Week 1 is always a crapshoot at all levels for predictions. Last year, I was 16-5 (about 76 percent) on predicting games I was covering. This year, I'm definitely starting off at an ehh-type of clip.
13-7 in my Week 1 projections. In six of the seven incorrect predictions, the final scores were a difference of one possession - the average point differential was 4.33. The outlier was my complete whiff on Argyle Liberty Christian over Melissa. Factor that one in and average jumps by nearly double (8.43 point differential). So not bad, but can be better.
OK, so on to the over-the-top Week 1 knee-jerk reactions after a wild Week 1 of Texas high school football.
Rockwall & Highland Park Will Be State Champs
I can't see a lot of teams across the state being able to keep up with teams that combine for 1,471 yards and 125 points. Last year it was 49-42, so this year's encore (66-59) was even better - added to the fact that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a splash appearance by arriving in his helicopter.
The saying goes "Offense puts butts in the seats, but defense wins championships," but with as potent as either of these teams are, it'll be hard for opposing teams to go up and down with them.
Denton Guyer Will Win State Too
You read that right. Denton Guyer is the real deal and will be the 6A DI State Champs. Eli Stowers had five touchdowns to just two incompletions and Kaedric Cobbs averaged 10 yards per carry for 220 yards in another 6A-5A showdown. It's rare to see teams go toe-to-toe with Aledo and that's just what Guyer did on the way to hold 22-7, 36-21 and 52-41 leads. It got close a couple times, but championship-calibert teams respond to challenges and Guyer was up to the task.
New Coaches Impress in Week 1
There were a litany of new coaches across the Metroplex and a number of them picked up Week 1 wins - one even had an impressive loss. Jeff Harbert (Frisco), Lance Bruner (Dallas Molina), Claude Mathis (DeSoto), Joe McBride (McKinney Boyd), Chris Hudler (Mesquite Horn), Mike Spradline (Rockwall-Heath), Kodi Crane (Caddo Mills), Juan Silva (FW Castleberry), Curtis Lowery (Godley), and Matt Nally (Melissa) were all victorious in Week 1 - always a good start to a new tenure.
Equally impressive was Tyler Soukup, who had his Plano West team thinking and playing upset against Frisco Reedy. You couldn't tell that West was on a 26-game losing streak or that Reedy is thought to be a state challenger. Holding a 7-3 lead at halftime was impressive, despite giving up the lead and eventually losing.
DFW Over Everybody
There were a number of games this past week that pitted DFW-area teams against schools from other parts of the state or from other states. As a group, the DFW showed it's a force to be reckoned with - still. There is no better area, collectively, in Texas high school football than in the DFW. #changemymind
