As the time changes we reach another season's end. Its been a much drier season though we do seem to be set for a cooler finish this week. Good luck and safe travels on the road to state.
This Week: (Season: 60-15)
Dallas Christian @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Chargers used a dominant 2nd half to put away McKinney Christian last week and return to the win column. DC is certainly favored heading into this finale, but the Cougars are no easy out. Grace is in the playoffs, but an upset win here could vault them up the standings. A loss would put the Cougars on the road to the District 1 champion, likely a heavily favored Grapevine Faith. The Cougars have rarely matched a good offensive outing and a good defensive outing in the same game. Wills Point and Canton victories feel a very long time ago at this point. The Cougars have held just 3 of 9 opponents under 20 points. The Chargers defense has been the dominant unit again this season, holding 7 of 9 opponents under 15 points. The Cougars will have to find a way to score to take this road win. If Grace can not reach 28, I can't see how they win. Chargers secure 2nd place with a 35-19 victory.
Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill @ Bullard Brook Hill -- The Guard have secured a playoff spot, but with one shocking upset could find themselves with the district crown. Most likely it will be a 3rd place finish for Brook Hill, but the Guard will stand a decent chance at a road upset in Round 1. This leaves a reasonable chance these two could meet twice in 3 weeks. The Tigers have not looked as good as 2018, but that is more a commentary on the dominance of the 2018 squad than a negative for the 2019 bunch. In three district wins the Tigers have won by a combined 124 points. DC managed to "limit" the Tigers to 40. Now the Brook Hill defense has shown to be a unit that can battle having held 5 opponents to a touchdown or less. Limiting DC to 21 is another good performance. However, only scoring 3 against DC while TCCH managed 40 to go with just 27 scored against Southwest Christian (likely TCCH Round 1 opponent) makes it hard to see Brook Hill scoring in this one. Guard defense keeps it close for a while, but a tidy home win for the Tigers is to be expected. TCCH wins 38-0.
Tyler T.K. Gorman @ McKinney Christian -- The Crusaders withdrew from Division II to start the year and will be in Division III for next season. TKG chose to maintain this date with McKinney Christian to close the season. The stakes are low here, but the Mustangs have shown improvement in 2019. With a decent chance that 4 of 5 teams will make the playoffs in MCA's district next alignment, the Mustangs could be pointing toward a playoff appearance next alignment. To that end, keeping the Crusaders from their 2nd win this year would be a start. The Mustangs struggled against the 4 playoff teams of District 2, but the Crusaders have just struggled in general. All 7 defeats have seen the Crusaders opposition score at least 40 points. The Mustangs scored just 12 points in 4 district games, but in their 4-0 start they were a high powered offense with outings of 49, 44, and 54 to open the season. The Mustangs should close the season with a good feeling. MCA wins 42-14.
Grapevine Faith Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- At the start of the season, and even the start of district play this seemed to be destined for a 3-0 vs. 3-0 district title game. However, the Cardinals were bounced by Frisco Legacy in Week 9. The small size of the district slate though leaves an opprutunity still. Only UIL power Canadian has gotten the better of the the Lions this season while its been an up and down 5-4 season for FWC. The Cardinals really only dominated Prince of Peace and Valley Mills this season while Faith really put the screws to Southwest (a 3 point victory for FWC) and Legacy (a loss for FWC). Faith has played just 3 games since the loss to Canadian on September 28th. Particularly with the game in Grapevine, I just do not see FWC scoring anywhere close to enough to keep up with the Lions offense that has scored 35 in 7 of 8 games and scored 27 in the other game. However, I thought Faith was a clear favorite in this game last year and it bit me. Lions win at home 42-20.
Houston Second Baptist @ Houston Lutheran South -- With all the rightful hype of TCCH going for 3rd straight title, its easy to lose track of the Eagles that are the only 9-0 team in Division II. Second Baptist is the last school south of the I-20 corridor to win TAPPS 2nd largest division when they won then 4A in 1999. Nobody playing in this one was even born then. That's how long its been since the "North" was not on top in Division II. The Eagles have run off several district titles, but have been snake bit in the playoffs. The Pioneers have also suffered playoff disappointments for their best teams, including a regional game held over to Monday due to rain in 2014. Last year's matchup went to OT before Second Baptist prevailed. The Eagles have flown high all season long scoring at least 30 points in all 9 victories and posting 41 or more in 7 outings. The Pioneers may be the best opponent of the season, entering at 8-1. Both teams largely controlled district opposition with Victoria St. Joseph being the lone exception. The Flyers lost by only a point at Lutheran South and were the team to hold Second Baptist to 30. Notably Tomball Concordia provided the lone defeat for the Pioneers while the Eagles bested them 38-13 the next week. I do not think the Pioneers can slow the Eagles offense enough to win, but should put up some points to make it interesting. With the game at Second Baptist, I just can't pick the upset here. Eagles finish a 10-0 regular season with a 42-28 win.
Dallas Bishop Dunne @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- Realignment telling us Dunne's enrollment is down a bit helps explain some of the Falcons struggles. Its a curious game this week for Dunne, Nolan, and Prestonwood, as they each know who they will play next week. Tomball Concordia is also locked in, but has the week off. The Lions have long been thought of as a dominant offense, but this year has been a slower paced group using their defense to win games. In their last 5 only Parish has posted more than 17 points, including good teams in John Paul, Lynch, and All Saints. That is not a recipe for success for the Falcons who have struggled offensively this year. Even last season's state title depended heavily on the defense. There have been signs of that defense that won the state title, such as holding All Saints to 2 and St. Pius to 8. However, it has not been consistent enough including allowing 43 to Lynch and 37 to John Paul (admittedly in 11OT). With game on Rugged Dr. at Bishop Dunne, I can't see the Falcons getting blown out. Expect a defensive battle, Lions win 17-14.
Lubbock Christian @ Lubbock Trinity Christian -- The Eagles are no stranger to district championships, including back-to-back 10 win seasons in 2016 and 2017. 2018 saw Lubbock Christian drop 2 district games to the eventual state champion and by a single point in 2OT. The Lions are newcomers to this space, playing just their 6th season of football. Trinity has been a long time state contender in the gym, but football is a new world. The Lions will host just their 2nd game in their new on campus stadium having found their offensive mojo since district play started. After a 1-4 start, Trinity has won 3 district games averaging over 41 points per game and allowing just 11 points per game. The 9-0 Eagles are going to be a stiff challenge though. The Lions may also relax a bit knowing they've secured a home game in Round 1. The district championship is a nice carrot to play for though. The Eagles appear to be the better team, but I can't see the Lions getting boatraced in this one. The Lions put up a fight, but not enough. Lubbock Christian wins 38-22.
Quick Hits: (Season: 82-18)
Dallas Parish Episcopal over San Antonio Cornerstone Christian
Midland Christian over Fort Worth All Saints
Bishop Lynch over Plano John Paul II
Houston St. Thomas over Houston St. Pius X
San Antonio Holy Cross over Brownsville St. Joseph
Victoria St. Joseph over Houston Cypress Christian
Willow Park Trinity Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo
SPC 4A: Bellaire Episcopal over Houston Kinkaid
SPC 3A: Fort Worth Country Day over The Woodlands John Cooper
TAPPS DV: Houston Village School over Austin St. Dominic Savio
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