Week 6 Picks 2022

Another week on the road to state. We now have the brackets for our November run. All Division I teams are in and no real surprises from TAPPS this time. Still wish we could consider 8 team brackets when they make sense in the smaller divisions, but it will still be a great tournament. District play is either here or a week away, leaving quite a few teams off this week.

This Week: (Season: 29-10)

Dallas Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- The long time rivals renew their battle in North Richland Hills. Thanks to @LSCSN's work, we have this as the 62nd all time meeting in varsity football. A 41-20 Dallas Christian lead in the series really means very little when the game starts Friday, but its nice to know. Those 20 wins for FWC include 2 state championship games that went the Cardinals way and before a recent run of success for DC the margin was just 6 games. This season, the Chargers enter at 5-0 after holding on to defeat Fort Worth Nolan last week. The Cardinals are 4-0, setting up this big meeting of undefeated squads. DC has won the last 3 matchups, including both games a year ago. A 63 point outing that DC put up in the playoffs last year seems unlikely to happen again. The Chargers defense should lead the way here given the track record in 2022 so far. The Cardinals stand to be possibly the best offense the Chargers have seen this year though. FWC scored an upset win in this author's mind at Grapevine Faith last week. We may not look at it as an upset for much longer if the Cardinals continue this run of good play. Seems this may be both teams best opponent so far, but I think the DC defense holds this score pretty low. The author's biases are well known, so no surprise in this pick. Chargers survive, 28-26.

Bellaire Episcopal @ Episcopal School of Dallas -- With a lighter slate in TAPPS games, we feature a big week of SPC contests. To open the 4A conference slate, the Knights visit Gene and Jerry Jones Family Stadium with a 4-1 record. Their only loss to TAPPS Division I favorite Parish Episcopal. Last year's 3-6 campaign was an aberration as the Knights have been in the five SPC titles games before that. Second Baptist and Nolan are the big wins so far this season and this is a big one with ESD. The Eagles are 5-0 entering Week 6, trying to return to the championship game after falling in the 2021 edition. A 10-0 regular season last year means the last regular season SPC loss was in 2019 for the Eagles. After allowing 43 points in a season opening win over TCA, ESD has allowed just 31 points in four games. This includes wins over TAPPS Division II contenders Argyle Liberty and Grapevine Faith. The Eagles defense should win the day here, particularly at home. This will be close to the end though. ESD wins 21-19.

Dallas St. Marks @ Houston St. John's -- The other game in SPC 4A this week is also a good one. The Mavericks 4-1 season was kick started with a win over Fort Bend Christian with the lone loss to Houston St. Thomas. St. John's has been on the outside in recent years, unable to reach the level of the Episcopals and Kinkaid. This season is their best chance to get in the mix, but the big 3 mentioned above will be hard to overcome. It has to start with winning this one. The Lions are in the same position and to get in the mix will need this win. Losses to John Cooper and Cistercian do not point to a success here, particularly on the road. However, St. Marks is 3-2 and was very competitive with a good Cistercian team. Probably not enough this week, but a chance to get to 6 wins and their best season since 2015 requires a win here. Mavericks too much at home, winning 35-14.

The Woodlands John Cooper @ Irving Cistercian -- After dissecting SPC 4A, we move to 3A. The Hawks took a long path to the title game in 2021, getting shutout in the penultimate game of the season and presumably finishing out of the top two but making the title game anyway. The big problem for Cistercian though was two losses to John Cooper including the title game. The Dragons scored early and often against Cistercian last year, posting 98 points in two games. They finished the year on an eight game win streak. A 4-1 season has seen lots of points for Cooper, but a season opening 10-7 loss to The Woodlands Christian left some questions for the season ahead. I think they've answered them though. The Hawks are 4-1 as well, but were unable to solve Trinity Valley again. I just don't seen how they turn the table from a year ago. Dragons win 45-28.

Denver City @ Lubbock Trinity Christian -- The Lions are relatively new to varsity football, only on the scene in a TAPPS district since 2016. They found their greatest success last year, falling to Cypress Christian 16-7 in the state final. This included an upset win in the all Lubbock semifinal over Lubbock Christian. This season is just a 2-2 start, but losses to UIL Albany and Division II contender Argyle Liberty are not bad losses at all. The Lions have struggled to score compared to what we might want to see in a title contender. The Mustangs are 2-3 having just lost to Monahans 40-27 a week ago. Should be a competitive game, but I think the Lions have enough at home. Trinity wins 30-20.

Muenster Sacred Heart @ Lubbock Christian -- The big district game in Division IV is this one. The Eagles, having just reached the semifinals in Division III last year, figure to be a top team in Division IV in 2022. They've been lighting up the scoreboard so far as well including 3 outings of 50+. The win over UIL state ranked Wellington though is the big one. This will be the first real comparison with a TAPPS contender in 2022 thanks to the geographic constraints the state creates with its size. The Tigers have been close in recent years, but not coming too close big kahuna in Division IV, Shiner St. Paul. However, just three weeks ago Sacred Heart took down the four-time defending champions. A 4-0 start for the Tigers puts them on the map for the title in the smallest 11-man classification. Just a 20-13 win over Weatherford Christian maybe makes the door feel open. Lot of contenders in Division IV, so the District 1 season feels like a bit of a prelude to November and December. Long trip means I have to go home team here, but a good measuring stick for the Division here. Eagles win 40-30.

San Antonio Christian @ Brownsville St. Joseph -- The Bloodhounds get themselves in the picks pretty often, because...they're the Bloodhounds. See how we don't all have to be Eagles. They opened district play last week with a win over name brethren Victoria St. Joseph, 47-40. This makes 3 games of 40+ for the 'Hounds as part of a 3-1 start. The Lions enter with the curious record of 1-2-1 thanks to a weather situation that happened late in a tie game preventing OT from being played. The district opener was the tough trip to Regents and it went as expected for SACS, a 55-0 loss. The Lions just haven't scored enough to keep up in their losses this year, and I think that has to be the case again on the long trip to the Valley. Bloodhounds win 48-21.

Quick Hits: (Season: 34-16)

McKinney Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian
Fort Worth Nolan over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Argyle Liberty Christian over Frisco Legacy Christian
Addison Trinity Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Austin Hyde Park over San Antonio St. Anthony's
Austin St. Michael's over San Antonio TMI
Weatherford Christian over Tyler T.K. Gorman
Dallas First Baptist over Waco Reicher
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Arlington Oakridge
Houston Kinkaid over Houston St. Thomas