Maybe a little lighter schedule this week, but still plenty of games to take note of. No Eagles making the top section this week, but somehow three different Panthers.
This Week: (Season: 34-5)
Austin Regents @ San Antonio Holy Cross -- The Knights returned to the win column by dominating Wimberly last week. Regents has been a force in Division II for multiple seasons now and this one will tell us plenty about what this season holds. The Holy Cross Knights (I guess I need to specify) scored a big rivalry win over Central Catholic but dropped games to Hyde Park and Boerne on either side of it. They've gone on to best Antonian and St. Michael's in back-to-back weeks. Central Catholic then beat Regents. So on common opponents you would have to take Holy Cross. Regents has taken five in a row from Holy Cross in the last three seasons, including two playoff wins. There is much to like in both squads to this point, and despite their inconsistency I think I have to go with the home team. Holy Cross wins 35-28.
Austin Hyde Park @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- Division II Hyde Park visits Argyle in a Thursday night tilt. The Division I Warriors scored a big win in dominating Brock in a rain shortened game, but then followed it with a blasting at the hands of Prestonwood and then a handy China Spring win to push Liberty to 1-3. The Panthers have been a perennial playoff program in recent years, but have appeared to be a step behind the main South contenders in Regents and Holy Cross. This season though the Panthers defeated Holy Cross in the opener and have parlayed that to a 3-1 start. The lone loss came to a good Rockdale team in which Hyde Park still scored 36. This is a tricky one to call. The best Warriors defense, as featured against Brock, would likely win this one. The unit that saw 86 points against the last two weeks would seem to have a tough time getting past the Panthers. I'll take the Warriors at home, but no easy win here for sure. Liberty wins 30-26.
Fort Worth Nolan @ Dallas Bishop Lynch -- The Vikings were less talked about as a state title contender entering the year. Lynch, Dunne, All Saints, St. Pius and maybe even Midland Christian would have been predicted as ahead of Nolan on paper this season. The I-30 Catholic title game though finds Nolan as the undefeated team at 5-0 entering the game. The Friars have started just 2-2 with a season opening loss to Division II champion TCCH, and loss in Shreveport to a Louisiana school. Lynch has followed with 2 wins though to even their record and scored 98 points between the two games. Contrast this with the 37 combined in the two losses. The Vikings have scored a couple of less impressive victories over FW Eastern Hills and Dallas Lincoln, but did take care of business in dominating fashion. Wins over Houston Kinkaid and Celina showcase plenty to think Nolan is a contender in Division I, particularly with All Saints struggles to start the year. In the Twitter picks I went against the rest by taking Lynch, and so I must consolidate that pick here. This should be close, but at Roffino Stadium I think the Lynch defense does enough. Friars win 28-22.
Dallas Bishop Dunne @ Houston St. Pius X -- The Panthers dropped another close one to Prestonwood last week after a one point loss in the state final last year. The offense put up by St. Pius this season is plenty to make them a contender. The Panthers low output of the season is 42, and based on the score I bet they could have scored more. Scoring 48 at Prestonwood means Dunne will have their hands full on defense. The Falcons dropped a 7 point decision in the semifinals against St. Pius last year, but won a 3 point decision in 2016. A 3-2 start this season leaves some questions for Dunne, but with losses to only Desoto and an out of state opponent it doesn't leave too many questions. Several were answered with last weeks destruction of All Saints, 52-7. The Panthers will need to be great on offense to beat the Panthers on the road. I can't see Dunne having quite enough to get this away win. St. Pius wins 49-38.
Fort Worth Christian @ Dallas Parish Episcopal -- The homestanding Panthers dominated Division II Tyler Grace last month and this will give the Cardinals a nice measuring stick heading to district play. Parish's 4-0 start has seen at least 48 points on the board in each game. Only the weather has slowed the Panther offense. The Cardinals have started 3-2, and lost a tight one to Midland Christian last week. A road loss to TKG suggests FWC may have a tall test with the Panther offense. History and recent results would suggest that allowing 54 points to TKG will lead to at least that many for Parish. I think the Cardinals offer more resistance that Tyler Grace did, but not enough to get over the hump. Panthers win 48-24.
Tyler T.K. Gorman @ Waco Reicher -- Its been a notable 3-1 start for the Crusaders, who travel to Waco after taking their bye week. Perhaps the defense may finally be on par with the offense as TKG held Redwater to just 8 after the same group scored 54 at Tyler Grace. Besting FWC certainly positions the Crusaders as one of the teams in the tier chasing Division II champion TCCH. The Cougars managed to lose twice in two days to Bosqueville based on MaxPreps, but it seems pretty likely their start is really just 2-3 and not 2-4. The Cougars two wins have come by just 3 points combined and Grace Prep scoring 35 last week does not bode well for slowing the Crusaders. Its been a struggle for Reicher so far on defense with the opposition scoring at least 33 every week. TKG should be too much on offense even on the road. Crusaders win 44-19.
Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Fort Worth All Saints -- This game looked to be a huge indicator of things to come when the season started. Two contenders, if not favorites, in Districts 1 and 2 matching up right before district play. However, the season hasn't played out that way. The Lions are all of the contender they've been, and appear to have a stronger defensive unit this year to go with the always potent offense. Even allowing 48 points to St. Pius doesn't take the shine of a strong squad. The Saints have struggled out of the gates to just a 1-3 start. Falling to each of Regents, TCCH, and Dunne. They'll be excited to be back home after two road games (both on grass interestingly). The Lions though appear to be too much. Prestonwood wins 48-23.
Quick Hits: (Season: 31-16)
Carrollton Prince of Peace over Beaumont Legacy Christian
Trinity Christian - Addison over Plano John Paul II
Midland Christian over San Antonio Cornerstone
Houston Kinkaid over Tomball Concordia Lutheran
Houston St. Thomas over China Spring
Cameron Yoe over Katy St. John XXIII
Austin Brentwood Christian over Austin St. Dominic Savio
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Arlington Pantego Christian
Yorktown over Victoria St. Joseph
Boerne Geneva over Shiner St. Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment