The Cooldown- Week 12
Cover Photo via the Dallas Morning News/ Steve Nurenberg
The first round of the playoffs is over, and the field has officially been cut in half. There were plenty of first round upsets across the state, but not many in the DFW metroplex. There were two results that would probably be considered upsets by most: Fort Worth Boswell upset Eaton 40-37 and Mesquite beat Sachse 42-19 to advance to the second round. Boswell will face El Paso Eastwood and Mesquite will play Duncanville in the second round. Now let’s recap some other first round games and look ahead to the second-round slate of games.
DeSoto cruises past Killeen Harker Heights
Many thought this game might end up being much closer than it actually was. In reality, it was never really close. DeSoto jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, beating Harker Heights 65-28. The Eagles racked up over 600 yards of offense in the win and scored 65 points despite not scoring in the fourth quarter.
DeSoto quarterback Matt Allen completed 19 of his 27 passes for 209 yards and four touchdowns and his backup, Darius Bailey, came in and completed all three of his passing attempts for 77 yards and two scores. Chris Henley Jr. rushed for 95 yards and two scores and Allen added 81 yards on the ground. Jaden Trawick rushed for 61 yards and a score as well. Johntay Cook led the receivers with 51 yards and two scores and DeAndre Wright caught a pass for 50 yards and a score. Trawick, Stephon Johnson Jr. and Mike Murphy all caught touchdown passes as well.
The rematch from a playoff thriller from last season will take place on Saturday afternoon at Globe Life Field between DeSoto and Rockwall. The Eagles offense will need to play well again to give DeSoto a chance. The Rockwall offense is just as explosive. It’s safe to say both defenses will be under heavy duress in this game. DeSoto erased a halftime deficit to beat Rockwall 30-27 in the playoffs last year and the rematch could be every bit as exciting as last year’s matchup.
Grand Prairie beats Richardson Berkner
Grand Prairie notched its first playoff win since 1989 on Friday night with a 29-22 win over Richardson Berkner! Grand Prairie trailed in the fourth quarter before two Savion Red touchdowns put Grand Prairie ahead for good.
Red was incredible all night, completing six of his 15 passing attempts for 66 yards and a score and carrying the ball 22 times for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Preston Gaut caught two passes for 34 yards and a score to lead the receivers and Drew Damper added 80 yards on the ground on just nine carries.
Richardson Berkner put up a good fight and gave itself multiple chances to win the game. Thomas Landry passed for 125 yards but threw two interceptions, including one to Grand Prairie’s Christian Cross that ended the game. Omarion Barnes rushed for 125 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries and Jamaal Saine caught seven passes for 83 yards. Grand Prairie will face Prosper in the next round!
Prosper outlasts Flower Mound Marcus in Overtime
Prosper faced Flower Mound Marcus on the road for the second time in as many years and came out with its second straight playoff win over the Marauders in a 28-21 overtime decision to advance to the area round.
Prosper quarterback Harrison Rosar passed for 281 yards and four touchdowns and connected with Houston Hawkins six times for 119 yards and the game-tying score. Hunter Summers added five receptions for 66 yards and two touchdowns and Tyler Bailey caught six passes for 59 yards and a score. Malik Dailey rushed 18 times for 80 yards to lead the ground attack.
Jaxxon Warren passed for 173 yards and a touchdown for Flower Mound Marcus. Isaac Khattab caught two passes for 10 yards and the score, and Connor Vaughn led the receivers with four receptions for 78 yards. Dallas Dudley capped his illustrious career with Marcus with six receptions for 51 yards. The Marcus defense also came up with five interceptions and a fumble recovery. Ultimately it wasn’t enough to send Marcus to the area round. Prosper will face Grand Prairie in the next round!
Games to Watch
Thursday, November 18
South Oak Cliff vs Frisco
South Oak Cliff (9-1) will face Frisco (10-1) on Thursday night at 7:00 at Globe Life Field in Arlington. It will be the first of a handful of games Globe Life Field will host this weekend. This game will take center stage as one of the only games happening on Thursday night. South Oak Cliff beat Everman 49-28 and Frisco beat Royse City 48-28 in the first-round. This should be a great game between two talented teams!
Friday, November 19
Lewisville vs Arlington Martin
Lewisville (10-1) will face Arlington Martin (9-2) on Friday night at 7:00 at Ellis Stadium in Irving. Lewisville will look to get revenge after being blown out by Arlington Martin in the second-round last season. The Fighting Farmers beat McKinney Boyd 27-17 and Arlington Martin beat Irving Nimitz 35-20 in the first-round. This has the potential to be a good game, but Damien Martinez will need to have a big night for Lewisville despite the cast on his hand.
Allen vs Lake Highlands
Allen (9-2) will face Lake Highlands (10-1) on Friday night at 7:00 at Globe Life Field. Allen’s offense is humming along after a 59-30 win over Hebron in the first-round. Lake Highlands has had an excellent season so far and beat South Grand Prairie 29-24 in the first-round. Lake Highlands might need to score more than 29 points on Friday night in order to keep up with Allen’s offense and advance to the third-round.
Denton Guyer vs Dallas Jesuit
Denton Guyer (10-1) will take on Dallas Jesuit (10-1) on Friday night at 7:00 at the Ford Center in Frisco. Denton Guyer’s only loss on the season is to Allen and Jesuit’s lone loss is to Rockwall. Denton Guyer beat Flower Mound 34-24 and Jesuit beat Arlington 69-36 in the first-round. Both teams can score a lot of points so this should be a high scoring shootout.
Prosper vs Grand Prairie
Prosper (7-4) takes on Grand Prairie (7-4) on Friday night at 7:00 at Echols Field in Coppell. I recapped both teams’ playoff wins above, and this should be a good game. Prosper’s signature win this season is over Allen and Grand Prairie beat South Grand Prairie in district play as well. I am taking Prosper in this one but if Grand Prairie has taught us anything this season, it’s to not count out the Gophers.
College Station vs Frisco Lone Star
College Station (11-0) will face off against Frisco Lone Star (9-2) on Friday night at 7:00 at TMF Rose Stadium in Tyler. This might be the best game in the state this weekend. College Station is undefeated and has had an excellent season so far. The Cougars face their toughest test yet this weekend. College Station beat McKinney North 49-10 and Frisco Lone Star beat Bryan Adams 74-6 in the first-round. This should be an excellent game, but I am riding with Frisco Lone Star.
Aledo vs Frisco Liberty
Aledo (11-0) will take on Frisco Liberty (10-1) on Friday night at 7:00 at Apogee Stadium in Denton. Aledo has had a great season so far but will take on the best team it has faced since an early season matchup with Frisco Lone Star. Aledo beat Dallas Hillcrest 77-0 and Frisco Liberty beat Forney 45-21 in the first-round, and Frisco Liberty has played its best football over the last few weeks.
Saturday, November 20
Rockwall vs DeSoto
Rockwall (9-2) faces DeSoto (9-2) on Saturday afternoon at 3:15 at Globe Life Field. Rockwall beat North Garland 55-14 and DeSoto beat Killeen Harker Heights 65-28 in the first-round. These teams haven’t lost a game since September but only one can win this weekend. This should be the best playoff game played in the metroplex this weekend and I recommend getting out to see this one in person.
Southlake Carroll vs Midland Legacy
Southlake Carroll (11-0) will take on Midland Legacy (9-1) on Saturday night at 7:30 at Globe Life Field. The third game of a triple-header on Saturday at Globe Life Field has the potential to be a good one. Southlake Carroll is undefeated and should be favored by a comfortable amount. Don’t sleep on Midland Legacy though. The Rebels only loss came back in September to Arlington Martin 43-37. This should be a good game, but Southlake Carroll should win a close one.
Denton Ryan vs Magnolia West
Denton Ryan (10-1) takes on Magnolia West (10-1) on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 at Waco ISD Stadium. Denton Ryan is a favorite to make it back to the State Championship Game and has had a great season with just one loss to Denton Guyer back in September. Magnolia West gave College Station its closest game of the season in a 41-20 loss a couple weeks ago and has had a good season as well. This should be a great game with Denton Ryan coming out on top.
Cedar Hill vs Tyler Legacy
Cedar Hill (7-4) takes on Tyler Legacy (6-5) on Saturday morning at 11:00 at Globe Life Field. Cedar Hill beat Bryan 10-5 and Tyler Legacy stunned Garland 41-40 in the first-round. The first game of the Saturday triple-header at Globe Life Park should be a good game. The Cedar Hill offense will need to score early and often in order to keep up with Tyler Legacy.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is DeSoto quarterback Matt Allen! DeSoto hammered Killeen Harker Heights to advance to the second-round and Allen is a big reason why. Allen passed for 210 yards and four touchdowns to help DeSoto jump out to a big lead. The Eagles never looked back and cruised to a victory over a good Harker Heights squad. Allen will need another big performance on Saturday against a good Rockwall squad.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is Denton Guyer defensive back Eli Bowen! Denton Guyer beat Flower Mound 34-14 in the first-round of the playoffs and Bowen was a major contributor. Bowen ended the night with three interceptions- including one that he returned for a touchdown- and added seven tackles in the win. Denton Guyer is a favorite to make a run to the State Championship Game and Bowen’s stellar play could help propel the Wildcats back to Arlington.
Cover Photo of Prosper receiver Tyler Bailey courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Special Contributor Steve Nurenberg