The Cooldown- Week Five
Cover Photo of Lancaster's Izayah Lee courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Staff Photographer Elías Valverde II.
Week five proved to be more competitive around the metroplex than week four was. Anna lost another heartbreaker, though stayed well clear of the 62 points it scored the week before in the process. There were a pair of overtime games that I will recap below. All in all, it was good to see some close games with higher stakes now that we’re into district play across the state. As for some of the lesser competitive games, Arlington routed South Grand Prairie 60-24, Richland lit up the scoreboard again in a 62-34 win over Birdville, Coppell beat Hebron 49-14 and Celina took down Frisco Panther Creek 42-7 with ease. Now, let’s recap some of the best games.
Lancaster outlasts Cedar Hill
Lancaster’s move up to 6A this season has been a bit of adventure, featuring a ton of competitive games. The Tigers are in arguably the toughest district in the state, and played a tough non-district schedule on top of that. The latest thriller was a 41-35 win over Cedar Hill in overtime to improve to 2-0 in district play. This was a key win for Lancaster’s playoff hopes because Duncanville, DeSoto and Waxahachie all figure to make the playoffs. Waxahachie has an 0-2 hole to dig out of, but it's the only team in the district with the distinction of having played both Duncanville and DeSoto thus far. That leaves one spot, and the Tigers now have wins over both Cedar Hill and Mesquite Horn.
Lancaster trailed this game 35-28 with around two minutes left in the game. A 56 yard touchdown pass from Carter Jones to Emmanuel Choice tied the game and, after Braylan McDonald came up with an interception for the Tigers defense to start overtime, an Izayah Lee touchdown run powered Lancaster to a 2-0 start in District 11-6A.
Lancaster quarterback Carter Jones completed 12 of his 18 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. Ja’Quavius Pipkin and Emmanuel Choice split the receptions evenly; Pipkin finishing with 150 yards and two touchdowns and Choice producing 96 yards and a score with his six receptions. Izayah Lee led the rushing attack with 159 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Cedar Hill quarterback Tamarion Crotchett completed 14 of his 27 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. Cedric Mills caught four passes for 52 yards and a score to lead the Longhorns receivers. CJ Castleberry led the way on the ground with 92 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, while Jalen Brewster chipped in 58 yards and three scores on nine carries. Lancaster is off this week before taking on Skyline, another team competing for a playoff spot, on October 11. Cedar Hill also has its bye week this week before looking to bounce back against Mesquite at home.
Lewisville beats Flower Mound Marcus
The Battle of the Axe is always a fun one, and that was especially true this season. Lewisville handed Flower Mound Marcus its first loss this season, 27-21 in overtime. Flower Mound Marcus outscored Lewisville 18-0 in the 3rd quarter to take a 21-14 lead to the final frame, but the Fighting Farmers defense held the Marauders scoreless in the 4th quarter and overtime. Lewisville was able to overcome over 100 yards worth of penalties and two turnovers to escape with a key win, starting 1-0 in District 5-6A.
Lewisville did the majority of its damage on the ground. Tenel Hill led the way with 166 yards on 19 carries. Aiden Evans racked up 59 yards and a score on just two carries. Derrick Martin chipped in 55 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, and also threw a touchdown pass from 5 yards out to Landon Bogany.
Flower Mound Marcus quarterback Colton Nussmeier completed 21 of his 37 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown. Rhett Garza led the receiving corps with six receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Keliikipi led the rushing attack with 65 yards on 24 carries. Flower Mound Marcus has another tough test in district play this week on the road at Hebron. Lewisville gets Denton Braswell at home this week, looking for a 2-0 start. It should be stated that every win in this district will be crucial because there are so many playoff caliber teams in District 5-6A.
North Forney takes down Forney
After starting the season 0-2, North Forney has rebounded nicely with three straight wins and a win over its rival, Forney, 35-31. As for Forney, the Jackrabbits are now 2-3 and have lost three games by a combined eight points. If Forney can find a way to win more close games (it did beat Lake Highlands 34-30 to open the season) the Jackrabbits could end up having a special season. North Forney, on the other hand, has some real momentum heading into a stretch run of key district games.
North Forney quarterback Legend Bey completed five of his 10 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Bey also led the Falcons on the ground, finishing with 198 yards and three scores on 23 attempts. Andikan Asuquo chipped in 108 yards on 22 carries on the ground. Eli Otieno caught all five completed passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Forney quarterback Nelson Peterson Jr. completed eight of his 18 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, and added 71 yards and a score on the ground. Javian Osborne led the Forney ground game with 87 yards and a touchdown on seven carries. Preston Jackson led the receiving corps with two receptions for 44 yards and a score. North Forney hosts Tyler Legacy this week while Forney takes on Royse City on the road.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is Denton Guyer wide receiver DJ Reese! Denton Guyer took down Flower Mound 44-36 and Reese played a big role. The sophomore caught four passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns and added a 95-yard kickoff return to help power the Wildcats past Flower Mound. The win was a nice bounce back for Denton Guyer after a loss to North Crowley and a bye week. The Wildcats are 1-0 in district play and face Coppell in an intriguing matchup on Friday night.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is North Forney defensive end J’ynv Williams! North Forney hung on to beat Forney 35-31 and Williams was a force at the line of scrimmage. The junior finished with seven tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack in the close win. As I mentioned above, North Forney started district play 1-0 with the win, but the Falcons will need Williams to continue wreaking havoc throughout district play.