The long road of summer winds to an end as football resumes once again. The fields of Texas will be alive again on Friday (and Thursday) as a new season kicks off. It won't be quite as warm this year as the usual August openers though the further South we go, the more the heat will be a factor. The 2nd year of an alignment cycle always brings some familiarity as the reverse of last year's schedule comprises most of the games. So we'll start with the title holders in 2025 and my 11th season of making it up as I go along. Enjoy a special 7-game slate that includes 0 Eagles. Good luck on the road to State!
This Week:
Dallas Christian @ San Antonio Cornerstone Christian -- The Chargers were once again the TAPPS Division III Champions in 2024 and start the year looking for the 5-peat. For the first time since 2020, someone other than Luke Carney will start at quarterback for DC. That leaves a big hole to fill. If they had their choice a long road trip would probably not be the way you want to start off but that is the schedule ahead. The Chargers averaged 45 points per game a season ago and we'll need all of them in this road test. The Warriors came to Mesquite a season ago and took a rare road win away from Wheeler Field, 49-42. Cornerstone finished a rugged independent schedule at just 5-6 but that is no indication of their quality. The Warriors probably are the better squad on paper (though who really knows in August?) but the policy of this space is well known (at least it should be by now). The Chargers defense has a chance to return to prominence after the offense has carried the last couple of years. Chargers get a bit of revenge with a close road win, 28-26.
Argyle Liberty Christian @ Anna -- The Warriors won their 2nd title in as many seasons by winning the clash of champions of Parish Episcopal. The Division I title cemented the Liberty Christian rise after winning the Division II title in 2023. Liberty finished the season at 12-1 losing only to Texarkana Texas High, a squad that reached Round 3 of the UIL 5A playoffs. That rematch will wait for next week. This week the Warriors travel to the northern reaches of DFW and Anna. The Coyotes finished just 9-4 but to play 13 games you have to reach Round 3 of the playoffs and Anna did while scoring all of the points. The Coyotes averaged 50.9 points per game including losses where they scored 48, 62, and a playoff loss with 49 on the scoreboard. We will know very quickly if the Warriors are the favorites in Division I this week. With a win, its clearly Liberty's title to lose. With a loss, they may still be the favorites but we'll have to wait for some more data. I just don't think the Warriors offense can keep pace to get this road win. Coyotes break Liberty's 10 game win streak, 48-35.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Dallas Parish Episcopal -- The Episcopal showdown includes a defending state champion, but for the first time since 2019 that champion is not the Panthers. The Saints won the TAPPS Division II crown in 2024 for their first TAPPS football title. All Saints was the only undefeated TAPPS 11-man squad a season ago, finishing 14-0. That season opened with a 39-35 win over Parish and a win over Prestonwood followed in Week 2. From that point all signs pointed to a title for the Saints, and they delivered on those expectations. It was a clear offense or defense favoring squad last year. The Saints were just good. The Panthers 9-5 mark last season was their most losses since 2017, but still a state final appearance for blue field squad. The Saints have to travel to that blue field this year after winning in Fort Worth a season ago. This space always favors home teams, but I think the Saints are the better team (again August speculation). Saints stretch their win streak to 15 with a low scoring win, 29-14.
Dallas Bishop Lynch @ Dallas First Baptist -- The Saints secured back-to-back Division IV championships with dominant victory over Brazos Christian in the title game. FBA has lost just once in the last two seasons. They replace an out-of-state opponent from last year with a rare Division I vs. Division IV matchup. If the Saints can overcome the depth constraints of the enrollment spread then they will quickly be the favorites for a 3-peat. The Friars have had some interesting seasons, 5-loss state finals runs, surprising early exits, winless COVID seasons, just to name a few. Bishop Lynch wen 6-6 a season ago in pretty unremarkable fashion. No shocking losses, no upset wins. Just right in the middle. It seems to be a similar year in 2025. Hard to see them ousting the top of the Division in Parish, Liberty, and Prestonwood. Could the bracket work out for them to make the semis like Frisco Legacy last year? Perhaps. So I love the cross-division showdown, but I'm not sure it will tell us much about who the 2025 contenders are. These two are just 2.5 miles apart but have not played in the MaxPreps era. I really don't know how this shakes out so home team I guess. Saints win a fun one, 48-42.
San Antonio Holy Cross @ San Antonio Antonian -- The Knights carried an undefeated record into the Division III title game last season. Then, Luke Carney crushed the dream surprisingly with his defense and DC took the title 21-18. Holy Cross begins the long road back with a rivalry showdown. The LSCSN research has the series as 35-24 Holy Cross dating back to 1966. A season ago the Knights dominated 51-21. The Knights have been undone through the years by a lack of offense and they fixed that in 2024, putting up over 45 points per game. The Apaches finished 2024 at 8-3 with a 7-0 district championship campaign. So hosting a regional game against Frisco Legacy seemed to be their spot to be that semifinalist, but a 62-27 home loss was the last of their season. Its always hard to know what to expect in August, but I don't see what has changed since the Knights won by a 30 a year ago. So Holy Cross takes the opener, 42-27.
Brownsville St. Joseph @ Raymondville -- The Bloodhounds are a favorite of this space to create some "mascot variety." In recent years their play on the field has backed up their inclusion. A 10-2 season in 2024 included a dominant district championship with the closest district contest being a 30-point margin. Second Baptist ended the 'Hounds season in the regional round, 29-10. St. Joseph needs to be more consistent on offense to compete with the District 1 and 4 contenders. They start with the return of last year's game against the Bearkats. A season ago the Bloodhounds to a 34-6 home victory and Raymondville went on to miss the playoffs at 4-6. So a road test to start, but should be a good jumping off point for the Bloodhounds. St. Joseph wins 35-14.
Bullard Brook Hill @ Redwater -- The Guard travel deeper into East Texas for a rematch with the Dragons. Brook Hill found a 31-28 home win a season ago to start a 6-5 season that saw them lose to the eventual state champions in Round 1 of the playoffs. The Guard offense has just not been able to produce in the big games in recent seasons. They lost close games to Frisco Legacy and Tyler Grace scoring just 9 and 21 points. That inability to score has plagued them in the "contender" games against Dallas Christian, Regents, and the like. The Dragons finished the year at 2-7, allowing over 43 points per game. Brook Hill needs to get off to a good start or the final stages of the season will likely see their undoing again. I've been thinking the Guard would get back into contention every year since 2014 when they won at Dallas Christian. However, that was the last season the Guard lost fewer than 4 games. I think a road win kicks things off here. Brook Hill wins 35-21.
Quick Hits:
Episcopal School of Dallas over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Shelton over Plano John Paul II
Dallas St. Marks over Fort Worth Country Day
Fort Worth Nolan over Arlington Grace Prep
Midland Christian over Graham
Tyler Grace Community over Queen City
Tyler All Saints over Saratoga West Hardin
Austin Regents over Lorena
Boerne Geneva over San Antonio Christian
Gunter over Houston Kinkaid
Previous Seasons:
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
2024: 79-25
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
2024: 108-22
No comments:
Post a Comment