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Faces of DFW football at Super Bowl LV
After a season like no other, battling through a global pandemic and public health crisis, two teams have finally made it to Super Bowl LV. Although they aren't Texas teams per say, Dallas-Fort Worth area Texas High School Football won't go unrepresented.
Out of five Texas-bred athletes, the Kansas City Chiefs have a pair of DFW-area stars. Our of three Texas-bred athletes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one.
Let's start with the reigning Super Bowl Champions, shall we?
Patrick Mahomes - WhitehouseKLTV
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Whitehouse, Class of 2014
A natural star, Mahomes produced over 8,450 passing yards for Whitehouse in his time with he program. Throwing 96 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions in his high school career, Mahomes was consistent in the pocket. Mahomes also accounted for over 1,100 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the varsity squad. Before playing in the NFL, Mahomes had an outstanding career with the Texas Tech football program.
Armani Watts - North Forney
Armani Watts, S, WR, North Forney, Class of 2014
Watts proved to be a force to be reckoned with for North Forney on both ends of the football. As a safety, Watts tallied 64 solo tackles, 82 total tackles, and 9 interceptions. As a wide receiver, Watts rushed for over 601 yards with one touchdown. He also caught 38 receptions for 637 yards and five touchdowns. Before playing in the NFL, Watts played for Texas A&M.
On the Bucs, we will see a handful of Texas athletes, but only one from the Dallas-Fort Worth area:
Ronald Jones II - McKinney NorthStar Local Media
Ronald Jones II, RB, McKinney North, Class of 2015
Often overlooked as a kid, McKinney North's football coach saw something special in Jones from the start. With McKinney North, Jones totaled 4,810 rushing yards and 73 touchdowns on 541 carries. He also tallied 72 receiving yards on 7 receptions. Before playing in the NFL, Jones had a great career playing for USC.
VYPE DFW February 1 Weekend Recap
We're in that wild part of the year where multiple sports are crossing over. Boys and girls basketball are in the stretch run of their respective regular seasons, softball had its first weekend of games (scrimmages), soccer is rolling right along and baseball is right around the corner.
The winter seasons and early spring seasons bring a bevy of teams, players and games to cover. That was certainly the case this past weekend.
Let's highlight some of the bigger moments of the weekend that was January 29-31.
CHAMPIONS CROWNED
A number of districts crowned their champions in girls hoops action over the weekend.
Sunnyvale topped Farmersville 57-38 to claim the 13-4A title.
The No. 1 team in our girls 4A power rankings surged late to take down Farmersville, thanks for a 22-point effort from Chloe Thomas.
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In a 5A Top 10 matchup, No. 3 Lake Dallas took down No. 6 Grapevine, 59-46, to claim the 6-5A crown. Grapevine held a 16-12 lead after one quarter, but Lake Dallas, thanks to a great performance from Mackenzie Buss, outscored Grapevine 20-10 to go into the half 32-26.
Buss dropped 30 points in the win and had the moment of the weekend, as captured by the Denton Record-Chroncile's Reece Waddell.
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Midlothian Heritage completely dominated Hillsboro, 67-11, to claim the 11-4A title as Elise Stafford scored 22 in the win.
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5A No. 1 Mansfield Legacy earned its first-ever district title with a 52-34 win over Burleson to outright win the 8-5A Division I crown.
BIG BOYS' SHOWDOWNS
In a 5A Boys Top 5 matchup in Mansfield, No. 4 Timberview outlasted No. 2 Summit 66-57 as both teams now sit atop the 8-5A district standings at 9-1 in district play.
Timberview led for the majority of the game, taking a 22-16 lead after the first quarter, maintaining that lead after the second and third quarters and then pulling away in the fourth.
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In another 5A Top 10 matchup in which the higher-ranked team fell, No. 7 Frisco Heritage took down No. 1 Frisco Wakeland 52-49. Wakeland saw its six-game win streak end while Heritage extended its win streak to 8.
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Fresh off entering the 6A Top 10 Power Rankings, No. 10 Lake Highlands shrugged off a big challenge from Richardson Pearce, 54-48 to run its win streak to 5 straight games. Noah McDavid scored 23 to help Lake Highlands fend off Pearce's comeback bid.
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Don't look now, but Prosper Rock Hill - first-year varsity program - is an impressive 15-4 after its 57-56 win over The Colony on Friday. Rock Hill has won four straight and six of its last seven. Rock Hill is tied with McKinney North at 9-2 for second in 10-5A.
Rock Hill has a big matchup against Lovejoy this week for a shot at being atop the district standings.
DINGERS FOR A CAUSE
Over the weekend in Melissa, a number of area softball players participated in the Texas High School Kickoff Home Run Derby benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Dee McClarity, an All-American out of Garland Sachse, took home the crown with 56 home runs in 5 rounds. The Star-Telegram's Brian Gosset interviewed McClarity after the event.
Full interview with home run derby champ SACHSE'S @DeeMcClarity_8 (Texas Tech commit). 15 in the championship round, 56 dingers in 5 rounds. 28 in round 2!! 👀 💪 #WreckEm @SHS_Mustangs @gisdnews pic.twitter.com/snuzqUraQU
— Brian Gosset (@Gosset41) February 1, 2021
Emma Robertson from Fort Worth Boswell, led all batters in the fundraising round with 14 homers and finished as the event's runner-up.