Ugly Wins are Still Wins
For the game I was at tonight, it was downright hideous to watch at times. The first half was quick and nearly painless as both McKinney Boyd (1-3) and Byron Nelson (2-2) had two possessions each. It was a tough break for Nelson, though, as its first drive took more than half the quarter and the field goal doinked right off the right upright.
The second half devolved into pretty sloppy play with missed passes, bad snaps, turnovers, penalties, penalties, penalties and punts - though it did provide some late game theatrics.
A question heading into this game was if Byron Nelson could avoid the trap game before next week's big test against Southlake Carroll. The short answer is no. The long answer is that Byron Nelson has a long way to go to be a contender in a district Carroll, Northwest Eaton and the Keller schools.
Props to McKinney Boyd for gutting out a win like it did - a much needed win for Boyd as it avoided an 0-4 start for the second time in three years. Fresh-faced quarterback Ryan Schakleford played admirably in his first start completing 20-of-31 passes for 174 yards, throwing for the game-winning overtime touchdown and rushing for another.
Is it likely to propel Boyd to some sort of streak? Unlikely. It opens district play against Braswell next week then still has to play Allen, Little Elm, Denton Guyer, Prosper and McKinney. There's just not enough margin of error available in those games to think what was put out there Thursday night showed any signs of a sustained run.
Been There, Still Doing That
The marquee Thursday night matchup was an 8-6A opener between undefeated Arlington Bowie against an undefeated South Grand Prairie. 3-0 starts has been a common thing for Bowie - not so much for SGP. And the experience showed late in the game. With the game tied at 14 entering the 4th quarter, Bowie got a couple of quick scores and played suffocating defense to preserve the win. Bowie was 3-0 last in 2016, but it would have been SGP's first 3-0 start since 2010, if it had won.
Buckle Up, 9-6A
Garland is 3-0 and sit atop the district standings at 2-0 after a tough, hard-fought but sloppy win over Naaman Forest. Last year, up was right and down was north in 9-6A and it looks like we could have more of the same in the Garland district. Naaman Forest (1-2) was nursing a 7-0 lead going into the fourth, but Garland scored twice, including with seven seconds to go in the fourth for the comeback win.
Late Game Woes, Again
Two weeks ago, it was Braswell. This week, it's Dallas Skyline - although this time it didn't include overtime. Still, Keller falls in come-from-ahead fashion - at home - to fall to 1-2. Despite being up 18-6 at the half and scoring on the first play of the 3rd quarter to go up 25-7, Keller was then outscored 28-7 the rest of the game to lose 34-32. It was a good bounceback win for Skyline as it opened the season last week with a loss to McKinney and opens 10-6A play next week against Mesquite.