GAMES
RANKINGS
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.
...
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.
...
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.
...
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.
...
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.
Dallas Highland Park quarterback Buck Randall scrambles for yardage against Lewisville in a Week 1 game.
The Top 7 Games to Watch in Week 6 of DFW High School Football
Thursday, Oct. 1
Benbrook at Fort Worth Eastern Hills at Herman Clark Stadium
This is a key game in District 5-4A Division I play as both are 1-0 in district. They are also two of the four teams in the district that are 3-1, along with Kennedale and Fort Worth Carter-Riverside. The Benbrook Bobcats quarterback Lucas Davis went over the 1,000-yard mark last week and has thrown for 1,036 yards with 11 touchdowns compared to only three interceptions. The Highlanders have a more balanced approach with running back Chris Johnson averaging 150 yards per game. He’s scored 13 touchdowns in four games for Eastern Hills, which won a playoff game last year for the first time since 1999.
Melissa at Frisco Heritage at Ford Center at The Star
Melissa is in a tough spot coming into the game on a 3-game losing streak. Granted, the losses have come to a Class 6A-ranked team in Denton Guyer and 5-point losses to Rockwall and Frisco Lone Star. Expectations are high at Melissa, but a win here evens the Cardinals' district record at 1-1 in District 5-5A Division I play. Jeremiah “Bear” Tabor has run for 429 yards and 6 touchdowns for Melissa. The Coyotes are also 1-3 and 0-1 and coming off a loss to McKinney North. Zalyn Providence is averaging 12.7 tackles per game for Heritage.
Friday, Oct. 2
Argyle at Eagle Mountain at Knight Stadium
Argyle is one of the hottest 1-loss teams in DFW. The Eagles are 4-1 with four wins in a row since dropping the opener against Oak Ridge (California). Quarterback Hayes Hackney has already put up monster numbers — 94-for-128 for 1,542 yards with 19 touchdowns. Eagle Mountain is 1-4 overall and dropped its opener in District 3-5A Division II to Nevada Community and now faces No. 4 Argyle.
Denton Guyer at Denton Braswell at Carrico Stadium
This is a solid matchup in District 5-6A with Denton Guyer coming in ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press/Dave Campbell’s Texas Football poll and ranked No. 7 in the VYPE DFW rankings. Denton Braswell is 4-0 and, like Guyer, is 1-0 in district play. Sophomore running back Chris Lark ran for 163 yards and 2 scores for the Bengals last week against Flower Mound. If history is any indicator, the Guyer Wildcats should be the favorite. Since the series started in 2020, Guyer has won all 6 meetings vs. Braswell.
Frisco Legacy Christian at Dallas Parish Episcopal at Fleeger Field at Gloria H. Snyder Stadium
Harrison Phillips had two touchdown catches to help Dallas Parish Episcopal escape with a 20-17 win over Dallas Bishop Lynch last week. The Panthers are 4-2 heading into this TAPPS Division I District 1 game. Frisco Legacy Christian is coming off a big win, 43-39, against Plano Prestonwood Christian. It was the Eagles’ first win against one of the DFW TAPPS powerhouse programs, but is 0-3 vs. Parish. Wide receiver Braden Harbour is averaging 133 yards per game and has 9 touchdowns in five games.
Dallas Highland Park at North Richland Hills Richland at Birdville ISD Fine Arts/Athletic Complex
Class 5A Division I No. 9th ranked Richland hosts Dallas Highland Park in a big District 6-5A Division I matchup. Both squads won district openers last week and the winner of this one will have a leg up in the race for a district title. Birdville will have a say in the matter as well with a 5-0 and 1-0 mark. Ged Kates’ Richland Royals are also 5-0 and have one of the best backfields in the area with quarterback Brett Kates (949 yards passing, 10 touchdowns passing, 5 rushing touchdowns) and running back Jayshon Gibson (739 yards rushing, 14 touchdowns). Highland Park is 2-3, and in both wins the Scots have scored 38 points. QB Buck Randall is an SMU pledge who broke Matthew Stafford’s passing records for yards and touchdowns.
Lewisville at Frisco Wakeland at Toyota Stadium
Lewisville will look to continue its winning ways—a win in every game this season, but only 1-3 in the eyes of UIL. Last week, Aiden Evans ran for three touchdowns in a win against Flower Mound Marcus. The new QB1 for the Fighting Farmers will get a good test against a Wakeland team that was 11-2 last year. The Wolverines lost 35-7 to Denton Guyer last week in District 5-6A play. In both losses, the Wolverines scored only 7 points.