The committee of one had a rough start in the opening week. Just an 8-9 record between the two sections. Not totally unexpected given the new season and the relative unknown of the competition. Still a lot of twists and turns as we head toward district play and the playoffs. After 0 Eagles last week, we had to deal with 3 Eagles in Week 2. Looks like a nice week of weather for some great games. Good luck and safe travels!
This Week: (Season: 3-4)
Dallas Christian @ Fort Worth Southwest Christian -- The Chargers scored first on the long San Antonio road trip, but had few answers for the Cornerstone offense in a 43-22 loss. So back-to-back seasons begin at 0-1 for DC. Last year DC evened its record with a 42-13 win over Southwest. The long road trip to Fort Worth makes for a different challenge this year. At rush hour on a Friday, Benbrook Lake is not that much further away than San Antonio (at least that's how it feels sometimes). The Eagles opened the season with a quality win over Trinity Valley, 28-25. This reversed a 26 point loss in 2024. The Eagles finished just 4-7 last year while the Chargers were the Division III champions, but there are a bunch of changes from those teams and it seems to be a closer contest than a season ago. This seems like a defensive battle to me, but maybe that's because I feel like every DC trip over there has been. We know how this space leans with the result though. Chargers win a slugfest, 25-19.
Argyle Liberty Christian @ Texarkana Texas High -- The Warriors opened their title defense with a 31-28 loss to UIL power Anna. The TAPPS Division I slate will not be any tougher than an Anna-Texas High opening pair. In 2024, Liberty opened with a 56-0 win over Fort Bend Christian before hosting the Tigers. Texas High went undefeated before losing in round 3 of the playoffs. With the game in Argyle last year, the Tigers took a 52-35 victory back to the State Line. After putting up 57 last week the Tigers will be a tall task for the Warriors. The 52 points Texas High scored last year was the most allowed by Liberty by a full 25 points. The Warriors are really good, and an 0-2 record will not reflect that but winning this one on the road seems a bridge too far. Tigers win 49-30.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- The Lions started 2025 with the relatively rare Week 1 bye, replacing the Week 11 bye they had in 2024. The Saints once again opened the season with a staunch Parish Episcopal match and secured a close win. Just 7 points separated All Saints from Parish over two seasons. The Saints backed up that win last year with a 4-point win over Prestonwood. That game was in Fort Worth though. The home-standing Lions will be looking to get back to the big games in November but have 10 to play before the post-season arrives. The Prestonwood offense has always been formidable and this year figures to be no different. The 1st game vs. 2nd game provides an interesting dynamic for this one. If the Lions offense gets going they win. If the Saints can keep this game under 30 like they did with Parish then another shock 2-0 start against top Division I squads will be on order. This time would be two road games. Prestonwood wins a fun one, 38-31.
Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Bellaire Episcopal -- More Episcopal schools found here as Panthers travel the long road to Houston face their SPC brethren. Its just 4 miles to Episcopal School of Dallas from Parish but its 261 miles to Houston enclave. The Panthers took a 45-21 victory in this matchup last year. After scoring just 21 points against All Saints the Parish offense will be looking to get back on track. The Knights finished 6-4 in 2024, falling in the SPC 4A title game. The Knights opened with a 51-0 win over Waltrip and appear to have an improved defense from a season ago. This should be a close one. The Panthers offense may not be quite a good and the Knights defense may be a tad better. So particularly with the long trip we favor the home team. Knights win 35-28.
Frisco Legacy Christian @ Bullard Brook Hill -- The Guard took an opening road win over Redwater 39-14. A large improvement over a 3-point home win in 2024. Week 2 of 2024 saw Brook Hill travel to Frisco and lose a defensive struggle 14-9. The Eagles took that win and parlayed into one of their best seasons, reaching the semifinals. The Eagles defense will need to be that dominant squad that held Brook Hill to a single touchdown if they are going to contest the top of Division I. A season opening 35-6 win over Cistercian may suggests they have that ability. If they can hold the Guard under 20 this is a win for the Eagles. If the Brook Hill offense can get going they could be the surprise team of Division II. I think the Eagles are better but this is not a road gimme. Legacy wins 22-10.
Arlington Grace Prep @ Colleyville Covenant Christian -- This game sneaks into the top section with these squads performance last week. The Lions took down Division I Fort Worth Nolan, 34-23. They did this on the road too. In 2024, Nolan scored 54 while last week they scored just 23. So huge improvements seem on order for Grace Prep. The Cougars started with a 40-34 win over home-school program Atlas. Last season, Covenant defeated Grace Prep 31-10. The Lions improvement seems to set them up for a road win here, but it should be a tight contest. Both teams appear to have a difficult road against the top teams in their respective districts, but a win here should point toward a playoff spot. Lions with another road win, 28-21.
Sundown @ Lubbock Christian -- The Eagles began the 2025 campaign with a 49-26 victory over Wink. The different opponents for the West Texas members of TAPPS always makes for an interesting challenge in predictions. Lubbock Christian looks to be positioned to threaten again in Division III, having lost to DC in the semifinals a year ago. The Holy Cross, Lubbock, DC trio shape up to the top of the division again. The Eagles scored over 500 points in just 12 games a season ago and 49 is a quick start to the offense again. Getting the stops against top opponents will be the challenge. The Roughnecks were just 3-8 last year, including a 47-14 loss to Lubbock Christian. However, 2025 began with a turnaround dominant win over Shamrock. After losing by 4 a season ago, Sundown won 52-6 last week. So the Roughneck squad appears to be much improved. We still lean toward home teams but this should be closer than last year's 33-point margin. Eagles win 42-28.
Quick Hits: (Season: 5-5)
Dallas Covenant over Plano John Paul II
Tyler All Saints over Detroit
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Magnolia Legacy Prep
Dallas First Baptist over Tyler Grace Community
Grapevine Faith Christian over Dallas HSAA
Midland Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch
Fort Worth Christian over Houston Second Baptist
Fort Worth Nolan over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over The Woodlands John Cooper
Houston Lutheran South over Austin Hyde Park
