The Cooldown: Week Two
Cover Photo via the Dallas Morning News/ Rebecca Slezak
Another football weekend has come and gone in DFW. Most teams across the metroplex have just one more non-district game to prepare for district play while others have two non-district games left on the schedule. Teams such as Denton Guyer, Duncanville and Southlake Carroll are 2-0 and have impressed thus far. Meanwhile, schools like Aledo, Trinity and South Oak Cliff are 0-2 in a surprising turn of events. Let’s recap the weekend and preview the week three schedule.
Argyle beats Lovejoy
Argyle is adjusting to 5A DII just fine. The Eagles beat Lovejoy in a shootout 56-49 on the road on Friday night behind a strong rushing performance. Argyle fell behind 28-14 after one quarter before tying the score at 42 by halftime. The Eagles outscored the Leopards a modest 14-7 in the second half to hang on for the win.
Going on the road and beating Lovejoy isn’t easy. Argyle racked up 722 yards of total offense to secure the seven-point win. 560 of those yards came on the ground. Landon Farris led the way with 233 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. RJ Bunnell was right behind him with 184 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries. Quarterback Jacob Robinson chipped in 114 yards and two scores on the ground while also completing eight of his 14 passing attempts for 122 yards and a score. Hunter McFaul caught the touchdown pass and Will Hodson led the Eagles in receiving with three receptions for 95 yards.
Lovejoy did its damage through the air. Brayden Hagle completed 37 of his 61 passing attempts for 559 yards and five touchdowns. Kyle Parker caught the majority of those passes, finishing with a whopping 23 receptions for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Jaxson Lavender caught two passes for 97 yards and a score, and Parker Livingstone caught seven passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Matthew Mainord carried the ball 23 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns to give Lovejoy a balanced attack.
In the end it was the Argyle defense that came up big with a fourth-and-goal stop to seal the win at the end of the game. After allowing 42 points in the first half, the Eagles allowed just one touchdown in the second half.
Duncanville routes Jones (FL) High
Duncanville dominated another game on the ground en route to a 44-21 win over Orlando Jones (FL) High on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers defense also held Jones to 32 yards on 29 carries for just 1.1 yards-per-carry. Ultimately, Duncanville will have to clean up penalties (15-139) and turnovers (3), but this was an encouraging win for coach Reginald Samples and the Panthers.
Caden Durham was the star for the Duncanville offense once again, rushing for 142 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Quarterback Keelon Russell added 39 yards and a score on the ground. Mar’Kel Porter scored a touchdown on the ground and Kaleb Kenney scored twice on four carries. Russell completed 10 of his 13 passes for 83 yards and Dakorien Moore was the leading receiver with 58 yards on four receptions.
McKinney North outlasts Northwest
McKinney North outlasted Northwest in an offensive explosion on Friday night. The Bulldogs scored 37 points in the second half to pull off the win. Jayden Walker starred for the Bulldogs, finishing with 325 yards and three touchdowns on 36 carries. Jalique Andrews added 36 yards and two scores on the ground. Quarterback Colin Hitchcock passed for 167 yards and a touchdown in the win. Korbin Hendrix was McKinney North’s leading receiver, catching two passes for 96 yards and a score.
Northwest quarterback Jake Strong was fantastic once again, completing 19 of his 30 passing attempts for 356 yards and three touchdowns. Leddie Thompson also threw a touchdown pass for the Texans. Kenan Reil caught five passes for 122 yards and two scores to lead the Texans in receiving, while Logan Jeskevic added eight receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. Kyle Cummings rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown, and also caught a touchdown pass in the loss.
Games to Watch
Thursday 9/8
Aledo @ Northwest
Aledo (0-2) and Northwest (1-1) face off at 7:00 from Northwest ISD Stadium. Both teams lost last week, and Aledo is 0-2. The Bearcats usually aren’t still searching for their first win after Labor Day and beating Northwest for that first win will be no easy task. Northwest is 1-1 after a shootout with McKinney North last week. Aledo may want to get the ground game going early after the Northwest defense allowed 391 yards on the ground last week.
Lancaster @ Denton Guyer
Lancaster (2-0) travels to Denton to face the Guyer Wildcats (2-0) at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex at 7:00. Lancaster is coming off a big 21-3 win over South Oak Cliff last week. This isn’t exactly a level playing field as Denton Guyer is one of the best 6A teams in the state, but Lancaster should look to keep it close and continue to build momentum coming off of one of the most impressive wins in the state last weekend.
Lovejoy @ North Crowley
Lovejoy (1-1) will be looking to bounce back from a loss to Argyle as the Leopards take on North Crowley (2-0) at the Crowley ISD Sports Complex at 7:00. North Crowley is 2-0 after a close win over Arlington last weekend. The Panthers are relatively young, and the defense will be tested early and often in this game. North Crowley’s offense will need to keep pace with Lovejoy to have a shot to win.
Friday 9/9
Rockwall @ Prosper
Rockwall (2-0) takes on Prosper (2-0) at Children’s Health Prosper ISD Stadium at 7:00. This game really intrigues me. Rockwall beat Jesuit 51-23 and Prosper beat Sachse 51-14 last week. This game should be close and could feature a ton of points.
Allen @ Arlington Martin
Allen (1-1) faces Arlington Martin (2-0) at Choctaw Stadium at 7:00. This is another game that really intrigues me and could be close. I think this is the first time we’ll get to see Allen play a team in its ballpark. The Eagles roped CE King 49-14 at home last week while Arlington Martin beat Cedar Hill 44-6. The Warriors picked up a close win over Austin Lake Travis in week one. This game should tell us a lot about the potential of both of these teams.
Trinity @ Flower Mound Marcus
Trinity (0-2) takes on Flower Mound Marcus (0-2) at Marauder Stadium at 7:00. Both of these proud programs need a win this weekend. Trinity lost to Rockwall Heath 68-38 and Flower Mound Marcus lost to Southlake Carroll 38-7 last week. Only one of these teams can win while the other will head into district play at 0-3.
Byron Nelson @ Denton Braswell
Byron Nelson (2-0) will face Denton Braswell (2-0) on the road at 7:00. This game figures to feature a lot of points. Byron Nelson has scored 41 and 31 points in its wins, while Denton Braswell has scored 48 and 45 points in two wins this season. Denton Braswell could use a win before getting into a tough district schedule.
Saturday 9/10
South Oak Cliff @ DeSoto
South Oak Cliff (0-2) takes on DeSoto (1-1) on the road at 6:00. The Golden Bears scheduled arguably the toughest non-district schedule in the state. There is no reason to panic over an 0-2 record. DeSoto is also playing a brutal non-district schedule. The Eagles should win this game, but don’t be surprised if South Oak Cliff keeps it close. No matter what the final score is, South Oak Cliff needs to find some answers on the offensive side of the football.
Offensive Player of the Week
My Offensive Player of the Week is Argyle running back Landon Farris! There were tons of good options for this award this week. Lancaster receiver Ti’Erick Martin, Mesquite Horn running back Titus Muse, Lovejoy receiver Kyle Parker, Allen running back Kayvion Sibley and Prosper quarterback Harrison Rosar were all considered. In the end, I had to go with the most impactful player from one of the closest games of the week. Farris carried the ball 27 times for 233 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles in the win over Lovejoy to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors!
Defensive Player of the Week
My Defensive Player of the Week is Rockwall Heath linebacker Jayden Lexion! Rockwall Heath beat Trinity 68-38 and Lexion’s performance is a big reason why Trinity wasn’t able to put more points on the board. Lexion finished the game with five tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovered and returned for a touchdown, and a tackle-for-loss! Not only did Lexion help keep Trinity off the scoreboard, but he helped the Hawks defense put seven points on the scoreboard!
Cover Photo of Duncanville running back Kaleb Kenney courtesy of the Dallas Morning News and Staff Photographer Rebecca Slezak.