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DFW Football: What We Learned Week 10/Week 6
9-6A Setting Up for Another Fun Finish
A week after taking down upstart Garland, Sachse found itself on the losing end of an upset with a loss to rival Rowlett. Rowlett now leads 9-6A at 2-0 in district play with four teams - Garland, Lakeview Centennial, Naaman Forest and Sachse - all chasing with 2-1 district records. Last year had a wild ending within this district and it's likely to happen again this year.
Frisco Lone Star is Still the Team to Beat
After two close losses in non-district play, Frisco Lone Star has asserted itself quite profoundly in its two district games, including a 28-point win over Frisco Reedy, which entered the game 3-1 and 2-0 in district play.
From the jump, it was all Frisco Lone Star as Jaden Nixon scored three different ways for Lone Star - rushing, receiving, punt return. Garrett Rangel only completed five passes on the night, but connected for three touchdowns in the romp.
Gutsy Win for Guyer
In a close loss against crosstown rival Denton Ryan, Denton Guyer opted not to lean on its 4-star quarterback. With mere seconds remaining and trailing on the road to Prosper in a matchup of state-ranked teams, Guyer hitched a ride on Eli Stowers' broad shoulders to pull out the win and stay atop the 5-6A standings.
It should be a huge confidence boost for Stowers as well as the entire Guyer team, which didn't play particularly well the week prior against McKinney and found itself in a dogfight against Prosper.
Argyle Keeps Chugging Along
It was another blowout win for the state's No. 1-ranked 4A DI team with a 48-7 throttling of Kaufman. It marked the fifth straight game Argyle scored 45 points or more and was the fourth game this year the defense allowed nine or less points. Tito Byce only had 10 rushing attempts but found the endzone three times. Argyle scored on four of its first five possessions to roll to the easy win.
We Need Another Parish Episcopal-Plano John Paul II Meeting
Parish Episcopal, led by SMU-commit Preston Stone, mounted a second half comeback in a 2019 TAPPS DI state championship rematch with Plano John Paul II. The teams traded the lead early in the second half and then PJP held 45-35 and 51-43 leads in the fourth quarter before Stone connected with Blake Youngblood with 17 seconds remaining in regulation - and needed a 2-point conversion to force overtime. After gaining the lead in the first overtime, and interception sealed the victory for Parish to move to 6-0 on the season.
Regardless of the outcome, it seems these two teams need meet again - hopefully in the state championship. If the first game is any indication, a second straight state title meeting could prove just as exciting.
Grandview-Glen Rose Lives Up to Hype
After having this game rescheduled, the long-awaited Top 25, interclass matchup lived up to its billing as Grandview survived a second-half rally from Glen Rose after building a 21-7 halftime lead. Glen Rose rattled off 21 straight points to hold a 28-21 lead in the fourth before Grandview tied it and then got a field goal to regain the late lead. Grandview needed a turnover on the game's final play to seal the win in what was an entertaining non-district matchup in the middle of district play.
DFW Football: 4 Thursday Thoughts
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.