The Cooldown- Week Six
Cover Photo of Aledo's Raycine Guillory and Kaydon Finley courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Staff Photographer Elías Valverde II.
We’re officially to the part of the season where it's dark by kickoff. Fall is in full swing and playoff races are beginning to heat up. District standings are taking shape and teams across the metroplex know what needs to be done over the last half of the regular season to make the playoffs. Some of the results that caught my eye from week six included Celina’s 49-10 win over Aubrey, Frisco Lone Star’s 27-24 win over Frisco, Hebron’s 31-6 win over Flower Mound Marcus, and Sachse’s 19-17 win over Wylie East. Before recapping some of the best games around the metroplex and officially putting a bow on week six, I should mention that arguably the most intriguing game in the metroplex this season, Duncanville at DeSoto, is this weekend. There will be plenty of media coverage (including from us here at Inside High School Sports), so if you can’t get a ticket, be sure to follow along on social media. There is guaranteed to be plenty of highlights out of that game. Now, let’s get to the best games from week six.
Aledo outlasts Denton Ryan
For a while there on Friday night, many across the metroplex were preparing for a bit of history. Aledo notched its 123rd straight district win thanks to a 42-27 win over Denton Ryan, but the historic win streak was in doubt for the better part of three quarters. Denton Ryan raced out to a 27-8 lead late in the second quarter before the Bearcats answered with their first touchdown of the night on the ensuing kickoff. Aledo still trailed 27-14 at the half, but the Bearcats pitched a second half shutout to extend its district winning streak another week. The odds that winning streak lasts another year are strong, but Richland still looms as one last test for Aledo in district play this season.
Aledo quarterback Gavin Beard completed 13 of his 25 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. Those 13 completions were spread around to three different receivers, led by Kaydon Finley, who caught eight passes for 95 yards and a score. Raycine Guillory Jr. chipped in three receptions for 43 yards and a score and also led the Bearcats on the ground with 157 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. The big touchdown kickoff return to give Aledo momentum in the second quarter was courtesy of Adrian Fuller.
Denton Ryan quarterback Quin Henigan completed 19 of his 26 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Braeden Mussett caught nine passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, and also threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Lorenzo Hill, who led the Raiders receivers with five receptions for 99 yards and a score. Tre’Vaughn Reynolds chipped in three receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. Defensive lineman Uzziah Warmate ripped off a 53-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one on Denton Ryan’s opening possession, and that was enough to lead the Raiders in rushing yards. Nemo Warmate added 21 yards on seven carries. Denton Ryan has a big game this weekend at home against a talented Richland squad. A win likely locks up the second playoff seed in District 3-5A D-I for Denton Ryan, but a loss means the Raiders likely finish as the third seed. Aledo takes on Granbury on the road.
Coppell takes down Denton Guyer
Another school in Denton suffered a close loss at the hands of a quality opponent last Friday night. Coppell beat Denton Guyer at C.H. Collins Stadium 31-24 thanks to an impressive defensive showing. The Cowboys defense gave up as many touchdowns as it forced turnovers, one of those turnovers was a pick-six, courtesy of Alex Kraus.
Coppell quarterback Edward Griffin completed 14 of his 21 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns, and led the Cowboys on the ground with 70 yards on 11 carries. O’Marion Mbakwe chipped in 47 yards and a score on 16 carries. Tucker Cusano led the Coppell receivers with six receptions for 62 yards while Harry Hassmann added two receptions for 61 yards and a score. Ethan Schuy chipped in a 12-yard touchdown reception in the win.
Denton Guyer quarterback Kevin Sperry completed 16 of his 27 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, and led the Wildcats in rushing with 84 yards on 14 carries. Sterling Schneider added 67 yards and a score on 16 carries on the ground. DJ Reese led the Denton Guyer receivers with 79 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions and Corbin Glasco added 51 yards on seven receptions. Coppell hosts a Little Elm team still looking for its first win this weekend while Denton Guyer looks to bounce back against Hebron on the road.
Lovejoy walks-off Melissa
This one was close throughout as Lovejoy took down Melissa 41-38 thanks to a 33-yard Cooper Ryan field goal as time expired. Once again District 4-5A D-II delivers an absolute banger. There has been an incredibly entertaining game in this district pretty much every week since district play started. Lovejoy improved to 3-0 in district play and still has to face Frisco Emerson and Prosper Walnut Grove later this season. Melissa suffered its first district loss, dropping to 3-1 in district play, and also still has Frisco Emerson and Prosper Walnut Grove on the schedule.
Lovejoy quarterback Jacob Janecek completed 23 of his 41 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Janecek also contributed on the ground, carrying the ball 13 times for 72 yards and a score. Ben Adams led the rushing attack with 84 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Daylan McCutcheon was Janecek’s favorite target, catching 10 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown while Zane Kuzenski added five receptions for 53 yards and a score. Coleman Reaugh chipped in four receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown.
Melissa quarterback Noah Schuback completed 10 of his 18 passes for 218 yards, and rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Jeremiah Tabor led the ground game with 97 yards and two scores on 19 carries and Zayd Shaheed chipped in 35 yards and a score on 13 attempts. Tyler Montgomery led the Melissa receiving corps with five receptions for 118 yards and Dalton Dababneh added three receptions for 71 yards. Melissa is off this week before looking to rebound against Frisco Independence on October 18, while Lovejoy gets Frisco Independence this Friday. That’s a tough back to back set of games for the Knights.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is Richardson Pearce running back Andrew Casagrande! I usually point out on the rare occasions that it happens that I try my best not to pick the same player the Dallas Morning News picks as my player of the week. Every week there are so many players across the metroplex worthy of recognition, so why pick the same player? Well, occasionally we find a point where the exception meets the rule. So, what did Casagrande do to make me go against my one rule? To start, he finished with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts on the ground. Not bad, especially considering Richardson Pearce snapped a nine game losing streak to Jesuit with a 48-42 win. Then, add in 11 receptions for 187 yards and four touchdowns. That equals nearly 300 total yards and six total touchdowns to lead his team in rushing and receiving. Did I mention one of those touchdowns was the game winning score? Well, yeah. That is exactly how the exception meets the rule.
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is Frisco Panther Creek defensive back Donovan Webb! Frisco Panther Creek took down Paris 38-35 and Webb came up with two big interceptions to help the Panthers secure the win! Add in 10 tackles and it's easy to see how big of an impact Webb had on this game. The Panthers face Nevada Community this week and are currently 1-1 in District 7-4A D-I.