District play is fully upon us this week. The picks usually do better with the familiar district matchups, and they really need it this year. A few favorites have emerged, but there are many contenders across the state. With the heat finally breaking this week, it should be fun final five weeks on the run in. Good luck and safe travels.
This Week: (Season: 22-18)
Arlington Pantego Christian @ Dallas Christian -- The Chargers could not hold a 21 point lead on the road against Life Oak Cliff. LOC appears to be better on paper than the upcoming district slate for DC, but that's why they play the games. The Panthers started 2024 at 7-0 before finishing 8-4. Then in 2025, they started at 8-0 before losing their last 3 and being eliminated at home. This season its just a 4-1 start for Pantego, but the Chargers will be the toughest opponent so far. The DC defense has seemed to be a little more porous than typical on the season so far. Can the Panthers capitalize on that opprutunity? These two have met just once all time with DC dominating a 55-0 playoff win in 2024 en route to the title. The Chargers should be better and a trip Wheeler Field for an unfamiliar squad is always a tall task. Dallas Christian wins comfortably, 42-12.
Argyle Liberty Christian @ Plano Prestonwood Christian -- The Lions fell last week to Frisco Legacy for their first loss in five meetings with LCA. Falling to 1-2 in district play would be shocking for a Prestonwood squad that figured to be a title contender. It could introduce the possibility of missing the playoffs, but even a 4th place finish would give you a stiff road trip in Round 1. The Lions defense has allowed 38 or more points in four of their five outings this season. That will have to improve to get back int the win column. The Warriors are just 3-2 but are also the only TAPPS squad that can beat Fort Worth All Saints it seems. The defense for Liberty has had its own struggles with 66, 38, and 35 allowed in the first three games. They rebounded though to hold their last two opponents to 7 each. So both offenses can score and both defenses might be accommodating to a few touchdown requests. So naturally this will probably go the other way, maybe something similar to the 14-7 title game that surprised us a season ago. Warriors appear to be too good this season though. Liberty wins, 21-10.
Fort Worth Christian @ Fort Worth All Saints -- The Saints win streak came to an end but they are still a strong 4-2 with losses to Liberty and UIL Lovejoy. No one in TAPPS Division II has bested All Saints since 2023 and no one currently in Division II since 2022. So the Cardinals have a difficult hill to climb, particularly on the road. The Saints have won all 8 meetings since joining TAPPS from the SPC. FWC has a good squad and last season dropped a pair of meetings by just 17 and 20 points. They can make this interesting but have struggled to find the win column this year, entering the week just 2-4. Both Cardinals units seem to be just behind the Saints and that should play out on the scoreboard though not in complete blowout fashion. All Saints wins, 35-14.
Frisco Legacy Christian @ Dallas Parish Episcopal -- The Eagles finally got the big win they've seemed so close to last week. Finally able to topple Prestonwood they will not be able to rest on the accomplishment with a trip to the blue field on Midway Rd. up next. After an out-of-state loss and a tight one at ESD in a clash of Eagles, Legacy has won three in a row and are poised to assume a top two spot in District 1 with a win here. The Panthers have won five of the last six state titles, but 2026 has not been rosy thus far. Parish is 4-2 but was really run over by All Saints and San Antonio Cornerstone. Last week's narrow victory over a struggling Bishop Lynch squad did not inspire confidence, but we also do not want to downgrade wins. A season ago, the Panthers took a 43-21 win in this matchup. I think this one is closer and the Eagles defense will make this very difficult for the Panthers, and I think will put the Eagles on track for a home playoff game in November. The playoff rematch though might go the other way. Legacy Christian wins, 25-22.
Houston Kinkaid @ Bellaire Episcopal -- The Falcons are just 2-3 on the season, but the blowout win over Austin Regents suggests they are still near the top of SPC 4A. These two seem to always decide the conference and last year Kinkaid took both meetings to claim the crown. The combined margin of the two games was just 14 though. The Knights are 3-2 but were blown out by the same Austin Regents squad that Kinkaid took out. Looking at the results thus far, the Episcopal defense does not seem to be as good as the Kinkaid offense. The Knights should make it interesting, but this looks like another Falcons win which would make 5 in-a-row for Kinkaid in the rivalry. Another one to keep an eye on for a playoff reversal. Kinkaid wins this week though, 42-23.
Wall @ Midland Christian -- The Mustangs started off with a huge win over Liberty in Week 0. They needed a big road comeback and all of the 66 points they scored. They followed that with three straight losses. It was a tough stretch but you'd like to be able to get one after the big rivalry win to start the season. Last week's win over Jim Ned has MCS at 2-3. The host a frequent opponent of the Mustangs in Wall. The Hawks are off to a 5-0 start and will probably be favored in their five district games. So this might be the last hurdle to 10-0. They also took out Jim Ned but were a little more impressive. The win over Canyon West Plains also puts the Hawks near the top of UIL 3A Division I. The Mustangs will not be run out of the stadium by any means but this feels like too big of a hill to climb. I don't see the MCS offense being able to keep up as the game gets late. Wall wins 35-25.
Tyler All Saints @ Waco Live Oak -- Our weekly foray into Division IV sees the Falcons smarting from a 45-0 thrashing by First Baptist. They were 4-0 coming into that one, so a path to a playoff rematch is something still on the table. Live Oak features an offense that had scored 40+ in each of the four wins to start the season. That will be a big test for the Trojans. All Saints has found its back to competitiveness in recent seasons after a long trip through the wilderness that saw 4 wins in 4 seasons between 2020 and 2023. They are 3-2 on the season so far including 2-0 in district play. The winner here is very much in the driver's seat for a home playoff game. The Trojans have not shown the form against the best TAPPS squads yet so still a smidge behind particularly on the road. They have a chance to prove me wrong and make a statement this week though. Falcons win by a handy margin, but the Trojans are on the way up. Live Oak wins, 40-20.
Quick Hits: (Season: 42-18)
Colleyville Covenant Christian over Flower Mound Coram Deo
Temple Central Texas Christian over Hallettsville Sacred Heart
Fort Worth Trinity Valley over San Antonio TMI Episcopal
Dallas Covenant over Dallas Shelton
Lubbock Christian over Lubbock Trinity Christian
Tyler Grace Community over Arlington Grace Prep
The Woodlands John Cooper over Dallas St. Mark's
Houston St. Thomas over Houston Lutheran South
Houston St. John's over Houston Christian
Willow Park Trinity Christian over Fort Worth Mercy Culture
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