The Cooldown- Week Nine
Cover Photo courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Special Contributor Jason Janik.
Week nine featured something that I have never seen before- and it’s rare that I get to say that- in Frisco Wakeland’s wild walk-off overtime win over Frisco Lone Star, a pair of games with a final score of 33-32 (Garland over Lakeview Centennial and Flower Mound Marcus over Flower Mound), another Aledo upset bid that fell just short as the Bearcats outlasted Richland 48-42 in overtime. There’s just two weeks left in the regular season and a lot of games across the metroplex are of more significance with playoff spots and seeding on the line. A week from now, I will discuss some of those important final week matchups and which games could impact the playoff picture. For now, let’s put a bow on week nine.
Allen takes down Prosper
I will start with the game I was at on Friday night. Allen clinched the District 6-6A championship with a 22-7 win over Prosper. Both teams were undefeated in district play heading into the game, but Allen emerged as the only undefeated team remaining at 8-0 (6-0). The Eagles should wrap up a 10-0 season with wins over McKinney Boyd and Plano East to end the season. Prosper was never really able to get much going on offense, and Allen iced the game in the fourth quarter with a 20 play, 95 yard drive that ate up around 10 minutes of clock.
I came away impressed with Allen’s ability to defend. Allen’s speed and physicality on defense helped mitigate Prosper’s rushing attack, which is impressive considering that Prosper has one of the best offensive line units in the metroplex. Offensively, Allen had a better night than the scoreboard might suggest. Two turnovers and chewing up clock helped keep the score down, but the Eagles finished with more than 400 yards of offense when it was all said and done.
Allen quarterback Brady Bricker completed 20 of his 29 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. Bricker spread his 20 completions around to seven different receivers, led by Donnell Gee Jr., who caught 12 passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Micah Ellis led the ground attack with 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Jaden Hambric chipped in 88 yards on 12 carries and Lyndon Spriggs carried the ball twice for 19 yards and a score.
Prosper quarterback Braeden Imhoff completed eight of his 15 passes for 69 yards. Lathan Latiolais led the Prosper receivers with five receptions for 49 yards. Leo Anguiano was responsible for the majority of Prosper’s offensive production, finishing with 61 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Prosper dropped its first game since the season opener against Austin Westlake and was held to the fewest points it scored in a game all season. The Eagles will have a shot to rebound against Princeton and Plano West before gearing up for another playoff run.
Frisco Wakeland beats Frisco Lone Star in OT
I mentioned above that it’s not often something happens that I haven’t seen before, and that thing happened on the final play of the game. Frisco Wakeland took down Frisco Lone Star 65-59 when Wakeland defensive lineman Austin Wilson forced a fumble at the goal line and returned it 99 yards for the game winning score. Wilson told Friday Night Glory’s Kenny Matthews after the game that it was the first touchdown he had scored in his entire life.
The playoff implications this result sets up includes a de-facto district title game between Frisco Lone Star and Frisco Reedy in two weeks. Should Frisco Reedy win that game, Frisco Lone Star could drop to the No. 3 seed in District 5-5A D-II, behind Frisco Wakeland should the Wolverines win out. That scenario is assuming Reedy takes care of business against Frisco this week. Now, as unbelievable as the final play of this game was, let’s get to some unbelievable stats.
Frisco Wakeland quarterback Jayden Maples completed 26 of his 37 attempts for 402 yards and five touchdowns through the air to go with his score on the ground. Aiden Poole led the rushing attack for Wakeland with 123 yards and a score on 27 carries. Ryder Treadway led the Wolverines receiving corps with nine receptions for 131 yards and four touchdowns. Grayson Myer caught 10 passes for 125 yards and a score and Lucas Mangham hauled in four passes for 112 yards and a score to give Wakeland three 100-yard receivers in one game. If you set a filter for a 400 yard passer, a 100 yard rusher, and three 100 yard receivers, it’s not many teams popping up on that list- maybe none this entire season.
Frisco Lone Star quarterback Karece Hoyt completed 23 of his 31 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns. Hoyt also led the way for the Rangers on the ground with 161 yards and three scores- giving him seven total touchdowns- on 27 carries. Bryson Jones led the receivers with six receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown while Isaiah Massey caught eight passes for 79 yards and a score. Colsen Jaggers took a short pass 60 yards for a score and Dekhari Dean added two receptions for 41 yards and a score. Got all that? In total, the two teams combined for 1,133 yards and 124 points. The 99 yard fumble return to clinch the game isn’t even included in that 1,133 yard total! Frisco Wakeland wraps up its season this Friday night at Sherman before getting the rare week 11 bye week before embarking on a playoff run. Frisco Lone Star wraps its regular season with Frisco Lebanon Trail on Thursday night before its big showdown with Reedy on November 7th.
Prosper Walnut Grove takes down Lovejoy
Prosper Walnut Grove outlasted Lovejoy 41-37 to take control of first place in District 4-5A D-II. The Wildcats are tied with Lovejoy for first place at 5-1 with Anna (4-2), Melissa (4-2) and Frisco Emerson (4-3) fighting for the remaining two playoff spots. Lovejoy has Denison and Frisco Memorial left on the schedule and should finish 7-1. Walnut Grove has a big showdown with Melissa this week before wrapping up with a likely win over Frisco Independence.
Prosper Walnut Grove quarterback Hayes Hackney completed 23 of his 30 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Luke Watkins was Hackney’s favorite target, catching 12 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown. Michael Hauser and John Hutson caught the other touchdown passes. Cam Newton led the way on the ground with 210 yards and three scores on 29 carries.
Lovejoy quarterback Jacob Janecek completed 19 of his 33 passes for 273 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 84 yards on 16 attempts. Ben Adams led the way on the ground for the Leopards with 127 yards and a score on 13 carries. Daylan McCutcheon put on a show once again, catching 11 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns while Adams chipped in three receptions for 54 yards. This was a great game between two talented teams. Both figure to make the playoffs and could go on deep runs.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is Prosper Walnut Grove wide receiver Luke Watkins! As I detailed above, Walnut Grove took down Lovejoy, and the offense needed nearly all of the 41 points it scored to win this game. Watkins caught 12 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown in the win, accounting for 36 percent of the 577 yards of total offense the Wildcats racked up. Honestly, Walnut Grove running back Cam Newton (210 yards, three scores) and quarterback Hayes Hackney (367 yards, three touchdowns) also deserve some recognition for providing what might be the biggest win in school history thus far. Watch out for Watkins and the Wildcats the rest of this season.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is Frisco Wakeland defensive lineman Austin Wilson! How could it be anyone else this week? Wilson’s first career touchdown came via scoop-and-score and returned 99 yards to upset the No. 2 ranked team in the state in overtime. It doesn’t get much more clutch than that. Now, his blockers certainly deserve a lot of credit, but Wilson forced the fumble and did the heavy lifting by returning it the length of the field for the game winning score. Wilson also chipped in three tackles in the win.