We have crossed the long desert and reached the oasis of
football. New powers look to emerge or stay at the top. Entirely too
many schools continue to be the Eagles. One school in Waco even went so
far as to change their name to Eagle Christian Academy. Early story
lines are how does Midland Christian do in Division I? Will TCCH
dominate Division II opposition again? Will this be the year that
someone south of the I-20 corridor wins Division II? Will Shiner St.
Paul continue to show everyone how to get every male in school to play
football and play it well?
New stories will emerge as they always do. Please know the committee responsible for these picks does not necessarily see everyone play and mostly has to go on reputation and common opponents. Its all in good fun and I certainly have a few biases. Namely the user name and a preference for interesting mascots (so not the Eagles). Please feel free to contribute your own commentary and information, we're always interested in good talk about the upcoming games. I also welcome suggestions about games I should include in the future, know that I do more DI and DII games and more in the North as I know more about the teams, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking to expand (interesting mascots a plus).
Good luck to all on the road to Midway/Hewitt/Waco!
This Week:
2015: 94-16
2016: 79-25
2017: 78-32
Houston Westbury Christian @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers reached the semifinals a year ago before falling to the state champions in TCCH. Dallas Christian struggled offensively in two matchups with TCCH, but it wouldn't really be accurate to say the Chargers struggled offensively last season with ourputs in the 40s regularly including scoring 45 against FWC in the Regional playoffs. The two teams were scheduled to open the season last year before Hurricane Harvey caused a multitude of problems for football teams, schools, and everyone. The Wildcats went on to post a 6-3 record before falling in the first round of the playoffs against San Antonio Holy Cross. It did produce the traditional basketball power's first winning season since 2012 and just the third in the last 13 seasons. The Wildcats defense allowed no more than 22 points in its final 7 games last season including 3 shutouts in a row at one point. Both teams figure to be favorites to return to the playoffs in their respective districts, but for this one it would seem to come down to who gets its offense going in the early season. Always a bit of a guess in the early season, but I'll take the Chargers 37-20.
Bishop Lynch @ Trinity Christian Cedar Hill -- The Tigers climbed the mountain last season to claim the Division II title and with key skill players returning appear to a be strong contender and probably the favorite this year. Only Brock felled the Tigers last season and the TCCH offense scored 40 or more in 8 of its 12 wins. The Friars took a 5th place district finish and turned it into a state championship in 2016 and then started 2017 with 12 straight wins before St. Pius took them down in the semifinals. Their lone loss was the only time last season the Friars allowed more than 19 points. If the Friars are able to control the Tigers offense like that they should stand a good chance of winning. Stopping the Tigers is no easy task however. For week 1 this is definitely a game that seems to tell us a lot about where the teams will slot at the top of their respective divisions. I'll take the Tigers at home 40-26.
Garrison vs. Tyler T.K. Gorman @ Tyler Grace -- The Crusaders opened last season with a 6 point win against Garrison last season to begin a 6-0 start to the year. Unfortunately for them they would lost their next 4 finishing with a 21 point first round loss at FWC. The TKG offense has been the notable unit for several seasons now including a 91-71 win in 2016. When the defense produced last season the Crusaders were winners. When the stops went away the points piled up in a hurry in the final 4 games of the season. The Bulldogs reached the 3rd round a season ago after finishing the regular season just 5-5 before falling to Waskom, a team TKG also beat last season. If the Crusaders defense is in good form they should win this one, but Week 1 games are hard to pick. I'll take TKG 35-28.
El Paso Chapin @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs had a disappointing season last year by their lofty standards falling 41-6 in the regional playoffs and are probably still smarting over a 42-7 defeat by FWC (more on that later this season). A realignment to Division I makes for an interesting season in the Basin including a renewal of the rivalry with Liberty. Its really hard to know much about how these two stack up going into this one. El Paso is a long way away. Chapin reached the playoffs after an 8-2 season and should be near the top of the El Paso heap this year. The Huskies will strike out on a regular season road trip outside of El Paso County for the first time since 2013 and didn't leave the city limits of El Paso for a game last season. Even in West Texas where they used to the travel, its always easier to play at home. MCS wins 35-13.
Canton @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars limped out of the starting gate last year starting just 1-5. They closed with 4 wins though before being soundly beaten in a trip to the Permian Basin. A year ago Canton visited Grace coming away with a 42-31 victory. Grace must bring the offense from their 4 game win streak last year if they are going to reverse the result of last season, but they need to pair it with an improved defense. In the 5 early season losses the Cougars scored 31 or more in 3 of them, to compete with TCCH and DC on the district schedule the Grace defense will have to improve and we'll get an early indication if it has against the Eagles who were a playoff team a year ago. Another 42 points on the board for Canton likely would point to a Grace loss and difficult district campaign for the Cougars. I take Canton to repeat last year's performance 42-31.
Houston Kinkaid @ Fort Worth Nolan -- An early SPC vs. TAPPS matchup sees the Vikings host Houston Kinkaid. The Falcons enter as one of the SPC champions of a season ago while the Vikings struggled to score points all season, breaching 20 just 3 times in 11 outings. Nolan actually managed 2 wins in their final 4 regular season games last year despite scoring no more than 18 points in any of them. The Falcons reversed a defeat against Eplscopal in the SPC Championship game, and will certainly be looking to start the season off with a bang. The Vikings run from 2004 to 2013 where they won at least 10 games in 9 out of 10 seasons in TAPPS largest division is one of the best decades put together but they've struggled to regain that form winning an average of only 4 games per year in the last 4 seasons. The road trip, early season question marks, and the relative rarity of TAPPS vs. SPC games among the largest schools makes this game a bit of a mystery. I'll take the home team because that's usually safer. Vikings win 24-21.
Houston Cypress Christian @ Austin Regents -- The Knights reached the title game for the 2nd straight year and took another runner-up finish. This time perhaps stung a little less as TCCH largely controlled the game from the opening kickoff rather than 2016's overtime loss. The Warriors took the DIII title last year running off 13 in a row to close the season including scoring 231 points across 4 playoff victories. The last loss for Cypress though was in last year's opener against Regents. So the game appears to hinge on whether the Cypress offense can produce like the playoffs or if it struggles like the opener last year scoring just 13. The Knights have won 23 in a row in the regular season and I'll take them at home in a close one. Regents wins 30-27.
Arlington Grace Prep @ Arlington Oakridge -- The Owls concluded last year's campaign at 8-2 just missing the SPC title game after winning their final 6. Oakridge posted a 45-23 win over Grace Prep to open last season as well. The Lions managed only 3 wins a season ago before being blown out by Lubbock Christian in the first round. They were in the title game in 2016 though. The days of Mike Barber coaching the Lions seem long ago and its been an up and down run since winning 6 titles in 11 seasons from 1995 to 2005. Interestingly to me, the Lions play only 3 games on a campus this year. The Owls run away at home winning 42-13.
Quick Hits:
2015: 60-15
2016: 103-26
2017: 101-29
Bullard Brook Hill over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
McKinney Christian over Valley View
Carrollton Prince of Peace over Tyler All Saints
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Country Day
Grapevine Faith Christian over Fort Worth Trinity Valley
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Willow Park Trinity Christian
Trinity Christian - Addison over Episcopal School of Dallas
Melissa over Argyle Liberty Christian
Austin Hyde Park over San Antonio Holy Cross
Dallas Shelton over Fort Worth Temple Christian
New stories will emerge as they always do. Please know the committee responsible for these picks does not necessarily see everyone play and mostly has to go on reputation and common opponents. Its all in good fun and I certainly have a few biases. Namely the user name and a preference for interesting mascots (so not the Eagles). Please feel free to contribute your own commentary and information, we're always interested in good talk about the upcoming games. I also welcome suggestions about games I should include in the future, know that I do more DI and DII games and more in the North as I know more about the teams, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking to expand (interesting mascots a plus).
Good luck to all on the road to Midway/Hewitt/Waco!
This Week:
2015: 94-16
2016: 79-25
2017: 78-32
Houston Westbury Christian @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers reached the semifinals a year ago before falling to the state champions in TCCH. Dallas Christian struggled offensively in two matchups with TCCH, but it wouldn't really be accurate to say the Chargers struggled offensively last season with ourputs in the 40s regularly including scoring 45 against FWC in the Regional playoffs. The two teams were scheduled to open the season last year before Hurricane Harvey caused a multitude of problems for football teams, schools, and everyone. The Wildcats went on to post a 6-3 record before falling in the first round of the playoffs against San Antonio Holy Cross. It did produce the traditional basketball power's first winning season since 2012 and just the third in the last 13 seasons. The Wildcats defense allowed no more than 22 points in its final 7 games last season including 3 shutouts in a row at one point. Both teams figure to be favorites to return to the playoffs in their respective districts, but for this one it would seem to come down to who gets its offense going in the early season. Always a bit of a guess in the early season, but I'll take the Chargers 37-20.
Bishop Lynch @ Trinity Christian Cedar Hill -- The Tigers climbed the mountain last season to claim the Division II title and with key skill players returning appear to a be strong contender and probably the favorite this year. Only Brock felled the Tigers last season and the TCCH offense scored 40 or more in 8 of its 12 wins. The Friars took a 5th place district finish and turned it into a state championship in 2016 and then started 2017 with 12 straight wins before St. Pius took them down in the semifinals. Their lone loss was the only time last season the Friars allowed more than 19 points. If the Friars are able to control the Tigers offense like that they should stand a good chance of winning. Stopping the Tigers is no easy task however. For week 1 this is definitely a game that seems to tell us a lot about where the teams will slot at the top of their respective divisions. I'll take the Tigers at home 40-26.
Garrison vs. Tyler T.K. Gorman @ Tyler Grace -- The Crusaders opened last season with a 6 point win against Garrison last season to begin a 6-0 start to the year. Unfortunately for them they would lost their next 4 finishing with a 21 point first round loss at FWC. The TKG offense has been the notable unit for several seasons now including a 91-71 win in 2016. When the defense produced last season the Crusaders were winners. When the stops went away the points piled up in a hurry in the final 4 games of the season. The Bulldogs reached the 3rd round a season ago after finishing the regular season just 5-5 before falling to Waskom, a team TKG also beat last season. If the Crusaders defense is in good form they should win this one, but Week 1 games are hard to pick. I'll take TKG 35-28.
El Paso Chapin @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs had a disappointing season last year by their lofty standards falling 41-6 in the regional playoffs and are probably still smarting over a 42-7 defeat by FWC (more on that later this season). A realignment to Division I makes for an interesting season in the Basin including a renewal of the rivalry with Liberty. Its really hard to know much about how these two stack up going into this one. El Paso is a long way away. Chapin reached the playoffs after an 8-2 season and should be near the top of the El Paso heap this year. The Huskies will strike out on a regular season road trip outside of El Paso County for the first time since 2013 and didn't leave the city limits of El Paso for a game last season. Even in West Texas where they used to the travel, its always easier to play at home. MCS wins 35-13.
Canton @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars limped out of the starting gate last year starting just 1-5. They closed with 4 wins though before being soundly beaten in a trip to the Permian Basin. A year ago Canton visited Grace coming away with a 42-31 victory. Grace must bring the offense from their 4 game win streak last year if they are going to reverse the result of last season, but they need to pair it with an improved defense. In the 5 early season losses the Cougars scored 31 or more in 3 of them, to compete with TCCH and DC on the district schedule the Grace defense will have to improve and we'll get an early indication if it has against the Eagles who were a playoff team a year ago. Another 42 points on the board for Canton likely would point to a Grace loss and difficult district campaign for the Cougars. I take Canton to repeat last year's performance 42-31.
Houston Kinkaid @ Fort Worth Nolan -- An early SPC vs. TAPPS matchup sees the Vikings host Houston Kinkaid. The Falcons enter as one of the SPC champions of a season ago while the Vikings struggled to score points all season, breaching 20 just 3 times in 11 outings. Nolan actually managed 2 wins in their final 4 regular season games last year despite scoring no more than 18 points in any of them. The Falcons reversed a defeat against Eplscopal in the SPC Championship game, and will certainly be looking to start the season off with a bang. The Vikings run from 2004 to 2013 where they won at least 10 games in 9 out of 10 seasons in TAPPS largest division is one of the best decades put together but they've struggled to regain that form winning an average of only 4 games per year in the last 4 seasons. The road trip, early season question marks, and the relative rarity of TAPPS vs. SPC games among the largest schools makes this game a bit of a mystery. I'll take the home team because that's usually safer. Vikings win 24-21.
Houston Cypress Christian @ Austin Regents -- The Knights reached the title game for the 2nd straight year and took another runner-up finish. This time perhaps stung a little less as TCCH largely controlled the game from the opening kickoff rather than 2016's overtime loss. The Warriors took the DIII title last year running off 13 in a row to close the season including scoring 231 points across 4 playoff victories. The last loss for Cypress though was in last year's opener against Regents. So the game appears to hinge on whether the Cypress offense can produce like the playoffs or if it struggles like the opener last year scoring just 13. The Knights have won 23 in a row in the regular season and I'll take them at home in a close one. Regents wins 30-27.
Arlington Grace Prep @ Arlington Oakridge -- The Owls concluded last year's campaign at 8-2 just missing the SPC title game after winning their final 6. Oakridge posted a 45-23 win over Grace Prep to open last season as well. The Lions managed only 3 wins a season ago before being blown out by Lubbock Christian in the first round. They were in the title game in 2016 though. The days of Mike Barber coaching the Lions seem long ago and its been an up and down run since winning 6 titles in 11 seasons from 1995 to 2005. Interestingly to me, the Lions play only 3 games on a campus this year. The Owls run away at home winning 42-13.
Quick Hits:
2015: 60-15
2016: 103-26
2017: 101-29
Bullard Brook Hill over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
McKinney Christian over Valley View
Carrollton Prince of Peace over Tyler All Saints
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Country Day
Grapevine Faith Christian over Fort Worth Trinity Valley
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Willow Park Trinity Christian
Trinity Christian - Addison over Episcopal School of Dallas
Melissa over Argyle Liberty Christian
Austin Hyde Park over San Antonio Holy Cross
Dallas Shelton over Fort Worth Temple Christian
