The Cooldown: Week Seven
Cover Photo via the Dallas Morning News/ Tom Fox
Week seven was eventful across the metroplex. The first full weekend of October featured plenty of close games and produced a few upsets. We’re deep enough into the season that it’s becoming easier to imagine the playoff picture. In 6A, there will be games to watch to see if certain teams are headed for the DI or the DII playoff bracket. Check out last Friday night’s edition of The Dump, courtesy of our own North Texas Expert Matt Diggs, for more information on playoff races in each district in the metroplex. Now, let’s recap a wild weekend of football and preview the upcoming slate of games.
Southlake Carroll beats Keller
Southlake Carroll beats Keller isn’t an eyebrow raising headline. How it happened might raise an eyebrow or two, though. The Dragons took down Keller 38-35 after the Indians led 28-24 at halftime. I’m not one for moral victories, but this game suggests Keller might be a lot better than I thought. We’ll find out this weekend as the Indians have another tough test against Byron Nelson. Meanwhile, Southlake Carroll will regroup against Keller Central and Eaton before facing Byron Nelson at the end of October.
Southlake Carroll quarterback Kaden Anderson completed five of his nine passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. Keller was committed to making the Dragons beat it on the ground. Anderson carried the ball eight times for 52 yards and a touchdown but suffered a knee injury while scrambling for the sideline in the second half. Backup QB Graham Knowles replaced Anderson and completed his only pass attempt for eight yards. Owen Allen was the star of the night as usual, rushing the ball 35 times for 230 yards and three touchdowns. James Lehman caught a 27-yard touchdown pass for his lone reception of the night and Jacob Jordan finished with three receptions for 40 yards.
Keller quarterback Tre Guerra was impressive, completing 22 of his 32 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns. Guerra also added 44 yards on the ground. His favorite target on the night was Amarion Henry, who caught nine passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns. David Wagner added six receptions for 78 yards and Tre Griffiths caught two passes for 53 yards. Cameron Rayford led the Indians on the ground with 17 carries for 101 yards and two touchdowns and Jayden Hart added 23 yards and a score on the ground.
I’m sure the Southlake Carroll defense isn’t particularly proud of allowing Keller to score 35 points, but the Dragons defense shut down Keller in the second half, allowing the Indians to score just seven points, to help secure the comeback win. Southlake Carroll’s defense and coaching staff deserves some shine for that. We should get to find out if the Dragons defense is championship caliber when the Byron Nelson game rolls around at the end of the month.
Burleson Centennial defeats Denton Ryan
When it was announced that Denton Ryan and Aledo would play in the same district earlier this year, I thought the Bearcats would have a shot at handing Denton Ryan its first loss in district play since 2014. I apologize to Burleson Centennial as I completely overlooked the Spartans. Burleson Centennial took down Denton Ryan 23-16 despite losing the turnover battle 3-1. That tells me a lot about the resiliency of the Spartans.
Burleson Centennial quarterback Phillip Hamilton completed three of his six passes for 24 yards as the Spartans elected to run the ball for most of the night. Elijah Zeh captained the ground attack with 26 carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns on the night. Hamilton carried the ball 16 times for 42 yards and a touchdown. Burleson Centennial ran the ball 51 times and didn’t commit a penalty in the win.
Denton Ryan quarterback Brody Quillin completed nine of his 20 passes for 129 yards. Braeden Mussett caught four passes for 92 yards and Jordyn Bailey caught four passes for 36 yards. Bailey led the Raiders on the ground with 18 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. Denton Ryan’s Micah Brown capitalized on one of the two Burleson Centennial fumbles, returning it 17 yards for a touchdown.
Burleson Centennial is off to a 6-0 start for the first time in school history. The Spartans are 4-0 in District 3-5A DI, trailing only 5-0 Aledo. Denton Ryan trails both schools at 4-1 in district play. Both Burleson Centennial and Denton Ryan play Aledo next. The Spartans get Aledo this weekend while Denton Ryan is on a bye week.
North Crowley takes down Boswell
North Crowley beat Boswell 21-17 in a game that was likely the de-facto District 3-6A championship game. The District 3-6A playoff race is a mess. There are six teams that still have a shot at one of the four playoff spots with Chisholm Trail and Paschal the only teams truly out of the race. North Crowley and Boswell appear to be the class of the district and should finish in the top two playoff spots. North Crowley should earn the District 3-6A Championship thanks to its win over Boswell.
North Crowley quarterback Chris Jimerson completed nine of his 17 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. Ka’Morreun Pimpton was Jimerson’s favorite target with six receptions for 111 yards and a score. North Crowley’s two-headed monster of a rushing attack performed well. Dejuan Lacy gained 112 yards on 15 carries and Cornelius Warren finished with 15 carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Warren’s second score put North Crowley ahead for good in the fourth quarter.
Boswell quarterback Sawyer Farr completed 15 of his 39 passes for 177 yards. Gage Ellis led the Pioneers in receiving with six receptions for 66 yards. Farr tried to connect with Ellis on fourth-and-goal with under a minute left in the game, but the pass was broken up by North Crowley defensive back Haneef Bilal to seal the win for the Panthers. Ezra Carter carried the ball 29 times for 110 yards and a touchdown to lead Boswell on the ground.
North Crowley and Boswell will likely take the top two playoff spots while LD Bell, Weatherford, Trinity and Saginaw are left to compete for the last two playoff spots.
Games to Watch
Thursday 10/13
Argyle (6-0) @ Frisco Emerson (7-0)
Argyle (2-0) and Frisco Emerson (3-0) are two of the three undefeated teams in District 3-5A DII play, along with Frisco Independence (2-0). Those three teams all look likely to make the playoffs, with Argyle likely winning the district. This is the first big test against a traditional power for Frisco Emerson in school history, so I am excited to see how the Mavs perform.
Keller Timber Creek (2-4) @ Eaton (2-4)
Southlake Carroll, Byron Nelson and Keller appear likely to finish with the top three playoff spots in District 4-6A. Keller Timber Creek, Eaton, Keller Fossil Ridge and Keller Central are all 1-2 in district play. If Keller Timber Creek claims the last playoff spot, Southlake Carroll will be in the 6A DII Bracket for the playoffs. The Falcons have losses to Southlake Carroll and Byron Nelson with a win over Keller Fossil Ridge. A win over Eaton would give Keller Timber Creek a clear path to the playoffs.
Friday 10/14
Allen (5-1) @ McKinney 5-1)
There are four clear playoff teams in District 5-6A. What order those teams finish in is still to be determined. Allen has blown through three district opponents with relative ease, but still has to face the Lions, Denton Guyer and Prosper. McKinney also has Allen, Denton Guyer and Prosper left on the schedule. All matchups between these four teams will be interesting and should be good games.
Byron Nelson (6-0) @ Keller (5-1)
Keller’s upset bid against Southlake Carroll fell just short as the Indians dropped their first game of the season. Byron Nelson hasn’t played in a close game all season and beat Haltom 65-7 last week. This should be the first time Byron Nelson will be tested all season while Keller will try to continue momentum from a 5-1 start and a near upset of a top team in the state.
Aledo (5-2) @ Burleson Centennial (6-0)
Burleson Centennial (4-0) and Aledo (5-0) are facing off in October to determine which team will be the last undefeated team in the district- just like everyone thought! This should be a fantastic game and could be the de-facto district title game.
Lewisville (5-1) @ Plano (4-2)
Lewisville and Plano are the last two undefeated teams in District 6-6A at 3-0. The winner of this game will finish no worse than 4-3 in district play and should clinch a playoff spot. Plano has already beat both 0-3 teams in the district in Plano East and Plano West while Lewisville still has a game against Plano East on the schedule.
Hebron (3-3) @ Flower Mound (1-5)
On the flip side of the standings in District 6-6A, Hebron and Flower Mound are on the outside looking in at 1-2 in district play. Coppell and Flower Mound Marcus are each 2-1 and currently hold the last two playoff spots in the district. The winner of this game will stay in the playoff hunt while the loser will need a lot of help to get in.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is Rockwall receiver Noble Johnson! Rockwall beat Royse City 50-24 after a shootout first half that saw the Yellow Jackets take a 31-24 lead to the locker room. Johnson caught 14 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns in the win to help Rockwall pull away from Royse City for a comfortable win! Aiden Meeks helped open the field up for Johnson- finishing with nine receptions for 142 yards.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is Frisco Heritage defensive end Obi Udom! Frisco Heritage won a defensive slugfest over Sherman 13-6 and Udom’s performance is a big reason why Sherman’s offense managed just six points against the Coyotes. Udom finished with 10 tackles, four of which were solo tackles, and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Udom forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery and he also recorded two sacks for a total loss of 15 yards. Add in two QB hurries and Udom did a little bit of everything to help power Frisco Heritage past Sherman!
College Player of the Week
My College Player of the Week is former Southlake Carroll star QB Quinn Ewers! Texas humiliated Oklahoma 49-0 in the Red River Showdown and Ewers proved his good quarter against Alabama was more than just one good quarter. In his first game back from a shoulder injury suffered against Alabama, Ewers completed 21 of his 31 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Aside from overthrowing Jordan Whittington on what would have been a touchdown and then throwing an interception on the next play, this was an absolute clinic from Ewers.
Former Denton Ryan star tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was one of Ewers favorite targets. Sanders finished with five receptions for 71 yards and two scores on seven targets. Whittington also received seven targets and finished with 97 yards on five receptions. Texas may not be back, but it looks like the talented arm of Ewers could get it there.
Cover Photo of Southlake Carroll's Owen Allen and Kaden Anderson courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Staff Photographer Tom Fox