Week 10 Picks 2024

Find a game this week to decide a district title. We'll have much of the playoff brackets in decent shape after this week. Stay tuned to this space for match-ups and times.

This Week: (Season: 46-16)

McKinney Christian @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers withstood a tough road test at Dallas Covenant last week. DC's defense had its first game saving moments of the year, holding a good Knights offense to just 13 points and only 6 points after the 1st series. They welcome McKinney Christian in this week for homecoming at Wheeler Field. The Mustangs are struggling again this year at just 1-6 on the season. They are coming off a 40 point loss to Tyler All Saints. They're seeing the scoreboard rolled over on them constantly with an average of 50 points allowed per game. MCA has not had a winning season since 2017, a team that reached the state final. The Chargers are rarely the team you want to see when you need a win, but particularly aren't the team to see when you can't buy a stop. Chargers win 56-0.

Dallas Covenant @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- With the focus of state just not on DC's district I've let the focus go elsewhere in a change from previous years in this column. However, the Knights strong play a week ago that pushed DC to the late stages, earns them a spot in the picks this week. Covenant's 5-3 mark includes losses to Dallas First Baptist (among the favorites in Division IV), DC (among the favorites in Division III), and Colleyville Covenant. While the other Covenant is not a favorite they tested Lubbock Christian all the way to the final horn last week. The fact that the Knights held an offense that scored 45 against Lubbock Christian to just 13 points means the Knights are going to be game for the fight come November. The Crusaders are looking for a 3rd win in a season for the first time since 2018. Two non-district wins and a bushel of points scored in the losses pointed to better things ahead for TKG. However, the district slate has not been kind at 0-3. They've been shutout by two different Chargers and lost in 3OT to Tyler All Saints. Covenant seems to play better at home so the trip to Tyler must be overcome, but I can't see the Crusaders scoring enough to make this one interesting at the end. Knights win 33-12.

Arlington Pantego Christian @ Lubbock Christian -- The Eagles are still a member of the "Big 3" in Division III. DC, Lubbock Christian, and Holy Cross, appear to be the main choices for district titles and 3 of the 4 semifinalists. Though Colleyville Covenant nearly pushed them out of that trio last week. The Eagles defense was shockingly porous in allowing 45 points. Lubbock Christian is still 7-1 on the season and having found a way to win figures to be there at the end. They're averaging over 40 points per game on the year so keeping up on the scoreboard is the Panthers best chance. Pantego's 6-0 start to the season did have them tabbed for the next tier of contenders. The loss last time out to Lake Country certainly hurt those chances of breaking into the top 3. The Panthers have not scored with the same regularity as the Eagles, but can maybe find a way to slow the Eagle attack like they did Shelton in what was a small upset at the time. With the long road to Lubbock in front of them, I can't expect the Panthers to punch back with the same gusto that Colleyville Covenant did. Eagles win 42-28.

Fort Worth Christian @ Fort Worth All Saints -- Division II appeared to be wide open at the start of the year as Liberty departed for Division I. The Saints filled that void immediately with a win over Parish Episcopal and then backed it up by defeating Prestonwood too. At 8-0 and averaging 40 points per game against a difficult schedule, its hard to see anyone else as the current favorite in Division II. The long road trip to Midland last week was probably the biggest hurdle between them and an undefeated season. The Cardinals though will certainly take their shot. A 6-2 campaign has relied on the FWC defense that has held all but two opponents under 20 points. The two are the two losses. They held Midland Christian to just 21, but were blown out by Second Baptist. If the Cardinals can find the endzone, they can help that defense to bridge the gap to the favored Saints. I just don't see the Cardinals scoring enough. Notably Lubbock Trinity is an obvious common opponent to look at and All Saints scored 43 while FWC managed just 17. It was a win for the Cardinals, but they need a lot more than 17 to win this one. Saints win, 35-12.

Houston Lutheran South @ The Woodlands Christian -- Division II's best intrigue is in District 4. The Warriors escaped attention for much of the year. They piled up non-district wins over good UIL squads but the lack of common opponents made those results a bit of a mystery. We (the committee of one) should have taken more notice of TWCA earlier on. Particularly, losing a very tight 4 point game to top UIL team East Bernard. That was the Warriors lone loss on the season before taking on Second Baptist in Week 8. SBS has been the clear favorite in District 4, but the Warriors tested them all the way to the end falling by just 7 to the heavily favored Eagles. Next week's game with Fort Bend seems likely to decide 2nd place and who hosts a Round 1 playoff game, but they have to get past LSA first. The Pioneers appeared to be the best threat to Second Baptist after defeating UIL regular Anahuac in non-district. On the field though LSA managed just 3 points in a 28-3 loss to Second Baptist. The defense though showed promise. They failed to get into the 2nd place mix by dropping a 7-point decision to Fort Bend Christian last week. They're an up and down squad. Allow 62 to St. John's, but keep Second Baptist to just 14 in the first half. Score 54 against Anahuac, but just 24 at Fort Bend. I'm not sure what to think, but TWCA has the better overall results this year and is at home. Warriors win, 38-20.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian @ Houston Second Baptist -- The battle of Eagles has decided the Houston area district multiple times in the last decade. Trading district and playoff wins happened in back-to-back years in 2021 and 2022. Second Baptist used their 2021 district loss as a launch point to the State Final, Fort Bend Christian used their 2022 district title loss as a springboard to the State Title. Each avenging the district title in the playoffs. In the MaxPreps era, the 2021 district title and the 2022 semifinal are 2 of the 3 wins FBCA has managed over SBS. Second Baptist leads the series 18 to 3. A season ago, it was a Second Baptist shutout that won the district for the Eagles. This year the offense has led the charge to a 7-1 season. The win over St. John's and the domination of FWC are better than any of Fort Bend's 4 wins. I do not see Fort Bend Christian limiting Second Baptist enough to win this one, and definitely not on the road. Second Baptist claims the district crown, 35-21.

Quick Hits: (Season: 72-18)

Dallas Shelton over Tyler All Saints
Tyler Grace Community over Arlington Grace Prep
Midland Christian over Grapevine Faith Christian
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Addison Trinity Christian
San Antonio Antonian over Tomball Concordia Lutheran
Brownsville St. Joseph over San Antonio Christian
Lubbock Trinity Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Argyle Liberty Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Dallas St. Mark's over Episcopal School of Dallas
Houston Kinkaid over Houston St. John's

Week 9 Results

The games in the top section mostly delivered this week. That set up a tough week for the picks. Glad to see some tight games across TAPPS this week. Some favorites have emerged, but also some challengers have shown they won't be an easy out come November.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Dallas Covenant (24-13) -- Correct
--The Knights were in the fight tonight, but couldn't quite maintain the offensive consistency to best the Chargers. Dc should clearly

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Plano Prestonwood Christian (49-52) -- Wrong
--Incredible back and forth line score in this one. The Lions offense clearly matches the other contenders now. This probably keeps Prestonwood on the other side of the bracket from Liberty. Panthers likely lose out on a 1st round bye and would have to play Liberty in the semis.

Fort Worth All Saints over Midland Christian (49-28) -- Correct
--The Mustangs seem to have gotten their offense going a bit as the season progresses. The trouble tonight was playing the Saints. All Saints will be hard to push out of the Division II playoffs.

Tyler Grace Community over Austin Hyde Park (28-46) -- Wrong
--The Cougars had back-to-back home games with teams visiting from Austin, but got 0 wins out of them. A Saturday afternoon visit to Grace Prep is no picnic, but a 4-2 finish should be within reach. That could set up a curious set of tiebreakers for 2nd place and a home playoff game.

Lubbock Trinity Christian over Grapevine Faith Christian (28-35) -- Wrong
--Faith scores its 2nd win of the season, finally winning a 7 point game. Trinity will likely have to win in Midland to make the playoffs.

Houston Lutheran South over Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian (24-31) -- Wrong
--A big win for the Eagles as they get to 3-0 in district play. The battle of Eagles next week with Second Baptist likely decides the district crown.

Brownsville St. Joseph over Victoria St. Joseph (50-7) -- Correct
--Bloodhounds dominate this one to move to 1-0 in district play. They stand to have a home game in Round 1 (big if you're located in Brownsville) and avoid Second Baptist until the semifinals.

Week 9: 3-4
Season: 46-16

Quick Hits:

Tyler All Saints over McKinney Christian (47-7) -- Correct
Dallas Shelton over Tyler T.K. Gorman (42-0) -- Correct
Lubbock Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian (52-45) -- Correct
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Willow Park Trinity Christian (20-14) -- Correct
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian (27-13) -- Correct
San Antonio Christian over San Antonio St. Anthony (42-0) -- Correct
San Antonio Antonian over Houston St. Pius X (70-42) -- Correct
Dallas Bishop Lynch over Addison Trinity Christian (66-33) -- Correct
Arlington Oakridge over Fort Worth Country Day (8-26) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Irving Cistercian (40-7) -- Correct

Week 9: 9-1
Season: 72-18

Week 9 Picks 2024

The district results are becoming clearer and we should be able to project the playoff fields pretty closely once we're at 2 weeks to go. Maybe the weather will cool down when the playoffs get here. Good luck and safe travels to your team on its road to State!

This Week: (Season: 43-12)

Dallas Christian @ Dallas Covenant -- The Chargers travel to Valley View Lane for a another clash that seems likely to decide the district title. The Knights have faced DC just 3 times, all in the last 2 years. The margin is 160-27. The Chargers are 5-2 on the season having dominated the two district games thus far. It has been a little tougher for DC this season, particularly on defense. The Knights 35 points per game on the season suggests they may can score a little bit more than in previous clashes. Covenant has a matching 5-2 record, having been blown out by Dallas First Baptist and dropping a close road game to Colleyville Covenant. Finding the scoreboard and matching the Chargers blow for blow will be a requirement in this one. While the DC defense looks a bit more receptive than the past, scoring just 7 against Colleyville Covenant seems to indicate they won't find the endzone enough. However, the Knights defense has tossed 4 shutouts on the season so this shouldn't be a complete laugher. Chargers win handily but not easily, 40-15.

Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- The final of the 3 district showdowns has become the fight for 2nd place as Liberty took down both sides of this one in back-to-back weeks. Both teams took out Frisco Legacy on the district slate so far. Both teams struggled getting going early in those meetings. Parish ran away in the 2nd half, putting up 56 points. Prestonwood though only notched a 7 point margin of victory. The Lions offense hasn't posted quite as many points as the past but is still a formidable unit. The Panthers share matching losses to All Saints and Liberty with Prestonwood and its a testament to their past success that 50 points per game means their offense is slowing down. Interestingly, these are 2 of the few teams in the state yet to have a bye week so both have played 8 games already. This has to be a close game and at Prestonwood makes me think that way, but also the Panthers are 12-4 all time against the Lions. 8-in-a-row is too much for me to go against. Panthers win a thriller on the road, 35-31.

Fort Worth All Saints @ Midland Christian -- The Saints non-district upset of Parish and then consolidating that with a win over Prestonwood put them at the top of the Division II list, knowing Liberty is in Division I now. Now up to 7-0 it seems this could the best shot at an undefeated campaign in TAPPS 11-man this season (though Holy Cross will have a word there too). The All Saints defense has allowed just 13 points in the last 3 weeks. This poses a real problem for the Mustangs that have struggled to score all season. They've scored in the 30s just twice in 7 games. They did manage to win two game with just 20 and 21 points each. So it can be done. The long trip to Midland will be an obstacle for the Saints, but the firepower looks to be too much for the Mustangs. MCS should keep this interesting, but I just don't see enough points out there. Saints win, 28-12.

Austin Hyde Park @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars are having a 3rd straight district contending season, but once again seem to be a step behind the top teams in the district and division. With a chance to jump on top of the district last week, Regents came to Tyler and shutout the Cougars, 42-0. The path to 2nd place and a home playoff game is still very much open though. Grace should be favored in their final 2, so a win here would seem to secure that spot. The Panthers are 4-3 on the season notably with a district loss to Brook Hill and with Regents still to play in Week 11. The Hyde Park offense does not look to matchup well here. The Cougars having held New Boston and Pittsburg in check while the Panthers held under 40 against Bishop Dunne last week. This shouldn't be a boatrace, but the Cougars should win comfortably. Tyler Grace inches closer to that 2-seed with a 33-15 win.

Grapevine Faith Christian @ Lubbock Trinity Christian -- Our quest to find the 2nd place finishers in each district continues as the Trinity Lions having reached back-to-back semifinals in Division III are struggling to get things on track in district play in Division II. They played FWC to a standstill but never found the endzone losing 17-0. The were dominated by All Saints. So they need a win here to stay alive for 2nd palce. TCS has not been as strong on offense this season averaging less than 20 points.per game. The Faith Lions though have had it worse, starting just 1-6 this season. Faith Christian has only taken 6 losses in a season twice in the last decade. They've lost more than 6 just once in the MaxPreps era. They're a bit snake bit this season with 5 of the 6 losses coming by 7 points or less. Trinity appears to be the stronger squad but neither offense has been confidence inducing this season. The war of Lions seems to be bit defensive. Trinity puts another tight loss on the Faith, winning 21-18.

Houston Lutheran South @ Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian -- The Eagles may have finally recovered from their success of 2022. They could only manage a 6-6 mark in 2023 after winning the Division II title the year before. This season they've notched a 2-0 district mark over Beaumont Kelly and Cypress Christian. That leaves the likely top 3 of LSA, Second Baptist, and the upstart Woodland Christian between them and a 1st place finish or maybe a 4th place finish. The Fort Bend offense just hasn't produced like it did on the way to the state title. The Pioneers seemingly never recovered from a 2014 playoff loss to DC in a weather delayed Monday finish. (Sorry for making this about DC) Last weeks 44-6 drubbing of Kelly says that the Pioneer offense is well head of the Eagles defense. This will be a tough road test though, and LSA can not look past the Eagles to a likely 2nd place decider with The Woodlands Christian next week. The Pioneers offense is too much though. Lutheran South wins, 39-21.

Brownsville St. Joseph @ Victoria St. Joseph -- The Flyers welcome another district foe on a long road trip, but this is the rare visitor from South of Victoria. The path to 7 wins for the Flyers is wide open which would be the best mark for them since 2009. At 5-2 the Flyers have shown a bit of spark, but a blowout loss to Fort Worth Christian suggests there is a bit of work to do to reach the upper group in Division II. The Bloodhounds are a favorite of this space, because being the Bloodhounds is a lot cooler than being the Eagles. At 6-1 the visitors from the Valley are off to a great start, but with this being the district opener its hard to know what to expect. They are averaging over 40 points per game but the lack of common opponents makes it hard to project onto the district slate. A season ago the Hounds took out the Flyers 43-21 in Brownsville. This should be more of the same, but the Flyers are no pushover. Bloodhounds score a big road win, 29-14.

Quick Hits: (Season: 63-17)

Tyler All Saints over McKinney Christian
Dallas Shelton over Tyler T.K. Gorman
Lubbock Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Willow Park Trinity Christian
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
San Antonio Christian over San Antonio St. Anthony
San Antonio Antonian over Houston St. Pius X
Dallas Bishop Lynch over Addison Trinity Christian
Arlington Oakridge over Fort Worth Country Day
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Irving Cistercian

Week 8 Results 2024

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Dallas Shelton (63-7) -- Correct
--DC dominates from the opening kickoff and seems a lock for the district title and 1st round bye. Covenant next week will certainly take a shot at it though.

Argyle Liberty Christian over Dallas Parish Episcopal (35-27) -- Correct
--Liberty holds off the charging Panthers. Warriors are now the clear favorites in Division I, but it won't be an easy playoff run with both Parish and Prestonwood in the way.

San Antonio Holy Cross over Dallas First Baptist (34-14) -- Correct
--Knights continue their impressive march back to the Division III title game. Saints still the likely favorite in Division IV.

Fort Worth All Saints over Lubbock Trinity Christian (43-6) -- Correct
--Saints dominate in their first of 3 district tests. With wins over Parish and Prestonwood they have to be the favorite in Division II. Though a trip to Midland is no guarantee.

Fort Worth Christian over Midland Christian (19-21) -- Wrong
--Mustangs with a big road win that may position them for the Round 1 home game. Still with a shot at the district title too as All Saints visits the Permian Basin next week.

Houston Kinkaid over Bellaire Episcopal (16-14) -- Correct
--Really thought these two would score more than this. Huge win for the Falcons who are likely safe in the SPC 4A title game.

Hallettsville Sacred Heart over Shiner St. Paul (28-6) -- Correct
--Cardinals having a tough time on offense in 2024. Indians will be a difficult out in the Division IV playoffs.

Week 8: 6-1
Season: 43-12

Quick Hits:

Dallas Covenant over McKinney Christian (54-13) -- Correct
Tyler T.K. Gorman over Tyler All Saints (14-16 5OT) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Grapevine Faith Christian (21-14) -- Correct
Bullard Brook Hill over Arlington Grace Prep (36-10) -- Correct
Austin Regents over Austin Brentwood (42-14) -- Correct
Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Houston Cypress Christian (34-7) -- Correct
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Frisco Legacy Christian (35-28) -- Correct
Dallas Bishop Lynch over Fort Worth Nolan (42-17) -- Correct
Boerne Geneva over Austin Hill Country Christian (35-21) -- Correct
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Addison Greenhill (26-38) -- Wrong

Week 8: 8-2
Season: 63-17

Week 8 Picks 2024

Another week is upon us as district play ramps up across the state. The high percentage of playoff qualifiers in TAPPS can make some of the games less dramatic than they might seem, but anytime you take the field on game night in Texas its a special occasion. We even mix in one intriguing non-district clash across Divisions III and IV. Remember only half win each week, so treasure it when you're on the winning half. Good luck and safe travels as we finally get a little cooler night for everyone.

This Week: (Season: 37-11)

Dallas Shelton @ Dallas Christian -- A battle of Chargers heads to Mesquite to renew a match-up that hasn't happened on the field since 2015. DC has won all six meetings by at least 38 points. This year is interesting as Shelton actually enters with the better record. The Chargers from Preston Road are scoring over 45 points per game and find a DC defense that has struggled this season. The Mesquite based Chargers have definitely played the more challenging schedule thus far, but haven't done as well as recent DC teams against the challenging non-district. District play started for both last week with blowout wins. DC shutout TKG, 63-0. Shelton rolled up 61 on McKinney Christian in a 40 point win. Historically, DC is better. They're the 3-time defending state champions. However, Shelton is playing the best it has since the 2017 team that won 9 games. Shelton should score in this one, but not probably not enough to get close to knocking off the champions of Division III. DC wins 46-21.

Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- The much awaited showdown of champions. The Panthers have won the last 5 titles in Division I while the Warriors dominated Division II in 2023. Could this just be Round 1 of 2 with the 2nd one to decide the title? Prestonwood certainly has something to say about that as Liberty survived the trip to Plano with just a 3-point win. The Panthers have struggled by their high standards at 5-2. Notably, Parish is allowing more points than recent years. Though a 56-0 drubbing of TCA last week will certainly help those numbers. Liberty across the line will not help those numbers. The Warriors have scored 7 TDs in 4 of their 6 games so far. This feels like it might be the changing of the guard in Division I and with the game in Argyle, I have to pick Liberty. The Panthers will not be an easy out though and a rematch in December might loom on the horizon. Warriors win 42-30.

San Antonio Holy Cross vs. Dallas First Baptist @ Robinson -- Among the district clashes is a curious non-district neutral site game. The Saints have not lost since the 2022 playoffs, running off 20 wins in a row. The FBA defense has limited opponents to just 89 points through 7 games. Only Tyler Grace held them under 48 points. The Holy Cross defense has been a strong force for more than a decade, but they've lacked the offense to match the title contenders. This year though the Knights are averaging 47 points per game in a 7-0 start. Interestingly both teams have not had their bye week yet, so this is 8 games in 8 weeks for both. The winner is clearly the favorite in their division, and if its a close one they may both be. I think both teams are the best offenses each other have faced and this one should see a bunch of points. I'll pick the home team...wait there isn't one. Knights win a shootout with just a bit more depth, 44-40.

Lubbock Trinity Christian @ Fort Worth All Saints -- The Saints opened the season with notable wins over Prestonwood and Parish and have not slowed down since. Its 101-7 in their last two outings. This may be the year for that 1st TAPPS football title for All Saints. With no clear 2nd contender, its hard to see who will knock them off. The Lions start a run of 3 interesting opponents for All Saints, and if they win them all and claim the district crown it will feel like no one can push them off the top step. The Lions have struggled a bit this year at 3-3, in their first year in Division II. The defense though could keep this one interesting. They held FWC to just 17 last week but could not dent the scoreboard themselves. This strikes me as similar, the Lions just do not have the firepower to run down the Saints particularly in Fort Worth. Saints win 28-6.

Midland Christian @ Fort Worth Christian -- The Cardinals host the Mustangs in a game that feels like it is for 2nd place in District 1 and the other host spot behind All Saints. They won't be home free as Lubbock Trinity will have something to say about it later on. The Cardinals were racking up 40 points a week until Trinity held them to just 17, but only Second Baptist has reached double figures against the FWC defense. That is not great news for the Mustangs who have only cracked 25 points once in six games this season. Its not that MCS can't score, but its going to be tough sledding. Their game against Lubbock Trinity in Week 11 could be quite the rock fight. The Mustangs know how to do these long trips, but I can't see them scoring enough to get the road upset. Cardinals win, 28-14.

Bellaire Episcopal @ Houston Kinkaid -- The winner of this is almost certain to make the SPC 4A title game. The Falcons have only been bested by UIL power Gunter and have won 6 straight since that opening loss. They dominated ESD last week after being tested a bit by St. Marks. A season ago, Kinkaid lost twice in 3 weeks to Episcopal to finish runner-up. The Knights avenged last season's lone loss with a win over St. John's last week. This should be a tight battle. Both teams know each other well and could likely meet again for the title. Both offenses should be able to score. Close games mean home team picks, and the rematch may go the other way. Falcons win a classic this week though, 42-40. 

Shiner St. Paul @ Hallettsville Sacred Heart -- Every season this is a big one in Division IV. Two of the smallest 11-man TAPPS schools are just 14 miles apart. They've met 64 times since 1971. This year though, both teams enter with matching 3-3 records and are scuffling just a bit. We never count out the Cardinals though who once went 2-8 in the regular season and won the state title anyway. The Indians have had trouble on offense this year, scoring just 7 in the district opener last week. St. Paul found 42 points for the 2nd time this season in their district opening win. A season ago Sacred Heart took a 31-14 win away from Shiner and they appear to be the favored team here. So with the game game at Sacred Heart will lean that way. Indians win a low scoring affair, 25-13.

Quick Hits: (Season: 55-15)

Dallas Covenant over McKinney Christian
Tyler T.K. Gorman over Tyler All Saints
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Grapevine Faith Christian
Bullard Brook Hill over Arlington Grace Prep
Austin Regents over Austin Brentwood
Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Houston Cypress Christian
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Frisco Legacy Christian
Dallas Bishop Lynch over Fort Worth Nolan
Boerne Geneva over Austin Hill Country Christian
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Addison Greenhill

Week 7 Results 2024

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Tyler T.K. Gorman (63-0) -- Correct
--Crusaders were no match for the Chargers. DC will be hard to push out of the 1st round bye and the district title.

Dallas Shelton over McKinney Christian (61-21) -- Correct
--The Chargers offense keeps churning out the points. Can they produce again next week at Dallas Christian?

Argyle Liberty Christian over Plano Prestonwood Christian (30-27) -- Correct
--Warriors stay at the top with a thriller in Plano-Carrollton. Should be a really fun playoff in Division I.

Austin Regents over Tyler Grace Community (42-0) -- Correct
--I thought the Cougars would be closer in this one, but it looks like Regents might be All Saints biggest threat in the North districts.

Austin Hyde Park over Bullard Brook Hill (34-35) -- Wrong
--Guard with a big road win to keep in the district race.

Lubbock Trinity Christian over Fort Worth Christian (0-17) -- Wrong
--Lions defense had most of the answers, but the Cardinals defense had all the answers in a defensive struggle.

Bellaire Episcopal over Houston St. Johns (48-45) -- Correct
--Perhaps a preview of the SPC 4A title game and it delivered with an OT thriller.

Week 7: 5-2
Season: 37-11

Quick Hits:

Dallas Covenant over Tyler All Saints (43-0) -- Correct
Lubbock Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (56-20) -- Correct
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Addison Trinity Christian (56-0) -- Correct
Frisco Legacy Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch (24-28) -- Wrong
Fort Worth All Saints over Grapevine Faith Christian (51-7) -- Correct
Midland Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian (35-8) -- Correct
Houston Second Baptist over Houston Lutheran South (42-10) -- Correct
Dallas St. Marks over The Woodlands John Cooper (25-14) -- Correct
Houston Kinkaid over Episcopal School of Dallas (42-7) -- Correct
Shiner St. Paul over Conroe Covenant Christian (42-7) -- Correct

Week 7: 9-1
Season: 55-15

Week 7 Picks 2024

Find some wins out there if you're looking. We should know who the contenders are after this week with several showdowns coming early in the district slates. With a few Fall Break holidays on the books we get more Thursday games than I can remember.  Should be a fun week, but make sure you're ready to go early. Good Luck!

This Week: (Season: 32-9)

Dallas Christian @ Tyler T.K. Gorman -- The Chargers travel east to rekindle a long time rivalry. DC and TKG have met on the football field dating back to before TAPPS formed. The Crusaders have hit hard times since the two last met on the field in 2018. TKG has not won more than 2 games in the 4 seasons since. The Crusaders already have 2 wins on the season and have been scoring a bit more than recent seasons. These two have played some great games. A 7-0 game in 2006 started the MaxPreps era and a 12-0 run since then. In the streak, the Chargers needed OT to beat the Crusaders in 2014 before a playoff rematch that year was a 7-point margin. The playoff game included a 98-yard punt. The DC defense has not been the dominant force of the past this season, holding just 1 team under 20 points in the first 5 games. The offense should score plenty here though. The grass of the valley on Loop 323 should be quite high for a DC team that doesn't play many on grass. Should be a fun game, and while the Crusaders have improved it should be a tidy win for the Chargers. DC wins 40-14.

McKinney Christian @ Dallas Shelton -- The search for a team to beat DC in district play finds another Chargers. The nature of Shelton's school mission can make athletics competitiveness a difficult task. However, some years they get the right mix returning and new and can be a tough out. The Chargers won 9 games in 2017 and are off to their best start since at 4-1. Shelton has scored 40 points or more in their 4 wins and 55+ in 3 of them. Only Pantego held the Chargers to less than 6 touchdowns. The Mustangs have struggled mightily since playing in the 2017 state final. This season is another slow start for MCA at just 1-3. The Mustangs defense has allowed over 45 points per game so far in 2024, and the Shelton offense seems primed to take advantage of that. Chargers win this one, 49-19.

Argyle Liberty Christian @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- The first of the showdown games in Division I lands at the Plano-Carrollton border. The Lions 5-1 mark to start the season saw only FW All Saints blemish the loss column. The 5 wins include notable blowouts of DC and ESD in the non-district. The 2-0 district mark left a couple of questions last week as Bishop Lynch scored 33 but the PCA offense was up to the road test. The Warriors have only lost in the last 2 season to UIL stalwart Texas High. The 4-1 start to the season has Liberty averaging over 50 points per game. Whoever can find those stops wins this game. I'm just not sure either squad will find very many. The Warriors are just 3-14 all time against the Lions, but won last year's match, 48-19. The Lions offense should be improved, but I don't think enough to take down the Division II champs. I'll say Liberty gets the leg up in the district race with a strong offensive performance. Warriors win, 44-35.

Austin Regents @ Tyler Grace Community -- The Cougars have been building the last couple of seasons with 8 and 9 wins. With Liberty moving to Division I, its the perfect time for Tyler Grace to try to fill the void. They will vault up any Division II power rankings with a home win over Regents. After reaching 4 straight state finals, a run ending in 2020, the Knights are still a prime contender in Division II. This season, Regents is 5-1 and scoring their own bushel of points. Only SPC contender Kinkaid toppled Regents thus far. The Knights have held teams in check on defense as well with just one team eclipsing 21 points so far in 2024. The disparate opponents makes this a tough call. The Cougars offense seems to be up against it here with the Knights, but particularly at home I wouldn't think Grace would get run over. If the game was in Austin, I'd say no chance for the Cougars. However, in Tyler I think the Knights just barely survive. Regents wins a thriller, 22-20.

Bullard Brook Hill @ Austin Hyde Park -- The Guard are off to a disappointing start to the district slate. Regents and Grace are certainly two of the contenders, but an 0-2 hole never feels good. A loss here would put the Guard in real danger of missing the playoffs. Brook Hill just isn't scoring enough this season, averaging just 26 points per game. However, with 49 coming in 1 game its really a little more dire than that. A first ever visit to The Quarries is not a great place to look for district win #1. The Panthers 3-2 start to the season saw a district opening win at Grace Prep last week. An always tricky trip on a Saturday afternoon. I think the Guard have played the better schedule, but its close. If Brook Hill can score in the 20s they should win this one. However, I just can't have confidence in the Guard offense. Panthers win a slug fest at home, 16-14.

Fort Worth Christian @ Lubbock Trinity Christian -- The Cardinals make the trip west to start district play. Usually its been a trip to Midland for FWC, but this time its the Lions of Trinity to oppose them on the South Plains. With All Saints likely occupying the top spot in District 1, this seems to be an elimination game for that 2nd place finish and a 1st round host. The Cardinals 4-1 start was only interrupted by Second Baptist in a long road trip. They did win their last game on a long trip to Victoria. So many miles racked up by the FWC busses between Houston, Victoria, and now Lubbock. The Lions coming off back-to-back semifinal appearances in Division III face new challenges in this Division II district. These games are so hard to pick given the geography of Trinity's opponents. How does Denver City and Floydada stack up against Lake Country and Second Baptist? I'm not totally sure. I think the Cardinals are the better squad, but also they're wins aren't over a murderers row by any means. So when in doubt, pick the home team. Lions win 35-28.

Houston St. Johns @ Bellaire Episcopal -- The SPC Houston showdown seems to likely determine one slot in the SPC 4A title game. A 2-0 start puts you close to the finish line given you just need a top 2 finish and not the top spot. The Knights have been up and down at 3-2 so far. The schedule they've played has been quite tough though. The Mavericks are the more impressive 5-1 and with a similar schedule. With a 40 point per game average, St. John's stands to find the endzone in this one. This seems like a high-scoring shootout, and I think that favors the Mavericks. Only Second Baptist could slow the Mavericks attack and even then it was 4 TDs. The Knights have to keep pace, and I think they can but I also think they won't. Knights win with offense, 42-28.

Quick Hits: (Season: 46-14)

Dallas Covenant over Tyler All Saints
Lubbock Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Addison Trinity Christian
Frisco Legacy Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Fort Worth All Saints over Grapevine Faith Christian
Midland Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Houston Second Baptist over Houston Lutheran South
Dallas St. Marks over The Woodlands John Cooper
Houston Kinkaid over Episcopal School of Dallas
Shiner St. Paul over Conroe Covenant Christian

Week 6 Results 2024

This Week:

Tyler Grace Community over Bullard Brook Hill (28-21) -- Correct
--Cougars put themselves in the drivers seat for a Round 1 host spot. They get a shot at the district title hosting Regents next week.

Bellaire Episcopal over Episcopal School of Dallas (25-20) -- Correct
--Knights score a needed win to be in position for a title game spot. Eagles will need some help to navigate past the rest of the Houston quartet to reach the SPC 4A title game.

Argyle Liberty over Canyon West Plains (56-7) -- Correct
--Ok, the Warriors are just that good. Liberty hosts Prestonwood next week and visits Parish Episcopal the next.

Dallas Covenant School over Colleyville Covenant Christian (7-13) -- Wrong
--Knights dropping this one does not bode well for the district slate that includes Dallas Christian. Cougars with a nice win to set themselves on a path that could include a home playoff game.

Lubbock Trinity Christian over Merkel (34-0) -- Correct
--Lions shutout the Badgers as a final tune up for the district campaign that includes a visit to Fort Worth All Saints.

Bruni over Corpus Christi John Paul II (20-13) -- Correct
--Centurions miss out on one of their best chances for a win this season. Brutal matchup with Holy Cross next week for JP2.

Week 6: 5-1
Season: 32-9

Quick Hits:

San Antonio Holy Cross over Boerne Geneva (61-7) -- Correct
Lubbock Christian over Brownfield (54-0) -- Correct
New Braunfels Christian over Austin Hill Country Christian (34-31) -- Correct
Frisco Legacy Christian over Addison Trinity Christian (42-28) -- Correct
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch (48-33) -- Correct
Grapevine Faith Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (21-28) -- Correct
Arlington Pantego Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo (61-33) -- Correct
Houston Kinkaid over Dallas St. Mark's (34-23) -- Correct
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over Houston St. Pius X (49-6) -- Correct
Austin Hyde Park over Arlington Grace Prep (36-10) -- Correct

Week 6: 10-0
Season: 46-14

Week 6 Picks 2024

Ah yes, the week of a thousand byes. As teams freshen up for district play, sometimes it can be pretty challenging to find enough good games. We'll take a shot at it and know that deciding games are not too far away on the horizon. Just a tight 6-pack this week with DC and many others on a bye.This week also features a first, with 2 Badgers but only 1 Eagles.

This Week: (Season: 27-8)

Bullard Brook Hill @ Tyler Grace Community -- I think of these two as long time rivals but really the Cougars football program is relatively new. They've played 14 times since 2007 with Grace winning 10 of the meetings. The Guard won 3 of 4 between 2018 and 2021, with Grace taking the last two which were non-district matchups. The Cougars are off to a 4-1 start with just a close loss to Division IV favorite Dallas First Baptist. They outscored their problems last week in the district opener against Brentwood with a 42-35 win. Regents looms next week as the Cougars need to get the defense heading in the right direction. A 2-0 district start would put them well on the path to a home playoff game. The Guard are 2-2 with mostly an inconsistent offense to blame. They scored just 9 points at Legacy in Week 2 and needed more than 20 last week against Regents. Their 0-1 district start makes this a critical game. This space likes home teams and the Cougars look good to outscore their problem again this week. Tyler Grace wins 40-30.

Bellaire Episcopal @ Episcopal School of Dallas -- The SPC showdown visits the metroplex as the Knights travel north. These two would figure to be in the running in SPC 4A, but have just 3 wins between them at this point. The Eagles have played a very difficult schedule including a trip to Ireland and visit to The Star to take on Fort Worth All Saints. So a 1-4 record at this point can be a little bit excused. The Knight have faced their own gauntlet with Parish Episcopal and West Orange Stark doling out a pair of losses to Episcopal. ESD lost their last 2 despite scoring 33 and 39 points. The offense will be very competitive in this one, the Knights have the ability to match. Expect a tight one, but I don't the Eagles have enough punch to get past Bellaire Episcopal. With just 2 spots in the title game available the loser of this one has a lot work to do to reach their goals. Knights win 42-38.

Argyle Liberty @ Canyon West Plains -- The Warriors enter their non-district finale at 3-1 and having demolished TCA in the district opener last week. They travel way to the West, or is it way to the North? for this one. The Wolves of West Plains are 2-2 coming off a close loss to a very good Bushland team. This is not a easy task for the Warriors, but I think they will be too much on offense for newcomers in their 3rd year of varsity football. The Wolves will probably land a few blows on the scoreboard though. Liberty pulls away late, 36-20

Dallas Covenant School @ Colleyville Covenant Christian -- The Covenants look for the promise of a win to close their non-district campaigns. The Knights are 3-1, having shutout the opposition in the three wins. In the middle, they allowed 62 to a very good Dallas First Baptist squad. So it looks like the Knights may be right in the middle of TAPPS squads this year. The Cougars are 2-3 having also been dominated by FBA, but coming off the high of a road win over Southwest Christian. After a 60-point loss to Fort Worth Christian to open the season, I pretty quickly wrote off the Tarrant County Covenant squad. However, there are signs of life. If they can find the endzone three times, I think they'll be right in the mix. It also wouldn't shock me to see the Dallas County Covenant squad puts the clamps on the Cougars. Knights win a tidy one, 26-7

Lubbock Trinity Christian @ Merkel -- The Lions quest to get to the state final avoids DC this year by being in Division II, but finds many more obstacles in Division II. At 2-2 its an up and down start thus far. Trinity was dominated by Jim Ned, but was in the game to end against UIL power Stratford. The Lions offense looks a step behind 2023's so far this season. The Badgers (now there's a mascot) enter at 0-5 with three 40+ point losses in their last three outings. That puts Merkel having lost 8 of their last 9. I do not see the Badgers getting enough stops to take down the Lions this week. But road games are tough to win. Also, if the Lions can't get this one it'll be very tough to push into the upper echelon of the Division II contenders. Lions get a nice bounce back, 33-20.

Corpus Christi John Paul II @ Bruni -- The Centurions and the Badgers get themselves into the top section by playing each other. Yes, I really found two Badgers for the picks this week. Unfortunately for the two squads they are a combined 1-8 on the season so far. John Paul has just 32 points through four weeks as part of an 0-4 start. The forgiving playoff qualifying in Division III though provides a definite path for the Centurions if they can start improving. The Badgers posted their lone win over Kaufer and that was the only game they scored in so far. This might be a bit of an offensive slog. One team will pounce on the others mistakes. Guessing which one gets the bounce feels quite challenging, but at least they aren't the Eagles. Home teams is always a good fall back. Badgers win 14-12.

Quick Hits: (Season: 36-14)

San Antonio Holy Cross over Boerne Geneva
Lubbock Christian over Brownfield
New Braunfels Christian over Austin Hill Country Christian
Frisco Legacy Christian over Addison Trinity Christian
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Grapevine Faith Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian
Austin Hyde Park over Arlington Grace Prep
Arlington Pantego Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Houston Kinkaid over Dallas St. Mark's
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over Houston St. Pius X

Week 5 Results 2024

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Pittsburg (50-30) -- Correct
--Chargers defense survives thanks a great offensive showing. The likes of Lubbock Christian and Holy Cross have to thinking they'll put up some points if the match comes to be.

San Antonio Holy Cross over New Braunfels Christian (49-0) -- Correct
--The Knights dominate the district opener and all signs point to a march back to the title game.

Lubbock Christian over New Deal (46-7) -- Correct
--Eagles with a dominant showing. The DC defensive struggles so far this year suggest a great semifinal could be on the horizon for the District 1 and 2 champions. Lots of golf to play before then though.

Austin Regents over Bullard Brook Hill (42-21) -- Correct
--Knights with a quality district opening win. Guard with work to do to make sure they are in the playoffs and maybe battling for a host spot.

Stratford over Lubbock Trinity Christian (30-12) -- Correct
--The Elks control the Lion attack. Not a bad loss by any means, but it does show the Lions have a ways to go to threaten for the title in Division II. Champions are not decided on October 1 though.

Houston St. John's over Houston Lutheran South (62-35) -- Correct
--Mavericks with a great shot at the SPC 4A crown. Pioneers are going to be a tough out in Division II, but likely one notch down from the title contenders.

Houston Kinkaid over Houston Second Baptist (21-7) -- Correct
--The Falcons defense is the first to slow the Eagles. SBS will have to find their offensive stride to reach the final and a shot at All Saints.

Week 5: 7-0
Season: 27-8

Quick Hits:

Argyle Liberty Christian over Addison Trinity Christian (56-0) -- Correct
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Frisco Legacy Christian (56-27) -- Correct
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian (14-21) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Christian over Victoria St. Joseph (40-7) -- Correct
Wolfforth Frenship over Midland Christian (35-34) -- Correct
Tyler Grace Community over Austin Brentwood Christian (42-35) -- Correct
Fort Worth All Saints over Cottonwood (CA) West Valley (50-0) -- Correct
Arlington Grace Prep over Dallas Bishop Dunne (24-0) -- Correct
Tyler T.K. Gorman over Muenster Sacred Heart (35-57) -- Wrong
Arlington Oakridge over Houston Christian (0-35) -- Wrong

Week 5: 7-3
Season: 36-14

Week 5 Picks 2024

District play gets going for a few across the state and the weather is improving. Should be a fun week on the field. Good luck and safe travels!

This Week: (Season: 20-8)

Pittsburg @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers at 2-2 are off to their worst start since 2014. That year they dropped the district opener to Brook Hill in an upset, but rebounded to win their next nine and make the Division II title game. This season the defense has just not been up to the fight against a difficult schedule. DC allowed just 144 points in 14 games in 2023. In 2024, they've allowed 136 points in just 4 games. Finding a 4th straight state championship will require big strides of improvement on that side. Pittsburg visits Wheeler Field for the first time. The Pirates from East Texas won just 2 games a season ago and are off to an 0-4 start to the campaign. They've been blown out twice, but dropped a 1-point decision to Tyler Grace in Week 3. The Pirates are probably a little better than the record suggests, and their is a window to take advantage of the DC defense. If the Pirates score in the 30s this week they have a good chance at the road win. I think the Chargers get things back on track a bit though. Chargers win 35-18.

San Antonio Holy Cross @ New Braunfels Christian -- The Knights have returned to the field with something to prove after losing the state title game last season. The 4-0 start has looked every bit like a state title contender. They've scored points, they've shutout a team, they've beaten a 3rd round UIL playoff team. Holy Cross seems to have put it together this year, and with Lubbock Christian and Dallas Christian likely to be on the other side of the bracket, it might be a nice path to state. The Lions have started 4-0 and have a chance to prove they belong in the contender group. NBCA has a couple of shutouts of their own to begin the season, but hasn't seen the quality opponents like Holy Cross yet this year. The 40 points allowed to T.K. Gorman points to a big chance for the Knights offense this week. The Lions are much improved and have won four games for the first time in 11-man. They had won just three 11-man games before this season. The Lions just aren't quite there yet...I don't think. Knights win 42-14.

New Deal @ Lubbock Christian -- There are three main contenders in Division III right now, Dallas Christian, Holy Cross, and these Eagles. Lubbock Christian is off to a 3-1 start after knocking off state ranked Wellington last week. The Eagles fell in the Division IV title game a year ago and are looking like they can get back there. The Lions of New Deal defeated Sundown last week by 7 in a more defensive game. The Eagles beat Sundown in Week 2 by 33 so have to be favored here. The Lubbock Christian offense looks to be way to go in this one. Eagles win 42-21.

Austin Regents @ Bullard Brook Hill -- For the rest of the picks this week we'll look at the Division II contenders (though they may all be 2nd fiddle to All Saints). We start with a district opener between two schools that haven't played since 2011. They met 4 years in a row in the playoffs, but this will be the first ever regular season meeting. The Knights built a reputation as Division II's runner-up before breaking through with a walk-off pick 6 to win the 2020 crown. This season Regents is off to a 3-1 start that includes 3 games of 49+ points. The lone loss came at the hands SPC contender Kinkaid. The Guard may actually be down in the 3rd tier of Division II contenders, but a win over Regents would quickly raise their profile. Brook Hill is 2-1 on the season to date. They lost a 14-9 decision in a defensive struggle at Frisco Legacy. So many times the problem for Brook Hill has been the offense, and a 49 point showing over Price-Carlisle is a nice looking number. The Knights defense though may be better than the Legacy one that held the Guard to just 9 points. Brook Hill is hard to blow out at home, but won't have enough to take this one. Regents wins 32-19.

Lubbock Trinity Christian @ Stratford -- The Lions won't have to worry about DC eliminating from the playoffs this year, but find themselves with a heap of contenders in Division II. The West Texas opponents always leaves a bit of mystery when district play approaches. However, District 1 still has a couple weeks to go to the district slate. Trinity is 2-1 on the season and after dropping the season they've responded with two wins. Last week was a 8-point decision over Floydada. The Lions have to find ways to score consistently to take on All Saints later in the schedule. The Elks did not lose in 2023 until game 15 when Tolar eliminated from the 4th round of the UIL playoffs. This season has been a little more of a struggle for Stratford, with just a 1-2 start. The offense has been trending down for the Elks thus far though. They've gone from 45 to 33 to just 14 last week. The Elks are good, but appear to be a little off of a season ago. If the Lions are going to take down All Saints later this year, they need to show the offensive strength against a good team like Stratford. I think on the road though its just too big a mountain for Trinity. Elks win 28-8.

Houston Lutheran South @ Houston St. John's -- The southern portion of Division II posts a couple of candidates. First, the Pioneers travel across Houston the 20 miles to St. John's. LSA really turned heads by getting to 4-0 with a shootout win over Anahuac. The Pioneer offense has been building week to week. Going from 31 points in the opener to 54 points over Anahuac. However, they've given up a bunch of points too. The Mavericks undefeated start was spoiled by Second Baptist last week. This is a measuring stick game for LSA. If they can slow the Mavericks, they are likely good enough to battle for a high seed from District 4 and set themselves up well to avoid All Saints until the state final. St. John's can score too though, having put up 54 at Calhoun a couple weeks ago. This one should be "pointsy." However, I think the Mavericks defense is better and with the game at home that is the choice. St. John's wins 44-27.

Houston Second Baptist @ Houston Kinkaid -- The Eagles are just 3 years removed from a state final appearance and are off to their best start since 2019 with a 4-0 mark. This year is a stronger schedule than 2019 as well. Taking out top SPC teams in ESD and St. John's points to a very strong squad for SBS. Similar to Lutheran South, finishing high in District 4 sets them up nicely for a home playoff game on the side of the bracket away from Fort Worth All Saints. The Falcons are always fighting for the top of the SPC and this year should be no different. The Falcons lost just a 9-point decision against Gunter to open the season. They dominated Regents in Week 2 and now sit at 3-1. This appears to be a battle between the Falcons defense and the Eagles offense. With the game at home, I think Kinkaid narrowly wins the battle for bird superiority. Falcons win, 30-25.

Quick Hits: (Season: 29-11)

Argyle Liberty Christian over Addison Trinity Christian
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Frisco Legacy Christian
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian
Fort Worth Christian over Victoria St. Joseph
Wolfforth Frenship over Midland Christian
Tyler Grace Community over Austin Brentwood Christian
Fort Worth All Saints over Cottonwood (CA) West Valley (They went out of state to find another Eagles)
Arlington Grace Prep over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Tyler T.K. Gorman over Muenster Sacred Heart
Arlington Oakridge over Houston Christian

Week 4 Results 2024

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Plano Prestonwood Christian (9-49) -- Wrong
--Lions were dominant up front in this one and while it took a while to really run away from the Chargers, PCA was never really threatened.

San Antonio Cornerstone Christian over Midland Christian (42-24) -- Correct
--The Mustangs offense wakes up a bit but the Warriors offense scores against everyone.

Austin Regents over Brownsville St. Joseph (49-14) -- Correct
--Knights dominant over the Bloodhounds. Lots of contenders in the wide open Division II.

Fort Worth Country Day over Fort Worth Trinity Valley (28-42) -- Wrong
--Good win for the Trojans as they looks toward the SPC slate.

Wellington over Lubbock Christian (34-36) -- Wrong
--The Eagles score a big win and are going to be in that mix for the Division III title.

Refugio over Houston Cypress Christian (41-14) -- Correct
--The TXHS football powerhouse was too much for Cypress, who should be well prepared for the district slate.

Fort Worth All Saints over Episcopal School of Dallas (42-39) -- Correct
--Saints with another thrilling win over a top contender. I think All Saints has to be top of the Division II group right now, but there are several who might take big swing at them when the time comes.

Week 4: 4-3
Season: 20-8

Quick Hits:

Addison Trinity Christian over Dallas St. Marks (25-54) -- Wrong
Dallas Bishop Lynch over Rice (43-0) -- Correct
Frisco Legacy Christian over Dallas Bishop Dunne (40-0) -- Correct
Bullard Brook Hill over Price Carlisle (49-20) -- Correct
Tyler T.K. Gorman over Willow Park Trinity Christian (27-42) -- Wrong
San Antonio Holy Cross over Weimar (27-17) -- Correct
Dallas Covenant over Muenster Sacred Heart (41-0) -- Correct
Dallas Shelton over Arlington Pantego Christian (14-20) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (49-7) -- Correct
Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Austin LASA (70-0) -- Correct

Week 4: 7-3
Season: 29-11

Week 4 Picks 2024

Another week on the road to state is upon us. Some teams making pushes, some teams are where we expected, some are behind schedule for getting things going. Shelton is making a push and if they get to 4-0 they'll have to make the top section. Prestonwood and Regents are what we expect of perennial contenders. The DC defense and MCS offense are just a little behind schedule right now. What new twists and turns await us this week?

This Week: (Season: 16-5)

Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers are 2-1 after defeating the Atlas Rattlers last week. Its has typically been the defense that has carried the charge (get it?) for DC, but this year its been suspect through 3 weeks. They've scored 42+ in every game, but have simply lacked the stops that will be needed against the top contenders in the division. So often though, it comes down to quarterback play and the Chargers have that ace up their sleeve right now. The Lions have been tagged by me as Division I's other semifinalist, maybe a little unfair given Parish dominance. This year though, Parish and Prestonwood both lost to All Saints and Liberty is now introduced to the Division I dance. The Lions annihilation of ESD in Week 1 puts them in the mix and given the suspect DC defense so far this smacks of a spot for lots of points. Its hard to go to Wheeler Field and win and Prestonwood hasn't been since 2011, the last time these two clashed. The Lions look like a good candidate to pull off the smash and grab, but we know the leanings of this space. Chargers ward off the challenge is a point-sy affair. DC wins 46-42.

San Antonio Cornerstone Christian @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs are constantly difficult to evaluate given the far flung nature of their schedule. Geography just makes it hard. UIL contender Bushland controlled the game from the jump last week, but is probably better than Cornerstone. The Warriors are very good though, having already beaten DC and scoring quite a bit against Parish Episcopal a week ago. Cornerstone's defense has not slowed two out three opponents, having allowed 42 and 69. They held Fort Bend Christian to just 3 though. The Warrior defense should be happy to see the Mustang offense, as MCS has averaged just 11 points per game through three outings. MCS has to find a way to score as the season progresses maybe they can get on track this week. The Warriors have already proven good on the road in 2024, and I just don't see the Mustangs scoring enough. Cornerstone wins 28-14.

Brownsville St. Joseph @ Austin Regents -- If you want in the picks be good and have interesting mascots. The Knights long run at the top of Division II isn't too far in the rear view mirror. They might have a team to get back to the title game. A 2-1 start with only a loss to Kinkaid points to Regents being on the right track, particularly with 59 and 51 points in the two wins. The long drive from the Valley poses some challenges, but they are challenges the Bloodhounds are used to facing. The 3-0 start puts the 'Hounds in a position to announce their contender status with this road win. While this space loves to see some new blood (get it?) kick around, I don't think they have quite enough this year. The return game next year in Brownsville should be good though. Knights win, 35-21.

Fort Worth Country Day @ Fort Worth Trinity Valley -- The Battle of Bryant Irvin heads to TVS. The Trojans enter at just 1-2 on the season. Trinity Valley was completely outmatched by ESD and FWC in back-to-back weeks, a combined 82-3. The Falcons are 3-0 with a mixed bag of opponents. The Trojans should be better than McKinney Christian and Colleyville Covenant, but probably not as good as St. Marks. The last 20 in this series are 12 to 8 in Country Day's favor, but when you consider the Trojans won the first 5 of those meetings that is 12 of the last 15 to the Falcons. TVS did win a 23-19 decision last year. This is a really close long time rivalry, so it should be close. I think the Falcons get to 4-0, but not by much. Country Day wins 32-27.

Lubbock Christian @ Wellington -- The Eagles manage to poke through to the top section this week, but only by visiting the Skyrockets. Lubbock Christian proves a difficult challenge in the picks during district play due to the geography of their non-district schedule. Wellington reached Round 3 of the UIL playoffs in 2023 and is 2-0 on the young season. The Eagles are 2-1, but were dominated by Stamford last week. Finding the offense again will be a requirement this week as I can't see holding Wellington in the 20s being an option. However, Lubbock Christian did just that in a 17-16 win over the Skyrockets last season. So we lean home teams and anti-Eagles in this space, so Skyrockets win a high scoring affair, 40-30.

Refugio @ Houston Cypress Christian -- The Warriors have started 2-1 and seem to be a bit off from the team that was in the Division III state final in 2022. Trying to find your stride against Refugio is not ideal. The Bobcats feature the 7th highest win percentage in the state all-time. Very few have taken down the Bobcats in a given season and they have to be smarting a bit after dropping a 7 point game to Edna last week. If the Warriors are ready for the fight, then it will tell us not to leave them out of the wide open Division II picture. I just see the UIL power as being too much here and having lost 2 regular season games only once in the last nine season says this won't be back-to-back losses. Warriors go right to the top of the heap with an upset win though, but not this time. Refugio wins, 42-14.

Episcopal School of Dallas vs. Fort Worth All Saints @ Frisco's The Star -- The Saints 3-0 start includes the best of TAPPS. Having taken down Parish Episcopal and Prestonwood in the first two weeks. Not much to be drawn from an out-of-state win in Week 3, but its right back to private school contenders in Week 4. The Eagles are off to a rare slow start at just 1-3, and really need to find their form before they hit the Houston SPC murderer's row. Trying to get healthy on your game against All Saints is not the ideal need for sure. ESD found the offense against Second Baptist last week, but the defense let them down. While there is a lot to be decided this season, I think All Saints is just better right now. Saints win 40-16.

Quick Hits: (Season: 22-8)

Addison Trinity Christian over Dallas St. Marks
Dallas Bishop Lynch over Rice
Frisco Legacy Christian over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Bullard Brook Hill over Price Carlisle
Tyler T.K. Gorman over Willow Park Trinity Christian
San Antonio Holy Cross over Weimar
Dallas Covenant over Muenster Sacred Heart
Dallas Shelton over Arlington Pantego Christian
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian
Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Austin LASA (the Raptors! get it?)

Week 3 Results 2024

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Fort Worth Atlas Homeschool (47-25) -- Correct
--Chargers win again and put up 40+ points again. They're going to need every bit of that against Prestonwood next week.

San Antonio Holy Cross over San Antonio Central Catholic (35-17) -- Correct
--Another Holy Bowl in the books as the Knights are definitely a contender in Division III. Holy Cross may at last have an offense to match their defense.

Dallas First Baptist over Dallas Covenant (62-12) -- Correct
--The Saints are the best in Division IV until someone can even get close.

San Antonio Cornerstone Christian over Dallas Parish Episcopal (33-69) -- Wrong
--Sometimes we swing and miss. I had the right idea about the Warriors offense, but their defense did not hold up its end of the deal. Panthers are still going to be tough to take the crown away from. We continue to circle the Parish vs. Liberty district clash.

Bushland over Midland Christian (35-14) -- Correct
--The Mustangs offense will have to be better to compete for the title.

Shiner St. Paul over Corpus Christi St. John Paull II (47-0) -- Correct
--Well I got the Centurions in the picks once, and that will probably be it. Cardinals maybe back on track to find a way to theo

Tyler Grace Community over Pittsburg (16-15) -- Correct
--The Cougars defense appears to be very formidable. Will be interesting to see if the offense can come along and make things interesting in District play

Week 3: 6-1
Season: 16-5

Quick Hits:

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Venus (49-0) -- Correct
Stamford over Lubbock Christian (33-6) -- Correct
Austin Regents over San Antonio Antonian (61-21) -- Correct
Houston Second Baptist over Episcopal School of Dallas (42-33) -- Correct
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Trinity Valley (41-3) -- Correct
Corpus Christi Carroll over Brownsville St. Joseph (28-29) Wrong
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Bastrop (31-14) -- Correct
Little Rock Catholic over Fort Worth Nolan (41-7) -- Correct
Dallas Bishop Lynch over OKC Bishop McGuinness (28-34) -- Wrong
Muenster Sacred Heart over Plano John Paul II (12-19) -- Wrong

Week 3: 7-3
Season: 22-8

Week 3 Picks 2024

Another week approaches as we continue through the non-district slate. Some fun games this week, but we allow now Eagles in the main picks this time. So ESD and Second Baptist is relegated to Quick Hits.  What surprises await us this week? Good luck and safe travels on the road to state!

This Week: (Season 10-4)

Dallas Christian @ Fort Worth Atlas Homeschool -- The Chargers travel west for a first time meeting with the Rattlers. Atlas has posted two wins on the season so far with 55 points posted against Malakoff Cross Roads and 50 points against Newman International. Certainly not a murderers row, but 50 points is 50 points. DC enters having posted a ton of points in a win over FW Southwest Christian and a loss to San Antonio Cornerstone. If the porous defense from Week 1 is back, it could be a tricky game for the Chargers. For expectations though, the Rattlers were beaten 53-0 by Cornerstone last year. Its probably closer than that in this one, but DC is clearly favored. Chargers win 44-14.

San Antonio Central Catholic @ San Antonio Holy Cross -- The Knights have started the 2024 campaign looking to avenge the unfinished business of a title game defeat. They've already turned around a loss to Antonian as part of a 2-0 start. While 50 points is always notable, its very notable when you're Division III Holy Cross talking on Division I Antonian. The tour of Division I continues for Holy Cross as they welcome in the Buttons (see how easy it is not to be the Eagles). Central has 110 points in 2 weeks for their own 2-0 start, but you have to wonder if its a little suspicious given the opponents. The Buttons are likely better than the 3-8 mark of 2023, but it appears the Knights are a better than they were last year as well. Another 50 points for Holy Cross would put them right at the top of teams who could knock of DC for the crow. Holy Cross wins at home, 34-20.

Dallas Covenant @ Dallas First Baptist -- The Saints hold the longest winning streak in TAPPS, but were slowed a bit last week by Tyler Grace. In the 15 wins it was the first time FBA was held under 40. The march to a back-to-back titles in Division IV may be well underway though, as no school FBA's size is going to match the numbers on the sideline for Tyler Grace. The Knights have their own 2-0 start this year complete with 0 points allowed. However, the Saints should be by leaps and bounds the best opponent Covenant has seen so far. Covenant was 7-5 a season ago including a 43-17 loss to First Baptist. I don't see a 30 point swing to the new season, but I don't think FBA will be as dominant. Saints win, 39-21.

San Antonio Cornerstone Christian @ Dallas Parish Episcopal -- The Warriors 2-0 start includes wins over Dallas Christian and Fort Bend Christian. Their offense won them the DC game with 49 points. The defense won them game 2 with just 3 points allowed. Cornerstone may be one of the more well rounded groups in the non-UIL ranks, but also do not have that one player, group, or unit that jumps off the page. Not having a Division to compare them to doesn't help that either. The Panthers are the 5-time defending champions, but All Saints defeat of Parish in Week 1 seems to have the door open for others to unseat the kings. The Panthers did respond with a dominant 28 point victory over SPC power Bellaire Episcopal. I think the Panthers are the better squad here and at home on the blue field it seems the logical choice. I just can't shake that something is up in this one. Maybe its the nature of the game being "bigger" for the Warriors than it is for the Panthers, who are really waiting for November given TAPPS forgiving playoff qualifying. Warriors with an upset, 37-30.

Midland Christian @ Bushland -- The Mustangs held Bishop Lynch to just 3 points last week to even their record at 1-1. Scoring has been the problem for MCS in the most recent seasons and at just 10 points per game through 2 weeks it may be again. The Falcons jumped up the UIL ranking  boards with their win last week over Canadian. Bushland with 103 points combined in 2 weeks. If the Falcons are putting it in the endzone like they have been, its hard to see the Mustangs keeping pace. I do think MCS slows Bushland a bit, but not enough to score a road win. The Mustang offense will need to find its stride before district play. I don't think its this week though. Falcons win 30-7.

Corpus Christi St. John Paull II @ Shiner St. Paul -- This space is partial to schools playing 11-man with smaller enrollments than all of 6-man Division I. So the Cardinals make the list here. At 0-2, its the worst start since 2018 for St. Paul. A season they won a state championship though, after finishing the regular season at 2-8. So that helps, but scheduling an opponent named Centurions will also get you in this space. Unfortunately, its hard to see where the success will start for John Paul II. So even with the Cardinals looking a little down over recent years they should still top the Centurions comfortably. Shiner St. Paul wins, 35-7.

Tyler Grace Community @ Pittsburg -- The Cougars have opened 1-1 and enter off a loss to Dallas First Baptist. Grace's problem over the years has been finding two good units. They seem to either have a competitive defense or a top flight offense, but never both. This seems like it may be a defensive year for the Cougars after limiting FBA to just 28. The Pirates enter on a bad 0-2 start to the season and having gone just 2-8 a year ago. They Cougars were better last year, and its seems they probably are again. Tyler Grace wins, 28-7.

Quick Hits: (Season: 15-5)

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Venus
Stamford over Lubbock Christian
Austin Regents over San Antonio Antonian
Houston Second Baptist over Episcopal School of Dallas
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Trinity Valley
Corpus Christi Carroll over Brownsville St. Joseph
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Bastrop
From The Star:
Little Rock Catholic over Fort Worth Nolan
Dallas Bishop Lynch over OKC Bishop McGuinness
Muenster Sacred Heart over Plano John Paul II

Week 2 Results 2024

The picks we got wrong, we got very wrong. A strong week over all though. Maybe the earliest group of clear contenders I can remember.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian (42-13) -- Correct
--Chargers did not dominate this one until the 2nd half, but the offense is going to them a tough team to beat tough

Frisco Legacy Christian over Bullard Brook Hill (14-9) -- Correct
--The promised slugfest was delivered. The Eagles will have to find more offense to threaten the top of Division I, but its still a nice win to move to 2-0.

Fort Worth Christian over Houston Second Baptist (16-48) --Wrong
--Oh dear! The only proper reaction to the quality of this pick. The Eagles are seeing All Saints prowess and getting the offense in gear. Cardinals with a lot of ground to make up before November in Division II.

Midland Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch (20-3) -- Correct
--Another low scoring affair comes through as expected. The Mustangs non-district only gets tougher with Bushland and San Antonio Cornerstone ahead. Friars with a daunting set of district games ahead in Parish, Liberty, and Prestonwood.

Lubbock Trinity Christian over Jim Ned (12-42) --Wrong
--Another crash and burn pick, as the Indians just out did the Lions at every turn. Trinity can't love how things look after an 0-1 start and All Saints posting wins over Parish and Prestonwood.

Dallas First Baptist over Tyler Grace Community (28-15) -- Correct
--The Saints continue the win streak as the defense leads the way for a rare time. Saints appear to have two strong units that should be hard to push off the top step.

Fort Worth All Saints over Plano Prestonwood Christian (31-27) -- Correct
--Saints score another win over a top Division I contender, and again by 4 points. The Lions might be on that path to really good semifinalist again.

Week 2: 5-2
Season: 10-4

Quick Hits:

Argyle Liberty Christian over Texarkana Texas High (35-52) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Country Day over McKinney Christian (66-7) -- Correct
Dallas Covenant over Plano John Paul II (43-0) -- Correct
Arlington Grace Prep over Colleyville Covenant Christian (10-31) -- Wrong
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Bellaire Episcopal (45-21) -- Correct
Dallas St. Marks over Irving Cistercian (35-3) -- Correct
Fort Worth Nolan over Dallas Bishop Dunne (42-13) -- Correct
Episcopal School of Dallas over Fort Worth Trinity Valley (41-0) -- Correct
Houston Lutheran South over Austin Hyde Park (41-22) -- Correct
Lubbock Christian over Sundown (47-14) -- Correct

Week 2: 8-2
Season: 15-5

Week 2 Picks 2024

Too many Eagles again this week (and every week) as we head toward the promised land of November. Its a bit a cooler this week which we'll be nice in the stands and on the field. What surprises are nearby? We'll find out ahead. So good luck, safe travels, show kindness, and give grace as you venture out.

This Week: (Week 1: 5-2)

Fort Worth Southwest Christian @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers took their first loss at home since 2018 when then Trinity Christian - Cedar Hill took home a 37-16 win on their way to a state title. The defense has led DC to so many victories in the last decade of this blog but was unable to slow the Cornerstone Warriors attack for much of the night. A couple of turnovers rallied the cause and ultimately the offense got the game tied at 42, before another big play secured a 7 point win for the visitors from the Alamo City. It was the first season opening loss for the Chargers since Bishop Dunne scored victories over DC in 2014 and 2015. The Eagles are an up-and-down program, having made consecutive state semi-finals in 2020 and 2021 and winning 10 games in 2021. The most recent 2 seasons though saw just 10 wins combined. Those semi-final losses were to the Chargers. In 9 previous meetings Southwest has scored just 2 wins. The first ever meeting was a home win for the Eagles and then a stunning playoff upset at DC in 2006. The Eagles dropped their opener to Trinity Valley and the Chargers offense figures to be a step up from TVS. If the DC defense doesn't close ranks outscoring their problems may be required. The leanings of this space are well known, so we'll assume the defense is ready to go after a Week 1 wake up call. Chargers win 35-12.

Bullard Brook Hill @ Frisco Legacy Christian -- The Eagles always seem to be lurking around the edges of contention and a move to Division I seems likely to doom them to battling for the final playoff spot at best. A shutout of Cistercian and a 1-0 beginning is a nice place to start the climb though. The Guard are the fray in Division II. A batch of teams we aren't sure how they stack up and given the departure of Liberty for Division I the aspirations of a title have to exist among the next tier. Brook Hill slid past Redwater last week, 31-28. These two seems to be ready to get some stops. We always like home teams in this space, and that's the angle we'll play in this one. Legacy wins a defensive trench war, 16-14.

Fort Worth Christian @ Houston Second Baptist -- Two long time TAPPS members who've both been in Division II (or 4A as it was called before) have somehow not played in the MaxPreps era. The Eagles (another one?) were in the Division II title game as recently as 2021 when DC beat them. They made two more semi-finals since then, despite losing 4 games in the regular season both years. Maybe they're just a late season team? They did win the opener this year, but over a team from Illinois so not much to go on there. The Cardinals struggled in 2023. They finished 4-6 and out of the playoffs by finishing 5th in a 5-team district. 2024 is off to a good start though as they scored at will against Colleyville Covenant, 63-3. FWC appears to be rising this year, but a long trip is always a test. If they can't find a way past SBS, its hard to see their chances against All Saints or Regents being very good. With the Eagles district success in the past 5 seasons, I'm not sure the non-district slate draws the very best performances out of the Eagles. So FWC's offense should do good things here. One of the last grass fields around should see a fun game, but we'll take the team with more to prove. Cardinals win a shootout, 39-29.

Dallas Bishop Lynch @ Midland Christian -- Finally, I ran out of Eagles. The Friars absolutely dominated Bishop Dunne, 49-0, to open the season as the top Bishop in Dallas County. Bishop Lynch has now won 3 of their last 4 games after winning just 3 of the 20 before them. Maybe the playoff road win over the Buttons of Central Catholic awoke the Friars program. The Mustangs played reasonably well in a West Texas opener against the Steers of Graham, but could not find the scoreboard. MCS fell 23-0 to start 0-1. A season ago the Mustangs finished just 4-6 losing a playoff opener to Tyler Grace. One of the 4 wins was over the Friars. A 32-27 decision in Dallas. With just one result on the books so far in 2024, I don't know what to make of these two. The Mustangs in Midland, always a good angle. MCS takes a tight one, 13-10.

Lubbock Trinity Christian @ Jim Ned -- Play good teams with interesting mascots, get in the picks. That's our motto here. The Lions have been bitten by the freight train that is Dallas Christian in back-to-back semi-final appearances. After just 10 seasons of varsity football, Trinity is very much on the map of TAPPS programs. After closing the gap on DC to just 10 in the playoffs a season ago, Trinity finds itself in a wide open Division II with no defending champion. Liberty moved to Division I, and after just 1 week Fort Worth All Saints seems to have filled the power vacuum with a win over 5-time defending Division I champ Parish Episcopal. The Lions were one of the only idle teams a week ago so find their season opener this week. The Indians (ooh, is that allowed?) are frequent visitors to the UIL playoffs, but lost in Round 1 a season ago by just a single point. They fell to Estacado in Week 1, 14-7. Jim Ned held the Matadors of Estacado to just 10 first downs but were bitten heavily by the turnover bug. Seven points won't win many and it won't beat the Lions any day this year. Trinity moves to 1-0 with a 33-14 win.

Tyler Grace Community @ Dallas First Baptist -- The Cougars find themselves with a familiar trip to Eastern Dallas County, but for a rare visit to the Saints Athletic Complex and not Dallas Christian. The Saints and Cougars haven't clashed since 2011 when the Cougars made it 4-0 versus FBA. The Saints have the longest winning streak in TAPPS with their season opener pushing the streak to 14. First Baptist's 704 points in just 13 games in 2023 was further cemented that power with 48 points in the season opener against a squad from Arizona. The Cougars have frequently been a bit susceptible to being unable to keep the opponent off the scoreboard. This will be a big test for if Tyler Grace can compete with the All Saints and Regents powerhouses of the Division. Grace opened with a 38-26 victory over Queen City. This space likes home teams, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cougars depth win out late in this one. Saints survive, 42-35.

Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Fort Worth All Saints -- I was going to just do six games this week, but All Saints earned its spot by defeating the 5-time defending champions Parish Episcopal. The Saints held on for a 39-35 win after building a sizable lead, but Parish is hard to top. The Lions have been Division I's "other" semifinalist many times, including 2023 when St. Thomas took them out in a wild 73-62 shootout. The defense may be shaping up for a run after holding ESD to just 7. All Saints puts a stamp on Division II favorite status with another Division I contender being taken out. With another home game we'll have to go with the Saints, but Prestonwood can finally enter the top tier with a win. Another barn burner should be in store for Tarrant County. All Saints wins, 39-35 (again).

Quick Hits: (Week 1: 7-3)

Argyle Liberty Christian over Texarkana Texas High
Fort Worth Country Day over McKinney Christian
Dallas Covenant over Plano John Paul II
Arlington Grace Prep over Colleyville Covenant Christian
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Bellaire Episcopal
Dallas St. Marks over Irving Cistercian
Fort Worth Nolan over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Episcopal School of Dallas over Fort Worth Trinity Valley
Houston Lutheran South over Austin Hyde Park
Lubbock Christian over Sundown (Roughnecks!--I could only include so many this week)

Week 1 Results 2024

This Week:

Dallas Christian over San Antonio Cornerstone Christian (42-49) -- Wrong
--Chargers drop a thriller in Mesquite. Perhaps some revenge for the 2019 OT game that went DC's way. Defense will need to improve as we move later in the season. A theme of this blog this week though will be that there is a lot of football left. Warriors with a big start to the season

Dallas Parish Episcopal over Fort Worth All Saints (35-39) -- Wrong
--A valiant comeback attempt by the Panthers, but the Saints score a huge season opening win. That may move them to favorite status in Division II given Liberty is in Division I now. Parish will have work to do, but many weeks to settle things in TAPPS largest division.

Argyle Liberty Christian over Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian (56-0) -- Correct
--The Warriors train appears to still be rolling. Given the Panthers loss above, seems like they might be the early favorite in Division I. Lots of season to play though.

Dallas First Baptist over Buckeye Union (AZ) (48-13) -- Correct
--A dominating first win for the Saints, and they'll be tough to push off the top step of Division IV.

Dallas Bishop Lynch over Dallas Bishop Dunne (49-0) -- Correct
--This can not be an encouraging sign for the Falcons. Friars with a nice start to the season that seems big district games with Parish and Liberty on the horizon.

Plano Prestonwood Christian over Episcopal School of Dallas (42-7) -- Correct
--Perhaps the forgotten members of Division I District 1 would like their due? They'll have their shot at Parish and Liberty on the district slate. The Eagles will have work to do to battle the Houston trio in SPC 4A.

Bullard Brook Hill over Redwater (31-28) -- Correct
--Guard score a nice win to open the season. Difficult district match-ups with Tyler Grace and Austin Regents await, but maybe a path to being a factor in the Division II picture.

Week 1: 5-2

Quick Hits:

Fort Worth Nolan over Arlington Grace Prep (54-42) -- Correct
Addison Trinity Christian over Addison Greenhill (29-28) -- Correct
Frisco Legacy Christian over Irving Cistercian (38-0) -- Correct
Tyler Grace Community over Queen City (38-26) -- Correct
Fort Worth Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian (63-3) -- Correct
McKinney Christian over Plano John Paul II (12-58) -- Wrong
San Antonio Antonian over San Antonio Holy Cross (21-51) -- Wrong
Lorena over Austin Regents (15-51) -- Wrong
Muenster Sacred Heart over Willow Park Trinity Christian (34-12) -- Correct
Gunter over Houston Kinkaid (23-14) -- Correct

Week 1: 7-3

Week 1 Picks 2024

The 10th anniversary of the wayward picks column probably calls for celebration, but there were once again too many teams named Eagles to much celebrating. It should be another fun season as we get used to some new alignments and a couple top contenders in new divisions. Dallas First Baptist, Dallas Christian, and Parish Episcopal will attempt to defend the Divisions IV, III, and I crowns. Parish looks for the rare 6-peat. DC looks for 4 straight. The other champions of TAPPS 11-man are Argyle Liberty Christian of Division II, but they slide up to Division I. Those clash of champions is planned for Argyle on Oct. 18 as the Panthers travel to take on the Warriors. Will that be an early indicator of a championship match to come? Or will someone else interrupt the Panthers dominance in the largest division. Thanks for joining us on the road again.

This Week:

San Antonio Cornerstone Christian @ Dallas Christian -- We'll open Week 1 with the 4 champions of 2023, and we always start things with the Chargers (there's some biases you're probably aware of). The Chargers finished 2023 at the top with a 13-1 record and the lone loss coming to an out of state opponent. Three straight championships for the Chargers will certainly have expectations sky high. DC averaged just under 48 points per game last season and returns the primary playmaker at quarterback. So the offense should pack plenty of punch. The defense allowed just 10 points per game and it was far less in the regular season. The Warriors travel north from the Alamo City and should provide a difficult task for the Chargers. It will be the 7th season in a row outside of the TAPPS umbrella for Cornerstone and coming off a 5-6 season that saw a gamut of opponents. Division I powers, Parish and Prestonwood, to go with elite UIL programs in China Spring, Carthage, and Gunter account for 5 of the 6 losses. Even with those challenges they scored 60 more points than they allowed on the season. The Warriors visited Wheeler Field in 2019 for the schools only previous meeting and DC won a OT classic 35-29. This should be a great opener, but we know how the picks in this space go. Chargers win a tight one, 33-30.

Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Fort Worth All Saints -- The Division I champion Panthers travel west for an interesting opener. The Saints probably are an early favorite in Division II with Liberty moving to Division I. All Saints lost 3 times in 2023, but twice to Liberty. Since leaving the SPC after the 2016 season, they've been unable to punch through to the top. Its been Parish and Liberty and the other powerhouses stopping them. I think this is there best chance to scale the mountain, but some challenges will await for sure including a trip to Midland in October. All Saints could not hold Liberty under 40 points last year, and that is probably the only way they can top Parish. The Panthers are the top dogs (cats?) in TAPPS with 5 consecutive titles in the largest division. With much of a potent offense returning, they should keep the train rolling. Every journey is different though. I think the Panthers are just too much offensively. Parish wins, 42-28.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian vs. Argyle Liberty Christian @ Bryan -- The Warriors took down all comers in a 14-0 smashing of their schedule in 2023. They scored over 40 points in 13 of the 14. They won every game by at least 28. They won't be favorites in 2024 because Parish is now in the district with them. Liberty should be really good again, but shouldn't look too far down the track. The Eagles won the 2022 title in Division II, but struggled in 2023 starting 0-4 on the way to 6-6. They'll factor in the District 4 mix for sure, but this seems like a tough hill to climb. It will be a battle of the last two champions, but one is just too much now especially with a long road up I-45 to travel. Warriors win 44-14.

Buckeye Union (AZ) @ Dallas First Baptist -- The Saints were the other 14-0 team in TAPPS and open with an out-of-state opponent. Based on MaxPreps data, I believe it will be the 1st such game for FBA varsity football. When I decided to start with the champions I didn't know I'd have a difficult time guessing how FBA scored over 700 points last season and thanks to a playoff bye did it in just 13 games. The Saints will score early and often again this year I expect. The Hawks from the greater Phoenix area finished 7-4 last season falling in the playoffs to Eastmark. I know nothing about Eastmark, but they are the Firebirds and I feel like in Texas they would have been Eagles or Bulldogs. Take notes on this if you're opening a new school. FBA at home will be too much and add to their win streak. Saints win 42-28.

Dallas Bishop Dunne @ Dallas Bishop Lynch -- The Dallas Catholic high schools meet for the first time since 2019, a 4 season hiatus (yes, Dallas Morning News I know 5 years sounds cooler). The Friars and Falcons split a pair of state title games in 2016 and 2018. With Dunne's 2018 title being the last Division I team to claim the trophy not named Parish Episcopal. Its been a roller coaster since for Bishop Dunne. District titles and forfeits have both been seen in the 4 seasons in Division II. The Falcons finished 3-7 in 2023 and struggled to score throughout the season. They actually scored over 30% of their season points in just one game over Tyler Gorman. The Friars won just 1 game before October 28 last season, but then won 2 in a row to reach round 2 of the playoffs. Where they were reasonably competitive with a St. Thomas team that would reach the state final. Bishop Lynch should be the better squad here, but it feels like an interesting rivalry trap for the Friars. Another fun opening game to being the season. Friars win a close one, 28-25.

Episcopal School of Dallas @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- The Lions exited the playoffs in the semifinals losing a 73-62 shootout to Houston St. Thomas. The Eagles offense will not be as good as Eagles offense (see too many Eagles again). ESD was the only team to hold Liberty under 40 points a season ago, but they were also shutout that night. Prestonwood has just been that next tier down from about a decade now. Can this be the year they push into the top group and challenge Parish? Only so much to go in in Week 1. The Eagles will provide a strong test and I think a defensive struggle is on order in this one. Lions win at home 21-14.

Redwater @ Bullard Brook Hill -- The best way to get your school in the picks? Schedule fun mascots. The Dragons travel to Herrington Stadium across the vast expanse between I-20 and I-30. The Guard finished 7-4 last year exiting the Division III playoffs with a loss to Grace Prep. Brook Hill has struggled in Division II with getting a good offensive game to go with a good defensive game. Holding high powered Dallas Christian teams to 21 but only scoring 7 themselves. Can they put those two sides together with a tough schedule that includes both Tyler Grace and Regents? The Dragons finished 4-6 in 2023. Never quite finding a consistent unit to ride to victory. The Guard seems to play about 8 close games a year, so I expect a close one and feel good about Brook Hill at home. Guard win 35-28.

Quick Hits:

Fort Worth Nolan over Arlington Grace Prep
Addison Trinity Christian over Addison Greenhill
Frisco Legacy Christian over Irving Cistercian
Tyler Grace Community over Queen City
Fort Worth Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian
McKinney Christian over Plano John Paul II
San Antonio Antonian over San Antonio Holy Cross
Lorena over Austin Regents
Muenster Sacred Heart over Willow Park Trinity Christian
Gunter over Houston Kinkaid

Previous Seasons Results:
2015: 94-16
2016: 79-25
2017: 78-32
2018: 88-22
2019: 89-21
2020: 64-23
2021: 85-29
2022: 81-31
2023: 87-21

Quick Hits:
2015: 60-15
2016: 103-26
2017: 101-29
2018: 102-28
2019: 103-27
2020: 77-23
2021: 105-25
2022: 96-34
2023: 100-30