Week 2 Picks 2019

The excitement is never quite as high for Week 2, but still plenty of snags awaiting the top contenders. Good luck and safe travels.

This Week: (Last Week: 7-1)

Dallas Bryan Adams @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers scored early and often against Westbury last week, boat racing to a 52-0 victory. This improved on last year's 47-13 win and sets up for a very successful non-district slate for DC. The Cougars come in having been beaten even worse, suffering a 58-0 defeat against Dallas Madison. After three straight playoff appearances, Bryan Adams went just 1-9 last season and the week 1 rout points to another long season for the Cougars. Always have to show up and play the games, but if the Chargers defense produces its usual standard then I have a hard time seeing the Cougars scoring. The Chargers should race to a home opening rout. Chargers win 45-0.

Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Parish Episcopal -- The Tigers are the back-to-back state champions and see a big ESPN showdown with the Panthers ahead. TCCH took a 16-13 win over Bishop Lynch in the opener and will stake its 24-game win streak against the Division I contenders. The Panthers are actually opening the season here with a tough oponent. Last season Parish went out in the semifinals with a loss to eventual champion Bishop Dunne. This is absolutely the marquee game of the week. The Tigers offense is likely going to need more than the 16 they posted last week. I would not expect the Panthers defense to be as good as Lynch, but they will not be a pushover by any means. I think these two will score quite a few against each other. I think TCCH will keep its streak alive with another close one. Tigers win 38-33.

San Antonio Cornerstone Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- The Cardinals slid by a very competitive Country Day squad for the 2nd straight year in their opener. Coming off a semifinal appearance last season, expectations are high for FWC. Interestingly, for both FWC and Faith all roads appear to lead to a Week 11 showdown for the district title. Last season the Cardinals traveled to TK Gorman and suffered a defeat that appeared to position them to struggle in the district campaign. The Cardinals rebounded to win District 1 and then reach the 3rd round. TK Gorman has moved to a independent schedule this season, leaving several openings for San Antonio Cornerstone to test themselves against many TAPPS powers. The Warriors posted a 7-3 record against a schedule that included 7 out-of-state opponents, and then upped the ante last week by opening with an out-of-country team. Its hard to project a 33-21 win over Autonoma de Nuevo Leon to this matchup. We'll see the Warriors against DC, Lynch, Dunne, TCCH, MCS, and Parish this season so we'll have plenty to go on after the fact, but hard to know what happens here. I think the Cardinals take their opener with a usually strong defense. FWC wins 26-14.

Tyler Grace Community @ Redwater  -- The Cougars head deep into Northeast Texas to take on the Dragons after opening with a dominant 46-13 win over Canton. This is a much improved defensive outing from Grace, who saw Canton score 40 in last season's opener. The Dragons were a playoff team in 2017, but struggled to just 1-9 a year ago. Last season, saw Grace allow Redwater's high output of the season in a 75-54 home win. The Cougar defense should be much tougher this year. The Dragons fell 42-21 in their opener, but only managed 6 against the same opposition last year. The road trip complicates things a bit for the Cougars, but they should be the stronger side this week. Lower scoring on both sides than last year. Cougars win their road opener 45-20.

Fort Worth Country Day @ Grapevine Faith -- The Lions find a Week 2 opponent that just played District 1 competitor Fort Worth Christian. Faith dominated Fort Worth Trinity Valley last week, 56-0. The Lions were ousted in the regional round last season, being shutout by TCCH. The Falcons improved greatly last season finishing 7-4, 5 wins better than 2017. Faith seeing just a 6 point win for FWC should be looking to measure themselves early for the Week 11 projected district showdown. The Lions defense should carry the day, particularly at home. Faith wins handily with some late scores. Lions win 34-16.

El Paso Americas @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs take on the Trailblazers for the 6th year in a row hosting Americas for the 3rd time. The Trailblazers could not find the endzone in last year's 22-3 MCS win. Americas dominated Eastwood last week, 63-0, while MCS pounded Chapin 42-0. If Week 1 is indicative of the Mustangs defense this year it puts them in a favorable spot to win this one, but the Trailblazers appear to be improved over last season as well. The Mustangs should be favored in this one, but no easy victory should be expected. Somebody allows their first points of the year, but MCS should have this one. Mustangs win 30-14.

Fort Worth All Saints @ Austin Regents -- Another year of an interesting clash of a Division I contender and a Division II contender. The Knights dominated Division III contender Cypress Christian to open the season while the Saints will open the season in Week 2. The Knights went to Fort Worth last year and came away with a 7 point victory. This has to make Regents the favorite in the cozy confines of the capital city. No long regular season win streak to defend for Regents, but still a strong contender after reaching 3 straight state finals. The Saints dropped all the way to 2-8 last season after being a perennial contender in the SPC and Division I before. The Knights should be a clear winner here, but a surprise is coming somewhere. Regents wins 35-21.

Shiner St. Paul @ Victoria St. Joseph -- Using fewer players than some TAPPS 6-man squads St. Paul is always in the mix (in every sport too). The Cardinals had a lean season going just 2-8 in the regular season before running to a state title as they got healthy. The Flyers have a long history but it has been hard times of late. 6 wins in 2018 was the most since 2009 for St. Joseph. The Flyers will open their 2019 campaign in this one after reaching the playoffs last season. The Cardinals would have to be favored given the last decade of program histories except that St. Joseph won last year's game in Shiner. St. Paul's opening win over Yorktown points to a better regular season ahead for the Cardinals. Cardinals head back to Shiner with a win, 30-20.

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 always makes the cut. The historic rockpile of Alamo Stadium hosts the annual showdown of the largest Catholic schools in the San Antonio area. The Knights have been a consistent playoff contender in the South, reaching the semifinal again but falling to Regents. The Buttons have struggled in recent years in Division I, as the entire group of District 3 teams has in Division I. The Buttons lead the all time series 35-12 with 7 of the Knights 12 wins coming since 2000. Holy Cross secured an 8-7 victory in last year's contest, and a close battle would seem likely after Central's 42-19 win and Holy Cross' 41-17 win in their respective openers. Expect a close, coin flip type, game. I'll take the Knights 20-18.

Quick Hits: (Last Week: 5-5)

Plano John Paul II over Bullard Brook Hill
Dallas Shelton over Carrollton Prince of Peace
Waco Reicher over McKinney Christian
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Fort Worth Trinity Valley
Flower Mound Coram Deo over Frisco Legacy Christian
Celina over Argyle Liberty Christian
China Spring over Trinity Christian - Addison
Austin Brentwood Christian over Austin Texas School for the Deaf
Arlington Pantego Christian over Dallas Covenant
Houston Kinkaid over Houston Westbury Christian