Tim Polzer: Why Creekview Will Beat Skyline

About Last Night Plano 38, McKinney Boyd 31 Wow. There were a few storylines coming out of last night's Plano-McKinney Boyd game. Boyd, which is still looking for its first District 8-5A win, matched Plano touchdown for touchdown before running out of time in the Wildcats' win last night. And it was another huge night for Plano's Rex Burkhead. No wonder Texas coach Mack Brown has begun showing more interest in the Wildcats' Mr. Everything. Burkhead rushed for 258 yards and caught the game-winning 19-yard touchdown pass from Carson Meger with 1:23 remaining. After the game, it was hard to figure out which coach won or lost. Plano coach Jaydon McCullough was glad to get the win, but disappointed that his team did not play to its potential for the second straight week. Boyd coach Don Drake was proud that the Broncos had competed so hard and so well. Remember: Boyd was shut out by both Allen and Wylie, so do the Broncos' 31 points provide more proof that Plano's defense is struggling? Sure. But don't forget that two Boyd touchdowns came after Plano fumbles. But don't think that McCullough and his staff will bring that up while reviewing defensive tape this week. Rowlett 34, South Garland 14 It was good to see Rowlett running back Dexter Imade get back on track, rushing for 221 yards and four touchdowns. Imade already had 173 yards and three TDs before halftime. It's going to be virtually impossible to catch Arlington Lamar's Ja'Terian Douglas among the area's leading 5A rushers, but Imade's performance against South Garland puts his name back among the top five where he belongs. If you haven't seen our October issue of VYPE, Imade's on the cover and on our VYPE Hot 20 list of running backs. About Tonight Skyline at Carrollton Creekvew I was hanging out at Carrollton Creekview this week when coach Gary Childress casually walked down the hill that leads to the Mustangs' practice field. Now I spend a lot of time waiting on coaches, trying to steal a few minutes of their time between staff meetings and practice. Coaching is one of those professions that fill every hour of the day when it comes to preparation. So I'm used to seeing high school head coaches hustling from one place to another as their next game looms. This wasn't the case with Childress. With his team undefeated and leading District 9-5A, Childress gave the outward appearance of a coach enjoying the ride. It was a beautiful day, his team was preparing for a district showdown with Skyline, but Childress was loose and relaxed - and his players reflected that mood. Not that his coaches or players were taking Skyline - and its top-ranked defense - lightly, but rather confident of their system, their talent and their chances to win 9-5A. One could say the Mustangs' confidence is bolstered by a roster that includes 28 seniors, but their returning lettermen haven't experienced much success at Creekview. That's where the patience and experience of a successful 67-year-old coach comes into play. Those seniors were freshmen when Childress gave up his athletic director duties to return to coaching. After stints at Anahuac and North Mesquite, Childress was ready to get back to having a hands-on influence on his players. Childress promptly led a 6-5 Creekview team to the playoffs in 2005, after the team won all of eight games from 2002 to '04. The last two seasons of 4-6 left little reason to make the Mustangs any kind of favorite for the new 9-5A lineup that includes Skyline, Lake Highlands and Richardson Berkner. Now his Wing-T hybrid "Wingbone" offense is ranked third among area 5A teams, running the ball to the tune of almost 400 yards per game. Quarterback Scotty Grau has been a master leading the option, keeping the ball or handing it off to Ryan Wilson and Andre McCoy. And win or lose against Skyline, Childress knows his team will make the playoffs and - as an option offense - provide non-district playoff opponents fits in preparing for the Mustangs. Skyline has built one of the better reputations for putting up dominating defenses year in and year out, and this year is no exception. The Raiders has already held Berkner's option attack in check and rank first in 5A allowing an average of 167 yards per game - less than Creekview has usually rushed for before halftime. So which team gives? Flying beneath the radar of Childress' offense is the Creekview defense, which has settled down after allowing more than 20 points in each of its first three games to rank third in the area, allowing less than 10 points a game in the last four contests. Skyline can point to two lost fumbles being the difference in its 9-5A loss to Lake Highlands, but Ricky Zorn and Company managed 196 yards - though they needed 51 carries to get there - against the Raiders. Creekview's running game is much more dangerous than Lake Highlands'. Prediction: Creekview 28, Skyline 14 I think Creekview's defense will be the difference, especially if the Mustangs can score first and protect against Skyline's big-play capabilities. Creekview's option attack is the best Skyline will play this year.