Hornets, Lumberjacks, and 100 points all feature in the column. A couple of recent UIL champions also appear. Maybe Fall weather will get here before November...
This Week: (Season: 19-15)
Dallas Christian @ Dallas Life Oak Cliff -- The Chargers travel across the county for an intriguing matchup. The Lions enter at 4-0 and having played all four on the road so far. Notably, they made headlines with 105 points scored against the Purple Warriors of Bonham. The other wins are not over what would be noted as top opponents, but you have to beat the teams in front of you. The high powered offense will be up against a Chargers defense that has held every opponent to 22 or less. DC moved to 3-1 last week in dominant fashion over Grace Prep, 40-6. This game holds a lot of mystery. On the one hand, the Chargers have historically been much stronger. Life was just 5-5 last year including some very pedestrian losses. However, these two have never played and the Lions are clearly improved. How much though? That's the question. We know how things go in this space even if the confidence is low. Chargers win a fun one, 35-30.
Bullard Brook Hill @ Diboll -- The Guard are off to a 4-0 start and have quickly become a team to watch in Division II. With two championships on offer, who winds up in each bracket will be a big story come November. Brook Hill has allowed just 42 points through 4 weeks on the season and things set up well for a strong district finish. Producing the points in the biggest games has been where the Guard have fallen short in Division II. They'll travel south to meet the first Lumberjacks to feature in the picks. Diboll enters at 2-2. The Lumberjacks have probably played the more difficult quartet but also fell short twice. After a 4-7 campaign a year ago they look to be in a similar spot in the pecking order of the state. The Guard are on the way up, but this may be too tough a road trip. Another first time meeting makes this a tough choice. I think the Guard sneak b and keep the undefeated season alive. Brook Hill wins, 29-25.
Fort Worth All Saints @ Gunter -- The Saints challenging schedule continues to the northern reaches of Preston Rd. After losing the steak to Liberty they dropped a 2nd one last week in a heartbreaker to Lovejoy. The All Saints defense absolutely squashed Parish and Prestonwood this season but Liberty and Lovejoy were a bit more successful. The Tigers will be testing that Saints defense early and often. Gunter has posted 13 wins or more every season since 2016 including multiple state championships. They scored over 700 points a season ago and are 3-0 to start 2026. They've not been as prolific on offense this season, and the Saints are not a squad to get healthy against. This is a big chance for the Saints to score a notable win over a UIL power. They just missed last week and I fear they may just miss again. Tigers win a squeaker, 23-20.
Fort Worth Christian @ Muenster -- The Cardinals started 2026 win a dominant shutout of Bishop Lynch followed by close losses to DC and Prestonwood. After a blowout of Nolan they had a disappointing performance against Paradise. So the trip to the Red River creates a chance to get back on the right side before a short district sprint starts next week with All Saints. That will be a big test and this one might be just as big. The Hornets are a defending state champion but did lose a 50-47 contest to Collinsville last week. Based on the season so far, I don't see how FWC can keep pace with the Muenster offense in this one. A difficult non-district still leaves everything in front of the Cardinals, but this task is too tall this week. Hornets win 41-20.
Houston Second Baptist @ Bellaire Episcopal -- The Eagles started with a loss to Houston St. John's but have ramped up lately. The boat raced Tomball Concordia before posting a really nice win over East Bernard. So at 3-1, SBS will be one of the Division II teams looking at the bracket split for the two titles on offer. Getting the offense going against one of the SPC's best will be an interesting look into the Eagles chances in November. The Knights are 2-2 after giving up a shocking 62 points to Regents last week (possibly have to change mascots after losing the Knights battle that badly). So the window is there for the Eagles and I think they will fly through it. Second Baptist wins 42-28.
Waco Live Oak @ Dallas First Baptist -- We head to the smallest division of TAPPS 11-man for what is likely a district title game. The Saints have started 4-0, but have allowed a few points on the season at 21 per game. So there is an opening for the Falcons against the Divison IV favorites. Both squads dominated the district openers and Live Oak is averaging over 50 points per game. Both squads should be favored over the rest of the district and it wouldn't surprise me to see these two line up for the title just before Thanksgiving. The Saints are the champs and to be the man you have to beat the man. So First Baptist gets the 5-0 mark with a 55-50 shootout win.
Quick Hits: (Season: 35-15)
Midland Christian over Jim Ned
Shelbyville over Tyler Grace Community
Colleyville Covenant Christian over Addison Greenhill
Bryan Brazos Christian over San Antonio Holy Cross
Dallas St. Mark's over Grapevine Faith Christian
Tomball Concordia Lutheran over San Antonio Antonian
Houston Kinkaid over The Woodlands Christian
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over Austin St. Andrew's
Arlington Pantego Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Fort Worth Country Day over Irving Cistercian
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