The Cooldown- Week 15
The Cooldown- Week 15
We have officially reached the final four in each division as just two weeks remain in the 2024 football season. There is always something bitter sweet about this weekend. Half of the teams remaining will reach the ultimate goal of making it to AT&T Stadium and playing for a state championship. The other half of the remaining teams had incredible seasons, but won't be remembered the same as the teams that advanced to the state title games. It’s also the last weekend of games being played across this great state of Texas before everyone comes together in Arlington for the final few days of the season.
As for the regional finals, it was a rain soaked affair for teams in the metroplex that didn’t play at The Star in Frisco. I was in attendance for Argyle’s win over Lovejoy and Southlake Carroll’s win over Denton Guyer, and both games had a decent amount of rain. Before I move on to previewing the state semifinals, let’s recap a few games to wrap up the regional final round.
Southlake Carroll eliminates Denton Guyer
Southlake Carroll is making a return trip to the state semifinal round after beating Denton Guyer 56-45 in a rain soaked affair on Saturday afternoon. The Dragons defense and special teams provided three touchdowns and set up the Southlake Carroll offense with a few short fields by forcing a few turnovers. Denton Guyer actually outgained Southlake Carroll 533-298, but the Dragons turnovers, stops and scores were all timely. For a team with a lot of offensive firepower, despite missing two of its best playmakers, Southlake Carroll showed it can compete in all three phases in this one.
Southlake Carroll quarterback Angelo Renda completed nine of his 15 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, and also led the Dragons on the ground with 161 yards and a score on 15 carries. Christian Glenn added 32 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Brock Boyd led the receivers with five receptions for 45 yards. Blake Gunter caught two passes for 38 yards and Brody Knowles added an 18 yard touchdown reception.
Denton Guyer quarterback Kevin Sperry completed 11 of his 25 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns, and also led the Wildcats on the ground with 157 yards and two more scores on 34 carries. Aiden Martens added five carries for 45 yards and Sterling Schneider chipped in six carries for 32 yards. DJ Reese led the receivers with five receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns and Mason White added two receptions for 87 yards and two scores.
Southlake Carroll lost to DeSoto 45-38 in the state semifinal last season, and DeSoto went on to hammer Humble Summer Creek in the state title game, 74-14. I think it’s fairly safe to assume Southlake Carroll would have won a state title had it been able to beat DeSoto. On the other hand, that would have been much easier said than done as that DeSoto team was dominant. The Dragons won’t get a chance at a rematch as Longview eliminated DeSoto 50-14 last weekend, so Southlake Carroll takes on the Lobos for a spot in the 6A D-II State Championship Game instead.
Argyle eliminates Lovejoy
Argyle is headed back to the state semifinals for the first time since 2022 when it lost to South Oak Cliff. The Eagles downed Lovejoy 42-17 on Friday night to set up another state semifinal showdown with the Golden Bears. Argyle quarterback Maguire Gasperson told me after the game that he hopes to avenge the loss to South Oak Cliff in 2022 this weekend. As for this game, the turning point came at the end of the second quarter. With Argyle leading 21-10 late in the half, Lovejoy was driving and ultimately scored on a short touchdown run from quarterback Jacob Janecek. The only problem was, that touchdown was called back for holding. On the next play, Janecek was intercepted and injured. The interception was returned by Grayson Peschel for a touchdown and Janecek was unable to return to the game. That made the score 28-10 Argyle and the Leopards were never able to recover from that point. Janecek was able to complete 13 of 17 passes for 81 yards and a score before the injury.
Argyle quarterback Maguire Gasperson completed four of his six passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns and chipped in eight carries for 38 yards and a score on the ground. Watson Bell led the rushing attack with 73 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts and Logan Rexroat finished with 64 yards and a score on nine carries. Julian Caldwell led the receivers with two receptions for 113 yards and a score, while Jaxon Greene added two receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown.
Lovejoy quarterback Cade Lynch completed 11 of his 17 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Jacob Janecek led the way on the ground with 76 yards on 13 carries before his injury. Daylan McCutcheon led the receivers with 12 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown and Coleman Reaugh added two receptions for 21 yards and a score.
South Oak Cliff was able to take advantage of its opportunity at redemption last week, and now Argyle gets a shot to avenge its 2022 loss to the Golden Bears in the state semifinal. I’ll have more on that matchup below.
Denton Ryan eliminates Aledo
Denton Ryan avenged a regular season loss to Aledo with a 31-21 win to advance to the state semifinal. I won’t say that Denton Ryan dominated Aledo in the trenches because I was across town at the Southlake Carroll- Denton Guyer and didn’t get to see any of this game, but the stats suggest that might have been the case. Denton Guyer outgained Aledo 206-30 on the ground and held the Bearcats to just 1.03 yards-per-carry. That’s impressive under any circumstances given the talent Aledo has at running back.
Denton Ryan quarterback Quin Henigan completed 10 of his 13 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Nemo Warmate led the way on the ground with 119 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and Tre’Vaughn Reynolds added 99 yards on 13 carries. Reynolds led the way for the receivers, taking his lone reception 80 yards for a score. Braeden Mussett caught four passes for 79 yards and a touchdown.
Aledo quarterback Gavin Beard completed 16 of his 27 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown. Kaden Winkfield led the way on the ground with nine carries for 36 yards and Raycine Guillory Jr. and Beard also scored touchdowns on the ground. Kaydon Finley led the receivers with nine receptions for 97 yards and Blake Burdine caught two passes for 51 yards and a score.
Denton Ryan’s reward is a date with Highland Park on Friday night with a spot in the state title game on the line. Highland Park was the program Denton Ryan couldn’t quite get past back when Spencer Sanders was the quarterback and Highland Park won its string of state titles. The Raiders did eventually break through and beat the Scots in the playoffs and win a state title as part of a dominant 2020 campaign. More on this game below.
Games to Watch
Friday, December 13
Highland Park (13-1) vs Denton Ryan (13-1)
The 5A D-I state semifinal between Highland Park and Denton Ryan kicks-off at 7 p.m. Friday at the Ford Center in Frisco. The Scots defense has been one of the more impressive units in the metroplex this season at any level. Quarterback Buck Randall and receiver Cannon Bozman have combined for more yards and touchdown connections than I can count, and they will need to add to that total on Friday night. Denton Ryan is coming off a win over Aledo, something dozens of teams have had multiple shots at over the years, yet almost all of those teams have fallen short. Denton Ryan also has a stout defense to go with a balanced offense. This should be a great game between two great teams. Either Denton Ryan will make its first appearance at UIL State since its 2020 championship win over Cedar Park, or Highland Park will make it back to the state championship game for the first time since its 2018 state championship win over Shadow Creek.
South Oak Cliff (12-2) vs Argyle (13-1)
The 5A D-II state semifinal game between South Oak Cliff and Argyle is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. Friday at Ford Stadium (SMU) in Dallas. Nearly a year after a heartbreaking loss to Port Neches-Groves in the 2023 5A D-II State Championship Game, South Oak Cliff got its get back with a 56-14 walloping. The redemption story is written, but there is still mountaintop left to climb. Argyle stands in the way of an incredible fourth straight trip to Arlington for South Oak Cliff. The last time Argyle made the state championship game was also the last time South Oak Cliff missed it back in 2020. Needless to say, these are two championship caliber programs. You start to see a lot of those this time of year. Argyle lost to South Oak Cliff in this round 14-6 back in 2022 and is hungry to avenge that loss. Both teams love to run the ball but both quarterbacks, Carter Kopecky and Maguire Gasperson, can air it out on occasion. This should be a great matchup.
Celina (14-0) vs Canyon West Plains (11-3)
Celina is one step away from making a triumphant return to the state title game. It’s been awhile for the Bobcats, and Canyon West Plains is the only team that can prevent Celina from a 12th title game appearance. I may not know much about Canyon West Plains, but the Wolves eliminated Stephenville 35-28 to advance to this game. Unfortunately for the Wolves, they run into a Celina team that has absolutely steamrolled all 14 teams it has played. Aubrey put up a valiant fight in the regional semifinals, ultimately losing to Celina 63-49. I would expect this to be another route for Celina. If that is the case, the Bobcats face the winner of Kilgore and La Vernia in the 4A D-I State Championship Game.
Saturday, December 14
Duncanville (13-0) vs North Crowley (14-0)
The game of the year is finally here. These two teams have been on a collision course all season and it's a shame only one of these two teams can make it to Arlington. If I had it my way, Duncanville and North Crowley would get to play North Shore and Austin Westlake so we could get this game on the biggest stage. And yes, I do think both of these teams could beat either of those teams, but maybe I have a little DFW bias. I would expect a lot of points in this one. Keelon Russell and Dakorien Moore form the most electric QB-WR duo I have seen in the metroplex in my seven years of covering this sport. Chris Jimerson Jr. and Quentin Gibson are just about the next best thing when it comes to QB-WR duos, in my opinion. At this point of the season all the matchups are good, but I think this one rises above them all.
Southlake Carroll (14-0) vs Longview (12-2)
Southlake Carroll is set to face Longview in the 6A D-II state semifinal Saturday afternoon at 2:30 at Ford Stadium (SMU) in Dallas. Southlake Carroll won a wild game against Denton Guyer to advance to the state semifinal again. Instead of a shot at redemption against DeSoto, the Dragons take on a Longview team that bounced DeSoto from the playoffs, 50-14. I underestimated Longview, and who wouldn’t? The Lobos lost to a South Oak Cliff team, albeit a great one, that was playing two divisions up 45-44 at home. Then, Longview followed that loss up with a loss to Ruston (LA) 21-10. Now, the Lobos did finish District 10-6A play with an 8-0 record, but I did not see a 50-14 win over DeSoto coming. Longview beat DeSoto by a touchdown more than it beat a 2-8 Royse City team in district play. Again, different circumstances, I know. All that to say, Southlake Carroll will need to play a clean football game on Saturday to win this one. Making the state championship game without two division one caliber running backs is tough (mainly because most teams don’t have two of those to begin with) but Southlake Carroll is just one win away from making a trip to AT&T Stadium a reality. After beating Denton Guyer, coach Riley Dodge asked his team who’s culture won. The answer was clear and obvious, but this weekend's game against Longview will be another culture game. I believe Southlake Carroll can get it done.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is Highland Park quarterback Buck Randall! Highland Park eliminated Frisco Lone Star 41-28 behind 359 total yards and four touchdowns from Randall! The Scots needed all of Randall’s production as he finished 14 of 22 passing for 237 yards and three touchdowns and added 124 yards and a score on eight carries on the ground. Highland Park faces a talented Denton Ryan squad in the state semifinals and Randall will need another productive night this week to power the Scots to their first state title appearance since 2018.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is Denton Ryan defensive lineman Uzziah Warmate! Denton Ryan eliminated defending state champion Aledo 31-21 to advance to the state semifinal, and Warmate’s performance helped it happen. Warmate finished with seven tackles, three tackles-for-loss and a sack to help stuff what is usually a productive ground game for Aledo. Denton Ryan faces a Highland Park team that airs it out a bit more this week, but Warmate will need to be a run stuffing presence again to help Denton Ryan get back to the state title game for the first time since 2020.