The Cooldown- Week Six
Cover Photo via the Dallas Morning News/ Brandon Wade
District play is well underway across the state and playoff races are starting to take shape. Week six was the largest bye week of the season with over a quarter of the state taking the week off. We have a better slate of games in week seven but first we’ll recap some of the best games from week six.
Jesuit outlasts Lake Highlands
Over 1,000 yards of offense was racked up before Jesuit ultimately outlasted Lake Highlands 48-45. Jesuit is now in the driver’s seat to win the District 7-6A Championship with a 2-0 record and the win over its top district challenger.
Gage Roy captained the Rangers to victory- passing for 267 yards and four touchdowns. Roy completed 22 of his 35 passes- and the majority of his completions went to Cameron Martin. Roy spread the ball around to all his receivers, but Martin finished with seven receptions for 107 yards and two scores. Hunter Krepp added 61 yards and a score and Robert Fitzgerald’s only reception accounted for Roy’s other touchdown pass. Fitzgerald finished with a touchdown reception and 177 yards and three more scores on the ground.
Caden Dotson only needed to complete nine passes to rack up 286 yards and three touchdowns. Dotson also caught a touchdown pass from Deonte Dean. Noelle Whitehead had an excellent game- leading the Wildcats in rushing with 201 yards and two scores on 19 carries- and receiving with 115 yards and two scores on four receptions.
These are the best two teams in District 7-6A, and both should win out and finish first and second in the standings. The other two playoff spots are up for grabs between Irving Nimitz, Richardson Berkner and Irving.
Denton Braswell downs Little Elm
This game featured even more offense than the Jesuit- Lake Highlands game with both teams racking up more than 550 yards of offense. Denton Braswell prevailed over Little Elm 62-43 in the end.
Jaylon Burton was spectacular for Denton Braswell with 363 yards and six touchdowns on 48 carries on the ground. Quarterback Keegan Byrd added 68 yards and two scores on the ground. Byrd passed for 132 yards and a score and Jaeden Acker led the receivers with 91 yards and a score.
Little Elm quarterback John Mateer was impressive as well. Mateer passed for 240 yards and three touchdowns and also led the Lobos in rushing with 199 yards and two scores on 22 carries. Semaj Jordan added 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Josh Joseph led the receivers with six receptions for 144 yards and two scores and Vashawn Thomas II caught seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. As RJ Hampton said on Twitter, John Mateer is that guy.
Braswell took a touchdown lead into halftime before the two teams traded touchdowns on three different occasions in the 3rd quarter. Braswell preserved its 49-42 lead by outscoring Little Elm 14-0 in the 4th quarter to secure the win. Braswell and Little Elm are now both 1-1 in District 5-6A play. The fight for the final two playoff spots, assuming Denton Guyer and Allen take the top two spots, will likely come down to the last week of the season. Denton Guyer is 2-0 and Allen is 1-0 in district play- while every other team in the district has at least one loss.
Hebron beats Flower Mound
Hebron has rebounded from an 0-3 start with two wins to open district play. The Hawks downed Flower Mound 48-34 last week after a win over Plano East to improve to 2-0 and remain as one of the three undefeated teams in District 6-6A play.
Hebron racked up 657 yards of total offense thanks to an incredible performance from Hawks quarterback Jacob Buniff. Of those 657 yards- Buniff accounted for 507 of them. Buniff completed 26 of his 30 passes (86%!!) for 425 yards and five touchdowns- and also led Hebron in rushing yards with 82. Cobye Baldwin starred alongside Buniff- catching 11 passes for 191 yards and four touchdowns. Takoda Bridges formed a three-headed monster with Buniff and Baldwin- catching eight passes for 156 yards and a score- and also throwing the first touchdown pass of his career from 33 yards out!
Yale Erdman was back at quarterback for Flower Mound this week after starter Nick Evers suffered an injury against Marcus last week. Erdman completed 25 of his 37 passes for 342 yards and four touchdowns and added another score on the ground. Walker Mulkey caught five passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns and Grant Satterfield added four receptions for 61 yards and a score.
Hebron joins Lewisville and Coppell as the other undefeated teams in District 6-6A with Flower Mound and Flower Mound Marcus lurking just behind at 1-1 in district play. Watching this district race play out should be a blast.
Games to Watch
Thursday 10/7
Frisco Memorial @ Lovejoy
Frisco Memorial is 4-2 on the season and 2-2 in District 7-5A DII- but still has two of the best teams in the district left on its schedule. That includes a game against Lovejoy on Thursday night. The Warriors are looking to bounce back from a loss at Denison last week but doing so will be tough against a Lovejoy team with State Championship aspirations. Lovejoy is undefeated on the season and the season-opening win over Bryan 44-14 is still the closest any opponent has got to beating the Leopards. Lovejoy should roll in this one despite the talent Frisco Memorial has on offense.
Frisco Wakeland @ Frisco Independence
Staying in Frisco, Wakeland takes on Independence on Thursday night in a game that Independence must win to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Knights are off to a 1-2 start in District 5-5A DI but still have Denton Ryan on the schedule late in the year. A win over Wakeland would go a long way towards vaulting Independence back towards the playoff picture. 2-2 feels a lot different than 1-3. Wakeland has consistently looked like the best of the rest in District 5-5A DI- behind Denton Ryan and Frisco Lone Star. The Wolverines are 3-1 with the only loss coming to Denton Ryan. Thursday night’s game against Independence is the tune up for Lone Star the week after.
Samuell @ Sunset
Samuell and Sunset sit at the bottom of the standings in District 6-5A DI and are looking to make a push back up the standings. Samuell is 0-4 in district play and would love to get a win to boost confidence. Sunset is 1-2 and a win could push the Bison back into the playoff picture.
Friday 10/8
Longview @ Highland Park
Longview travels to Dallas to take on the Scots of Highland Park on Friday night. Longview lost its season opener to Denton Ryan and Highland Park lost its season opener to Southlake Carroll- but both teams are undefeated since then. One of those two winning streaks will end on Friday night. Longview’s offense has come alive the last two weeks as the Lobos scored 56 points against West Mesquite and Wylie East. Highland Park downed Sherman 35-17 last week in its district opener. This will be a heavyweight fight with the winner likely winning District 7-5A DI and the loser finishing as the runner-up. Playoff seeding is at stake in Dallas on Friday night.
Denton Guyer @ Denton Braswell
Don’t be surprised if this game goes over 1,000 total yards of offense on Friday night. There will be fireworks in Denton as Guyer takes on Braswell. The Braswell defense has allowed 34 points and 42 points in two district games and faces a Denton Guyer team that has scored at least 35 points every week since a 14-7 slugfest win over Denton Ryan. The Guyer defense held Prosper to just seven points last week after allowing McKinney to score 26 points two weeks ago.
Keller @ Eaton
Keller got off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1967. That winning streak came to a screaming halt against Southlake Carroll last weekend. The Indians actually led 13-7 after the 1st quarter before Southlake Carroll turned on the jets and never looked back in a 49-13 win. Still, it’s been a fantastic start to the season for Keller. The Indians figure to win their last three district games- but this weekend’s tilt with Eaton is a different story. These teams are evenly matched and will be competing for the second playoff seed in District 4-6A- which should make for a great game. Eaton is 5-1 with big district wins over Fossil Ridge and Byron Nelson. The only loss for Eaton came to Denton Braswell 38-28 in non-district play. Keller also played Braswell in non-district and won 27-23. I expect this game to come down to the final possessions and I will give Eaton the nod in a one-score game.
Dallas Carter @ Dallas Lincoln
Dallas Carter has looked great so far this season. The Cowboys are 4-1 with the loss coming to Melissa and opened district play with a big win over North Dallas. A District 8-4A DI Championship could be in play for Carter if the Cowboys can get past Lincoln on Friday night. Lincoln is 2-3 and opened district play with a big win over Pinkston. I like Carter’s three-headed offensive monster of William Young Jr, Jaleen Jones and Brandon Jones to outscore Lincoln’s trio of Byron Eaton Jr, Mylion Pope and Jamel Hardy.
Euless Trinity @ North Crowley
Trinity has a rare district test on Friday night when the Trojans take on a 4-1 North Crowley squad. North Crowley’s lone loss came to DeSoto in non-district play and the Panthers have cruised to a 2-0 start in District 3-6A. Trinity will have the best player on the field in Ollie Gordon and the Trojans could win this one by a few scores- but watch out for North Crowley this season.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Players of the Week are Hebron quarterback Jacob Buniff, and Hebron receivers Cobye Baldwin and Takoda Bridges! Buniff completed 26 passes to just four incompletions and accounted for over 500 yards of offense. Baldwin was his favorite target, catching 11 passes for 191 yards and four of the five Buniff touchdown passes. Bridges caught the other touchdown pass and added 151 yards receiving AND threw his first touchdown pass to Micah Greene from 33 yards out. All of that added up to a 48-34 district win over Flower Mound!
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is South Oak Cliff defensive back Kyron Chambers! The Arizona commit finished with 12 tackles, two tackles-for-loss and an interception returned 99 yards for a touchdown! Chambers also forced a fumble in a big win for South Oak Cliff over Mesquite Poteet!
Cover Photo of Dallas Jesuit Quarterback Gage Roy Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Special Contributor Brandon Wade.