Maybe this week it won't rain? Maybe? Nah probably not. Everyone stay safe and stay dry as we inch closer to district play.
This Week: (Season: 28-3)
Dallas Christian @ Kemp -- The Chargers held a 10 point lead when the storms reached Mesquite and finalized a 20-10 victory over TCA. Its been a nice 4-0 start for DC but not without concerns. Lulls in the offense will need to sorted out as district play looms on the horizon. The Yellowjackets enter off their second close win in as many weeks, reaching 2-1 with a 35-27 victory over Commerce. The Kemp defense has been consistently mediocre to this point in the season allowing 35, 28, and 27 in three outings. A stronger performance will likely be needed to best the Chargers. A year ago the Yellowjackets made it all the way to the state semifinals before falling to Brock. Particularly on the road, this is a challenging test for the Chargers. The tools are there to get a victory. Minimize turnovers and play sound defense for the 5th week in a row. Chargers win 35-28.
Center @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars responded from being blown out by Parish with a strong 42-14 win at Wills Point. The Roughriders reached the playoffs last year despite winning just 3 games, and have opened this season just 1-3. Center has seen 30 or more points posted against them in each of their four games thus far. The Cougars offense should be excited for the opprutunity having scored 42, 63, and 75 in Grace's three wins. The Cougars defense will be looking to improve seeing Redwater score just 8 against TKG after scoring 54 against the Cougars. The Grace defense will need to be on its 'A' game to make noise in district play, but likely doesn't need its best to win this week. Cougars win 48-20.
Houston St. Thomas @ Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill -- The Tigers have opened with 4 wins against varied opposition. Bishop Lynch and FW All Saints among the private schools and a nice looking win over Melissa on the public school side last week. The Tigers bested the Eagles by a single point a year ago and have opened this season just 1-3 despite averaging over 45 points per game. 58 and 63 were not enough to get St. Thomas a win over Needville and Kinkaid respectively. The Eagles are going to have a difficult time containing the Tigers offense based on their results to this point. Trinity has done nothing since winning last year's title to move them off of favored status. Tigers put up a bunch and win 58-28.
Midland Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- The Mustangs have enjoyed one of their better starts to a season despite coming in as more of an unknown than recent seasons. In contrast to St. Thomas, MCS has reached 4-0 despite averaging just 26 points per game and only reaching a season high of 35. You have to wonder a little if the road miles might start to wear on the Mustangs who do not get their bye week until Week 10, but the reality of West Texas is that they are pretty much used to this. The Cardinals are a familiar foe for MCS with FWC taking each of the last 2 meetings in district play including a 42-7 drubbing in the Tall City last year. FWC appears to have a good team, but a loss at TKG makes me think they may be behind the Mustangs this year. This is a tricky choice and I hesitate to pick road teams in games I think will be close, but I think the MCS defense is good enough to win here. Mustangs win 30-27.
Grapevine Faith Christian vs. Canadian @ Vernon -- The Lions find themselves with an interesting non-district neutral site Saturday game. The Wildcats are a strong UIL 3A side with multiple state titles in the last decade. Canadian is off to a 4-0 allowing just 35 points total across the four games. Canadian's last regular season loss came in Week 3 of 2016, so this will be a challenge for the Lions. The Lions have also started the season 4-0 and have allowed just 34 points in four games. The offense has been a bit slower but ran off 51 last week against Lincoln. This is a long ride from Grapevine to the barren lands of West Texas, and I think its too much for them. Canadian wins 28-21.
Houston St. Pius X @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- The Panthers and Lions rematch last season's Division I title game, won by Prestonwood 42-41. Both squads have started strong this season, running to 4-0 starts. The Panthers have posted 42 or more in every game so far, but perhaps showed some weakness allowing 34 to Manor last week. The Lions have allowed just 6, 7, 10, and 20 in four outings thus far, and the a chunk of the 20 was last week after the game was clearly decided. The game would appear to hinge on the Lions defense against the Panthers offense. Prestonwood should score, but will there defense prove to be as strong as it appears through 4 weeks? I like the Lions at home and to limit St. Pius to fewer than the 41 posted in last year's final. Prestonwood wins 40-28.
Wimberly @ Austin Regents -- The Knights run of regular season dominance came to an end at the hand of the Central Catholic Buttons last week. This week the Texans of Wimberly visit the rustic campus on Foster Ranch Road. The Texans have struggled in the early going, dropping their last 3 contests allowing at least 33 points in each of them. The Knights must score to be able to not only win this one but make a strong run in the Division II playoffs. The team that dominated Cypress Christian and bested FW All Saints on the road should have the tools to win this one. A road trip would make this one more concerning for the Knights, but among the trees of Southwest Austin this is a game Regents should win. However, we see every week that you never know what happens on Friday night (this year, probably a thunderstorm). Knights win 42-19.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Dallas Bishop Dunne -- The Saints have had a difficult opening to the season. Dropping back to back games to Regents and TCCH. Now those are not bad losses by any stretch, but when district mates Midland and Liberty are posting victories over notable public schools Brock and Wall it makes you wonder where the Saints fit in the picture. The Falcons routed San Antonio Cornerstone 48-0 last week after dropping two close one with Shreveport Byrd and Desoto. Just a the 19-7 Desoto loss would seem to place Dunne ahead of All Saints on paper. A matchup with St. Pius will provide a nice measuring stick with Prestonwood, but the Falcons best not look ahead. The Saints need to find more than the 20 points they've scored the last 2 games on offense. If they do they will give the Falcons a stiff test. If they do not Dunne will slide away I believe. Falcons win 38-21.
Quick Hits: (Season: 27-10)
Lubbock Trinity Christian over Carrollton Prince of Peace
Colleyville Covenant Christian over Frisco Legacy Christian
Albany over Bullard Brook Hill
Fort Worth Country Day over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Trinity Christian - Addison
Argyle Liberty Christian over China Spring
San Antonio Holy Cross over Austin St. Michael's
Houston Christian over Houston Westbury Christian
Waco Reicher over Arlington Grace Prep
Shiner St. Paul over Weimar
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Week 4 Picks 2018
The goal for this week is no weather delays. So all rain and storms are requested to hold until at least 11 PM local time on Friday night. Thank you for your consideration.
This Week: (Season: 21-3)
Trinity Christian - Addison @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers and Trojans rematch the 1987 state championship game, a 19-14 DC win. This will certainly have no effect on the outcome of this one but fun to know. The Chargers have scored in spurts so far this year and that's led to some handy victories but its also been followed by some lulls in play. DC still looking for that complete game of play to go with the 21 or 28 point quarter. The Trojans have started a sluggish 1-2 through 3 week, beating ESD but falling to China Spring and Prestonwood. Now that is certainly not a group of opponents that would be considered weak but you'd like to score more than 10 when you hold China Spring to 13. The Trojans offense will have to manage more than 10 to go by the Chargers here, and think probably needs at least the 28 they allowed to ESD. The Chargers should be in a similar spot. If they can get the 33 they've reached in each game so far they should have enough to win, but leaving it to the defense that has been mostly untested to this point would seem unwise. Chargers win at home 34-24.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Melissa -- The Tigers posted another strong victory a week ago, besting All Saints 44-20 and extending their win streak to 12. The Cardinals also enter at 3-0 including a victory of Liberty Christian in Week 1. Melissa should offer a decent resistance to the Tigers. Its a surprisingly long trip between the two schools with at least an hour drive awaiting the Tigers and likely more on a Friday evening. Its no West Texas travel but a decent haul none the less. The Cardinals have scored 42, 63, and 27 in their 3 outings. To keep pace with TCCH they are going to need something more than the 27. The Tigers appear to be too much on offense, but this one shouldn't be a laugher. TCCH wins on the road 35-25.
Tyler Grace @ Wills Point -- The Cougars explosive offense of the first two weeks vanished quickly on the blue turf at Parish as they were routed on a stormy night in Dallas. Returning the 50+ point form of the opener is going to be needed on the road here. The Tigers are off to a 1-1 start after losing the 1st round of the playoffs last season. The 42 points scored by Mineola in Week 1 against Wills Point bodes well for Grace, but the mere 7 scored by Mabank does not. Which team is Grace closer too? The team that scored 75 against Redwater or the one that scored 7 against Parish? I think the Grace offense returns to form. Cougars win 40-23.
Tyler T.K. Gorman @ Redwater -- The Crusaders travel to Redwater giving us a common opponent with Grace for comparing down the road. The Dragons option attack put up plenty of yards and points in a Week 2 defeat at Grace posting 54 but still losing by 3 touchdowns. TKG has not been known for its defense in recent years and leaves the proximity of Loop 323 for the first time this season. The Crusaders lost by a point to Tenaha last week following a 12 point win over Fort Worth Christian. Look for their to be lots of points posted in this one. The Crusaders and Dragons both are strong on offense and suspect defensively. I'll take the Crusaders to squeak by 48-42.
Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- The Lions and Warriors find themselves in a non-district matchup for the first time. The Warriors dominated Brock defensively in a rain shortened win. Shortened or not holding Brock scoreless for 2.5 quarters is a good defensive outing. Liberty was in a similar mode entering the clash with Prestonwood last year. The defense looks great, the offense was a bit suspect last year and this year is more of an unknown with just 2 games under their belts. The Lions offense has been a force for a decade or more in Division I including 42 or more points in 4 playoff games last year on the way to a state championship. The Warriors held them to just 14 last season but scored 0 of their own. If Liberty can reach 30 they should have a chance to win, but they probably need all of those points to win. I just can't see the Warriors scoring enough to win this one. Lions win 34-14.
Midland Christian @ Monahans -- The Mustangs reached 3-0 by hanging on for a 1 point win against Wall last week and now renew an old acquaintance in the Loboes. Monahans won 9 games and reached round 2 last season and have opened 2-1 this year including a 21 point win at Big Spring last week. The Wall victory suggests this should be a promising season for the Mustangs, but there are plenty of unknowns to this point. Nolan looks better than expected, All Saints looks a little worse than expected, Liberty's defense looks excellent, it will be quite the district schedule ahead. This game is also a mystery. I'll take MCS to stay undefeated, but it should be close. Mustangs win 35-28.
Falls City @ Boerne Geneva -- The Eagles get to the wildcard in this week's picks becuase the opponent is the Beavers. The Beavers reached round 4 last year and have opened this season 3-0. The Geneva Eagles reached round 3 before being ousted by Cypress Christian. Its been a less than stellar start at 1-2 for the Eagles but losses to 2nd Baptist and Cornerstone are no shame by any means. Its going to take the Eagles best game to best the Beavers and avoid 1-3, and even then it may not be enough to win this week. Beavers just too much for Geneva in my opinion. Falls City wins 42-21.
Quick Hits: (Season: 20-9)
Brook Hill over Willow Park Trinity Christian
McKinney Christian over Colleyville Covenant
Grapevine Faith Christian over Dallas Lincoln
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Fort Worth Christian over Maypearl
Fort Worth Nolan over Fort Worth Eastern Hills
Bishop Lynch over Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt
Austin Regents over San Antonio Central Catholic
Austin Brentwood Christian over San Antonio TMI
Houston Cypress Christian over Shiner St. Paul
This Week: (Season: 21-3)
Trinity Christian - Addison @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers and Trojans rematch the 1987 state championship game, a 19-14 DC win. This will certainly have no effect on the outcome of this one but fun to know. The Chargers have scored in spurts so far this year and that's led to some handy victories but its also been followed by some lulls in play. DC still looking for that complete game of play to go with the 21 or 28 point quarter. The Trojans have started a sluggish 1-2 through 3 week, beating ESD but falling to China Spring and Prestonwood. Now that is certainly not a group of opponents that would be considered weak but you'd like to score more than 10 when you hold China Spring to 13. The Trojans offense will have to manage more than 10 to go by the Chargers here, and think probably needs at least the 28 they allowed to ESD. The Chargers should be in a similar spot. If they can get the 33 they've reached in each game so far they should have enough to win, but leaving it to the defense that has been mostly untested to this point would seem unwise. Chargers win at home 34-24.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Melissa -- The Tigers posted another strong victory a week ago, besting All Saints 44-20 and extending their win streak to 12. The Cardinals also enter at 3-0 including a victory of Liberty Christian in Week 1. Melissa should offer a decent resistance to the Tigers. Its a surprisingly long trip between the two schools with at least an hour drive awaiting the Tigers and likely more on a Friday evening. Its no West Texas travel but a decent haul none the less. The Cardinals have scored 42, 63, and 27 in their 3 outings. To keep pace with TCCH they are going to need something more than the 27. The Tigers appear to be too much on offense, but this one shouldn't be a laugher. TCCH wins on the road 35-25.
Tyler Grace @ Wills Point -- The Cougars explosive offense of the first two weeks vanished quickly on the blue turf at Parish as they were routed on a stormy night in Dallas. Returning the 50+ point form of the opener is going to be needed on the road here. The Tigers are off to a 1-1 start after losing the 1st round of the playoffs last season. The 42 points scored by Mineola in Week 1 against Wills Point bodes well for Grace, but the mere 7 scored by Mabank does not. Which team is Grace closer too? The team that scored 75 against Redwater or the one that scored 7 against Parish? I think the Grace offense returns to form. Cougars win 40-23.
Tyler T.K. Gorman @ Redwater -- The Crusaders travel to Redwater giving us a common opponent with Grace for comparing down the road. The Dragons option attack put up plenty of yards and points in a Week 2 defeat at Grace posting 54 but still losing by 3 touchdowns. TKG has not been known for its defense in recent years and leaves the proximity of Loop 323 for the first time this season. The Crusaders lost by a point to Tenaha last week following a 12 point win over Fort Worth Christian. Look for their to be lots of points posted in this one. The Crusaders and Dragons both are strong on offense and suspect defensively. I'll take the Crusaders to squeak by 48-42.
Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- The Lions and Warriors find themselves in a non-district matchup for the first time. The Warriors dominated Brock defensively in a rain shortened win. Shortened or not holding Brock scoreless for 2.5 quarters is a good defensive outing. Liberty was in a similar mode entering the clash with Prestonwood last year. The defense looks great, the offense was a bit suspect last year and this year is more of an unknown with just 2 games under their belts. The Lions offense has been a force for a decade or more in Division I including 42 or more points in 4 playoff games last year on the way to a state championship. The Warriors held them to just 14 last season but scored 0 of their own. If Liberty can reach 30 they should have a chance to win, but they probably need all of those points to win. I just can't see the Warriors scoring enough to win this one. Lions win 34-14.
Midland Christian @ Monahans -- The Mustangs reached 3-0 by hanging on for a 1 point win against Wall last week and now renew an old acquaintance in the Loboes. Monahans won 9 games and reached round 2 last season and have opened 2-1 this year including a 21 point win at Big Spring last week. The Wall victory suggests this should be a promising season for the Mustangs, but there are plenty of unknowns to this point. Nolan looks better than expected, All Saints looks a little worse than expected, Liberty's defense looks excellent, it will be quite the district schedule ahead. This game is also a mystery. I'll take MCS to stay undefeated, but it should be close. Mustangs win 35-28.
Falls City @ Boerne Geneva -- The Eagles get to the wildcard in this week's picks becuase the opponent is the Beavers. The Beavers reached round 4 last year and have opened this season 3-0. The Geneva Eagles reached round 3 before being ousted by Cypress Christian. Its been a less than stellar start at 1-2 for the Eagles but losses to 2nd Baptist and Cornerstone are no shame by any means. Its going to take the Eagles best game to best the Beavers and avoid 1-3, and even then it may not be enough to win this week. Beavers just too much for Geneva in my opinion. Falls City wins 42-21.
Quick Hits: (Season: 20-9)
Brook Hill over Willow Park Trinity Christian
McKinney Christian over Colleyville Covenant
Grapevine Faith Christian over Dallas Lincoln
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Fort Worth Christian over Maypearl
Fort Worth Nolan over Fort Worth Eastern Hills
Bishop Lynch over Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt
Austin Regents over San Antonio Central Catholic
Austin Brentwood Christian over San Antonio TMI
Houston Cypress Christian over Shiner St. Paul
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Week 3 Picks 2018
A couple of interesting showdowns this week and as we try to figure how who is getting better and who is rebuilding. At some point there will be a big upset we don't see coming. Will it be this week?
This Week: (Season: 13-3)
Dallas Christian @ Plano John Paul II -- The Chargers dominated the first half last Thursday against Bryan Adams. The second half was more a malaise and then everyone enjoyed not being out in the storm on Friday. The Cardinals have long been the back marker of Division I, breaking a 30+ game losing streak last year and winning just 2 district games since their first varsity season in 2006. Last year though was a better year, but still led to just 2 wins. A 2-0 start stands as the best in program history for the Cardinals and winning at Brook Hill last week certainly gives notice that there will be no guarantees in facing John Paul this year. The Chargers malaise of the 2nd half last week will almost certainly get them beat, particularly on the road. The team that ran off 28 points in the 3rd quarter against Westbury would be favored in this one. I don't think the Cardinals have quite reached Chargers but the gap is narrowing. However, the author may not be totally objective. Chargers win 35-10.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill -- The Saints fell at home to the Regents regular season juggernaut. The Tigers dominated a Florida school on ESPNU after opening with a win over Bishop Lynch. In returning home the Tigers find an opponent that appears to be having a disappointing start. Going into the year I had All Saints as a definite contender for the title in Division I and losing to Regents certainly dosen't mean they can't be in the mix, but it certainly wasn't what I saw coming. The Saints were 11-0 last year before Prestonwood turned the tables on them in Round 2. Trinity would seem to have the upper hand at home here especially having beated Regents in last year's title game. Its still early and there is much to be figured out among these teams, but I'll take the Tigers 35-20.
Tyler Grace Community @ Parish Episcopal -- The Cougars have run off 138 points in 2 weeks and Parish would appear to be the strongest test so far. The Panthers were rained out against ESD last week and haven't played a Division II opponent since the opener last season (a loss to Regents). If Grace runs off another 60 points I don't see where Parish finds that kind of firepower as they couldn't last year. The Panthers have never been a pushover after their first varsity season and certainly won't be this week. I really don't have a good feeling either way here. On one side, Parish should be a very good team but we just haven't seen it this year or last. On the other, Grace's offense looks strong but the quality of the defenses the points were scored on is unknown. I barely know where Redwater is let alone how good their defense is. Give me Parish at home 30-27.
Tenaha @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- The Crusaders have opened with a 2-0 start again and while not scoring as many as Grace have been sterling on offense including putting 54 points up on Fort Worth Christian. The trouble for TKG is they've allowed 83 points in 2 games. The Tigers dropped their opener to Troup despite scoring 39 points but responded with a 14-2 (yes 2) win over Lovelady in their 2nd outing. For long term success this season the Crusaders defense will have to improve especially with three road games to follow. The Tigers fell in the 2A D2 state final last year and should a difficult task for TKG. However, the results through two weeks suggest the Tigers may not out class the Crusaders as much as they would have a year ago. The Crusaders offense is good, but I don't think they're defense will have enough this week. Tenaha wins 42-37.
Bullard Brook Hill @ Huntington -- The Guard travel to take on a struggling program in Huntington. The Red Devils won just a single game a year ago, but have already matched that win total this year. Brook Hill dropped last week's home contest against Plano John Paul, allowing 48 points in the process. The game also included a tweet from a reporting indicating the referees signaled a PAT good just before half and then called the press box at half to correct it to no good. Sounds exciting. The Red Devils were beaten soundly 55-0 last week and the Guard should be able to get things back on track this week. Brook Hill wins 40-14.
Wall @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs take on a Hawks team that bested them 40-21 and reached the 3rd round of the playoffs. Interestingly, Wall lost that playoff game to Brock who MCS defeated in the regular season. The Hawks have played just once so far this year losing 27-21 to the Mason Punchers (I had to work in Punchers). MCS has defeated two good El Paso schools despite scoring just 42 points between the two games. If the Mustangs find their offensive stride they should be quite dangerous heading to November, but they will need that offense in this game and going forward. I don't think that 20 points is going to be enough to win this one or many once we reach district play. This should be a good West Texas battle, and I think the Mustangs win at home. MCS 30-25.
Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Trinity Christian - Addison -- The Lions and Trojans line up as opponents for the first time in a non-district matchup. The Trojans have started 1-1 after a 3 point win over ESD and a 3 point loss at China Spring. The Lions have opened 2-0 with wins over Wylie and Greater Atlanta Christian. The Lions offense has long been the calling card taking the state title last year while scoring 42 or more in all 4 playoff games. Prestonwood also produced some great defensive outings including a stretch of 11 straight games last year where the opposition scored 20 or less. One of those teams was TCA who was held to just 7 and 15 in two meetings with the Lions last year. I can't see where the Trojans find enough offense to run down Prestonwood. Probably not a laugher, but Lions win handily. I'll say 42-14.
Fort Worth Trinity Valley @ Austin Regents -- The Knights secured a big win over All Saints last week storming (pun intended) to a 20-0 lead in Fort Worth. 34 straight regular season wins is the streak for Regents. Since 10-16-15 the Knights have lost just 3 games, one semifinal and two state championship games. The Trojans were dispatched easily by Grapevine Faith before putting Southwest Christian in their rear view. With a trip to Austin in the cards, I can't see how the team that defeated All Saints and the most recent Division III champion falters here. Knights run away and hide, 42-6.
Quick Hits: (Season: 14-4)
Grapevine Faith Christian over Caddo Mills (I really wanted to get the Foxes in but could not)
Fort Worth Christian over Valley View
McKinney Christian over Fort Worth Temple Christian
Frisco Legacy Christian over Willow Park Trinity Christian
Dallas Shelton over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Colleyville Covenant over Dallas First Baptist Academy
Brock over Argyle Liberty Christian
Dallas Bishop Lynch over Frisco Centennial
Desoto over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Shiner St. Paul over Austin Saints
Celina over Fort Worth Nolan
This Week: (Season: 13-3)
Dallas Christian @ Plano John Paul II -- The Chargers dominated the first half last Thursday against Bryan Adams. The second half was more a malaise and then everyone enjoyed not being out in the storm on Friday. The Cardinals have long been the back marker of Division I, breaking a 30+ game losing streak last year and winning just 2 district games since their first varsity season in 2006. Last year though was a better year, but still led to just 2 wins. A 2-0 start stands as the best in program history for the Cardinals and winning at Brook Hill last week certainly gives notice that there will be no guarantees in facing John Paul this year. The Chargers malaise of the 2nd half last week will almost certainly get them beat, particularly on the road. The team that ran off 28 points in the 3rd quarter against Westbury would be favored in this one. I don't think the Cardinals have quite reached Chargers but the gap is narrowing. However, the author may not be totally objective. Chargers win 35-10.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill -- The Saints fell at home to the Regents regular season juggernaut. The Tigers dominated a Florida school on ESPNU after opening with a win over Bishop Lynch. In returning home the Tigers find an opponent that appears to be having a disappointing start. Going into the year I had All Saints as a definite contender for the title in Division I and losing to Regents certainly dosen't mean they can't be in the mix, but it certainly wasn't what I saw coming. The Saints were 11-0 last year before Prestonwood turned the tables on them in Round 2. Trinity would seem to have the upper hand at home here especially having beated Regents in last year's title game. Its still early and there is much to be figured out among these teams, but I'll take the Tigers 35-20.
Tyler Grace Community @ Parish Episcopal -- The Cougars have run off 138 points in 2 weeks and Parish would appear to be the strongest test so far. The Panthers were rained out against ESD last week and haven't played a Division II opponent since the opener last season (a loss to Regents). If Grace runs off another 60 points I don't see where Parish finds that kind of firepower as they couldn't last year. The Panthers have never been a pushover after their first varsity season and certainly won't be this week. I really don't have a good feeling either way here. On one side, Parish should be a very good team but we just haven't seen it this year or last. On the other, Grace's offense looks strong but the quality of the defenses the points were scored on is unknown. I barely know where Redwater is let alone how good their defense is. Give me Parish at home 30-27.
Tenaha @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- The Crusaders have opened with a 2-0 start again and while not scoring as many as Grace have been sterling on offense including putting 54 points up on Fort Worth Christian. The trouble for TKG is they've allowed 83 points in 2 games. The Tigers dropped their opener to Troup despite scoring 39 points but responded with a 14-2 (yes 2) win over Lovelady in their 2nd outing. For long term success this season the Crusaders defense will have to improve especially with three road games to follow. The Tigers fell in the 2A D2 state final last year and should a difficult task for TKG. However, the results through two weeks suggest the Tigers may not out class the Crusaders as much as they would have a year ago. The Crusaders offense is good, but I don't think they're defense will have enough this week. Tenaha wins 42-37.
Bullard Brook Hill @ Huntington -- The Guard travel to take on a struggling program in Huntington. The Red Devils won just a single game a year ago, but have already matched that win total this year. Brook Hill dropped last week's home contest against Plano John Paul, allowing 48 points in the process. The game also included a tweet from a reporting indicating the referees signaled a PAT good just before half and then called the press box at half to correct it to no good. Sounds exciting. The Red Devils were beaten soundly 55-0 last week and the Guard should be able to get things back on track this week. Brook Hill wins 40-14.
Wall @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs take on a Hawks team that bested them 40-21 and reached the 3rd round of the playoffs. Interestingly, Wall lost that playoff game to Brock who MCS defeated in the regular season. The Hawks have played just once so far this year losing 27-21 to the Mason Punchers (I had to work in Punchers). MCS has defeated two good El Paso schools despite scoring just 42 points between the two games. If the Mustangs find their offensive stride they should be quite dangerous heading to November, but they will need that offense in this game and going forward. I don't think that 20 points is going to be enough to win this one or many once we reach district play. This should be a good West Texas battle, and I think the Mustangs win at home. MCS 30-25.
Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Trinity Christian - Addison -- The Lions and Trojans line up as opponents for the first time in a non-district matchup. The Trojans have started 1-1 after a 3 point win over ESD and a 3 point loss at China Spring. The Lions have opened 2-0 with wins over Wylie and Greater Atlanta Christian. The Lions offense has long been the calling card taking the state title last year while scoring 42 or more in all 4 playoff games. Prestonwood also produced some great defensive outings including a stretch of 11 straight games last year where the opposition scored 20 or less. One of those teams was TCA who was held to just 7 and 15 in two meetings with the Lions last year. I can't see where the Trojans find enough offense to run down Prestonwood. Probably not a laugher, but Lions win handily. I'll say 42-14.
Fort Worth Trinity Valley @ Austin Regents -- The Knights secured a big win over All Saints last week storming (pun intended) to a 20-0 lead in Fort Worth. 34 straight regular season wins is the streak for Regents. Since 10-16-15 the Knights have lost just 3 games, one semifinal and two state championship games. The Trojans were dispatched easily by Grapevine Faith before putting Southwest Christian in their rear view. With a trip to Austin in the cards, I can't see how the team that defeated All Saints and the most recent Division III champion falters here. Knights run away and hide, 42-6.
Quick Hits: (Season: 14-4)
Grapevine Faith Christian over Caddo Mills (I really wanted to get the Foxes in but could not)
Fort Worth Christian over Valley View
McKinney Christian over Fort Worth Temple Christian
Frisco Legacy Christian over Willow Park Trinity Christian
Dallas Shelton over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Colleyville Covenant over Dallas First Baptist Academy
Brock over Argyle Liberty Christian
Dallas Bishop Lynch over Frisco Centennial
Desoto over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Shiner St. Paul over Austin Saints
Celina over Fort Worth Nolan
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Week 2 Picks 2018
Back again as things heat up for Week 2. No huge surprises in Week 1, but you never know who grabs the attention next. Good luck and safe travels.
This Week: (Last Week: 7-1)
Dallas Christian vs. Dallas Bryan Adams @ Dallas' Forester Stadium -- The Chargers put away Westbury in the 2nd half last week, turning a close game into a runaway with a 28-0 3rd quarter. Good defenses have frequently led the Charges to regular season success. The Cougars present an unusual opponent for DC, having not played a regular public school since 2012 and not a Dallas ISD opponent since 2007. Then, they play on an unusual night having not played a Thursday night Varsity contest since at least 2000 and likely longer than that. The Cougars opened with a 32-7 loss to Dallas Madison and enter off a 6-6 campaign last season. Bryan Adams has one of the better DISD programs reaching the playoffs in each of the last 7 seasons but also not achieving more than 7 wins in any season. The Cougars are certainly not the back marker in 5A UIL football. That said, I would expect the Chargers to be better than Madison and thus should win. However, they shouldn't think of this as a pure given. Chargers win 42-13.
Fort Worth Christian @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- The Crusaders scored an exciting opening win over Garrison and quickly find themselves with an intriguing Division II showdown in Week 2. TKG had a similar big opening win last year and used it to start 6-0, then when the upper DII opposition hit the Crusaders defense was quote porous. Ultimately the Cardinals dispatched the Crusaders in the playoffs winning 56-35. That has been the theme for the Crusaders, simply unable to get stops on defense in big games. The 2015 playoff loss to Lutheran South being the most egregious where scoring 68 points was only good enough to lose by 15. The Cardinals enter off an opening 6-point win over Fort Worth Country Day. Interestingly, FWC beat Country Day by 41 a year ago. Does this mean the Cardinals are a step down from last year's team that beat TKG or that Country Day is a stronger SPC contender than in past seasons? Its probably some of both as it usually is, but this one should tell us a lot about both squads prospects for a deep November run. I see a high scoring one with TKG involved. Crusaders win at home 41-35.
Redwater @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars opened with an exciting 63-40 win over Canton. Canton is a team that has beaten Grace when the Cougars have had down years and a team that Grace has beaten in its better seasons. This seems to be a good omen for the Cougars. The Dragons were a playoff team a year ago and play both of the Loop 323 bethern over the course of 3 weeks, lining up with TKG on the 21st. Redwater fell to a White Oak team that TKG defeated last season and was beaten handily by Mt. Vernon in Round 1. The Dragons opened with a 37 point loss to Waskom and so we don't have a ton to make a prediction on for this one. The Cougars looked primed for a good season and playing at home would seem to make them a clear favorite here. Cougars win 40-19.
Grapevine Faith @ Fort Worth Country Day -- The Lions find a Week 2 opponent that just played District 1 co-favorite Fort Worth Christian. Faith easily dispatched Fort Worth Trinity Valley last week, 35-6. The Lions had a challenging season as the defending state champions last year, ultimately being shut out by DC in the first round of the playoffs. The Falcons struggled mightily last season finishing just 2-7, but the close opener renews a bit of hope for the SPC side. Last year's squad didn't score 10 points until Week 5 last season and scored at least 27 only once. This year they scored 27 in Week 1 against a quality opponent in FWC. The Lions defense should carry the day but on the road the Falcons pose a reasonable test. Faith sneaks by 30-22.
Midland Christian @ El Paso Americas -- The Mustangs take on the Trailblazers for the 5th year in a row and wind up with an afternoon in El Paso for the 2nd time as well. This poses the always humorous challenge of figuring out what time the game starts in the Mountain Time Zone. The Mustangs blew out Americas last year while falling in 2016 in their last afternoon visit to El Paso. The Trailblazers took down Eastwood last week in a 2 point victory while the Mustangs defeated Chapin by 4. If Week 1 is indicative of the Mustangs defense this year it puts them in a favorable spot to win this one. Though a long bus trip to West of West Texas and a hot afternoon brings pretty much any result into play. I guess I'm a believer in MCS this year. I'll take the Mustangs 24-7.
Austin Regents @ Fort Worth All Saints -- An interesting clash of a Division I contender and a Division II contender. Also maybe the best opponent Regents has faced in its regular season win streak of 24 games. The Knights dominated current Division III champion Cypress Christian to open the season while the Saints blew out a Florida opponent. Last years teams would appear to clearly favor All Saints but this year is still a bit of a mystery. I expect the Saints to a strong opponent and on the road would appear to be too much for the Knight to handle. However, if Regents keeps the Saints offense at a manageable pace they should have the talent to win. If All Saints gets to 30 they win if they don't they lose is my thinking. I'll take the Saints at home 40-22.
Victoria St. Joseph @ Shiner St. Paul -- I'll try to dip into some less familiar schools this week to shake things up. The Cardinals are the long time small school titan. Using fewer players than some TAPPS 6-man squads St. Paul is always in the mix (in every sport too). The Flyers have a long history but it has been hard times of late. Winning at most 4 games in every season since 2010 is a tough set of records. St. Joseph has quite a few more students, but St. Paul would appear to have the better players over the last decade. The Flyers dominated Bloomington in their opener while the Cardinals fell to Yorktown. If the Flyers offense scores like it did in Week 1 it should be tough for the Cardinals to keep pace, but St. Paul is one tough out. I'll take the Cardinals at home 33-20.
San Antonio Central Catholic vs. San Antonio Holy Cross @ Alamo Stadium -- With a great name like "Holy Bowl" and a great mascot like Buttons this one makes the list this week. The Knights have been a consistent playoff contender in the South, achieving at least 8 wins in the last 7 season and at least 9 wins in 5 of those 7. The Buttons have struggled more in recent years in Division I having won 8 games just once in the same 7 years. The Buttons lead the all time series 35-11 having not played the rivalry since 2013. 6 of the Knights 11 wins have come since 2000. The venerable Rockpile of Alamo Stadium hosts the next edition with Central entering off a 40-20 win over San Antonio Christian and Holy Cross coming off a 3 point loss against Hyde Park. Holy Cross may have missed a chance to gain some ground the last 4 years and this year should be a close battle. I'll take Holy Cross to sneak by in a close one. Knights win 35-28.
Quick Hits: (Last Week: 9-1)
Bullard Brook Hill over Plano John Paul II
Dallas Shelton over Carrollton Prince of Peace
Waco Reicher over McKinney Christian
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Celina over Argyle Liberty Christian
China Spring over Trinity Christian - Addison
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Episcopal School of Dallas
Arlington Pantego Christian over Dallas Covenant
Houston Kinkaid over Houston Westbury Christian
Boerne Geneva over San Antonio St. Mary's
This Week: (Last Week: 7-1)
Dallas Christian vs. Dallas Bryan Adams @ Dallas' Forester Stadium -- The Chargers put away Westbury in the 2nd half last week, turning a close game into a runaway with a 28-0 3rd quarter. Good defenses have frequently led the Charges to regular season success. The Cougars present an unusual opponent for DC, having not played a regular public school since 2012 and not a Dallas ISD opponent since 2007. Then, they play on an unusual night having not played a Thursday night Varsity contest since at least 2000 and likely longer than that. The Cougars opened with a 32-7 loss to Dallas Madison and enter off a 6-6 campaign last season. Bryan Adams has one of the better DISD programs reaching the playoffs in each of the last 7 seasons but also not achieving more than 7 wins in any season. The Cougars are certainly not the back marker in 5A UIL football. That said, I would expect the Chargers to be better than Madison and thus should win. However, they shouldn't think of this as a pure given. Chargers win 42-13.
Fort Worth Christian @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- The Crusaders scored an exciting opening win over Garrison and quickly find themselves with an intriguing Division II showdown in Week 2. TKG had a similar big opening win last year and used it to start 6-0, then when the upper DII opposition hit the Crusaders defense was quote porous. Ultimately the Cardinals dispatched the Crusaders in the playoffs winning 56-35. That has been the theme for the Crusaders, simply unable to get stops on defense in big games. The 2015 playoff loss to Lutheran South being the most egregious where scoring 68 points was only good enough to lose by 15. The Cardinals enter off an opening 6-point win over Fort Worth Country Day. Interestingly, FWC beat Country Day by 41 a year ago. Does this mean the Cardinals are a step down from last year's team that beat TKG or that Country Day is a stronger SPC contender than in past seasons? Its probably some of both as it usually is, but this one should tell us a lot about both squads prospects for a deep November run. I see a high scoring one with TKG involved. Crusaders win at home 41-35.
Redwater @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars opened with an exciting 63-40 win over Canton. Canton is a team that has beaten Grace when the Cougars have had down years and a team that Grace has beaten in its better seasons. This seems to be a good omen for the Cougars. The Dragons were a playoff team a year ago and play both of the Loop 323 bethern over the course of 3 weeks, lining up with TKG on the 21st. Redwater fell to a White Oak team that TKG defeated last season and was beaten handily by Mt. Vernon in Round 1. The Dragons opened with a 37 point loss to Waskom and so we don't have a ton to make a prediction on for this one. The Cougars looked primed for a good season and playing at home would seem to make them a clear favorite here. Cougars win 40-19.
Grapevine Faith @ Fort Worth Country Day -- The Lions find a Week 2 opponent that just played District 1 co-favorite Fort Worth Christian. Faith easily dispatched Fort Worth Trinity Valley last week, 35-6. The Lions had a challenging season as the defending state champions last year, ultimately being shut out by DC in the first round of the playoffs. The Falcons struggled mightily last season finishing just 2-7, but the close opener renews a bit of hope for the SPC side. Last year's squad didn't score 10 points until Week 5 last season and scored at least 27 only once. This year they scored 27 in Week 1 against a quality opponent in FWC. The Lions defense should carry the day but on the road the Falcons pose a reasonable test. Faith sneaks by 30-22.
Midland Christian @ El Paso Americas -- The Mustangs take on the Trailblazers for the 5th year in a row and wind up with an afternoon in El Paso for the 2nd time as well. This poses the always humorous challenge of figuring out what time the game starts in the Mountain Time Zone. The Mustangs blew out Americas last year while falling in 2016 in their last afternoon visit to El Paso. The Trailblazers took down Eastwood last week in a 2 point victory while the Mustangs defeated Chapin by 4. If Week 1 is indicative of the Mustangs defense this year it puts them in a favorable spot to win this one. Though a long bus trip to West of West Texas and a hot afternoon brings pretty much any result into play. I guess I'm a believer in MCS this year. I'll take the Mustangs 24-7.
Austin Regents @ Fort Worth All Saints -- An interesting clash of a Division I contender and a Division II contender. Also maybe the best opponent Regents has faced in its regular season win streak of 24 games. The Knights dominated current Division III champion Cypress Christian to open the season while the Saints blew out a Florida opponent. Last years teams would appear to clearly favor All Saints but this year is still a bit of a mystery. I expect the Saints to a strong opponent and on the road would appear to be too much for the Knight to handle. However, if Regents keeps the Saints offense at a manageable pace they should have the talent to win. If All Saints gets to 30 they win if they don't they lose is my thinking. I'll take the Saints at home 40-22.
Victoria St. Joseph @ Shiner St. Paul -- I'll try to dip into some less familiar schools this week to shake things up. The Cardinals are the long time small school titan. Using fewer players than some TAPPS 6-man squads St. Paul is always in the mix (in every sport too). The Flyers have a long history but it has been hard times of late. Winning at most 4 games in every season since 2010 is a tough set of records. St. Joseph has quite a few more students, but St. Paul would appear to have the better players over the last decade. The Flyers dominated Bloomington in their opener while the Cardinals fell to Yorktown. If the Flyers offense scores like it did in Week 1 it should be tough for the Cardinals to keep pace, but St. Paul is one tough out. I'll take the Cardinals at home 33-20.
San Antonio Central Catholic vs. San Antonio Holy Cross @ Alamo Stadium -- With a great name like "Holy Bowl" and a great mascot like Buttons this one makes the list this week. The Knights have been a consistent playoff contender in the South, achieving at least 8 wins in the last 7 season and at least 9 wins in 5 of those 7. The Buttons have struggled more in recent years in Division I having won 8 games just once in the same 7 years. The Buttons lead the all time series 35-11 having not played the rivalry since 2013. 6 of the Knights 11 wins have come since 2000. The venerable Rockpile of Alamo Stadium hosts the next edition with Central entering off a 40-20 win over San Antonio Christian and Holy Cross coming off a 3 point loss against Hyde Park. Holy Cross may have missed a chance to gain some ground the last 4 years and this year should be a close battle. I'll take Holy Cross to sneak by in a close one. Knights win 35-28.
Quick Hits: (Last Week: 9-1)
Bullard Brook Hill over Plano John Paul II
Dallas Shelton over Carrollton Prince of Peace
Waco Reicher over McKinney Christian
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Celina over Argyle Liberty Christian
China Spring over Trinity Christian - Addison
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Episcopal School of Dallas
Arlington Pantego Christian over Dallas Covenant
Houston Kinkaid over Houston Westbury Christian
Boerne Geneva over San Antonio St. Mary's
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