The Cooldown- Week 13
Cover Photo via the Dallas Morning News/ Brandon Wade
It’s officially Thanksgiving week! That means we have reached the Sweet 16 round of the playoffs! Not many teams get to practice on Thanksgiving and those who do are especially thankful for the opportunity. Since it’s a time of thanksgiving, I would like to say that I am thankful for the opportunity to cover high school sports in the DFW metroplex. Now, let’s recap some of the best second-round action and preview the best third-round games!
Frisco Wakeland upsets Highland Park
When in doubt, always go for two. Frisco Wakeland beat Highland Park 29-28 after Jared White was successful on a two-point conversion run to give Wakeland the 29-28 lead with :27 seconds remaining in the game.
White was fantastic all night long, finishing with 112 yards and two scores on 13 carries. White also threw a touchdown pass to Tripp Riordan with :27 seconds remaining in the game to set up his two-point conversion run that clinched the game for the Wolverines. Brennan Myer passed for 242 yards and a touchdown and Davion Woolen led the receivers with 98 yards and a score on three receptions. Ashdyn Kahouch added 91 yards on nine receptions for the Wolverines. Michael Flanagan sealed the game with an interception on the ensuing Highland Park drive to lift Frisco Wakeland over the Scots and into the third-round.
Highland Park quarterback Brennan Storer finished with 274 yards passing and added 50 yards and two scores on the ground. Ben Croasdale finished with 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground and Christian Reeves carried the ball 10 times for 49 yards and a score.
Frisco Wakeland will take on a College Station team that just routed Frisco Lone Star 55-21 on Friday afternoon at 2:00 at Tiger Stadium in Corsicana.
Lewisville defeats Arlington Martin
Lewisville extracted revenge on Arlington Martin after it suffered a blowout loss to the Warriors in the playoffs last year. Lewisville flipped the script on Arlington Martin, winning 35-18 thanks to a stellar defensive performance and a good second-half showing from the offense.
Damien Martinez was a beast for Lewisville once again, rushing for 239 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. Martinez is still dealing with a broken hand and is still playing with a cast on that hand- but it certainly hasn’t affected him performance wise. Ethan Terrell passed for 78 yards and a score on just 10 attempts. Kye Stone finished with 32 receiving yards and a touchdown to lead the receivers. Viron Ellison added 25 yards and Armani Winfield caught three passes for 21 yards.
Arlington Martin took a different approach with its offensive attack. Cydd Ford completed 16 of his 24 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Sergio Snyder led the receivers with seven receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. Zaire Barrow added five receptions for 60 yards. Tristan Bittle carried the ball eight times for 17 yards and a score to lead the Warriors on the ground. Lewisville will take on Southlake Carroll at Buddy Echols Field in Coppell on Saturday afternoon at 2:00. The Fighting Farmers will try to do what Arlington Martin was unable to do last year and eliminate Southlake Carroll from the playoffs. Arlington Martin lost to Southlake Carroll 30-26 on Christmas Eve last year and the Dragons went on to the 6A DI State Championship Game. Southlake Carroll beat Midland Legacy 42-7 in the second-round.
DeSoto eliminates Rockwall
DeSoto notched another impressive playoff win last weekend. I was on hand to see the dominance from DeSoto this time. The Eagles beat the Yellow Jackets 30-27 in the playoffs last year and made sure to put the game away earlier this time around.
Matt Allen passed for 217 yards and two touchdowns and connected with Jaylan Bean seven times for 91 yards and a score. Mike Murphy caught three passes for 37 yards and a score and Stephon Johnson Jr. added 29 yards. Chris Henley Jr. was the star of the afternoon for the DeSoto offense, rushing 36 times for 232 yards and four touchdowns. DeSoto racked up 552 yards of total offense in the win and the Eagles defense came up with four turnovers.
Rockwall quarterback Braedyn Locke’s incredible high school career came to a close. Locke passed for 252 yards and a touchdown in his final game. Lake Bennett was used in goal-to-go situations, resulting in three touchdown runs on four carries. Zach Hernandez carried the ball 17 times for 65 yards. Brenna Ray led the receivers with five receptions for 93 yards and Caden Marshall added five receptions for 82 yards. Aiden Meeks caught five passes for 52 yards and a score.
For the second straight week DeSoto has looked dominant in the playoffs. I thought both of the playoff games DeSoto has played in would be closer, but the Eagles have played well and put away opponents early. DeSoto will face Spring Westfield on Saturday afternoon at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Games to Watch
Friday, November 26th
Denton Ryan vs Longview
Denton Ryan (11-1) takes on Longview (9-3) on Friday afternoon at 3:00 at Mesquite Memorial Stadium. Denton Ryan defeated Magnolia West 28-20 in the area round behind big performances from Kalib Hicks and Khalon Davis. Longview defeated Lancaster 34-14 thanks to quarterback Joshua Thomas, who passed for 122 yards and a score and rushed for 141 yards and three more touchdowns. Longview outscored Lancaster 17-0 in the 4th quarter. This should be a great game between two talented teams.
Frisco Wakeland vs College Station
Frisco Wakeland (9-2) faces College Station (12-0) at 2:00 on Friday afternoon at Tiger Stadium in Corsicana. Frisco Wakeland is coming off a big upset win over Highland Park and College Station is coming off a 55-21 blowout of Frisco Lone Star. That doesn’t bode well for Frisco Wakeland as Lone Star beat the Wolverines handily in district play. Jared White and Brennan Myer will need to have great games, along with the Wakeland defense, if the Wolverines are to pull off another upset.
Aledo vs South Oak Cliff
Aledo (12-0) takes on South Oak Cliff (10-1) Friday afternoon at 2:00 at Mansfield’s Newsom Stadium. The Bearcats have looked dominant all season long- as always- and beat Frisco Liberty 57-14 in the area round. Scoring 57 points is impressive, but so is holding a potent Liberty offense to just 14 points. South Oak Cliff has had a great season as well. The Golden Bears beat Frisco 35-24 in the area round and should give Aledo a great game on Friday. We’ll see if South Oak Cliff can be the team to hand Aledo a playoff loss.
Lovejoy vs Mansfield Timberview
Lovejoy (11-1) takes on Mansfield Timberview (8-4) on Friday night at 7:00 at the Ford Center in Frisco. Lovejoy beat a high-powered Burleson squad 28-23 in the area round.
Mansfield Timberview beat a good Ennis team 42-21. Don’t let Mansfield Timberview’s record fool you, the Timberwolves are playing great football and have been for several weeks now. This should be an excellent game between two talented teams.
Saturday, November 27th
Trinity vs Allen
Trinity (11-1) will take on Allen (10-2) on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 at Allen’s Eagle Stadium. Trinity eliminated Odessa Permian 28-17 in the area round behind a big performance from Ollie Gordon. Allen handled Lake Highlands 49-24 behind a balanced attack from Mike Hawkins Jr. and Jaylen Jenkins. Allen will have home field advantage in this one and it should be a great game and a great atmosphere.
Duncanville vs Spring
Duncanville (10-1) will face Spring (11-1) on Saturday night at 7:00 at the Ford Center in Frisco. Duncanville erased Mesquite 52-2 in the area round. Spring beat a talented Klein Cain team in a shootout 56-53. Depending on the outcomes of two games, we could get a Duncanville- DeSoto rematch in the next round, or it could be a rematch between Spring and Spring Westfield. My recommendation to football fans in the metroplex is to get out and see this game. Duncanville has talent all over the field and Spring quarterback Bishop Davenport is one of the best (and most underrated) quarterbacks in the state.
DeSoto vs Spring Westfield
DeSoto (10-2) takes on Spring Westfield (12-0) on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. DeSoto routed Rockwall 49-28 in the area round. Spring Westfield beat Klein Oak 34-14. A few weeks ago, I picked Spring Westfield to win this game but DeSoto is playing excellent football at the moment. If that continues on Saturday, don’t bet against the DeSoto Eagles.
Southlake Carroll vs Lewisville
Southlake Carroll (12-0) will take on Lewisville (11-1) on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 at Coppell’s Echols Field. Southlake Carroll has dominated opponents all season long. That continued in the area round with a 42-7 victory over a good Midland Legacy team. The Dragons defense is a talented unit that suffocates opposing offenses. Lewisville defeated Arlington Martin 35-18 in the area round and has had a great season as well. If the Fighting Farmers are going to win this game, Damien Martinez has to have a big night. Lewisville will have to establish the run early, which hasn’t been easy against an excellent front seven at Southlake Carroll.
Rockwall Heath vs Tomball
Rockwall Heath (11-1) will face Tomball (9-3) on Saturday night at 8:00 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Rockwall Heath beat Temple 45-33 and Tomball beat Willis 37-7 in the area round. The Rockwall Heath offense has carried the team through this season, but the defense has enough talent to get a stop when it needs to. This should be a good game and I think Rockwall Heath will get the win over Tomball.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is South Oak Cliff running back Qualon Farrar! South Oak Cliff beat Frisco 35-24 and Farrar is a big reason why! Farrar carried the ball 15 times for 200 yards and two touchdowns in the win! Farrar will need to have another big performance for South Oak Cliff against Aledo this weekend.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is DeSoto defensive back Caimon Mathis! DeSoto’s defense forced four turnovers in its win over Rockwall in the area round and Mathis came up with half of those turnovers! Mathis finished with four tackles, including one tackle-for-loss, two interceptions and three passes defended in DeSoto’s 49-28 win over Rockwall! Mathis and the DeSoto defense will face another talented quarterback and potent offense when the Eagles face off against Cardell Williams and Spring Westfield on Saturday.
Cover Photo of Lewisville defensive back Billy Sanford courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Special Contributor Brandon Wade.