The Cooldown- Week 12
The Cooldown- Week 12
The weekend before Thanksgiving is here and it’s officially time to separate out the contenders from the rest of the field. One of the more popular goals for teams across the state is to practice on Thanksgiving Day. A win this weekend and many teams will realize that goal. A loss means good seasons across the metroplex will come to an end with a playoff berth and a bi-district championship. There really weren’t too many surprising results across DFW in the bi-district round, so let’s recap a few games before we shift our focus to the area round.
Anna defeats Colleyville Heritage
As always I will start with the game I attended last weekend. This one was never really in doubt as Anna routed Colleyville Heritage 45-10. The Coyotes outscored the Panthers 28-0 in the fourth quarter to make this one ugly, but the game never felt all that close despite Colleyville Heritage hanging tough for three quarters. I will say that there is something to say about hanging tough with Anna for three quarters. The Panthers are missing their best playmaker on offense in wide receiver Braden Blueitt, and it showed as Heritage put up just 10 points. Holding Anna to 10 points in a half and 17 points in three quarters is impressive, but that probably doesn’t mean much to Colleyville Heritage.
As for Anna, the Coyotes showed why they won a state title at the 4A D-I level last year. A dynamic offense paired with a good defense was enough to win a 4A state title last year and it was good enough to knock off a proud 5A program its first time out in the 5A playoffs this year. Ziondre Williams and James Chumley make up one of the better backfields in DFW at any classification, and Anna has plenty of talented receivers for Williams to spread the ball around to. That being said, winning a state title at this level will be tough. Williams told me after the game he believes playing in arguably the toughest 5A district in the area helped prepare Anna for the moment. Now, just five more massive moments between the Coyotes and another state championship.
Anna quarterback Ziondre Williams completed 19 of his 29 passes for 300 yards and a touchdown. Williams also chipped in 105 yards and a score on the ground to push his total yardage north of 400. James Chumley led the way on the ground with 20 carries for 154 yards and three touchdowns, including the last score of the night. Ronald Bell caught five passes for 131 yards and a score to lead the Anna receivers. Ashton Ansley caught five passes for 74 yards and Michael Kennedy chipped in two receptions for 41 yards.
Colleyville Heritage quarterback Bodey Weaver completed 12 of his 23 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Luke Graves led the Panthers receivers with three receptions for 40 yards and a score. Nicholas Wankombe chipped in six receptions for 39 yards and Sameer Johnson caught two passes for 30 yards. Jerrod Wiley led the way on the ground with 17 carries for 70 yards and Bryce Abram added 13 carries for 52 yards.
An 8-3 year with a playoff appearance is a pretty good year at a lot of schools. As for Colleyville Heritage, the Panthers will hope to rebound next season. Meanwhile, Anna takes on Abilene Wylie in the area round with a potential 4-5A D-II rematch with Lovejoy looming in the regional semifinals. Lovejoy took the first matchup with Anna back in September 66-62 in a wild back-and-forth affair.
Coppell takes down Lovejoy
The bi-district round matchup that received the most hype in DFW was Coppell’s home matchup with Prosper, and this game lived up to the hype. Coppell eliminated Prosper 35-27 thanks to a 28 point outburst in the third quarter. Prosper led this game at halftime 21-7 but managed just six points, all in the fourth quarter, in the second half. Prosper, like Colleyville Heritage, finishes the season at 8-3 with a playoff berth. It wasn’t a banner season for the Eagles, but drawing Coppell in the first round of the playoffs after finishing second in district play is a tough draw. As for Coppell, the Cowboys have looked like one of the more impressive teams in the metroplex this season and proved it in the bi-district round. It isn’t often that 10-0 teams get matched up with a team as tough to beat as Prosper is in the first round, but Coppell found a way to get it done in the end.
Coppell quarterback Edward Griffin completed 13 of his 17 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown. Tucker Cusano led the Cowboys in receiving with four receptions for 137 yards and a score. Harry Hassmann added seven receptions for 86 yards and Jacoby Coleman chipped in two receptions for 37 yards. O’Marion Mbakwe led the way on the ground with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, while Josh Lock racked up 81 yards and two scores on 13 carries.
Prosper quarterback Braeden Imhoff completed 23 of his 36 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown. Dallas Boozer led the Eagles receivers with six receptions for 121 yards and a score. Lathan Latiolais hauled in 11 passes for 86 yards and Elliot Brown added three receptions for 37 yards. Leo Anguiano led the rushing attack with 18 carries for 90 yards and two touchdowns and Jacob Martinez contributed 27 yards and a score on his five carries.
Coppell takes on a Lake Highlands team that shutout South Grand Prairie 27-0 in the bi-district round this Friday night. If the Cowboys eliminate Lake Highlands to advance to the regional semifinals, a potential date with North Crowley waits. That matchup would feature two of the more exciting offenses in the metroplex and would figure to feature a lot of points, but both teams need wins in the area round to make that matchup a reality.
Richardson eliminates Haltom
Arguably the best story for the bi-district round was Richardson’s 28-19 win over Haltom. With the win, the Richardson Eagles are competing in the area round for the first time since 1992 this weekend. All the action in this one came in the first half as Richardson scored all 28 of its points in the first two quarters, and Haltom scored 13 of its 19 points in the first half. Haltom added six points in the fourth quarter to make this a game, but Richardson prevailed for its most meaningful win in more than 30 years.
Richardson quarterback Lucas Sawyer completed eight of his nine passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles didn’t go to the air often, but it was effective when they did. Dameon Crowe led the Richardson receivers with three receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Kevin Willingham Jr. led the ground game with 126 yards on 24 carries. Crowe chipped in 81 yards and a score on seven carries and Cole Cage added 14 yards and a score on three carries.
Haltom quarterback Gage Seely completed two of his seven passes for 12 yards and rushed eight times for 27 yards. Vudrico Roberson caught a pass for 10 yards and led the ground game with 17 carries for 77 yards. Keenan Jackson added 66 yards and all three Haltom touchdowns on 20 carries.
Richardson takes on an Allen team that eliminated Lewisville 17-3 in the bi-district round and comes into the area round with an 11-0 record. Regardless of if Richardson can advance to the regional semifinals, this has been the most successful season in school history in a long time, and that deserves to be recognized.
Games to Watch
6A D-I
Odessa Permian (8-3) vs North Crowley (11-0)
Kickoff is set for Friday night at 7 from Crowley ISD Stadium.
This game might not end up being close considering how dominant North Crowley has been this season. I am more so keeping an eye on this one to see how the Panthers start the game. North Crowley was tied with Byron Nelson 21-21 at halftime before pulling away for a big 56-21 win in the bi-district round. There will come a point in these playoffs where North Crowley can’t afford a slow start. I believe this team has the talent to win a state title, but I will be keeping a close eye on how it performs from start to finish over the next few weeks. The winner faces the winner of Coppell (11-0) and Lake Highlands (9-2).
North Forney (8-3) vs Waxahachie (8-3)
Kickoff is set for Saturday afternoon at 2:30 at Allen’s Eagle Stadium.
This should be one of the more evenly matched area round games in the metroplex, but I am interested to see how it plays out. I’m not the biggest believer in transitive property, but both of these teams played Forney. North Forney beat Forney 35-31 while Waxahachie beat the Jackrabbits 37-34. Now, there is a difference in playing a team at the start of the season and the end of the season, but I still think this is going to be a great game. Both teams have athletes all over the field and difference makers at quarterback. This is a game to keep an eye on. The winner faces the winner of Conroe (9-2) and Cypress Bridgeland (10-1).
6A D-II
Denton Guyer (8-3) vs Richardson Pearce (9-2)
Kickoff is set for Friday night at 7 at Southlake Carroll’s Dragon Stadium.
Denton Guyer and Richardson Pearce is another matchup featuring two high powered offenses. I like the quarterbacks in this matchup. Richardson Pearce’s Presley Harper loves spreading around to his receivers and his halfback, Andrew Casagrande. Denton Guyer’s Kevin Sperry also has plenty of playmakers on the field to get the ball to. The winner of this matchup takes on the winner of Midland (8-3) and Crowley (7-4).
5A D-I
Highland Park (10-1) vs Frisco Wakeland (8-3)
Kickoff is set for Friday night at 7 at Murphy’s Kimbrough Stadium.
Highland Park’s lone loss came to Cherry Creek (CO) 51-39, so the Scots are still unbeaten in the state of Texas. The Highland Park offense, led by quarterback Buck Randall, hasn’t scored less than 24 points in a game this season, and the Scots are usually over 31 points. Frisco Wakeland has had a wild season thus far. The Wolverines were shut out in a loss to Frisco Reedy 35-0 in district play, and also lost to The Colony and McKinney North. On the other hand, Frisco Wakeland took down Frisco Lone Star 65-59 and won a pair of blowouts in its two games since then. Quarterback Jayden Maples and the Wolverine offense may be getting hot at the right time, which could be trouble for Highland Park. The winner of this game faces the winner of Georgetown (10-1) and Frisco Reedy (9-2).
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is Richardson Pearce quarterback Presley Harper! Richardson Pearce eliminated Arlington 36-28 in large part to Harper’s performance. Harper finished with 307 yards passing and four touchdowns in the win. The Mustangs face Denton Guyer in the area round, which is previewed above. Denton Guyer has plenty of talent in its secondary, so Harper will need to be sharp this week if Richardson Pearce is to win and advance to the regional semifinals.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is Coppell safety Scott Fishpaw! Coppell’s thrilling 35-27 come-from-behind win was made possible by an outstanding effort in the second half from the Cowboys defense. Fishpaw racked up seven tackles, a tackle-for-loss and an interception to help power Coppell past a talented Prosper squad and into the area round. Coppell takes on Lake Highlands this week with a spot in the regional semifinals on the line.