It's week eight of Texas High School Football and plenty of teams are still working their athleticism on the field. Two of those teams include an undefeated Duncanville and a Mansfield High School team that has only one loss to their name so far this season. This week, the two teams go head-to-head in the CW33 High School Football Showdown game of the week. VYPE DFW takes a deep dive into their seasons so far and what fans can expect heading into Friday night's game:
Duncanville Panthers (5-0, 3-0)
After winning the 6A State Title last season, Duncanville has powered their way to a booming start in the 2023-24 football season. Opening their year with a 34-13 victory over two-time defending state champion South Oak Cliff followed by a 44-0 victory over Florida's Rockledge, the team was able to head into district play unscathed and ready to showcase their ability to be dominant yet again this season.
Through district play, the team has allowed only 10 points against them. A 76-0 district-opening victory over Mansfield Lake Ridge and a 56-0 district victory over Cedar Hill was just the start to the Panthers' campaign in their 2023 district schedule. Last week, coming off of a BYE, the Panthers traveled to Waxahachie where the team came out on top with a 44-10 score. Led by talent like Dakorien Moore who has averaged nearly 145 receiving yards per game this season, Caden Durham, Jaqualon Armstrong, Keelon Russell, Ayson Theus, Zach Turner, and others, this offense knows how to score early to set the tone in any given game. Meanwhile, a nearly unstoppable defense led by Tyderick Brown, Javion Holiday, Colin Simmons, KJ Ford, and more has helped put a stop to the pace of opponents through each game. The Panthers will look to be a force on Friday night in Mansfield.
Mansfield Tigers (5-1, 2-1)
Mansfield went on a 5-0 run to start the season with non-district victories over Waco Midway (42-31), Mansfield Summit (39-37), and South Grand Prairie (49-29). Utilizing their ability to work hard and battle through matches against tough opponents, the Tigers were able to enter district play well-versed in putting up a fight and pulling away with a victory.
The Tigers secured a 42-31 district-opening victory over Mansfield Legacy before posting a hard-fought 35-33 victory over Mansfield Lake Ridge. Last week, in a battle through adversity, Mansfield fell 47-14 against a strong Cedar Hill team. Led by James Johnson who has averaged 110 rushing yards per game, Marquise Hubbard, Jacobe Hayes, Tim Abraham, Zion Robinson, and others, the Tigers offense knows how to fight against tough defenses and make statement plays that lead to timely scores in the endzone. Furthermore, the Tigers' defense is led by David Hogg, Isaac Howard, and others who utilize a great game IQ in order to put up a wall against opponents each week.
What To Expect
Duncanville isn't going to go down without a fight-- if they go down at all. On the quest for another state title, there is going to be little room for doubt as they trample over their opponents with confidence. Looking to deliver a second loss to Mansfield, the Panthers are going to do anything and everything in order to pull away early on Friday night. However, Mansfield is known for fighting hard against really great teams. They aren't going to make Friday night's matchup a cakewalk for Duncanville. Fans can expect this Tigers' squad-- with 8 returners from last season's Bi-District qualifying team-- to put up a battle against a dominating Panthers' offense.
Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m. at RL Anderson Stadium in Mansfield, Texas. If you're not able to make the game, be sure you tune in on CW33 for all the action!
Liberty Christian's Cade VioliPhoto provided by Cade Violi (Twitter: @cade_violi)
