. Damarian Robinson led the ground game with 49 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries while Kamari Carter added seven carries for 47 yards.
Newman Smith quarterback Kaden Gonzalez completed 11 of his 26 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Maxim Mingo led the Trojans receivers with three receptions for 76 yards. Allijah Harrison caught two passes for 45 yards and a touchdown and Adonis Anderson added two receptions for 23 yards and a score. Harrison led the rushing attack with 116 yards on 31 carries. The spotlight out of District 6-5A D-I heading into the playoffs should absolutely be on West Mesquite- that spotlight is well deserved. Newman Smith and Carrollton Creekview have also had good seasons and will face off this week to determine which team grabs the second playoff seed and which team finishes in third place in the district. Newman Smith is 7-2 (6-1) while Creekview is 8-1 (6-1). Be sure to keep an eye on that matchup on Friday night.
Rockwall Heath defeats Rockwall
Rockwall Heath kept its playoff hopes alive and won the I-30 Classic with a 31-28 win over rival Rockwall. The Hawks still need a win over Forney this week to get in, but beating your rival to keep your season alive has to be a good feeling. Rockwall Heath recovered a Rockwall onside kick and Ashton Bradford picked up a tough yard on the ground on fourth-and-one to help the Hawks secure the win.
Rockwall Heath quarterback Prosper Neal completed nine of his 16 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Landen Dutka and Shawn Gary each threw a touchdown pass as the two combined to pass for 82 yards on six completions. Gary led the Hawks receivers with seven receptions for 75 yards and Dutka chipped in three receptions for 18 yards. Christian Contreras caught two passes for 36 yards and a score while Jackson Traa and Phoenix Pence each added a touchdown reception. Ashton Bradford led the rushing attack with 93 yards and a score on nine carries.
Rockwall quarterback Brent Rickert completed 19 of his 34 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns. Rickert’s favorite target was Triston Gooch, who caught seven passes for 188 yards and two scores. Camron Marsh added seven receptions for 48 yards and two touchdowns. Jamir Wilson Rockwall on the ground with 14 carries for 64 yards. Rockwall (5-4, 3-2) closes its season against North Forney while Rockwall Heath (4-5, 2-3) takes on Forney for the final playoff spot in District 10-6A.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is Arlington Bowie running back Darrion Bowers! Arlington Bowie took down Arlington Lamar 49-21 last week to officially clinch the District 8-6A title, and Bowers put up the headlining statline for the high powered Vols offense. Bowers finished with 244 yards and four touchdowns- enough to beat Arlington Lamar by himself- in the win! Arlington Bowie can wrap up a perfect record in district play with a win over South Grand Prairie this Thursday night.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is Lewisville defensive end Rhyan Sewell! Lewisville picked up a key district win over Denton Guyer, 27-17. Sewell wreaked havoc on defense all night, finishing the game with nine tackles, four tackles-for-loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles! Holding Denton Guyer to 17 points isn’t an easy thing to do. The Wildcats hadn’t scored less than 24 points all year until Friday night, and it takes performances like Sewell produced to hold that explosive offense under 20 points. Lewisville (6-3, 5-1) should wrap up its regular season with a win over Little Elm and finish in second place in District 5-6A.