Week 7 Results 2025

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Tyler T.K. Gorman (60-0) -- Correct
--Chargers dominate another district game and look to be ramping up for the playoffs.

Dallas Covenant over Tyler All Saints (21-31) -- Wrong
--Surprise loss for the Knights as the Trojans move into the driver's seat for the 2nd seed in District 2.

McKinney Christian over Dallas Shelton (45-24) -- Correct
--Mustangs much improved in 2025 and should look to parlay that success into better finishes in district play starting next season.

Argyle Liberty Christian over Plano Prestonwood Christian (38-24) -- Correct
--Lions weren't run out of this one but will have work to do in a rematch. Warriors remain the champs and the favorites. 

Austin Regents over Tyler Grace Community (56-7) -- Correct
--Knights roll to another big win and 7-0. Seems to be a march to a showdown with All Saints in a likely semifinal (if we ever see a bracket). 

Bullard Brook Hill over Austin Hyde Park (14-24) -- Wrong
--After dominating Tyler Grace things seemed set up for the Guard, but the Panthers now point toward a possible district title game with Regents in Week 11.

Dallas Bishop Lynch over Frisco Legacy Christian (21-14) -- Correct
--Friars survive a road trip and solidify their place as a probably 3rd place finisher.

Week 7: 5-2
Season: 33-14 

Quick Hits:

Lubbock Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (65-19) -- Correct
Fort Worth Christian over Lubbock Trinity Christian (59-14) -- Correct
Fort Worth All Saints over Grapevine Faith Christian (49-15) -- Correct
Midland Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian (56-14) -- Correct
Houston Second Baptist over Houston Lutheran South (20-24) -- Wrong
The Woodlands John Cooper over Dallas St. Marks (23-13) -- Correct
Bellaire Episcopal over Houston St. Johns (35-21) -- Correct
Houston Kinkaid over Episcopal School of Dallas (43-7) -- Correct
Bryan Brazos Christian over Halletsville Sacred Heart (14-6) -- Correct
Shiner St. Paul over Conroe Covenant Christian (56-28) -- Correct

Week 7: 9-1
Season: 51-19 

Week 7 Picks 2025

Off to a slightly slower start on the record so far in 2025. As district play will be underway for most after this week we should start to get a clearer picture of the contenders. Wishing Good Luck and Good Weather for all as the games begin to tally in the standings.

This Week: (Season: 28-12)

Tyler T.K. Gorman @ Dallas Christian -- Anytime these two meet there is a long list of historic games we could mention. The crux of it though is that the Chargers have dominated, winning all 13 since MaxPreps started storing the scores. The Crusaders have struggled since a semifinal loss to DC in 2014, finishing above .500 just 3 times in 10 seasons. 2025 is not off to a better start with a 1-4 mark in the non-district slate. The Gorman defense has been extremely porous in recent years and this year is no different but having not allowed 50 in a game so far this season is an improvement over last season. The Chargers 2-2 mark is uncharacteristically average for the program. Neither loss was a shock but the struggles offensively at times have put pressure on the DC squad in ways that the previous four state title teams did not have to battle. All signs point to the Chargers being heavily favored here. Last season's 63-0 win in Tyler is probably the biggest evidence. DC will score early and often in this one unless the Crusaders have been hiding on us. Chargers win 54-6.

Tyler All Saints @ Dallas Covenant -- The Knights could not get the 2nd stops against the visiting Covenant Cougars last week and fell to 1-3. They did lead in a called game at the half as well. Consistent offense is the missing piece for Covenant right now. The Trojans improved greatly a season ago, winning a playoff game at New Braunfels Christian. This season is a mixed bag, posting big wins over some lesser opponents but also allowing a big number to Life Oak Cliff. If the game is high scoring that bodes well for All Saints. The Knights defense needs to improve to break into the top of Division III. I think the Knights are the better team and last year was a 43-0 win for Covenant in Tyler. The margin should be closer this year, but maybe only because the Knights struggle a little more offensively. Covenant wins 33-14.

Dallas Shelton @ McKinney Christian -- The Mustangs have struggled since reaching the state final in 2017. They've finished .500 just once since.  This has led to MCA leaving district play to contest an independent schedule this season. Of course, it appears to be their best squad since that 2017 team and they are off to a 4-1 start. The only blemish was a shocking 76-63 affair at Grace Prep. The result wasn't shocking but anytime you score 63 and lose we are going to notice. The Chargers 7 wins in 2024 was good enough for a playoff berth and one of the best seasons in program history. They should be in the running for one of the lower playoff seeds this year, but we don't know how many teams make the playoffs. TAPPS hasn't released the bracket yet. A year ago Shelton dominated the Mustangs, 61-21. The Chargers are scuffling a bit this year at just 2-3. They are also allowing a ton of points. The Mustangs appear to have improved most on offense and that bodes poorly for Shelton in this matchup. The Mustangs should turn the table at home, but we'll never know how they would have finished in District 2 this season. MCA wins 46-22.

Plano Prestonwood Christian @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- With three main contenders in Division I District 1 we planned to have three showdown games across the district slate. This should be one of them. Last week though introduced some confusion in the District projections. Both squads went to OT a week ago. The Warriors were playing UIL semifinalists Canyon West Plains in a back and forth affair that saw Liberty need a field goal on the final play to force OT. The Lions were playing Bishop Lynch. While Lynch is certainly no pushover, the projections certainly had Prestonwood as better squad. So we have to ask ourselves, "Is Prestonwood not as good as we thought or is Bishop Lynch better than we thought?" I just don't know. Partly because scheduling and weather quirks have the Lions with just 3 official games so far and a record of 2-1. Before last week, I would have this as a tight game. However, with what I've seen I think the Warriors are the better squad. A season ago, Liberty won in Plano 30-27. This is a tall mountain for the Lions and I just do not see them climbing it. Having said that, it does feel like a bit of a prelude to a playoff game though which side of the bracket everyone winds up on remains a mystery. Warriors win 35-18.

Tyler Grace Community @ Austin Regents -- The Cougars travel south for a difficult Thursday night test. The Knights are 6-0 and outscoring the opposition by just under 27 points per game. After allowing 41 points to Antonian in Week 3, Regents has allowed just 35 points in three weeks. Last year, Division II seemed wide open at this point of the season. All Saints filled that void and then some. Regents has been constantly in the final stages of the postseason since moving to Division II in 2012. They've only gotten across the state championship finish line once, in 2020. Notably, both squads played Brook Hill in consecutive weeks. The Cougars fell 44-10 while the Knights routed them 56-14. Where do the stops come from for Grace? The over 34 points per game allowed by the Cougars so far this season will not be enough to win this road game. Turning around last season's 42-0 shutout will be a tall task. With a Thursday game, the Knights will be one of the first in the state to reach 7-0. Regents wins 49-7.

Austin Hyde Park @ Bullard Brook Hill -- The Guard secured that key district win over Grace last week to even their record at 1-1. With Regents already in the rear view mirror of the schedule, the path to a home playoff game seems laid out in front of Brook Hill. Just 138 points allowed in five games and 56 of those to Regents says the Guard are up to the task this season. The Brook Hill offense simply has to score more to compete in the biggest games. The Panthers will be making their first ever visit to Herrington Stadium with a chance to get in the district race if they can get to 2-0. The district opening win over Grace Prep establishes them as a strong contender below Regents and a win here would set them up for a shot at Regents. Could be a possible 5-0 vs. 5-0 showdown for Week 11. The opponents each have faced leaves so little to compare that I just don't have a strong feeling about this one so we'll go with the home team. Guard win a close one 28-27.

Dallas Bishop Lynch @ Frisco Legacy Christian -- The Friars pushed Prestonwood to OT a week ago and thus pushed their way up the projections in Division I. At just 2-3 its hard to know how good the Friars are. The win over First Baptist is a good one, but its hard to rank the Division IV squad against Division I. The depth created by the larger rosters poses a different test. They played very close games with good teams in Midland Christian and Prestonwood, but ultimately lost both. The other loss is an out-of-state opponent and the other win is over an HSAA team that just picked up their first win. The Eagles record looks better at 4-1 but they were not as impressive against HSAA as the Friars. A road win over Brook Hill is better than the Friars wins, but maybe not the losses. The Legacy defense will need to be the winning unit and with both Prestonwood and Liberty on the schedule they have their work cut out for them. I think the Friars are the better squad and after last week's visit to Prestonwood they appear unfazed by the road challenge. Bishop Lynch wins 33-21.

Quick Hits: (Season: 42-18)

Lubbock Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian
Fort Worth Christian over Lubbock Trinity Christian
Fort Worth All Saints over Grapevine Faith Christian
Midland Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian
Houston Second Baptist over Houston Lutheran South
The Woodlands John Cooper over Dallas St. Marks 
Bellaire Episcopal over Houston St. Johns
Houston Kinkaid over Episcopal School of Dallas
Bryan Brazos Christian over Halletsville Sacred Heart
Shiner St. Paul over Conroe Covenant Christian

Week 6 Results 2025

This Week:

Colleyville Covenant Christian over Dallas Covenant School (34-22) -- Correct
--Cougars get a good road win and things point toward a showdown with Lubbock Christian. Knights with work to do, but probably still favored for a top 2 finish in District 2. 

Bullard Brook Hill over Tyler Grace Community (44-10) -- Correct
--Guard with a dominant win over their rivals and avoid the 0-2 start to district play. Cougars head into back-to-back trips to Austin on a loss.

Bellaire Episcopal over Episcopal School of Dallas (48-14) -- Correct
--Knights score early and often and demolish the Eagles. ESD just not in the running in SPC 4A it appears.

Argyle Liberty Christian over Canyon West Plains (41-35 OT) -- Correct
--Warriors fall behind, lead by double digits, and many twists and turn later have the win over the Wolves. Liberty has to be favored for a 3-peat at this point but it is closer than last year.

San Antonio Holy Cross over Boerne Geneva (46-14) -- Correct
--Knights continue to run District 3 and are squarely among the contenders in Division III.

Lubbock Trinity Christian over Tulia (49-0) -- Correct
--Lions dominant as they head to the district slate next week. A interesting clash with FWC kicks things off.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian over Shiner St. Paul (48-14) -- Correct
--Cardinals kept it close for a while but are overrun as the game went on. Eagles trending up heading to district play.

Week 6: 7-0
Season: 28-12 

Quick Hits:

Lubbock Christian over Prosper Richland (36-33) -- Correct
New Braunfels Christian over Austin Hill Country Christian (27-33) -- Wrong
Frisco Legacy Christian over Addison Trinity Christian (53-22) -- Correct
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch (35-28 OT) -- Correct
Grapevine Faith Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (56-7) -- Correct
Arlington Grace Prep over Austin Hyde Park (14-34) -- Wrong
Arlington Pantego Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo (62-43) -- Correct
Houston Kinkaid over Dallas St. Mark's (45-22) -- Correct
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over Houston St. Pius X (28-21) -- Correct
Houston St. Thomas over San Antonio Central Catholic (45-3) -- Correct

Week 6: 8-2
Season: 42-18

Week 6 Picks 2025

The week before the 5 and 6 team districts kick off district play always brings many idles to the schedule. So we'll hunt for the games of note and know that the playoff deciding games are just around the corner. Speaking of the playoffs, wonder when TAPPS might release a bracket...

This Week: (Season: 21-12)

Colleyville Covenant Christian @ Dallas Covenant School -- The Covenant battle is the only game for a team in Division III District 2. The Cougars strong offensive showing against Southwest Christian provides some additional intrigue for their chances in Division III. At just 1-4 it doesn't look like the Cougars are top contender, but 48 points can not be ignored. Particularly since it came against a squad that allowed just 7 to Dallas Christian in a half. The Knights have appeared to be the team that might challenge Dallas Christian in the district slate for a few seasons now. Will this year be the time they push DC to the edge? This result will tell us a lot. Both squads were soundly defeated by FBA. Both squads have won just 1 complete game in 2025 (Covenant played only a half at John Paul II). Which teams offense of a week ago was a mirage and which was an indicator of contending status? This space leans home teams, but I think the Cougars offense is the best unit in this game and the Knight scored just 7 in last season's visit to Colleyville. Last week's performance for the Cougars is too much to ignore. So I'll take Colleyville Covenant in a high-scoring battle. Cougars win, 48-38.

Tyler Grace Community @ Bullard Brook Hill -- The Guard were thoroughly dominated in last week's district opener at Regents. A season ago Brook Hill had the same problem, dropping the district opener and needing a rivalry win over the Cougars. They failed in that mission in 2024, falling to 0-2 to start the district slate. This led to a 4th place finish and a trip to All Saints in Round 1. The Cougars are also highly motivated to avoid that fate and having the district win over Brentwood in their pocket sets them up to almost guarantee a top 3 finish with a win this week. The Cougars won a 28-21 battle last year in Tyler. Neither offense has displayed the consistency to score repeatedly against quality teams. So a similar "tweener" score seems like the way to go here. When you don't have a strong opinion in this space, we lean home team. I look at the Cougars close defeat by FBA and think that team would win this one, but I can't see that level of production happening in Bullard. Guard win, 27-22.

Episcopal School of Dallas @ Bellaire Episcopal -- The battle of Episcopal has a different feel than a season ago. The Eagles have already secured 3 wins on the campaign, besting last season's mark. Though swapping Prestonwood for Bishop Dunne on the schedule does help that. The margin of defeat against All Saints though ballooned from 3 to 17. So its hard to say where the Eagles slot. We will find out very quickly in the opener of SPC 4A play. The Knights are just 2-3 on the season. Having narrowly survived Austin St. Michael's and suffering a defeat at The Woodlands Christian. For me that loss was a surprise and leaves SPC 4A wide open. ESD is the only squad with less than 2 losses and I just can't make them the favorite here. A season ago in Dallas, the Knights walked out with a 25-20 win. I see nothing that makes me think either team will overwhelm the other. So home team is the choice, especially given the length of the trip. Knights win, 33-27.

Canyon West Plains @ Argyle Liberty -- With so many idle weeks across the state during Week 6, it can make for some strange matchups. So the Wolves return last year's visit by Liberty to start October. The Warriors played just 1 home game in September and it was last week's domination of TCA. Liberty will have to make sure they do not look too far ahead to next week's Prestonwood showdown. The Warriors quickly dispatched the Wolves a season ago, 56-7. This year's Warriors may not be quite as good as last season's 12-1 state champions, but still have plenty of firepower. West Plains went on to run the table in district play and reach the state semifinals after getting boatraced by the Warriors. A 4-0 start to 2025 means West Plains has lost just once in its last 14 outings since that bludgeoning. So this should be closer than last year, but I think Liberty remains on top. Warriors close out an interesting one, 40-30.

San Antonio Holy Cross @ Boerne Geneva -- The Knights were undefeated heading into the state championship game in 2024. That squad seemed to be on a mission from the opening kickoff in August, and only a historic run by Dallas Christian stopped them. At the end of 2024, Holy Cross had lost just twice in their last 25 games. Both times state championship games to Dallas Christian. So entering 2025 its a long mountain to climb back to the top and they've not started with the same punch. Particularly, the loss to San Antonio Christian pointed to some things to improve for the Knights. That broke a string of 9 straight wins over the Lions. The Knights responded with 3 tidy wins to right the ship. This includes dominating New Braunfels Christian in the district opener again. The Eagles of Geneva reached a couple of title games in the last decade, but even those seasons had 4 losses. So it seems Geneva lands right in the middle of whatever pack their in. They won't be easily ousted though as many playoff opponents found out. The 4-1 start though includes 3 road wins and points to the Eagles being the Knights strongest opposition on the district schedule. That said, in 2024 it was a 61-7 win for the Knights and I don't see that margin having been cleared by the Eagles. Holy Cross wins, 42-21.

Tulia @ Lubbock Trinity Christian -- The Lions had some interesting swaps in the middle of the schedule. This week they switch Merkel from 2024 for Tulia. After back-to-back shutouts Stratford knocked Trinity's record down to 2-2. Historically, Stratford has been the better team compared to Tulia. The Lions all or nothing performance on defense though will need to be more like the nothing for a win this week. The Hornets are 2-3 but played a quality group of West Texas opponents, including one literally named West Texas. Notably, both squads played Floydada this year. The Lions pitched a 33-0 shutout while the Hornets controlled the game as well, 46-14. I think both defenses will be ahead of the offenses in this one, and it should come down to who can make a late play on offense. We'll take a slugfest going to the Lions, 16-10.

Sugar Land Fort Bend Christian @ Shiner St. Paul -- The last game of the week brings in a favorite of this space. The Cardinals consistently have one of the lowest 11-man enrollments in TAPPS. The numbers game catches up to them sometimes, but they play well every year no matter the numbers. The Cardinals rank 3rd all-time with 10 championships. Including 2 in Division III when TAPPS played just 3 11-man divisions. Things seemed to be a bit low with a 10-8 win over KIPP Sunnyside and a loss to Bay Area Christian, but the Cardinals evened the record at 2-2 with dominant wins over Corpus Christi John Paul and Katy St. John XXIII. Now they move into the non-Pope category of opponents. The Eagles finally won one for the southern members of Division II, claiming the title in 2022. It seems FBCA and Second Baptist have battled forever for the District 4 crown. Last year, the pair once again split their matchups with Fort Bend taking the district title but losing the playoff game. Last season started 1-4 and this season started 1-4 so maybe the Eagles have us right where they want us. The numbers game catches up to the Cardinals late in this one. Eagles win, 35-21. 

Quick Hits: (Season: 34-16)

Lubbock Christian over Prosper Richland
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
Arlington Grace Prep over Austin Hyde Park 
Arlington Pantego Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Houston Kinkaid over Dallas St. Mark's
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over Houston St. Pius X
Houston St. Thomas over San Antonio Central Catholic

Week 5 Results 2025

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Pittsburg (20-23 OT) -- Wrong
--Chargers struggle early and build a 17-0 deficit but climb out of it to force OT at 17-17. The Pirates had a bit more in OT and run it in for the win.

San Antonio Holy Cross over New Braunfels Christian (42-7) -- Correct
--A rocky start to the season for the Knights seems to be leveling off. The district champions of last season across Division III remain the favorites in their groups.

Lubbock Christian over New Deal (43-0) -- Correct
--Eagles dominant win might make them the current favorites in Division III.

Austin Regents over Bullard Brook Hill (56-14) -- Correct
--Knights look very good so far in 2025. They will certainly have their shot at the title holders if they keep playing this well. Guard with a lot of work to do as district play ramps up.

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Colleyville Covenant Christian (63-48) -- Correct 
--A bonkers game in Colleyville as an 8 TD game at running back was needed for the Eagles to outpace the Cougars. Maybe an interesting test for Lubbock Christian when they play the Cougars.

Houston Lutheran South over Houston St. John's (21-35) -- Wrong
--The Mavericks produce a quality road win and are right back in the mix of SPC 4A.

Houston Kinkaid over Houston Second Baptist (42-17) -- Correct
--A tough non-district has not gone well for the Eagles, but still all in front of them in the games that count. Falcons point toward a the big intra-Houston showdowns of SPC 4A.

Week 5: 5-2
Season: 21-12 

Quick Hits:

Argyle Liberty Christian over Addison Trinity Christian (63-17) -- Correct
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Frisco Legacy Christian (43-21) -- Correct
Fort Worth Christian over Victoria St. Joseph (45-7) -- Correct
Stratford over Lubbock Trinity Christian (40-20) -- Correct
Wolfforth Frenship over Midland Christian (41-13) -- Correct
Austin Brentwood Christian over Tyler Grace Community (14-33) -- Wrong
Fort Worth All Saints over Vancouver (WA) Evergreen (49-21) -- Correct
Arlington Grace Prep over Dallas Bishop Dunne (56-13) -- Correcf
Houston Cypress Christian over Tyler T.K. Gorman (49-14) -- Correct
Tyler All Saints over Willow Park Trinity Christian (46-3) -- Correct
New Boston over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (49-0) -- Correct
Arlington Oakridge over Houston Christian (41-27) -- Correct

Week 5: 11-1
Season: 34-16 

Week 5 Picks 2025

District play gets going for a few across the state and it looks to be a perfect weather Friday. Should be a fun week on the field. Good luck and safe travels!

This Week: (Season: 16-10)

Dallas Christian @ Pittsburg -- The Chargers played two home games in two weeks where a home school based squad was very competitive for 2 quarters. Then, DC scored repeatedly and beat both teams by big margins. Finding the right mix at quarterback is the task for the Chargers heading toward the district slate. When you graduate a 4 year starter and won 4 straight titles that is to be expected. There has been lots of good so far so the offensive threat is very much there for DC. The Pirates pose an interesting challenge having already won 3 games this season which equals 2023 and 2024 combined. The 1-9 campaign last year for Pittsburg included losing to DC 50-30. This year the Chargers must travel to East Texas and the Pirates have found the scoring touch. The mix of opponents makes this a bit of an unknown. Pittsburg appears to be much better than last year and has this one at home. DC is a smidge weaker just by losing a 4-year starter at QB. This will be a stern test. Chargers must avoid turnovers and penalties which they've not been at their best in those categories so far in 2025. DC survives, 39-37.

New Braunfels Christian @ San Antonio Holy Cross -- The Knights had lost 2 of their last 26 coming into the 2025 season and then lost their opening two games. Two nice wins over the larger San Antonio Central Catholic and Weimar has things back on track. The interesting task here is figuring out exactly where things slot given the disconnected nature the Division III district schedules among contenders. The Wildcats enter this one 4-0 for a 2nd straight year, but its hard to tell if it might be just wins over lesser competition. We will know very quickly how both squads stack up after this one. Last year, NBCA did finish the regular season 9-1 with Holy Cross providing the only loss. The home playoff loss to Tyler All Saints though showed how far the Wildcats had to go to reach the top of the division. The Knights shutout the Wildcats last year, 48-0. This year should be closer but I don't think New Braufels Christian has closed the gap completely. Knights win, 35-14.

Lubbock Christian @ New Deal -- A season ago the three main contenders in Division III were Dallas Christian, San Antonio Holy Cross, and these Eagles. That is very much the case in 2025 as well. I do not think anyone has shown the form to keep those three from the district titles. The Eagles are off to a 3-1 again. They reversed the script on Stamford but Wellington rocketed past them last week. Not looking too far down the road will be the challenge for the Eagles this year. All signs point to the semifinals for the three district champions, but it will not be a give. The Lions of New Deal finished 4-6 a year ago and were dominated by the Eagles, 46-7. Both squads dominated Sundown this season and its a home game for New Deal. Shapes up to be closer game than 2024, but the Eagles appear to be better on paper. Eagles win 42-21.

Bullard Brook Hill @ Austin Regents -- District play opens in Division II District 2 with a benchmark game for the Guard. The two schools met for the Division III crown in 2011 with the Guard claiming their lone state title. Since then Brook Hill has just not reached that type of contending status. The Guard offense is averaging over 30 points per game and that has been the issue in these benchmark games for them. If they can maintain that form maybe there is a path to a high seed for Brook Hill. The Knights are always tough and even tougher in the Travis County woods at their home field. A season ago Regents won the trip to Bullard, 42-20. Its not such a margin that it can't be done, but I don't see that the Guard have made up the gap. The Knights offense will score too much to be caught. Regents wins, 48-28.

Fort Worth Southwest Christian @ Colleyville Covenant Christian -- The Eagles 3-0 start certainly gives a little notice to the rest of Division II. I'm not sure they'll catch All Saints at the top but it is definitely an improved squad. The halftime lead over DC that was washed away by weather sorta makes the win total 3+. They'll try to get another reversal of 2024 with a trip to Colleyville. The Cougars took out the Eagles 21-14 last year. That Covenant squad nearly upset Lubbock Christian at home and is very good on their home 100. The Cougars could be that 4th semifinal team in Division III again after reaching that round last year. They've struggled defensively though allowing at least 34 points in all 4 games of a 1-3 start. The Eagles offense looks to be the stroner squad and should rack up points and a victory this week. Eagles win, 42-14.

Houston St. John's @ Houston Lutheran South -- Entering the season Second Baptist would be the favorites for another district title in District 4. The slow start for SBS though seems to have the door open for a revival of the Pioneers. Lutheran South has seen some down seasons since losing one of the strangest playoff games in TAPPS history to Dallas Christian in 2014. At 3-1, the Pioneers are a game worse than 2024 but are playing much better defense. The Mavericks lost last week to Second Baptist to fall to 2-2 and having lost big to St. Thomas appear to be scuffling a bit. St. Johns rolled off 62 points last year at home on the Pioneers. The improved LSA defense is the deciding factor in this one. If the Mavericks can roll up another 40 points the Pioneers won't be able to catch up, but I think Lutheran South can stop that from happening. Pioneers win, 30-23.

Houston Kinkaid @ Houston Second Baptist -- The Eagles made it back to the state final last season, but fell to Fort Worth All Saints to finish runner-up again. The 0-3 start though has to be a bit of a wake up call. Its hard to start back at the bottom each year and climb the mountain again. A season ago the Eagles were 4-0 and fell to Kinkaid 21-7. The erosion on defense for Second Baptist has to be the concern. The Falcons have played a tough schedule so far, starting 2-2. They've already exceeded last year's losses. Kinkaid as the defending champions remains the favorites in SPC 4A and I'm not sure anything has changed that. Can one of the last great grass fields provide the edge for the Eagles? I can see this one either way, but I think the Eagles offense just won't score enough. Falcons win another low scoring affair, 22-12.

Quick Hits: (Season: 23-15)

Argyle Liberty Christian over Addison Trinity Christian
Dallas Parish Episcopal over Frisco Legacy Christian
Fort Worth Christian over Victoria St. Joseph
Stratford over Lubbock Trinity Christian
Wolfforth Frenship over Midland Christian
Austin Brentwood Christian over Tyler Grace Community 
Fort Worth All Saints over Vancouver (WA) Evergreen (The Plainsmen! Much better than Eagles)
Arlington Grace Prep over Dallas Bishop Dunne
Houston Cypress Christian over Tyler T.K. Gorman
Tyler All Saints over Willow Park Trinity Christian
New Boston over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian
Arlington Oakridge over Houston Christian 

Week 4 Results

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Dallas HSAA (45-7) -- Correct
--Seemingly the same as last week. It was 17-7 and appeared to be headed toward an interesting finish, and then it...wasn't. Chargers big play capability overcame a bit of sloppy play tonight and likely can most nights, but it may bite them sometime.

San Antonio Cornerstone Christian over Midland Christian (14-17) -- Wrong
--Great road win for the Mustangs as the defense leads the charge. 

Austin Regents over Brownsville St. Joseph (59-15) -- Correct
--Knights dominant and cement their status as a contender in Divison II. The Bloodhounds will still be dangerous if they can get a home game in Round 1.

Fort Worth Country Day over Fort Worth Trinity Valley (21-20) -- Correct
--Falcons win a fun close one to claim the title of Bryant Irvin champs.

Lubbock Christian over Wellington (22-44) -- Wrong
--Skyrockets take out the Eagles. LCS still the favorite in District 1.

Fort Worth All Saints over Episcopal School of Dallas (35-18) -- Correct
--Saints maybe unstoppable in Division II.

Bullard Brook Hill over Price Carlisle (33-28) -- Correct
--A close road win for the Guard is win for the picks. Brook Hill also in the running for one of those home playoff slots.

Week 4: 5-2
Season: 16-10

Quick Hits: (Season: 16-12)

Addison Trinity Christian over Dallas St. Marks (29-31) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Fort Worth Nolan (49-13) -- Correct
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (47-0) -- Correct
Dallas First Baptist over Colleyville Covenant Christian (49-6) -- Correct
Tyler T.K. Gorman over Willow Park Trinity Christian (27-34) -- Wrong
Tyler Grace Community over New Boston (14-35) -- Wrong
Dallas Covenant over Muenster Sacred Heart (48-22) -- Correct
Arlington Pantego Christian over Dallas Shelton (49-7) -- Correct
San Antonio Holy Cross over Weimar (38-16) -- Correct
Lubbock Trinity Christian over Floydada (33-0) -- Correct

Week 4: 7-3
Season: 23-15 

Week 4 Picks 2025

Should be a fun week. Maybe a few statements made. Maybe just more of the same. Incredibly this is edition 152 of the picks from the committee of one. Thanks for reading! Have fun and safe travels!

This Week: (Season: 11-8)

Dallas HSAA @ Dallas Christian -- Last week the Chargers secured their latest 1st win of the season since the COVID year of 2020. A critical sequence at the end of the first half saw a 10 point margin go to 23 thanks to 2 special teams plays and then DC boat raced Atlas from there. At 1-1 just an improved Pittsburg squad will stand between the Chargers and district play after this week. DC's offense needs to gain some consistency scoring just 39 points in almost eight quarters before a kick return and blocked punt ignited things last week. The Angels are 0-2 after losing 30-7 at Frisco Legacy last week. That did include a 64-yard field goal against. Its unlikely that will happen again but the game will take place at a field that has seen a 67-yard field goal. The kicking revolution is truly upon us. I just don't quite know how the opponents of these two stack up. I think DC is better and we all know that is who we're picking at any rate. Should be closer than the Rattlers last week though. Chargers win, 38-21

Midland Christian @ San Antonio Cornerstone Christian -- A match of outliers as the geographic outliers from out West head to the school without a district. The Warriors won this one in Midland a season ago, 42-24. Only All Saints and Regents would score more on MCS in 2024. The Mustangs are off to a 2-1 start thanks to reversing last year's loss to Bushland. Though weather intervened to preserve the win over Bishop Lynch. Cornerstone dominated Dallas Christian and Fort Bend Christian but dropped a 5 point decision to Parish Episcopal in Week 3. The challenge for the Mustangs will be slowing the Warriors offense. If MCS can keep this game in the 20s they have a great chance to win, but I think Cornerstone gets away. Throw in the long trip and this points to a Warrior victory. Cornerstone wins 38-21.

Brownsville St. Joseph @ Austin Regents -- The Knights are off to a very impressive 3-0 start given the opposition. However, they've struggled a bit defensively allowing almost 35 points per game. The Bloodhounds are coming off a 10 win campaign last year, but have seen 2 results reversed on them already this season. They are also allowing over 35 points per game this year. There appears to be a lot offense ahead in this one. Regents seems to never lose at home and the long trip from the far reaches of South Texas doesn't seem conducive to victory. Regents appears to be in the top tier of contenders while the 'Hounds need a win like this to put themselves in the mix. I don't see it this week. Knights win 48-30

Fort Worth Trinity Valley @ Fort Worth Country Day -- The Battle of Bryant Irvin is renewed for another year. The Trojans enter at 0-3 on the season having given up a bunch of points against Fort Worth Christian last week. The SPC opener will be a big one. The Falcons have a nice 2-0 start building on 2024's momentum. Beating St. Marks for a 2nd straight year and doing it by 30 points to the quality of Country Day this season. The Trojans won this one at home 42-28 last season. TVS will need all of those points to get another win in this series. I think Country Day is the better squad this year, but it should be a close game. Falcons win at home, 35-28.

Wellington @ Lubbock Christian -- Play fun mascots and win games and you get in the picks, even if you're the Eagles. Lubbock Christian has a convincing 3-0 start having reversed a big loss to Stamford last week. They get to host a Wellington squad that they beat 36-34 on the road last season. The Skyrockets are also 3-0 having beaten the same squads they did a season ago. Last season ended with a 2nd round playoff loss for Wellington and they look to be a playoff squad again. The Eagles expect to be the District 1 champions and seems a likely showdown with DC or Holy Cross in the semifinals will be on the order. After a win this week it would point to being that same trio that everyone is chasing in Division III. Should be tight one, but the Eagles are the better squad I think. While I'd love to pick the Skyrockets, Eagles win at home 39-31.

Fort Worth All Saints @ Episcopal School of Dallas -- The Saints 2-0 start doesn't look as good as the 3-0 of 2024 as weather ended the Prestonwood contest before a result could be decided. All Saints is the defending champs in Division II and it seems they'll be hard to push off the perch. The Eagles have allowed just 20 points in their own 3-0 start, already exceeding last season's win total. We should note that trading Prestonwood for Bishop Dunne on the schedule helped too. They did reverse a defeat against Second Baptist last week and this will be a tough road test for the Saints. All Saints hasn't lost to a current member of Division II since the 2022 title game. The 17 game win streak doesn't seem destined to end here and maybe not this year. Eagles will be seeing the best offense they've faced this season. It won't be a blowout, but Saints win 33-21.

Bullard Brook Hill @ Price Carlisle -- The Guard opened 2025 with a dominant win over Redwater before dropping a tight one to Frisco Legacy and having a week off. So Brook Hill appears to be improved over a season ago, but the sample is small. The Indians are off to a 2-1 start after winning just 1 game in 2024. Carlisle turned around blowouts by Overton and San Augustine with defense. Dropping from allowing 87 points in 2 games to just 29 will give you a chance to win. That will be a test for Brook Hill having typically struggled to score in the biggest games. That has kept the Guard out of the contender group in Division II. That said, I think Brook Hill is good enough to win this, but it will be tougher for the Guard to score than last year when they score 49 at home. Guard win a tight road game, 27-25.

Quick Hits: (Season: 16-12)

Addison Trinity Christian over Dallas St. Marks
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Fort Worth Nolan
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian
Dallas First Baptist over Colleyville Covenant Christian
Tyler T.K. Gorman over Willow Park Trinity Christian
Tyler Grace Community over New Boston
Dallas Covenant over Muenster Sacred Heart
Arlington Pantego Christian over Dallas Shelton  
San Antonio Holy Cross over Weimar
Lubbock Trinity Christian over Floydada (Whirlwinds!)

Week 3 Results

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Fort Worth ATLAS Homeschool (51-7) -- Correct
--Rattlers were very competitive in this one for the first half but a kickoff return set up a late score and then a blocked punt made a 10 point game into a 23 point game at the half. Room for improvement as the Chargers host HSAA next week.

San Antonio Central Catholic over San Antonio Holy Cross (17-33) -- Wrong
--Knights early woes seem to have quickly ended with a win in the "Holy Bowl." Holy Cross still the favorite to win District 3.

Dallas First Baptist over Dallas Covenant (42-18) -- Correct
--Saints run away in this one and have to be the favorites in Division IV. The Knights with likely one big game against DC for all the marbles in District 2.

San Antonio Cornerstone Christian over Dallas Parish Episcopal (38-43) -- Wrong
--Panthers with a quality road win that certainly keeps them in the mix in Division I.

Argyle Liberty Christian over Decatur (35-24) -- Correct
--Warriors get into the win column with a nice road win. Some fun district showdowns ahead with Prestonwood and Parish.

Houston Second Baptist over Episcopal School of Dallas (20-36) --Wrong
--Second Baptist with a rare 0-3 start. 

Pittsburg over Tyler Grace Community (45-0) -- Correct
--Cougars dominated in this one and sets up an interesting road game for DC in a couple weeks at Pittsburg.

Week 3: 4-3
Season: 11-8 

Quick Hits:

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Venus (67-23) -- Correct
Stamford over Lubbock Christian (35-43) -- Wrong
Bushland over Midland Christian (24-27) -- Wrong
Austin Regents over San Antonio Antonian (63-41) -- Correct
Lubbock Trinity Christian over Denver City (35-0) -- Correct
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Trinity Valley (61-52) -- Correct
Brownsville St. Joseph over Corpus Christi Carroll (44-36) -- Correct
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Bastrop (55-70) -- Wrong
Arlington Grace Prep over McKinney Christian (76-53) -- Correct (So many points)
Tyler TK Gorman over Malakoff Cross Roads (20-41) -- Wrong
Dallas Bishop Lynch over OKC Bishop McGuinness (28-35) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Nolan over Plano John Paul II (21-38) -- Wrong

Week 3: 6-6
Season: 16-12 

Week 3 Picks 2025

After a record setting week of Zonks, we hope for complete games this week. For this blog we consider a game not "reasonably complete" in our sole judgement a Zonk and it is not graded in the picks. Somewhat amazing that 6 Zonks is higher than any previous week, including during the 2020 COVID season. Things look much nicer this Friday night and we have a another fun slate of games. Good luck and dry travels!

This Week: (Season 7-5)

Fort Worth ATLAS Homeschool @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers play their first home game of the season after two weeks on the road. Last week's visit to Southwest Christian started well with a early 7-0 lead. After that it was a struggle as SCS took a 14-7 lead and threatened for more. Could the 2nd half have turned back in DC's favor? Maybe, but nature decided we would not find out. So the Chargers bring a record of 0-1 into Week 3. The Rattlers lost their first two contests by just 7 points total. They were dominated by Oakridge last time out though. This makes for a very mysterious matchup. ATLAS has played 3 different opponents than they did a season ago and scored just 6 points last week. I really do not know how to compare these two. So last season was a 47-25 win for DC on the road and we know the leanings of this space. Chargers win 40-20.

San Antonio Holy Cross @ San Antonio Central Catholic -- The Knights were right on the cusp of the Division III title a season ago before Luke Carney and Dallas Christian took another crown. The 2024 Holy Cross squad was quickly positioned as a contended with wins over Antonian and San Antonio Christian by a combined score of 96-21. This season has gone the other way starting 0-2 against the same opponents. They were only defeated by a combined 10 points, but still suggests that the Knights may not be as crisp as a season ago. The Buttons fell to Holy Cross 35-17 last season for their 1st loss of the season. After scoring 110 points against those opponents last year the Buttons scored just 49 this season in a 1-1 start. Its only an 18 point difference a season ago and Central Catholic has the home field this season. The Knights always play strong defense and it seems the Button offense is not as strong as recent seasons. So a defensive battle seems on order and we favor home teams. Buttons win 16-13.

Dallas First Baptist @ Dallas Covenant -- The Knights enter with a curious pair of games this season. Week 1 was a loss to Austin St. Michael's 31-20. Week 2 was another road game but last week's weather saw a 13-9 halftime lead for Covenant ended early. The Knights have been the only squad somewhat challenging the DC juggernaut in Division III District 2 and this year is probably the same situation. Last year Covenant entered this one having shutout their first two opponents but could slow down the Saints offense, suffering a 62-12 drubbing. That loss, Dallas Christian, and Colleyville Covenant twice accounted for the 4 losses by the Knights. First Baptist went on to another Division IV title and seem to be the favorites again. Only the Division III finalist Holy Cross bested FBA in 2024. This season has seen all of the points in Saints games. A wild 62-48 loss to Bishop Lynch and a last minute touchdown to escape Tyler Grace with a 42-35 win. The challenge for Covenant will keeping pace with the FBA offense. The home game helps but I do not see it being enough to reverse the 50 point margin of a season ago. Saints win 48-30.

Dallas Parish Episcopal @ San Antonio Cornerstone Christian -- The Warriors beat Dallas Christian by just 7 in 2024 and went on to lose to Parish 69-33. The Panthers have not been as prolific on offense this year and Cornerstone upped its defense holding DC to just 22 and Fort Bend Christian to just 7 in their opening pair of games. I think the Warriors are in line for a better year than last year's 6-5 mark, but it is a tough schedule and the Panthers are certainly no gimme. With the game at home, I see this as a Cornerstone win. Should be a close one though, Warriors win 35-28.

Argyle Liberty Christian @ Decatur  -- The Warriors began their title defense with a difficult pair of games at Anna and Texarkana. The volleyball team has actually played more games in front of the fans at the football stadium in Argyle than the football team has (full support for fun concepts like outdoor volleyball by the way). Allowing 80 points is just too many for success. Only one complete game for the Eagles (oh no, another one...) so far this year. A 52-31 loss to Brock. Both squads are disparate for a win to get that 0 out of that column and both squads should be able to score on the opposing defenses. Last season Liberty rolled up 49 on the Eagles and took a tidy home win. This should be close to the end and its hard to get road wins. I think Liberty finds a way this week. Warriors win 33-28.

Episcopal School of Dallas @ Houston Second Baptist -- More Eagles corrupt the picks this week as a pair of them flock to Houston Second Baptist. Its the first season since 2017 that SBS has started 0-2. Having allowed 80 points in not quite 8 quarters of football is not a winning formula. A season ago ESD hosted and was dealt a 9 point loss. That Second Baptist team had just beaten Fort Worth Christian by 32, while this team lost by 21 in less than a full game. ESD finished just 2-8 a season ago and has matched that total already on the young season (I guess they played enough of the 48 against Trinity Valley last week). The northern Eagles have yet to allow a point so far this year. Hard to see a shutout happening this week, but I think the defenses might have a good day for both teams. Second Baptist avoids 0-3 with a 16-12 win.

Pittsburg @ Tyler Grace Community -- Our last game takes us to the Rose City where the Cougars dropped a 42-35 game last week to First Baptist. At 1-1 the Cougars are positioned decently for a battle in the district slate. Its not hard to see situations where Grace finishes 1st or 2nd and it doesn't seem far fetched to see the Cougars all the way out of the playoffs. A season ago the Pirates finished just 1-9 but that included a tight 16-15 loss to the Cougars. The Pirates have already reversed two of those losses in 2025 to begin the season 2-0. If the Cougars defense keeps this game in range Tyler Grace is good enough to win, but Pittsburg may be able to put this one of the Cougars reach. Pirates win, 39-28.

Quick Hits: (Season: 10-6)

Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Venus
Stamford over Lubbock Christian
Bushland over Midland Christian
Austin Regents over San Antonio Antonian
Lubbock Trinity Christian over Denver City
Fort Worth Christian over Fort Worth Trinity Valley
Brownsville St. Joseph over Corpus Christi Carroll 
Plano Prestonwood Christian over Bastrop
Arlington Grace Prep over McKinney Christian
Tyler TK Gorman over Malakoff Cross Roads
Dallas Bishop Lynch over OKC Bishop McGuinness
Fort Worth Nolan over Plano John Paul II

Week 2 Results 2025

Well I jinxed it with the good weather comment in the picks and now we have a single week record for Zonks. Public Service Announcement: When a game is ended early due to weather, teams have 3 options: No Contest, End Early with a final score declared, and resume the game later. For non-district games schools will rarely resume and while they are supposed to agree whether its a no contest or a declared final they don't really have to. We do not use a ranking system in Texas where win-loss record changes seedings or some other consequence where a team's record changes things. So it is very possible one team will claim a win and one team will claim a no contest. Further, anyone can put results in MaxPreps. So a forfeit or a declared final when it was a 1 point game with a quarter to play doesn't represent the "truth" anymore than this blog does. Just be resonable and consistent is all we can ask.

This Week:

Dallas Christian over Fort Worth Southwest Christian -- Zonk
--Eagles had a 14-7 lead at the half before weather halted the proceedings. Chargers struck first but the Eagles 2nd quarter was full of big plays. Not a win or loss but an interesting data point as we head toward district play

Texarkana Texas High over Argyle Liberty Christian (49-37) -- Correct
--Not a bad showing by the Warriors, but not quite enough to escape Texarkana with a win.

Plano Prestonwood Christian over Fort Worth All Saints -- Zonk
--Saints led 28-21 at the half before weather took out another game. We're setting the single week record for Zonks tonight.

Bellaire Episcopal over Dallas Parish Episcopal (21-38) -- Wrong
--Panthers with a nice win to level their record. Lots of fun district showdowns await in District 1.

Frisco Legacy Christian over Bullard Brook Hill (30-28) -- Correct
--Eagles win a tight one as they look to get back to semifinals. 

Arlington Grace Prep over Colleyville Covenant Christian (35-14) -- Correct
--Lions clearly a much improved squad. Probably won't challenge Regents for the district title but might challenge for 2nd place and a home game in Round 1. 

Lubbock Christian over Sundown (61-13) -- Correct
--Dominant victory for the Eagles who look like they will be a factor in November for Division III.

Week 2: 4-1
Season: 7-5

Quick Hits: (Season: 5-5)

Dallas Covenant over Plano John Paul II -- Zonk (13-9 Covenant at half)
Tyler All Saints over Detroit (49-0) -- Correct
Fort Worth Lake Country Christian over Magnolia Legacy Prep (47-0) -- Correct
Dallas First Baptist over Tyler Grace Community (42-35) -- Correct
Grapevine Faith Christian over Dallas HSAA -- Zonk (HSAA led 14-13 end 3Q)
Midland Christian over Dallas Bishop Lynch (38-34) -- Zonk (MCS led 38-34 with 4:02 to play)
Fort Worth Christian over Houston Second Baptist (35-14) -- Correct
Fort Worth Nolan over Dallas Bishop Dunne -- Zonk (10-0 Nolan 3Q)
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over The Woodlands John Cooper (34-53) -- Wrong
Houston Lutheran South over Austin Hyde Park (38-17) -- Correct

Week 2: 5-1
Season: 10-6 

Week 2 Picks 2025

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

Week 1 Results 2025

Ah yes, that new season smell. 

This Week:

Dallas Christian over San Antonio Cornerstone Christian (22-43) -- Wrong 
--Chargers roundly defeated on the road to open the season. Should be some better matchups ahead but work to be done on the drive for five. Warriors have an another very good squad.

Anna over Argyle Liberty Christian (31-28) -- Correct
--A very game effort by the Warriors against a top program. Liberty looks to be a top contender in Division I even with the loss.

Fort Worth All Saints over Dallas Parish Episcopal (24-21) -- Correct
--A different venue but the same result as last year. A tight result that puts the Saints right at the top of the Division II contenders. 

Dallas First Baptist over Dallas Bishop Lynch (48-62) -- Wrong
--The Friars explode offensively to end the FBA win streak. Saints will be hard to beat in Division IV, but the two-way probably caught up to them a bit this week.

San Antonio Holy Cross over San Antonio Antonian (20-27) -- Wrong
--Apaches with a quality win to start the season, turning a 30 point loss a season ago into a 7 point win. 

Brownsville St. Joseph over Raymondville (22-25) -- Wrong
--Bearkats sneak by the Bloodhounds. St. Joseph will need more offense to compete with the best of Division II. Lots of time to find that punch though.

Bullard Brook Hill over Redwater (39-14) -- Correct
--Guard with a good road win to start the season and by a 25 margin.

Week 1: 3-4

Quick Hits:  

Episcopal School of Dallas over Dallas Bishop Dunne (70-0) -- Correct
Shelton over Plano John Paul II (0-42) -- Wrong
Dallas St. Marks over Fort Worth Country Day (14-44) -- Wrong
Fort Worth Nolan over Arlington Grace Prep (23-34) -- Wrong
Midland Christian over Graham (7-17) -- Wrong
Tyler Grace Community over Queen City (35-26) -- Correct
Tyler All Saints over Saratoga West Hardin (46-12) -- Correct
Austin Regents over Lorena (55-48) -- Correct
Boerne Geneva over San Antonio Christian (28-21) -- Correct
Gunter over Houston Kinkaid (49-44) -- Correct

Week 1: 5-5

Week 1 Picks 2025

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

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
2024: 108-22