Week 3 Picks 2021

 Week 3 brings us a few district games in the larger districts. Many more will start district play next week. I don't know if there is a "big" matchup this week, but sometimes that helps us find the best games. Good luck and safe travels.

This Week: (Season: 12-4)

Dallas Christian @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- The Chargers head on the road for the first time this season and take on their 3rd Division I opponent of the young campaign. The Warriors, with new coach Jason Witten, play just their 2nd game after blowing by Frisco Legacy to start the season 1-0. These two met in their opener last season with DC turning a 21-14 halftime lead into a 56-14 win that started the Chargers on a dominant but short regular season. DC was not as dominant as a year ago in two wins in 2021, but wins over Bishop Lynch and St. Pius X are quality wins. Not sure who is sending halftime scores to the AP, but last week was 31-6 not 17-0 at the half. Liberty's 55-13 win over Frisco Legacy is a nice start to a season with a new coach, particularly when you just won 2 last season. The Warriors should be improved, and the game is at home, but I don't see that they've made up 42 points on the Chargers from last year. Dallas Christian wins 31-20.

Colleyville Covenant Christian @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars are smarting from an ugly 0-2 start where they've scored just 8 points. Regents and West are certainly top quality opposition, so I do not think things are quite as bad as they might seem in Tyler. The Cougars dropped their opener to Grapevine Faith before besting Oakridge last week, 35-14. Coming off a state championship where they won as many playoff games as regular season games, Covenant appears to still be contenders for the crown. Both teams have been known for explosive offenses over the years, but are looking a bit suspect early. Both teams may be the right foil to get their offenses on track. Things do not get much better next week with Tenaha on the Cougars schedule, so this would be a good one to get. I think Covenant is too good though and just sneaks over the line for a road win. Cougars win 30-28.

Bullard Brook Hill @ Tenaha -- The Guard took a 3 point loss in a lately scheduled road meeting with Longview Spring Hill last week to fall to 1-1 on the year. The Tigers are a traditional strong program in East Texas and this year is off to a 2-0 start. With 41 and 35 points in their two games this year, Tenaha will be a tough stop for the Brook Hill defense. Coming off a 3rd round playoff appearance the Tigers should be a real contender in UIL 2A. The Guard simply must find a way to score to stay in this one. They did not score 30 in either of their games so far and Tenaha may have the best defense of the bunch. On the road this is too big a lift for Brook Hill, but they should be ready for district play when it hits next month. Tenaha wins 42-21.

Bishop Lynch @ Houston St. Pius X -- The Friars and Panthers complete a round robin of the first 3 weeks as both lost to DC in the opening weeks of the season. Both teams really wore down as the game progressed at DC. The Friars had a much better start in Week 1, leading 14-6 late in the 2nd quarter. They also had the worse finish suffering a 28-0 2nd half. The Panthers managed just a handful of 1st downs, but a blocked punt set up a 4th quarter score and St. Pius offered much stiffer resistance in the 2nd half, going down just 14-6 after the break. St. Pius blew out Lutheran North in week 1 and Lynch bested Fort Worth Christian by 20 in week 2. This should be a pretty even match. I think neither team is well equipped for a comeback and whoever strikes first wins. Panthers win at home 21-14.

Garland @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- The Lions earn a mention with a road win at Coppell in Week 2, playing the Owls will get you into the picks as well. The Prestonwood offense has returned to past glory with 55 and 56 on the board the 1st two weeks. The Lions had been knocking on the door for a couple years of a big win over a top UIL program and finally got it last week. The return of the high-powered offense will be a welcome sight in Plano as being unable to produce the points has led to their most recent playoff defeats. The Owls have a storied past, but have been mostly also-rans in recent times. A 2-0 start certainly is strides in the right direction, but the Lions figure to be far and away their toughest opponent so far. Lions win handily, 42-15.

Midland Christian @ Boerne -- The Mustangs were the latest to need to schedule a replacement game on short notice, and will take a lengthy trip to Boerne. Though 297 miles is nothing to sneeze at, its actually 8 miles closer than their Week 1 trip to El Paso. The Greyhounds are off to a 1-1, with a 7 point win and a 4 point loss. MCS 2-0 start is a promising beginning to a season with high expectations. I suspect Boerne to be better than both Americas and Eastwood, but I think MCS is a favorite here. 93 points in 2 weeks points to an offense that might be too much for the Greyhounds. Mustangs win on the road 38-23.

Bellaire Episcopal @ Austin Regents -- The Regents Knights finally got over the championship game hump and have picked right up where last season ended. Regents absolutely crushed UIL 5A Pflugerville Connally, 55-0. 100 points through 2 games certainly has everyone wondering how to push the champs off the mountain top. The Epsicopal Knights were an SPC champion in 2019, back in the distant pre-COVID world. 2020 saw just a 2-4 season where Episcopal never scored more than 27 in a game. Its hard to put too much into last year since it was well...weird. This season Episcopal is off to an 0-2 start, but Parish Episcopal and Vidor are no pushovers. They could be headed to an 0-3 start for sure. I think this is the closest for Regents so far, but deep in the Travis County woods is not where I'd want to see Regents on a football field. Regents wins at home, 40-20.

Shiner St. Paul @ Schulenburg -- Our last game takes us to I-10 between San Antonio and Houston as the Cardinals travel just 30 miles to take on the Shorthorns. St. Paul took a loss to Cypress Christian last week and find a difficult opponent this week. The numbers game probably caught up to the Cardinals a bit last week. Their success makes it easy to forget how small the school is. The Shorthorns will be a little more even coming out of UIL 2A. A 2-0 start leaves removes some of the sting of an 0-3 close to last season. The Shorthorn defense should limit the Cardinals a bit, but may have a tough time scoring. Cardinals get back in the win column, 28-14.

Quick Hits: (Season: 14-6)

McKinney Christian over Collinsville
Flower Mound Coram Deo over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Episcopal School of Dallas over Fort Worth Christian
Fort Bend Christian over Houston St. John's
Victoria St. Joseph over Houston Northland Christian
Plano John Paul II over Frisco Legacy Christian
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Malakoff
Lubbock Christian over Muenster Sacred Heart
Dallas St. Marks over Dallas Greenhill
Irving Cistercian over Addison Trinity Christian