The Cooldown- Week Six
The smaller schools are halfway done with the regular season. I wasn’t sure if we would make it to this point, but I am thankful we did. With that being said, there’s a long way to go. Keep wearing masks, social distancing and taking every precaution to make sure we finish the season! Now let’s take a look at some of the games from last weekend and preview this upcoming weekend!
Denton Braswell wins its first 6A game
Denton Braswell made the jump up to 6A this season and didn’t get a very warm welcome, having to play a talented Rockwall squad in the opener. The Bengals faced a good Keller squad in week two and survived 38-37 in overtime.
Braswell fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter but entered halftime down just 23-20. Quarterback Tristan McClary passed for 334 yards and four touchdowns, including the game winning two-point conversion. Keller starts its season off 0-1 after a good showing from quarterback Hayden Anderson. Bryce Dealy looked good, running for 116 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an injury. Keller is favored in its next game at North Mesquite and Braswell should win its next game at Richardson Pearce.
Allen impresses in big win over Atascocita
Allen routed Humble Atascocita 52-27 behind a big night from quarterback General Booty. The talented transfer completed 11 of his 12 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. Bryson Green caught six passes for 159 yards and a score while Blaine Green added 90 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Allen jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Atascocita is particularly young this year, but still talented. This is an impressive early season win for Allen. The schedule doesn’t lighten up this weekend as Allen travels to Cedar Hill to take on the Longhorns. Atascocita will take on Klein Oak next weekend.
Denton Ryan defeats Denton Guyer
These teams both have state championship aspirations. Though bitter rivals for a night, the two teams root for one another the rest of the season as they play in different classifications. Ryan defeated Guyer 23-20 behind 452 rushing yards. Ke’Ori Hicks led the way with 170 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Seth Henigan added 101 yards on the ground to go with his 109 yards and a score through the air. Billy Bowman Jr. finished with 97 total yards and two total touchdowns.
Byron Phillips was impressive running the ball for Guyer. Phillips finished with 144 yards and two scores on the ground. Denton Ryan starts district play next weekend with Frisco Reedy after two impressive wins over 6A teams to start the season. Guyer will face Mansfield Lake Ridge before taking on Southlake Carroll to round out non-district play.
Player of the Week
My player of the week is Allen quarterback General Booty. I just talked about Booty’s performance, but he is the reason this Allen offense is so dangerous. If there isn’t a talented quarterback to get the Green twins the ball, the Allen offense becomes more stagnant. The Eagles offense has been anything but stagnant through two games. If the Allen Eagles can continue to play like this, they are very much back in the mix as title contenders once again.
Team of the Week
My team of the week is the Denton Braswell Bengals. I know I already talked about this team as well but winning that first 6A game has to be a huge confidence boost for this team. Especially getting it done the way Braswell did it last Friday night. I think the Bengals are a playoff quality team but making the playoffs will be no easy task in a tough district. This was a great win for Braswell, making them my team of the week!
Games to Watch
Thursday 10/8
Southlake Carroll @ Rockwall
This game should be a good test for each team to really see where they are at. Both teams fell to Duncanville in the playoffs last season. Rockwall hung 59 points on Denton Braswell in its opener, while Southlake Carroll scored 72 points on Rockwall Heath in its first game. This game will be a shootout that I’ll have my eyes on.
Hebron @ Northwest Eaton
This is a game on paper that looks to be evenly matched. Hebron fell to a good Denton Guyer squad in week one while Eaton has looked impressive so far, though the Eagles haven’t faced a team of Guyer’s caliber yet. Both of these teams should be playoff teams and I am looking forward to seeing how this matchup plays out.
Frisco Heritage @ Frisco Lone Star
The Lone Star Rangers are still searching for their first win this season. North Forney and Aledo are two of the better teams in the metroplex, but I know Lone Star is itching for that first win. I expect the Lone Star offense to dominate this game and give the Rangers their first win of the season.
Friday 10/9
Prosper @ DeSoto
I really like the Prosper team and I think the Eagles could have a great season. I don’t like Prosper enough to pick them to win this game. I love DeSoto. I think DeSoto could give Duncanville a run for its money in the toughest district in the state. The Eagles are that talented. DeSoto has playmakers at every position. They don’t call it “DeSoto U” for nothing. I think quarterback Samari Collier is talented and has the perfect group of players around him. I would love to think this will be a great game because two talented teams are playing, but I could see DeSoto running away with this one early. If Prosper hangs around, it’ll be because linebackers Aiden Siano and Mason Jolley keep Prosper in the game. I’ll have my eyes on this one.
Lewisville @ Arlington Lamar
Lewisville bounced back with a big win over Wylie last weekend, as did Lamar win a win over Waxahachie. I think this game has the potential to be a great game between two good teams. Lewisville has a great offense that has scored 100 points over the first two games. Lamar’s defense is stout, allowing Waxahachie to score just seven points last week. The Vikings defense did give up 35 to Trinity and also allowed two players to rush for over 200 yards in that game. Damien Martinez should be looking to do the same for Lewisville this weekend.
Allen @ Cedar Hill
I already talked about Allen’s impressive performance above, but Cedar Hill didn’t have an easy season opener last weekend either. The Longhorns defeated the Arlington Colts 28-21 last weekend. I really like this Cedar Hill squad and I think Kaidon Salter is the best quarterback in the area. The Longhorns should find out a lot about themselves against Allen this weekend. Allen will once again be a state championship threat in 6A. This is the proverbial "measuring stick" game for Cedar Hill. If they win it, they know they can play with anyone in the state. Either way, this will be a great test and should be a great game.
Coppell @ Highland Park
Highland Park will finally get to kick its season off this weekend against Coppell. I am excited to see how Brayden Schager performs. The Scots will take on a Coppell team that has started its season 2-0 with wins over Mesquite and Sachse. I think it will be a good season for the Cowboys, but I am going to take the Highland Park Scots in this one.
Saturday 10/10
IMG Academy @ Duncanville
This is the game of the week. The IMG Academy is traveling from Florida to face Duncanville at Globe Life Park this Saturday. Kickoff is at noon and I hope football fans from around the metroplex choose to forego the potential dumpster fire of a Red River Rivalry game to go support Duncanville at Globe Life Park. I am imploring Duncanville to win this game. The Panthers have the talent to do so. This Saturday, we are all Duncanville fans. This is about state pride. Texas has the best high school football in America and its time to show a national recruiting powerhouse what it's like to compete in District 11-6A.