Week 1 is the ultimate gut-check of the sports world. The questions that lingered through the offseason finally meet a scoreboard, and for several of the area’s top teams, the answers came quickly.

Allen made perhaps the loudest statement, handling Duncanville, 26-7, in a rematch of last year’s State Final Four matchup. The Eagles didn’t just open the season with a win; they answered one of the more painful exits from a year ago. They’ll get another major test Friday when DeSoto comes to town.