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)