GAMES
RANKINGS
Lewisville one of the surprise teams in the area
THE TAKEAWAYS: 5 Storylines in Week 3
Another week of Texas high school football provided another week of standout plays, big wins and some good old-fashioned trash talk between Houston and Dallas schools when North Crowley met Summer Creek.
For many teams, Week 3 was the final non-district game. Now, the hunt for the postseason officially begins.
Don’t have a win? At this point, even a team like South Oak Cliff is winless.
Sometimes, the grind to start the season pays off later in the year. Just look at DeSoto last season. The Eagles started 0-2, then won 13 of their next 14 games to capture a state championship.
Here’s a look at some of the things we noticed this week.
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Thriller in Dallas, Part I
The inaugural Roland Parrish Classic took place Saturday at the Cotton Bowl.
DeSoto rallied to beat Duncanville, 21-20, behind a three-touchdown performance from SaRod Baker. The Texas Tech pledge ran for 122 yards, but perhaps the biggest storyline was where he lined up.
Baker is now QB1 instead of RB1.
He has played quarterback at times in the past, but it will be interesting to see where this goes moving forward.
Baker finished 7-for-13 passing for 86 yards and three interceptions, while Wyatt Davis led the DeSoto rushing attack with 131 yards on 18 carries.
You want your most talented player to have the ball in his hands as much as possible. This is certainly one way to make that happen.
Duncanville trailed 21-7 before scoring twice in the second half, but a blocked PAT ended up being the difference in the game.
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Thriller in Dallas, Part II
North Shore dominated when it had the ball — and, perhaps most importantly, didn’t turn it over.
The times they did, however, allowed South Oak Cliff to hang around.
Eventually, the Golden Bears surged back to take a 21-17 lead early in the fourth quarter.
But on the ensuing drive, the Class 6A Division I state champions rallied to take the lead on a touchdown pass from JaVoris Taylor to Demont Jones.
The Mustangs then came up with a fourth-down stop in the final seconds to hold on for the win.
Two great games. Four elite teams. And, unfortunately, almost no one got to see them.
It would’ve been great to have these two marquee games available for the fans who wanted to watch four elite teams play.
Maybe next year?
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Who Would’ve Guessed?
The early portion of the schedule always brings a few surprises — teams and players doing things some of us probably didn’t see coming.
Here are two of them:
Denton and Arlington Sam Houston are both 3-0.
The Denton Broncos are 3-0 for the first time since 2016 after blasting North Garland, 49-6.
Kaiden Credit ran for three touchdowns and caught another in the win.
The Broncos were 4-6 last season and will have a chance to match that win total this week when they face Garland Naaman Forest.
David Beaty, the former Kansas head coach, is turning around a program that went 2-8 before his arrival last year.
Incidentally, Beaty got his coaching start at Naaman Forest back in 1994.
He’s been at Rice, Kansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Florida Atlantic and the Houston Gamblers of the UFL before landing at Denton.
The other 3-0 record we probably didn’t see coming belongs to Arlington Sam Houston.
The Texans — who might have the best old-school logo in the area — blasted Cleburne, 62-0, to improve to 3-0.
This week, they face the Arlington Colts.
Sam Houston was 1-9 last season and 2-8 in 2024. In 2023 and 2022, the Texans went a combined 0-20.
According to veteran journalist Ken Costlow, this is the Texans’ first 3-0 start since 1977.
The Texans haven’t had a .500 season or better since 2014, when they finished 6-5.
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Who Would’ve Guessed? Part II
Three weeks into the season, there are some surprising W-L records across Texas.
We mentioned two above. Here are a few others worth noting at this point:
- Lewisville: 3-0
- Highland Park: 1-2
- DeSoto: 1-2
- Duncanville: 1-2
- South Oak Cliff: 0-2
- Allen: 3-0
- Southlake Carroll: 1-2
- Keller Central: 3-0
- Aledo: 1-2
- Birdville: 3-0
- Nevada Community: 3-0
- The Colony: 3-0
- Prosper Richland: 3-0
- Joshua: 3-0
- Fort Worth Carter-Riverside: 3-0
Some of those records will obviously change once district play gets rolling.
But that’s what makes this time of year so much fun.
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Dropping 100
Dallas Life Oak Cliff rolled to a 105-14 win over Bonham on Friday.
Yes.
105 points.
By quarter, the Lions scored 35, 29, 22 and 19.
And get this: In the first two games of the season, against Rains and Cedar Hill Trinity Leadership, Life Oak Cliff scored a combined 105 points.
Quarterback Camren Phillips was nearly unstoppable, completing 18-of-26 passes for 459 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Three different receivers topped 100 receiving yards, while six different players hauled in a touchdown pass.
That’s one way to put up a 100-spot.
Desoto knocks off Duncanville last week. Up next Burleson Centennial
BIG TICKET: 10 Can't-Miss DFW Games
Week 4 brings a loaded slate across North Texas, with several heavyweight matchups, district openers and unbeaten teams colliding.
Here are the 10 games you need to have on your radar this week.
Allen at Prosper
Thursday, Sept. 17 | Children’s Health Stadium
The battle of the 3-0 Eagles vs. the 3-0 Eagles.
Allen has already navigated a daunting schedule, picking up wins over Duncanville, DeSoto and Southlake Carroll. Prosper has been just as impressive, dispatching Rockwall, North Forney and Austin Westlake — the latter in a wild 49-40 win last week.
Allen exploded for 701 yards of offense last week, led by highly touted quarterback Ty Snell, who threw for 305 yards. Something has to give in this battle of unbeaten powers.
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Southlake Carroll vs. Keller Central
Thursday, Sept. 17 | Keller ISD Athletic Complex
For the first time in 26 years, Southlake Carroll sits at 1-2.
The Dragons now have what appears to be a favorable matchup on paper — or computer screen — against a Keller Central team they have dominated historically. Carroll is 14-0 against the Chargers since 2006.
But this isn't the same Keller Central team. The Chargers enter district play 3-0, and if there was ever a year to challenge Carroll, this could be it.
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Lucas Lovejoy vs. Fort Worth All Saints Episcopal
Thursday, Sept. 17 | McNair Stadium
Two legendary coaches with state championship resumes go head-to-head as Todd Dodge brings Lucas Lovejoy to Fort Worth to face Aaron Beck and All Saints.
Lovejoy is 3-0, while All Saints enters at 3-1 and is loaded with Division I talent. Leading the way is sophomore Noah Tarrant, the No. 1 tight end in the Class of 2029 and a nationally ranked prospect.
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DeSoto at Burleson Centennial
Friday, Sept. 18 | Burleson ISD Stadium
The defending Class 6A Division II state champion Eagles finally have a win under their belt.
DeSoto knocked off Duncanville 21-20 on Saturday and now opens District 8-5A Division I play against a Burleson Centennial team sitting at 3-0.
The Spartans are coming off a 4-7 season in 2025 but have made impressive progress early this year. DeSoto is turning to SaRod Baker at quarterback, hoping the move can spark a team that enters district play at 1-2.
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Highland Park at Argyle
Friday, Sept. 18 | Argyle ISD Stadium
Argyle is settling into its new home.
The Eagles picked up their second win at the new $27 million stadium last week, dispatching Somerset Academy from North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Highland Park enters at 1-2 after earning its first win of the season. The Scots also have plenty of momentum behind quarterback Buck Randall, who recently passed Matthew Stafford's all-time passing record at Highland Park.
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Mansfield Lake Ridge at Waxahachie
Friday, Sept. 18 | Lumpkins Stadium
The No. 1-ranked Waxahachie Indians survived a thriller against Denton Guyer last week, pulling away for a 44-30 victory.
The game looked destined for a 37-37 tie before a scoop-and-score in the final minute turned it into a two-score win.
Now the Indians welcome a Lake Ridge team that has been putting points on the board. The Eagles have scored 47 and 44 points in their last two games — and won both.
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North Crowley at Duncanville
Friday, Sept. 18
Two of the premier Class 6A Division I programs in Texas meet again.
Duncanville won the state championship in 2023, North Crowley captured the crown in 2024 and Duncanville returned to the state final last season, falling by three points.
Duncanville owns a 3-1 record against North Crowley, but the Panthers won the most recent meeting in the 2024 state semifinals.
Duncanville dropped to 1-2 after a blocked field goal ended its comeback bid against DeSoto on Saturday. North Crowley, meanwhile, remains perfect at 3-0 following a win over Humble Summer Creek.
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Plano John Paul II vs. Dallas Parish Episcopal
Friday, Sept. 18 | Gloria H. Snyder Stadium
The TAPPS Division I District 1 matchup features two teams looking to bounce back.
Parish Episcopal enters at 2-2 after a loss to San Antonio Cornerstone last week. Panthers quarterback Logan Lucero has thrown for 812 yards through four games and could surpass the 1,000-yard mark in this one.
John Paul II has dropped two straight and is 0-1 in district play following a loss to Dallas Bishop Lynch.
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Garland Naaman Forest at Denton
Friday, Sept. 18 | C.H. Collins Athletic Complex
An intriguing District 6-5A Division I matchup pits 3-0 Denton against 2-1 Naaman Forest.
The Rangers were a Class 6A playoff team last season before falling to Forney in the first round. Denton went 4-6 in 2025 and has made just one playoff appearance in the past eight years.
A win here would give the Broncos an impressive early-season statement.
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Mesquite Horn at Rockwall
Friday, Sept. 18 | Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium
Rockwall opens District 10-6A play with a chance to make it three straight wins.
After dropping its opener to Prosper, Rockwall has responded with back-to-back victories, including a shootout win over No. 7 Melissa last week. Melissa reached the Class 5A Division II semifinals last season.
Rockwall is now 2-1 and already halfway to its 2025 win total.
Mesquite Horn enters at 0-3 for the first time since 2021. Interestingly, the last time the Jaguars started 0-4, they went on to reach the regional semifinals and finished 5-8.
Week 4 is loaded. Buckle up.