Week 4 Picks 2023

Finally some cooler weather has reached the Lone Star State and that should get us some great games this week. Defense was winning the day last week, will offense surge back in Week 4. District play draws near for most but is here in a couple of places. Rain is good but hoping for some dry weather on the road to state this week at least around 7pm on Friday night.

This Week: (Season: 16-5)

Dallas Bishop Lynch @ Dallas Christian -- The Friars make the long trek down Oates Drive into Mesquite for the long time rivals to renew their battle. The Chargers are 2-1 on the season having squashed the Tolar Rattlers offense in a 37-6 win. The Friars secured their first victory of the season 76-0 aver Cedar Hill Newman International. The 1-2 start did include a wild one with UIL power Celina where the Friars went blow for blow in the 1st half but ultimately fell 77-41. A season ago, the Chargers won this one 34-14 at Roffino Stadium. The Friars won just 2 last year, but 1 win did come in the post-season. I think the Friars are ascending, but seems like the DC offense is going to be too much again. In just the 3rd meeting of the last 20 years between the two schools its probably not a blowout, but finding a way to slow the DC offense seems like a tall task after allowing 113 points in their 2 losses. Chargers win 35-21.

Bullard Brook Hill @ White Oak -- The Guard travel an hour to the other side of I-20 to take on the Roughnecks. A season ago Brook Hill scored early and often in a 55-29 home victory. The Roughnecks have started 0-3 and now are on an 8-game losing streak. Its been a defensive struggle for White Oak being outscored 177-46 so far this season. The Guard lost for a 2nd year in a row to Tyler Grace, falling in Week 3 23-19. Brook Hill has had difficulty scoring points when a big game comes along. This has led to big losses in the notable contests. This isn't really one of those weeks though. The Guard should be able to even their record at 2-2 this week. Brook Hill wins 42-12.

Argyle Liberty Christian @ Grapevine Faith Christian -- The Lions host Division II contender Liberty after being shutout in a weather interrupted game against ESD last week. The Warriors had a week off having moved their neutral site game with Lubbock Trinity to the end of the season. The Warriors shut out the same ESD squad that Faith played in their last outing. Faith lost to ESD 37-0. Liberty beat ESD 31-0. Can Faith turn the tables in a just a week? Its not historically a bad match-up for the Lions, but it was a 50-13 drubbing in Argyle last year. Ultimately the best teams in Division II are in District 1 and that should prove out again this week. Warriors win on the road, 35-12.

Fort Bend Christian @ Addison Trinity Christian -- Strange turns bring this match-up back as a meeting of 0-3 teams. The Trojans were 0-3 heading into this one last season and once again are struggling to score points. Just 23 points in 3 games so far for TCA. Defending UIL Champion Gunter last week was a bit more than the Trojans could handle. The Eagles were the Division II state champions last year, and a win over TCA turned things in the right direction during 2022. While it was just a 1-2 start last year, the 2 losses were by 10 points total. 2023 has seen the Eagles outscored by 76 points in 3 weeks. This is also the 4th straight road game to start the season for Fort Bend. I think both teams might figure out their offenses against each other. I think a high scoring one this week though last year was just 17-8 with Fort Bend winning even though I predicted high scoring. I'll stick with a similar thought to last year, Eagles win a close one 44-40.

Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Dallas South Oak Cliff -- The Panthers non-district slate finds another huge challenge in back-to-back champion Golden Bears. These two played a classic last year with SOC winning 31-28 on the blue field in the closing moments. Last season Parish was looking for that elusive undefeated season. The Panthers started 3-0 in 2022 but just 1-2 against the same opponents in 2023. They did get back in the win column over Austin LBJ last week. The Parish offense will stand up against just about anyone in the state public or private. The defense though has struggled this year. Will the Golden Bears be as good as Aledo that put up 50 on the Panthers? There's a definite chance. After turning the tables on Lancaster from a year ago SOC was dominated by Desoto last week. Expect a really good game for a 2nd year in a row. Home teams are favored in this space, especially when re-matching a road win from a year ago. Golden Bears win 35-31.

Fort Worth All Saints @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- The Lions were being dominated by Little Elm when the rain and lightning halted their Week 3 game, so we'll say they're just 1-1 on the season. The Saints have a 3-0 start, outscoring opposition by 96 points so far in 2023. The Lions won a tight road game a season ago, 24-21. The Saints though turned a Nolan defeat into a blowout win and a 3-point margin into a 22-point margin over TCA between seasons. All Saints seems to be heading up the charts, and the District 1 battle royale will be quite the October surprise in Division II. Saints are the better team so far in 2023. All Saints wins on the road, 42-28.

Midland Christian @ San Antonio Cornerstone -- The Mustangs long trip to Prosper to take on UIL State Ranked Texarkana Pleasant Grove ended in a 45-26 loss. MCS did get a 3rd quarter lead before the Hawks scooted by in the 4th. So its an 0-2 beginning in the Tall City and the road trips continue for the West Texas road warriors to take on the Warriors. Cornerstone is at least 0-3 on the year though MaxPreps has 0-4 including a loss to "Varsity Opponent." Gunter and Carthage is a pretty terrible schedule to try and find wins against though. They get China Spring later too, a difficult campaign. The Warriors need to find a win over the visiting Mustangs. The 3 quarters against Pleasant Grove is too much to ignore for this writer. Mustangs win 28-23.

Quick Hits: (Season: 20-10)

Lubbock Trinity Christian over New Deal
Dallas Covenant over Dallas First Baptist
Tyler Grace Community over Lone Oak
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Plano John Paul II
Frisco Legacy Christian over Dallas St. Marks
Austin Regents over Houston St. Thomas
Brownsville St. Joseph over Victoria St. Joseph
Houston St. John's over Houston Second Baptist
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Irving Cistercian
Shiner St. Paul over The Woodlands Legacy Prep Christian