This Week: (Season: 18-10)
Tyler Grace Community @ Dallas Christian -- The district opener for both teams for a 2nd straight season. When the schedules were drawn before last season, I think both schools (and maybe the rest of the district too) knew that we would find out quite a bit very quickly in the district campaign. Last year's 26-24 victory for the Chargers sprung them to an undefeated district schedule while also indicating the Cougar defense had improved, ultimately getting them over the 1st round hump in the playoffs (and a near Homer Call of the Year win). This year Grace dropped a much closer contest with Malakoff than a year ago. Does this point to a further improved Grace squad? The Chargers' win at FWC points to the usual contender status, but the other games tell us very little about what the season might hold. If the DC defense can remain the strength it has been for the past decade, then the Cougars will have to produce a special effort to steal a victory on the opening night of the renovated Wheeler Field. Could they? Absolutely. Will they? I think we all know where this space leans toward. Chargers secure an early district win 30-24.
Carrollton Prince of Peace @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- The Crusaders have reached 4-0 and are yet another team attempting to claim favored status in District 2. The Eagles have struggled in Division II, but also scored a win over Brook Hill last season and tied their high of 5 wins since joining Division II. Prince of Peace played TKG to a 6 point defeat in Carrollton last season and was within stinking distance of a huge upset. The other question is when do the Crusaders play a road game? The answer is not until Week 7 after opening with 5 home games and a bye week. TKG has turned around multiple results already this season compared to a year ago. No need for the 91 points to get past Ore City since the Crusaders held them to 64 fewer points than last season. The improved defense for TKG should lead to a handy victory. Crusaders win 49-16.
Prestonwood Christian @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- The odd case of the Liberty Christian Warriors has continued into this season. Last year the Warriors opened 0-4 and few signs pointed to a big year. I suppose a first round exit isn't a big year, but after the start to roll of 5 of 6 in one of the toughest top to bottom districts around and wind up as the district runner-up is quite the turnaround. This year they opened with 2 wins, though a big loss to Gilmer last time out dampens the mood. Not that losing to Gilmer means you're a bad team because Gilmer is really good, but you'd like to be closer than 60-7 going into the bye week. The Lions ran into the unstoppable force that was Bishop Lynch in last year's playoffs after dominating the district schedule. Prestonwood dominated Liberty last year 57-20 in Plano. The Warrior defense appears to have more to offer than they did last year, but Prestonwood still should have the depth to control this one. No easy road wins in District 1 though. Lions win 40-18.
Bishop Dunne @ Bishop Lynch -- A rematch of the state title game from last December heads to Ferguson Rd. The Falcons have started 1-1 with two out of state opponents that we know to be good, but also are difficult to compare with the District 1 teams. Dunne lost to Fayetteville last year in Dallas but won two weeks ago in Arkansas. Does this indicate the Falcons are better than last year's 5th place district finish (that they parlayed into the semis)? The Friars are off to a big 3-0 start allowing just 14 points in 3 games. The nature of the opponents (all UIL schools) makes comparing the Friar offense to the Falcon defense a murky proposition. I think the Falcon's struggle to score on the road, but its tight to the end. Lynch wins 28-14.
Fort Worth Temple Christian @ Fort Worth Southwest Christian -- The author likes to make fun of how many schools use Eagles for a mascot, so here we are with a battle of Eagles. Temple and Southwest both enter at 3-1 looking to head into district play on a high note. Southwest putting a 37 point beating on Temple last year and Temple went on to the Division IV semis. Southwest has made progress in the last couple seasons but still has a lot of ground to cover to match the top three of District 1. The Southwest Christian Eagles should be able to take this one on depth. Southwest wins 42-20.
Pearland Shadow Creek @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs had an uneven start to last season and then seemed to right themselves with a win in greater Houston over this Shadow Creek squad. The Sharks enter their second year of varsity play having lost just 2 games a year ago. 2-0 for Shadow Creek at the start of this season with 1 score victories over Marshall and Kinkaid. The challenge of the unknown makes picks a challenge here, but I do not think the Sharks have improved much on last year and the Mustangs appear to have improved quite a bit though could not get past All Saints last week. Mustangs swim past the Sharks 42-14.
Shiner St. Paul @ Austin Brentwood Christian -- The Cardinals continue to play well and continue to be featured here. The Bears make their first appearance in the picks after starting 4-0 in their 3rd season of varsity football and turning around last year's result against TMI. To stay in this one the Bears will need something more like the 39 and 41 scored in weeks 2 and 3 and less like the 14 put up last week. The Cardinals took down Division II playoff team Hyde Park last week and have opened the season 3-0. Always a tough nut for any Division III school to crack, the Cardinals have scored at least 34 in each of three outings this season and 10 games overall going back to last season. The Bears would definately announce themselves as a D3 contender with a win here, but I think will fall to the Division IV favorite Cardinals. St. Paul wins 42-19.
Quick Hits: (Season: 29-11)
Fort Worth Nolan over Parish Episcopal
Trinity Christian - Addison over Plano John Paul II
Fort Worth Christian over Whitesboro
Austin Regents over Austin St. Michael's
Shelton over Arlington Grace Prep
Houston Second Baptist over Katy St. John XXIII
Fort Bend Christian over Arlington Pantego Christian
Lubbock Christian over Lubbock Trinity Christian
Waco Reicher over Tolar
Colleyville Covenant Christian over Frisco Legacy Christian
I did this last year so I thought I would again. Full district predictions. Please ignore if they turn out badly :)
Division I
District 1 - 1) Dunne 2) Prestonwood 3) Lynch 4) TCA 5) Parish 6) Nolan 7) Liberty 8) John Paul II
District 2 - 1) Brownsville St. Joseph 2) Central 3) Antonian
District 3 - 1) St. Pius 2) Concordia 3) St. Thomas 4) Kelly
Independent - 1) FW All Saints (transitive District 1 champ probably)
Division II
District 1 - 1) MCS 2) Faith 3) FWC 4) Southwest 5) Legacy
District 2 - 1) DC 2) TCCH 3) TKG 4) Grace 5) Brook Hill 6) Prince of Peace
District 3 - 1) Regents 2) St. Mary's 3) Holy Cross 4) Hyde Park 5) St. Michael's 6) SA Christian 7) SA Cornerstone
District 4 - 1) 2nd Baptist 2) Lutheran South 3) Fort Bend 4) Westbury 5) CC John Paul 6) Victoria St. Joseph
Division III Pretty much guessing
District 1 - 1) WP Trinity 2) FW Lake Country 3) Lubbock Chr. 4) Lubbock Trinity 5) Sacred Heart 6) FW Calvary 7) San Jacinto
District 2 - 1) FW Temple 2) Colleyville Covenant 3) Coram Deo 4) Grace Prep 5) Fellowship 6) Pantego
District 3 - 1) McKinney Chr. 2) Shelton 3) Texoma 4) 1st Baptist 5) Dallas Covenant 6) Gainesville State
District 4 - 1) Reicher 2) Brazos Chr. 3) Bryan St. Joseph 4) Marble Falls Faith 5) TSD 6) Central Texas
District 5 - 1) St. Paul 2) Geneva 3) Brentwood 4) St. Gerard 5) Hallettsville SH 6) Schertz JP2 7) San Marcos
District 6 - 1) Cypress 2) Beaumont Legacy 3) Woodlands Legacy 4) Bay Area 5) Northland 6) Rosehill 7) Woodlands Chr. 8) Pasadena 1st 9) Lutheran North 10) Logos
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Week 4 Picks 2017
We're just one week away from much of district play. A couple of big ones this week, with some big-name opponents matching up with other teams from the same district for us to compare. Who will surprise? Who will disappoint? Will the picks be able to continue their rebound after improving last week?
This Week: (Season: 13-8)
Dallas Christian @ Dallas Gateway Charter -- This game probably shouldn't get top billing, but the rules are the rules. The Chargers built a 3 score lead on the road against rival Fort Worth Christian and then held on for a 19-14 victory. We'll be able to match that one up to Faith and MCS meetings with the Cardinals later in the season. The defense provided the key stops early and late as has been typical for the Chargers in notable wins. When the opponents reach 25, the Chargers have just 4 wins in the last 4 seasons and only 2 in that span (curiously Lutheran South twice) when the opponent reaches 30. Not to say DC has been poor on offense, but the defense has been the unit to secure the big wins (except against Lutheran South). The Gators enter at 1-2 including a loss to D3 competitor FW Temple Christian. The Chargers took this one 57-8 a year ago, and even on the road, this one shouldn't be close. Chargers muzzle the Gators 56-7.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Brock -- The Tigers are off to a big 3-0 start including wins over defending state champion Grapevine Faith and D1 Houston St. Thomas both on the road. Brock figures to be the toughest test of the non-district schedule. The Eagles are two years removed from a UIL championship and defeated the same Grapevine Faith team the Tigers did. The Eagles scored only 9 against Midland Christian but 42 against Faith the next week. How does the TCCH defense compare with those two? Difficult to tell with TCCH allowing 14 to Faith and Brock allowing 21. This should be a very competitive game, and I think if the Eagles are on track on offense the Tigers will be unable to keep pace. However, I feel the TCCH defense will be up to the task landing between MCS 9 points allowed and Faith's 42. The Eagles just squeeze past the Tigers 29-26.
Waskom @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- The Crusaders have jumped on a 3-0 start to the year after starting just 1-2 against the same schools a year ago. The TKG defense has been the story of improvement allowing only 71 points in 3 games after allowing 148 in these three games to start last year. Last year the trend continued as the Wildcats piled up 43 in a 2 touchdown victory over the Crusaders. Waskom took down Tyler Grace last week pointing to either a Wildcat improvement over last season or that Tyler Grace has fallen back a tad. This week's result will offer some insights. Look for the TKG defense to continue its good play at home and aid the always potent offense to another victory. Crusaders win 42-28.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Midland Christian -- The Saints travel west to almost visit Odessa in their never-ending quest to win the 2015 version of Division I District 1. A 3-0 start for the newest TAPPS member and a playoff spot announced this week to boot. All Saints comes off their lowest scoring output of the year at just 43 (sounds like less if you put "just" in front of it). The Mustangs have allowed 54 for the year and just 23 in the last two weeks. MCS always hard to beat on the road given the distance traveled, but mostly because they're hard to beat anywhere. The Saints offense looks to be as good as anyone in either division having already outscored Prestonwood this season. So its the classic unstoppable force (Saints O) vs. immovable object (Mustangs D). If MCS' defense can find a big turnover or two, they will take this game. Mustangs out slug the Saints 50-40.
Austin Regents @ Houston Second Baptist -- It has been a while since the Knights dropped a regular season game, but this rematches the closest non-district contest from last year. The Eagles went to Austin a year ago limiting the Knights to their season-low point total of 28. The problem for the Eagles...they only scored 10. Regents scored a notable victory over Parish Episcopal to open the season and dominated two games to reach 3-0. The Eagles have struggled to 0-2 in recovering from Harvey, and the Knights are a tough team to face when trying to find your footing. Second allowed 54 points to open the season against Houston St. Johns. The defense improved to just 24 allowed against D1 Concordia last week. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. I don't see that being enough to topple the Knights. Regents takes a road win 35-20.
Austin Hyde Park @ Shiner St. Paul -- This space praises the Cardinals as often as practical for playing 11-man football and playing it as well as any smaller private school around. TAPPSter list St. Paul with just 97 students in high school, and also the #1 Division III ranking in the coaches poll. Hyde Park appears in TAPPSter with 340 students. The Panthers come in at 2-1 and having played no private school opponents makes for a difficult choice. The Cardinals could not compete with the depth of Hyde Park last season falling 42-20 in Austin. I think at home with what I believe is a slightly weaker Hyde Park team this one is closer this time. However, the numbers prove to be too much, and the Panthers take this one 35-28.
Bremond @ Waco Reicher -- Bremond enters this CenTex road trip with the longest winning streak in the state with no losses since a 2013 playoff loss to Tenaha, 49 wins in a row. The current seniors can achieve the rare never losing in a year career with an undefeated season this year. The Cougars enter this one undefeated for the second straight year stacking 3 victories to start the year. Last year, the Tigers dominated Reicher running away with a 56-13 victory. Have to appreciate the willingness to take on the best, but can't see the Cougars being the one to keep Bremond from 50. Tigers win handily, 48-18.
Quick Hits: (Season: 21-9)
Tyler Grace Community over Malakoff
Fort Worth Christian over Gainesville State
Grapevine Faith Christian over Dallas Lincoln
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Arlington Grace Prep
Colleyville Covenant over Shelton
Muenster over McKinney Christian
Willow Park Trinity Christian over Kennedale Fellowship
Sherman Texoma Christian over Irving The Highlands
Boerne Geneva over Austin St. Dominic Savio
El Paso Cathedral over San Elizario
Picks Archive:
This Week: (Season: 13-8)
Dallas Christian @ Dallas Gateway Charter -- This game probably shouldn't get top billing, but the rules are the rules. The Chargers built a 3 score lead on the road against rival Fort Worth Christian and then held on for a 19-14 victory. We'll be able to match that one up to Faith and MCS meetings with the Cardinals later in the season. The defense provided the key stops early and late as has been typical for the Chargers in notable wins. When the opponents reach 25, the Chargers have just 4 wins in the last 4 seasons and only 2 in that span (curiously Lutheran South twice) when the opponent reaches 30. Not to say DC has been poor on offense, but the defense has been the unit to secure the big wins (except against Lutheran South). The Gators enter at 1-2 including a loss to D3 competitor FW Temple Christian. The Chargers took this one 57-8 a year ago, and even on the road, this one shouldn't be close. Chargers muzzle the Gators 56-7.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Brock -- The Tigers are off to a big 3-0 start including wins over defending state champion Grapevine Faith and D1 Houston St. Thomas both on the road. Brock figures to be the toughest test of the non-district schedule. The Eagles are two years removed from a UIL championship and defeated the same Grapevine Faith team the Tigers did. The Eagles scored only 9 against Midland Christian but 42 against Faith the next week. How does the TCCH defense compare with those two? Difficult to tell with TCCH allowing 14 to Faith and Brock allowing 21. This should be a very competitive game, and I think if the Eagles are on track on offense the Tigers will be unable to keep pace. However, I feel the TCCH defense will be up to the task landing between MCS 9 points allowed and Faith's 42. The Eagles just squeeze past the Tigers 29-26.
Waskom @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- The Crusaders have jumped on a 3-0 start to the year after starting just 1-2 against the same schools a year ago. The TKG defense has been the story of improvement allowing only 71 points in 3 games after allowing 148 in these three games to start last year. Last year the trend continued as the Wildcats piled up 43 in a 2 touchdown victory over the Crusaders. Waskom took down Tyler Grace last week pointing to either a Wildcat improvement over last season or that Tyler Grace has fallen back a tad. This week's result will offer some insights. Look for the TKG defense to continue its good play at home and aid the always potent offense to another victory. Crusaders win 42-28.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Midland Christian -- The Saints travel west to almost visit Odessa in their never-ending quest to win the 2015 version of Division I District 1. A 3-0 start for the newest TAPPS member and a playoff spot announced this week to boot. All Saints comes off their lowest scoring output of the year at just 43 (sounds like less if you put "just" in front of it). The Mustangs have allowed 54 for the year and just 23 in the last two weeks. MCS always hard to beat on the road given the distance traveled, but mostly because they're hard to beat anywhere. The Saints offense looks to be as good as anyone in either division having already outscored Prestonwood this season. So its the classic unstoppable force (Saints O) vs. immovable object (Mustangs D). If MCS' defense can find a big turnover or two, they will take this game. Mustangs out slug the Saints 50-40.
Austin Regents @ Houston Second Baptist -- It has been a while since the Knights dropped a regular season game, but this rematches the closest non-district contest from last year. The Eagles went to Austin a year ago limiting the Knights to their season-low point total of 28. The problem for the Eagles...they only scored 10. Regents scored a notable victory over Parish Episcopal to open the season and dominated two games to reach 3-0. The Eagles have struggled to 0-2 in recovering from Harvey, and the Knights are a tough team to face when trying to find your footing. Second allowed 54 points to open the season against Houston St. Johns. The defense improved to just 24 allowed against D1 Concordia last week. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. I don't see that being enough to topple the Knights. Regents takes a road win 35-20.
Austin Hyde Park @ Shiner St. Paul -- This space praises the Cardinals as often as practical for playing 11-man football and playing it as well as any smaller private school around. TAPPSter list St. Paul with just 97 students in high school, and also the #1 Division III ranking in the coaches poll. Hyde Park appears in TAPPSter with 340 students. The Panthers come in at 2-1 and having played no private school opponents makes for a difficult choice. The Cardinals could not compete with the depth of Hyde Park last season falling 42-20 in Austin. I think at home with what I believe is a slightly weaker Hyde Park team this one is closer this time. However, the numbers prove to be too much, and the Panthers take this one 35-28.
Bremond @ Waco Reicher -- Bremond enters this CenTex road trip with the longest winning streak in the state with no losses since a 2013 playoff loss to Tenaha, 49 wins in a row. The current seniors can achieve the rare never losing in a year career with an undefeated season this year. The Cougars enter this one undefeated for the second straight year stacking 3 victories to start the year. Last year, the Tigers dominated Reicher running away with a 56-13 victory. Have to appreciate the willingness to take on the best, but can't see the Cougars being the one to keep Bremond from 50. Tigers win handily, 48-18.
Quick Hits: (Season: 21-9)
Tyler Grace Community over Malakoff
Fort Worth Christian over Gainesville State
Grapevine Faith Christian over Dallas Lincoln
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Arlington Grace Prep
Colleyville Covenant over Shelton
Muenster over McKinney Christian
Willow Park Trinity Christian over Kennedale Fellowship
Sherman Texoma Christian over Irving The Highlands
Boerne Geneva over Austin St. Dominic Savio
El Paso Cathedral over San Elizario
Picks Archive:
Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Week 3 Picks 2017
The numbers have been turned in, so that means it's time for everyone's favorite part of high school football...Realignment Talk! Ok, not this week but coming in October we get to find out who will be publically shamed for being the largest in their division. In more current matters, we inch closer to district play for most with the usual dotting of big games. Also, want to give a shout to Plano John Paul II for breaking their 33 game losing streak. Feels only right to credit them when I've dealt a fair amount of abuse out over the past couple seasons. Good luck and safe travels to all!
This Week: (Season: 7-6)
Dallas Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- The Chargers head to Tarrant County for the always big game with Fort Worth Christian. Both teams come into the season expecting to have a big year and ranked in the top 5 in the TAPPS poll. Both teams only played once thus far. A dominant victory for the Cardinals over Country Day and a handy victory for DC over Houston Christian. So both teams have done a lot of practicing and not a ton of playing in competitive situations. Last year the Cardinals came to Dallas dropping a close one 24-20. The DC defense dominated Houston Christian and will look for more of the same. When last we saw FWC against a TAPPS opponent they allowed 56 points to Tyler Grace in a 1st round playoff game. It would seem that the Chargers should score enough in this one but remains to be seen if the defense is actually the dominant unit it was in the opener. I, of course, have a reputation to uphold and will pick the Chargers to win 35-28.
Brock @ Grapevine Faith Christian -- Both teams enter off losses to Division II opponents. The Lions fell at home to TCCH a week ago, and look to bounce back. The Eagles (really? another one?) struggled mightily offensively in Midland last week. A year ago Faith traveled to Brock coming away with a 42-35 loss before winning the state title in December. When the Lions held the opposition under 40 last season they won. Looking ahead if the Faith defense allows too many in this one it does not look promising taking on MCS later in the season. Does the Eagle offense return to the form that won its first 13 last season? Can the Faith defense put together a better 2nd half than last week? I'll take Lions to bounce back 38-30. (Though it might have to do with my bias against schools using Eagles for their mascot)
El Paso Americas @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs are off to a very different start than a year ago. Last season MCS headed to El Paso at 0-2 and took another loss allowing 41 points. In contrast, the Mustangs have just 40 points scored against them in 2 games this season. The Trail Blazers (now this is a mascot) enter at 1-1 but with the distance involved to the Mountain Time Zone I have no idea what losing to Rio Rancho from New Mexico by 32 really means, but they were a New Mexico state champion last year. Trail Blazer results suggest they aren't quite as good a last year and Mustangs results suggest they are better than a year ago. Mustangs go to 3-0 with a 42-20 victory.
Fort Worth Nolan @ Fort Worth All Saints -- The Vikings are off to a better start even with the drubbing by Richland to open the season. A win over Joshua hopes to start the momentum for them. The Saints have scored 112 points in two weeks and look to cement their place as a de facto District 1 champ with a 3rd win over district opponents. Does the Nolan defense continue its shutout form from the Joshua win? That will be the question. Based on recent seasons it is hard to see the Vikings scoring a bunch of points on the road in this one, but if their defense can keep them in it things could be interesting and add even more intrigue to the always delicious District 1 slate. I think All Saints will score plenty to win, taking the game 50-28.
Ore City @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- Speaking of scoring plenty, The Crusaders and Rebels return to the field to rematch last years 91-71 TKG victory. Yes, 71 for Ore City in a 20 point loss. The Crusaders QB sees an opponent that last saw him throw 10 TD passes in a 13 TD explosion for the Crusaders. The defense has been TKG's undoing for a number seasons including 64 and 83 allowed in their last 2 playoff games. Where does this leave the Rebels? With only 34 points scored in two weeks, I don't see where the offense can keep pace with the Crusaders. TKG wins 50-30.
Tyler Grace Community @ Waskom -- The Cougars came up with a big victory a year ago over the Wildcats. Announcing its presence with a 52-20 win over what was believed to be a top 3A contender in Waskom. The Wildcats have fallen back after a state championship in 2015. Waskom sees an 0-2 start to this season and will try to find its form against a Cougar squad that has scored 30 in its two outings thus far. How will this one unfold against a Wildcat defense that has held both opponents under 30 in its 2 losses? Look for the Cougars to struggle against the Wildcat defense, but for Waskom to be unable to consolidate it on offense. Cougars win on the road 29-17.
Beaumont Kelly @ Austin Regents -- The coach working the phones for Regents deserves immense credit for filling these games one after another on short notice. Three different opponents for the 1st three games when compared to last season. The Bulldogs likely have the longest TAPPS losing streak now at 14 entering what has become their season opener. Their own hurricane recovery obviously makes playing football a difficult, and many times, unimportant matter, but it's great to see all these schools getting back to the field (including incredibly hard hit Rockport-Fulton last week). The Knights have won 15 regular season games in a row and fell by only a point in the state final last year. Great to see Kelly out there playing this Saturday, but it looks like a hard road to a victory. Regents wins 42-7.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Houston St. Thomas -- The circumstances surrounding the Evangel Christian cancellation is odd, to say the least. The film reason seems flimsy to then go ahead and schedule someone else, but I suppose everyone has their reasons and to be honest it's probably not as interesting a story as the media coverage makes it feel like. Anyway, on the field, the Tigers somehow managed to find an Eagles to replace a scheduled game against the Eagles (because there can never be enough Eagles). St. Thomas hasn't played yet this year with Hurricane Harvey's impacts. The Tigers have two nice victories over ESD and Grapevine Faith, particularly last week's squeezing of Faith in the 2nd half. Expect the TCCH defense to be ahead of the Eagle offense in this one and for the Tigers to score enough for a road victory. TCCH wins 33-18.
Quick Hits: (Season: 13-7)
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Pantego Christian
McKinney Christian over Carrollton Prince of Peace
Frisco Legacy Christian over Dallas Conrad
Bullard Brook Hill over Houston St. John's
Prestonwood Christian over Lake Dallas
Fayetteville (AR) over Bishop Dunne
Bishop Lynch over Kaufman
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Cistercian
Waco Reicher over Bosqueville
Shiner St. Paul over Flatonia
This Week: (Season: 7-6)
Dallas Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- The Chargers head to Tarrant County for the always big game with Fort Worth Christian. Both teams come into the season expecting to have a big year and ranked in the top 5 in the TAPPS poll. Both teams only played once thus far. A dominant victory for the Cardinals over Country Day and a handy victory for DC over Houston Christian. So both teams have done a lot of practicing and not a ton of playing in competitive situations. Last year the Cardinals came to Dallas dropping a close one 24-20. The DC defense dominated Houston Christian and will look for more of the same. When last we saw FWC against a TAPPS opponent they allowed 56 points to Tyler Grace in a 1st round playoff game. It would seem that the Chargers should score enough in this one but remains to be seen if the defense is actually the dominant unit it was in the opener. I, of course, have a reputation to uphold and will pick the Chargers to win 35-28.
Brock @ Grapevine Faith Christian -- Both teams enter off losses to Division II opponents. The Lions fell at home to TCCH a week ago, and look to bounce back. The Eagles (really? another one?) struggled mightily offensively in Midland last week. A year ago Faith traveled to Brock coming away with a 42-35 loss before winning the state title in December. When the Lions held the opposition under 40 last season they won. Looking ahead if the Faith defense allows too many in this one it does not look promising taking on MCS later in the season. Does the Eagle offense return to the form that won its first 13 last season? Can the Faith defense put together a better 2nd half than last week? I'll take Lions to bounce back 38-30. (Though it might have to do with my bias against schools using Eagles for their mascot)
El Paso Americas @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs are off to a very different start than a year ago. Last season MCS headed to El Paso at 0-2 and took another loss allowing 41 points. In contrast, the Mustangs have just 40 points scored against them in 2 games this season. The Trail Blazers (now this is a mascot) enter at 1-1 but with the distance involved to the Mountain Time Zone I have no idea what losing to Rio Rancho from New Mexico by 32 really means, but they were a New Mexico state champion last year. Trail Blazer results suggest they aren't quite as good a last year and Mustangs results suggest they are better than a year ago. Mustangs go to 3-0 with a 42-20 victory.
Fort Worth Nolan @ Fort Worth All Saints -- The Vikings are off to a better start even with the drubbing by Richland to open the season. A win over Joshua hopes to start the momentum for them. The Saints have scored 112 points in two weeks and look to cement their place as a de facto District 1 champ with a 3rd win over district opponents. Does the Nolan defense continue its shutout form from the Joshua win? That will be the question. Based on recent seasons it is hard to see the Vikings scoring a bunch of points on the road in this one, but if their defense can keep them in it things could be interesting and add even more intrigue to the always delicious District 1 slate. I think All Saints will score plenty to win, taking the game 50-28.
Ore City @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- Speaking of scoring plenty, The Crusaders and Rebels return to the field to rematch last years 91-71 TKG victory. Yes, 71 for Ore City in a 20 point loss. The Crusaders QB sees an opponent that last saw him throw 10 TD passes in a 13 TD explosion for the Crusaders. The defense has been TKG's undoing for a number seasons including 64 and 83 allowed in their last 2 playoff games. Where does this leave the Rebels? With only 34 points scored in two weeks, I don't see where the offense can keep pace with the Crusaders. TKG wins 50-30.
Tyler Grace Community @ Waskom -- The Cougars came up with a big victory a year ago over the Wildcats. Announcing its presence with a 52-20 win over what was believed to be a top 3A contender in Waskom. The Wildcats have fallen back after a state championship in 2015. Waskom sees an 0-2 start to this season and will try to find its form against a Cougar squad that has scored 30 in its two outings thus far. How will this one unfold against a Wildcat defense that has held both opponents under 30 in its 2 losses? Look for the Cougars to struggle against the Wildcat defense, but for Waskom to be unable to consolidate it on offense. Cougars win on the road 29-17.
Beaumont Kelly @ Austin Regents -- The coach working the phones for Regents deserves immense credit for filling these games one after another on short notice. Three different opponents for the 1st three games when compared to last season. The Bulldogs likely have the longest TAPPS losing streak now at 14 entering what has become their season opener. Their own hurricane recovery obviously makes playing football a difficult, and many times, unimportant matter, but it's great to see all these schools getting back to the field (including incredibly hard hit Rockport-Fulton last week). The Knights have won 15 regular season games in a row and fell by only a point in the state final last year. Great to see Kelly out there playing this Saturday, but it looks like a hard road to a victory. Regents wins 42-7.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Houston St. Thomas -- The circumstances surrounding the Evangel Christian cancellation is odd, to say the least. The film reason seems flimsy to then go ahead and schedule someone else, but I suppose everyone has their reasons and to be honest it's probably not as interesting a story as the media coverage makes it feel like. Anyway, on the field, the Tigers somehow managed to find an Eagles to replace a scheduled game against the Eagles (because there can never be enough Eagles). St. Thomas hasn't played yet this year with Hurricane Harvey's impacts. The Tigers have two nice victories over ESD and Grapevine Faith, particularly last week's squeezing of Faith in the 2nd half. Expect the TCCH defense to be ahead of the Eagle offense in this one and for the Tigers to score enough for a road victory. TCCH wins 33-18.
Quick Hits: (Season: 13-7)
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Pantego Christian
McKinney Christian over Carrollton Prince of Peace
Frisco Legacy Christian over Dallas Conrad
Bullard Brook Hill over Houston St. John's
Prestonwood Christian over Lake Dallas
Fayetteville (AR) over Bishop Dunne
Bishop Lynch over Kaufman
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Cistercian
Waco Reicher over Bosqueville
Shiner St. Paul over Flatonia
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Week 2 Picks 2017
We're back with a more complete schedule before yet another hurricane takes on the United States. A mixture of openers, cross district showdowns, and big public school opponents dot the Week 2 landscape. As always, please contribute your own thoughts. Let me know where I may have strayed and if JP2 will end its 33 games losing streak this week.
This Week: (Last Week: 4-2)
Dallas Christian @ Houston Christian -- A surprise season opener for two teams that didn't play each other last year and a game that was supposed to be the second one. These two haven't met since a 2008 playoff game controlled by the Chargers. The Chargers look to pick up some speed heading into a district campaign that will include a tougher TCCH squad as well as the usual Tyler based suspects. The Mustangs return to play from a team that finished 5-4 a year ago and lost its final 3. Always difficult to make the cross region comparison especially when one is TAPPS and the other is SPC. The Charger defense held down most opponents a year ago allowing 20 in just 4 of 12 games. The Mustang defense allowed that many in all 4 losses and win over an ESD squad that DC held to just 7. What has a new year brought for these teams? Well with both teams at 0-0 it's hard to know. What type of team does each school have? Will it be the usual DC running game that pushes teams around or Houston Christian throwing it up and down the field? Chargers defense starts the season strong and DC wins 38-10.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Grapevine Faith Christian -- Probably the big game of the week in Division II. The Tigers look to be an improved squad from a year ago and the Lions are the defending state champion. Trinity clearly handled an ESD squad 39-14, but 13 penalties would appear to be a hindrance to their chances if it repeats again. The Lions crushed Austin St. Michael's 45-3 and will be right in the middle of the big 3 battle in District 1. This also lets us look at the balance between Districts 1 and 2 to go along with next week's DC-FWC matchup. The Tigers allowed at least 21 points in every game last year and held ESD to 14, is that the beginning of a defensive turnaround. The Lions allowed 21 in only 2 of their regular season games a year ago. Look for the Faith defense to continue its hold and further establish itself as a title contender. Lions win 32-15.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Trinity Christian - Addison -- The Saints enter after notching a quality win over Prestonwood 61-50. The Trojans have been an odd team that has bounced between the greatest offense anyone has ever seen to being an also ran that stops less than a jugs machine on defense. Oddly, their best defensive game a year ago came against Concordia in the playoffs but their offense only backed it up with 14 points in a 1st round loss. All Saints move to TAPPS started well with their Prestonwood win and if the offense puts up 60 again it will be hard for TCA to keep up. The Trojans lost to Denison to open the season after defeating them a year ago. TCA will likely find its way to the usual 30 points or so, but unless the defense is much better than a year ago the Saints will be too much. All Saints wins 56-30.
Midland Christian @ Brock -- The Mustangs hit the road for their 1st of just 4 regular season road trips this year. A tough challenge awaits in an Eagles squad that went to the 4th round of the playoffs a year ago. Interestingly Brock was eliminated by a Wall squad that MCS beat earlier in the year. The Mustangs went down early before surging back but ultimately falling 57-41 a year ago in Midland. MCS defeated an Eastwood squad that it lost to last year but the points allowed continues to be a worry as it was a year ago. Good teams scored quite a few on the Mustang defense in non-district contests last year and led to starting 0-3 last year despite score 28 in all 3 games. MCS has often played it best late in the year when the chips are down and this year will probably be no different. I think Brock scores too many to overcome this week though. Eagles win 50-38.
White Oak @ T.K. Gorman -- Much like TCA when the Crusader defense gains some traction TKG becomes very hard to beat. The offense has scored bunches in the past few seasons, including 91 in a game last year and 68 in a 15 point playoff loss in 2015. The defense has surrendered plenty including 71 and 83 in those two games. The TKG defense finished the year allowing 56 and 64 in 2 of the last 3 to end last season. The Roughnecks beat TKG a year ago for these reasons. The Crusaders scored 38, but that was only good enough to lose by 11. Even last week TKG needed all of its 41 points to get a 41-35 win at home. Another home game bodes well for the Crusaders though. The Roughnecks won 10 games a year ago and should have enough offense to push past the Crusaders for a 2nd straight year, but definitely take the over (and seek help after betting totals on high school football). White Oak wins 42-37.
Canton @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars point toward the big district opener with DC in Week 5. The Eagles will look to improve on a 1-point home win from last year. The Grace defense has not been the sieve that Gorman's has, but has betrayed it in some big games. Similarly, the defense has held teams down on nights the offense didn't produce. Getting both units on the same night has been a challenge in reaching the top of the division for the Cougars. The Eagles won 8 games a year ago before bowing out in round 1. If the Eagles score the 42 points they did a year ago they should win this game, but if they are closer to the meager 21 they scored last week in a loss to Brownsboro the Cougars should control this one with their offense. I'll take Grace at home 43-30.
Bellaire Episcopal @ Prestonwood Christian -- The Lions could never get the stop needed despite scoring 50 on offense and thus lost to All Saints to open the season. The Knights have been unable to turn dominant regular season squads into SPC titles in recent years, but they won't see All Saints in the title game this year. Week 1's best defender keeps us from knowing just how good the Knights might be this year, and I certainly don't envy the task of stopping the Lion offense any week. Though cleaning up from a hurricane and flood on top of it seems worse. Hopefully, the Knights get a bit of a return to normalcy on the field, but I think the road trip is too much to overcome. Lions win 49-35.
Quick Hits: (Last Week: 8-2)
Bishop Lynch over Irving
Frisco Legacy Christian over Plano John Paul II
FW Southwest Christian over Dallas Molina
Parish Episcopal over Episcopal School of Dallas
Moody over Waco Reicher
Shiner St. Paul over Bryan St. Joseph
Joshua over FW Nolan
FW Trinity Valley over FW Country Day
Celina over Liberty Christian
Austin Regents over Cypress Christian
This Week: (Last Week: 4-2)
Dallas Christian @ Houston Christian -- A surprise season opener for two teams that didn't play each other last year and a game that was supposed to be the second one. These two haven't met since a 2008 playoff game controlled by the Chargers. The Chargers look to pick up some speed heading into a district campaign that will include a tougher TCCH squad as well as the usual Tyler based suspects. The Mustangs return to play from a team that finished 5-4 a year ago and lost its final 3. Always difficult to make the cross region comparison especially when one is TAPPS and the other is SPC. The Charger defense held down most opponents a year ago allowing 20 in just 4 of 12 games. The Mustang defense allowed that many in all 4 losses and win over an ESD squad that DC held to just 7. What has a new year brought for these teams? Well with both teams at 0-0 it's hard to know. What type of team does each school have? Will it be the usual DC running game that pushes teams around or Houston Christian throwing it up and down the field? Chargers defense starts the season strong and DC wins 38-10.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Grapevine Faith Christian -- Probably the big game of the week in Division II. The Tigers look to be an improved squad from a year ago and the Lions are the defending state champion. Trinity clearly handled an ESD squad 39-14, but 13 penalties would appear to be a hindrance to their chances if it repeats again. The Lions crushed Austin St. Michael's 45-3 and will be right in the middle of the big 3 battle in District 1. This also lets us look at the balance between Districts 1 and 2 to go along with next week's DC-FWC matchup. The Tigers allowed at least 21 points in every game last year and held ESD to 14, is that the beginning of a defensive turnaround. The Lions allowed 21 in only 2 of their regular season games a year ago. Look for the Faith defense to continue its hold and further establish itself as a title contender. Lions win 32-15.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Trinity Christian - Addison -- The Saints enter after notching a quality win over Prestonwood 61-50. The Trojans have been an odd team that has bounced between the greatest offense anyone has ever seen to being an also ran that stops less than a jugs machine on defense. Oddly, their best defensive game a year ago came against Concordia in the playoffs but their offense only backed it up with 14 points in a 1st round loss. All Saints move to TAPPS started well with their Prestonwood win and if the offense puts up 60 again it will be hard for TCA to keep up. The Trojans lost to Denison to open the season after defeating them a year ago. TCA will likely find its way to the usual 30 points or so, but unless the defense is much better than a year ago the Saints will be too much. All Saints wins 56-30.
Midland Christian @ Brock -- The Mustangs hit the road for their 1st of just 4 regular season road trips this year. A tough challenge awaits in an Eagles squad that went to the 4th round of the playoffs a year ago. Interestingly Brock was eliminated by a Wall squad that MCS beat earlier in the year. The Mustangs went down early before surging back but ultimately falling 57-41 a year ago in Midland. MCS defeated an Eastwood squad that it lost to last year but the points allowed continues to be a worry as it was a year ago. Good teams scored quite a few on the Mustang defense in non-district contests last year and led to starting 0-3 last year despite score 28 in all 3 games. MCS has often played it best late in the year when the chips are down and this year will probably be no different. I think Brock scores too many to overcome this week though. Eagles win 50-38.
White Oak @ T.K. Gorman -- Much like TCA when the Crusader defense gains some traction TKG becomes very hard to beat. The offense has scored bunches in the past few seasons, including 91 in a game last year and 68 in a 15 point playoff loss in 2015. The defense has surrendered plenty including 71 and 83 in those two games. The TKG defense finished the year allowing 56 and 64 in 2 of the last 3 to end last season. The Roughnecks beat TKG a year ago for these reasons. The Crusaders scored 38, but that was only good enough to lose by 11. Even last week TKG needed all of its 41 points to get a 41-35 win at home. Another home game bodes well for the Crusaders though. The Roughnecks won 10 games a year ago and should have enough offense to push past the Crusaders for a 2nd straight year, but definitely take the over (and seek help after betting totals on high school football). White Oak wins 42-37.
Canton @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars point toward the big district opener with DC in Week 5. The Eagles will look to improve on a 1-point home win from last year. The Grace defense has not been the sieve that Gorman's has, but has betrayed it in some big games. Similarly, the defense has held teams down on nights the offense didn't produce. Getting both units on the same night has been a challenge in reaching the top of the division for the Cougars. The Eagles won 8 games a year ago before bowing out in round 1. If the Eagles score the 42 points they did a year ago they should win this game, but if they are closer to the meager 21 they scored last week in a loss to Brownsboro the Cougars should control this one with their offense. I'll take Grace at home 43-30.
Bellaire Episcopal @ Prestonwood Christian -- The Lions could never get the stop needed despite scoring 50 on offense and thus lost to All Saints to open the season. The Knights have been unable to turn dominant regular season squads into SPC titles in recent years, but they won't see All Saints in the title game this year. Week 1's best defender keeps us from knowing just how good the Knights might be this year, and I certainly don't envy the task of stopping the Lion offense any week. Though cleaning up from a hurricane and flood on top of it seems worse. Hopefully, the Knights get a bit of a return to normalcy on the field, but I think the road trip is too much to overcome. Lions win 49-35.
Quick Hits: (Last Week: 8-2)
Bishop Lynch over Irving
Frisco Legacy Christian over Plano John Paul II
FW Southwest Christian over Dallas Molina
Parish Episcopal over Episcopal School of Dallas
Moody over Waco Reicher
Shiner St. Paul over Bryan St. Joseph
Joshua over FW Nolan
FW Trinity Valley over FW Country Day
Celina over Liberty Christian
Austin Regents over Cypress Christian
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