Another season is upon us as the summer heat continues to scorch the Texas soil we have a new batch of districts to get used to and new format for the TAPPS season. Many squads will start this season a week earlier than what we would consider "usual." A few scrimmages still on the horizon for this week as everyone will be in action for "Week 1" next week. More stringent playoff qualification rules will make for smaller brackets but with the split brackets in Division II we'll have 5 champions among the 64 squads entering the season. Maybe we'll love it, but I'll admit the author does not. We still love high school football in this space though and a goofy season format will not dampen that enthusiasm.
So let's have some fun as the ball sails across the sunset sky in your stadiums. For the 12th season of these picks, we know there will be too many Eagles flying around. However, you know that we'll find some fun squads. There will be the expected contenders but also some surprises for sure. The committee of one on this blog certainly has his leanings but I try to always be honest in my analysis. Some picks will be right. Some picks will be wrong. Hope you come along for the ride. There's no Dallas Christian game to lead off with this week, but I shoehorned them in there somehow. As always we wish everyone good luck, safe travels, and good air conditioning in your cars and buses.
This Week:
Dallas Covenant @ Flower Mound Coram Deo -- The new Week 0 brings us to a non-district Division III matchup. The Lions return to the alignment after a non-aligned period. They finished 2025 with a 5-4 record that included a couple of wins over Division IV playoff squads for a 2nd straight winning season. A vast improvement from the 0-10 that marred 2023. Ultimately getting enough stops will be the challenge for Coram Deo as they lost two games last season in which they scored 40+. The Knights came up big in the playoffs last year, reaching the semifinals. They scored 35 and 42 to notch those two playoff victories and averaged over 30 points per game in games they didn't play Dallas Christian. This should be a good starting point for Covenant. With the night before Halloween scheduled for the likely district showdown against DC, it may be a season of trap games for the Knights. Dealing with a little expectation can be a tough challenge sometimes, but I don't think the Lions can upend them this week. Knights win 42-21.
Colleyville Covenant Christian @ Arlington Pantego Christian -- Just 18 miles and the West Fork of the Trinity River separate these two. The Panthers opened last season 8-0 before a 32 point blowout in the de facto district title game against eventual State Champion Lubbock Christian. Then a pair of Covenants sent them to basketball at 8-3. These Cougars were one of those Covenant squads. Pantego slides to the East and District 2 this season and we'll get a quick view of their defense heading into 2026. If they can slow the Cougars they will be very competitive in the Division III mix. Colleyville Covenant had an opposite facing season compared with Pantego. The Cougars started just 1-4 before winning 5 of 6 to reach the Regional Round. The lone loss in that stretch was to previously mentioned Lubbock Christian. They scored 30 which matched any total for a TAPPS squad against LCS last year. So the Cougars are ahead for me, but it is a road game and the Panthers play their best football in the early season. I'll still go Covenant though. Cougars win 39-25.
Dallas Parish Episcopal @ Fort Worth All Saints -- The challenge of a new season is even tougher whe you match two State Champions from a season ago. The Saints won Division II for a 2nd straight season and stretched a win streak to 28. The last loss was the Division II semifinal to Argyle Liberty in November of 2023. Last biennium the Saints won both meetings by a combined of 7 points. So expect a close game again. The All Saints offense piled up 596 and 594 points in their two championship runs for 42.5 points per game. The Panthers won the Division I title by running off 12 in a row after the season opening loss to All Saints. They averaged over 44 points per game in their title run, even after being held to just 14 in the championship game. With the mystery of a new season and the best two teams from a season ago, this is a nearly impossible pick. Expect both teams to score and score a bunch. When in doubt pick the home team is a common choice for this committee so that's where we'll land. Saints win a thriller, 44-42.
Midland Christian @ Argyle Liberty Christian -- The Warriors host a revival of one of the more famous rivalries in TAPPS. Even having just 20 all-time meetings they seem to all be remembered. There is the Game of Inches where The Warriors claimed a district title, but the Mustangs reversed the outcome in the state championship game. The Mustangs also flipped a district title loss into the state title in 2006. There was also a stern thumping dished out at Denton's Bronco Field, the temporary home for the Warriors as they moved to Argyle. Probably the final Midland Christian game played on the old style astroturf, but known to the old TXPrivateSports message board as Showergate. Throw in a game where MCS finished with 5 points and no fewer than 8 different sites for just 20 meetings and you have a great series. So many of the major players of those days are no longer involved so we'll have to figure out how these two will do this season. The Mustangs were 8-4 a season ago, losing to Regents in Round 2 by 33 to end the season. The Warriors were also 8-4 but played a difficult schedule, falling by just 14 to Prestonwood in Round 2 to close the campaign. We once again have to wade through the mystery of a new season with two comparable squads. So again we land on a home team choice. Warriors win 29-20.
Houston Kinkaid @ Highlands Ranch (CO) Valor Christian -- I try to avoid out-of-state opponents for the most part, but the Falcons run to the SPC 4A title last season earns them this spot to open the season. With just three losses in the last two seasons Kinkaid is going to be highly regarded in any season preview. The same general layout of the SPC divisions (though now a 4-team playoff) makes them definite favorites in 2026. They open the season across the Rockies before coming home to TAPPS Division I Champion Parish Episcopal. Valor Christian is ranked #2 in Colorado on MaxPreps coming off a 10-3 season that saw a Round 3 elimination from the playoffs. Unfortunately even in Colorado we find too many Eagles on the mascot list. So I consider picking the Falcons just for that. However, I think the depth of the Eagles probably wins this game for them. Should be a really fun way to start the season though. Valor Christian wins 35-21.
Dallas Bishop Lynch @ Fort Worth Christian -- Both schools hold long football histories and while the Friars were a little later to join TAPPS its a surprise to this author that they've played just six times. Bishop Lynch won the meeting in 2021 and leads the series 4-2. A season ago the Friars finished 6-6 going out in Round 2 to the eventual champion Parish Episcopal. It was a year where the Friars beat the teams they should and lost to the team they should lose to. Though a late rally against Midland Christian was chopped by weather, their best overall game was probably a loss in which they took Prestonwood to OT. With just 4 playoff spots available in District 1 this year, there is a much greater incentive to be good early. District play starts in less than a month on September 11. The Cardinals had a 9-3 season last year with two losses to the seemingly unstoppable All Saints train. Last season's offense would definitely be favored over the Friars. A new season brings new questions for everyone. The Cardinals have a big trip to DC next week for the 70th all time meeting between the two rivals. Will that spectacle on the horizon draw the FWC focus away? This should be another good opener, but I think the Cardinals remain ahead on the rankings right now and have this one at home. FWC wins 35-28.
Quick Hits:
Grapevine Faith Christian over Addison Trinity Christian
Fort Worth Southwest Christian over Fort Worth Lake Country Christian
Bryan Brazos Christian over Tyler All Saints
New Braunfels Christian over Austin Hill Country Christian
San Antonio Christian over Austin St. Andrews
Corpus Christi Incarnate Word over Corpus Christi John Paul II
Waco Live Oak Classical over Carrollton Prince of Peace
Tomball Rosehill Christian over Houston St. Francis Episcopal
Beaumont Monsignor Kelly Catholic over Houston Northland Christian
The Woodlands John Cooper over Houston St. Thomas
Historic 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
2024: 79-25
2025: 79-23
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
2025: 106-24
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