GAMES
RANKINGS
North Richland Hill Richland running back Jayshon Gibson and the Royals will play Birdiville in a key District 6-5A Division I clash this week.
The Top 10 Games to Watch in Week 7 of DFW High School Football
Thursday, Oct. 8
Trophy Club Byron Nelson at Keller at Keller ISD Athletic Complex
Keller is one of the DFW area's surprise teams, with a 5-0 mark and 2-0 in District 4-6A play. The Indians were 5-6 last year and were only 5-5 in 2023. A win here for Carl Stralow’s bunch will secure a winning record. QB Matt McCroskey has thrown for 1,125 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first year starting. The Indians mix in a solid rushing game as well, with 1,379 yards this season. Blake Dyniewski has 11 touchdowns and has gained 873 yards on the ground.
Byron Nelson enters with a 3-2 record and a 1- 1 record in district play. The Bobcats were one of the teams that got a win that was a loss from the Lewisville eligibility issue, so technically saw a 3-game winning streak end last week vs. Keller Central. The Bobcats have won 6 in a row vs. Keller. The last win for Keller vs. Byron Nelson was in 2019. Sophomore Tre Green has 513 yards rushing and has scored 7 of the team’s 12 rushing scores.
Dallas Jesuit at Prosper Walnut Grove at Children’s Health Stadium
There are three teams undefeated in District 6-6A play and because of this game, there will be at most two after the clock hits zero.
Prosper Walnut Grove and Dallas Jesuit are 2-0 in district play, part of a three-way tie with Allen.
Walnut Grove enters with a 5-0 mark, while Jesuit is 3-2.
The undefeated Wildcats have not missed a beat at QB1 with Ashton Gosselin. He has moved into the role to replace now-Argyle quarterback Hayes Hackney and has thrown for 1,259 yards and 11 touchdowns in five games. Linebacker Jack Folkerts, who leads the team with 42 tackles, has picked up a lot of D-I offers lately. That list includes UCLA, Florida State, Texas Tech, Houston, North Texas, Michigan State and Toledo since Sept. 23.
Jesuit has won three in a row.
Friday, Oct. 9
Denton Guyer at Lewisville at Lewisville ISD Stadium
This is a battle of first-place teams in the District 4-6A teams, part of a four-way tie with Denton Braswell and Carrollton Hebron at 1-0 in district play. Lewisville has won 2 in a row and technically has not lost a game on the field this year with the 2-3 mark. The Fighting Farmers have scored 40 and 38 points, respectively, in their last two games and the defense has yielded 15 points in those two games. Devin Robinson and Javar Currington both average more than 10 tackles per game.
The Guyer Wildcats are 4-1 and have won two in a row since losing to No. 1-ranked Waxahachie on Sept. 10. Quarterback Carter Morgan has thrown for 1,355 yards this year, but the Wildcats have had more success in terms of touchdowns by running the ball.
DeSoto at Lancaster at Beverly D. Humphrey Tiger Stadium
The District 8-5A Division I standings have these two at the top of the standings with 2 wins in district play and the winner will be in a good spot to secure that No. 1 seed in the postseason. Lancaster enters with a 4-1 mark, while DeSoto is 3-2.
The Tigers had won four in a row since losing to defending Class 6A Division I champion Galena Park North Shore in Week 1.
DeSoto RB/QB SaRod Baker enters this game with 4,369 yards rushing and 64 touchdowns in his standout career. He had a season-high 4 touchdowns in the last game for the Eagles.
Birdville at North Richland Hills Richland at Birdville ISD Fine Art/Athletic Complex
A week ago, Birdville and Richland were undefeated and were part of a three-way tie for first in District 6-5A Division I. Now, they are both 5-1 and 1-1 in district, part of a four-way tie for second after both getting upset. No. 9-ranked Richland lost in a shootout with Dallas Highland Park, 45-42. RB Jayshon Gibson ran for 271 yards and had 5 total touchdowns in the loss for the Royals. Meanwhile, Birdville lost to Garland Naaman Forest.
The Hawks have a balanced offense with 1,200 yards passing and 1,037 yards rushing.
Mansfield at Duncanville at Panther Stadium
Since 2010, the two have played 10 times and it’s been evenly matched, with Duncanville holding a 6-4 lead. However, the Panthers have won the last four meetings. Both teams enter with 2-3 marks and each is 1-1 in District 11-6A. The key for Duncanville will be to limit Mansfield quarterback Brandon Ellis, who has thrown for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns and is also the team’s leading rusher with 480 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Duncanville has not lost three games since 2016 and hasn’t lost more than four games since 2015.
Flower Mound Marcus at Flower Mound at Neal E. Wilson Jaguar Stadium
An inner-city showdown will mean one team will get its first District 5-6A win. Flower Mound is 4-1, while Flower Mound Marcus is 2-3.
QB Baron Sampson has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in passing this year for the Jaguars. The Maurauders are 13-9 against the Jaguars, but Flower Mound has won the last four meetings. Marcus quarterback Cash Davis has thrown for 1,027 yards — while the rushing attack has picked up 559 yards.
North Crowley at Waxahachie at Lumpkins Stadium
This is the game of the week, something both teams have been a part of this year. The No. 1-ranked team will host the No. 3 team in probably the marquee battle in Class 6A and perhaps the entire state this week. Both teams are 5-0 overall and 2-0 in District 11-6A play and the winner will get a leg up on the hunt for a district title, but it is far from over. Duncanville still looms for Waxahachie late in the regular season. This game will feature plenty of Division I talent on both sides of the ball. The matchup we are looking forward to is this: Jerry Meyer III’s passing attack vs. the North Crowley secondary.
Meyer has thrown for 1,421 yards, 16 touchdowns and completed 70% of his passes for the Indians. The Panthers defense features a pair of Division I commitments in Jerry Outhouse (UCLA) and Elijajuan Houston (Arizona State) and sophomore Braylen Cunningham will be another one, since he has 21 offers.
Longview at Rockwall at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium (7:30 pm.)
Longview, an East Texas powerhouse, will bring its potent running game to the metroplex. The Lobos have run for 1,220 yards and 20 touchdowns this year and the top four rushers, in terms of total yards, average 7 yards to 11.9 yards per carry. Jacaiden Davis’ 440 yards and 8 TDs pace that offense attack. Longview is 4-1 and the only loss came to Ruston, La., in Week 3. Rockwall is also 4-1 and, like Longview, is 2-0 in District 10-6A play.
The Yellowjackets have won 4 straight since losing to Prosper in the opener. Rockwall has run for 1,512 yards and has 1,222 yards passing this year.
Houston Kinkaid at St. Mark’s School of Texas at Norma & Lamar Hunt Family Stadium
Southwest Preparatory Conference Class 4A champion Houston Kinkaid comes to Dallas for a clash with St. Mark’s. Kinkaid is 3-3 overall, with a loss to Valor Christian from Colorado and in-state foes Houston St. Thomas Catholic and Dallas Parish Episcopal. Dating back to 2004, they have played 20 times, missing games in 2014 and 2020.
St. Mark’s is in the midst of a 15-game losing streak in the series, but won 5 straight from 2004 to 2008.
Argyle defensive back Walker Bruce has two interceptions and a fumble recovery this season. The Eagles have won six games in a row heading into Week 7.
THE TAKEAWAYS: 5 Storylines from Week 6
Don’t look now, but the regular season for Texas high school football is almost over. The final push for district titles and playoff berths will soon reach a fever pitch. Let’s take a look around the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Eagles flying high
Argyle has won six in a row and might be the best 1-loss team in the metroplex.
Quarterback Hayes Hackney and wide receiver Julian Caldwell connected for five touchdowns in a 56-21 win over Saginaw Eagle Mountain last week.
Hackney finished with 301 yards passing and 6 touchdowns.
One part of the success for Argyle that gets lost in the offensive firepower is the defense.
While the Knights scored 21 points, 14 of those points came in the fourth when it was 49-7 and the outcome was already decided and not all of the 1s were on the field.
Go back a little further; the defense gave up only 13 against Grapevine.
Then add in the second half against Highland Park — that was only 13 points. So add up those 9 quarters — taking out the fourth from Friday — that’s 33 points given up.
Tyler Cunningham had an interception return for a score as well for the Argyle defense last week. RJ Bandy also had a defensive touchdown last week.
Argyle closes with games against Lucas Lovejoy, The Colony, Colleyville Heritage and Nevada Community.
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Close Calls
The two frontrunners to win the district title in District 4-5A Division II came close to losing Friday.
But close only counts in horseshoes.
Zephyr Kreye scored a touchdown at the buzzer to give Anna a 16-14 win over the Frisco Raccoons to move to 4-0 in district play and 6-0 overall.
However, running back Juelz Carter left the game with an injury, according to the Dallas Morning News. The San Diego State pledge has been a key piece for the Coyotes since coming over from Cedar Hill.
Celina secured a 17-14 win over Frisco Emerson on Friday, thanks to a defensive stand that led to a turnover on downs at the 2-yard line.
If each of them keeps on winning, Anna vs. Celina on Oct. 30 will be a big-time game with district title implications.
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District 6-5A DI Chaos
Week 6 started with Birdville and North Richland Hills Richland being undefeated and sitting at the top of the district standings along wth Dallas Highland Park.
After this week, everyone not named Highland Park has a district loss.
Five touchdowns from Jayshon Gibson, a UCLA pledge, were not enough for No. 9-ranked Richland to beat Highland Park. Read about how that game unfolded here.
In the other big game, Garland Naaman Forest scored twice in the final minute to tie and then beat Birdville, 28-20.
Braylon Deal, a TCU pledge, threw a touchdown pass to Micah Young with 53 seconds left to forge a 20-20 tie for the Rangers. Then, the Naaman Forest defense got an interception and Deal hit Madden Le for the game-winner with 8 seconds left.
Highland Park is now in the driver’s seat with wins over Naaman Forest and Richland. A game with Birdville is the only foe with a winning record left for the Scots, who are on a roll lately.
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Southwest Preparatory Conference
Some of the better teams in Dallas-Fort Worth, in terms of W-L at this point in the year, play something other than UIL or TAPPS — that’s the Southwest Preparatory Conference.
The SPC 3A conference has Episcopal School of Dallas with a 6-0 mark, while defending SPC champion Arlington The Oakridge School is 5-0.
The ESD Eagles will play Austin St. Andrew’s (2-2, 1-2) this week before the looming showdown with Oakridge on Oct. 16 in Arlington. Quarterback Miles Link has passed for 1,294 yards and 14 touchdowns this year.
The Owls from Oakridge scored a season-high 68 points on Friday in a win against Austin St. Stephens Episcopal. Hunter Squires threw 4 touchdowns and Arlington Juan Seguin transfer Isaac Bly ran for 3 touchdowns and 125 yards.
In 4A, St. Mark’s School of Texas has the best overall record at 5-1. The Lions picked up a big win last week, beating The Woodlands John Cooper, 24-17. The defense has allowed 2 touchdowns or fewer in five of the six games; the exception was a loss to Episcopal School of Dallas.
A big test looms this week facing Houston Kinkaid School, the 4A champion last year.
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Are the Warriors back?
Liberty Argyle Christian School had been one of the best teams at the TAPPS level, but also not afraid to play UIL schools.
The Warriors now sit at 4-2 following a 65-43 win over Plano Prestonwood Christian last week in a key Division 1 District 1 game. The win was the third in a row for Liberty Christian, with setbacks in Week 1 to Midland Christian and to Celina in Week 3.
In the win against Prestonwood, the stars came up big for the Warriors.
Junior quarterback Crews Messer threw 4 touchdowns and ran for another in the win. Kansas State pledge Correll Buckhalter Jr. ran for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns. Cooper Witten had 5 catches for 119 yards and 2 scores. The senior is headed to Oklahoma next year to play for the Sooners and the school where his dad is now an assistant coach after guiding this program.
The next game is a big one for Liberty Christian.
The district title will be on the line this week with a game vs. Dallas Parish Episcopal. The Warriors have a slim 6-4 lead in the series dating back to 2007.
When the two met in 2024, Liberty Christian won 45-24 to win the Division I state title.