Galena Park North Shore (7-0, 4-0) at Humble Atascocita (7-0, 4-0):

The best rivalry in the Houston area gets renewed, but is it a rivalry when one team has dominated for this long? North Shore has won the last eight meetings in the rivalry has eliminated Atascocita from the playoffs in the past three seasons.

North Shore rolled to an easy 55-6 win over Channelview last week, as Colorado WR commit Quannell Farrakhan, Jr. returned a punt for a touchdown and the Mustangs' dynamic offense looked sharp with QB Kaleb Bailey.

Where the Mustangs have taken the next step in 2024 has been on defense. LSU LB commit Charles Ross, Ohio State DB commit Devin Sanchez and Arkansas DB commit Nigel Pringle anchor a unit that allows just over six points per game.

After looking like a true state title contender in the first six games of the season, Atascocita showed it was mortal last week, as the Eagles escaped by the skin of their teeth with a 42-41 win over upstart Humble Kingwood. Oklahoma RB commit RB Tory Blaylock was a one-man wrecking crew for the Eagles with two rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown and a kickoff return for a score. But the Atascocita defense struggled to get stops for the second time in three weeks and that’s a concern, especially against an offense as explosive as North Shore.

There’s a funny feeling I have that Atascocita finally gets over the hump in 2024 against North Shore, and maybe it’s this week. The Eagles have wins over Westlake, Katy and Summer Creek, while North Shore’s best win may be in its opener over South Oak Cliff. That difference in resumes and QB Cardae Mack could end up being the difference.

Stepp’s Pick: Humble Atascocita by 2