Preview and prediction for the best TXHSFB games of Week 5

Denton Guyer (2-1) at Flower Mound (3-0): After getting a bye in Week 4, district play begins in 5-6A and there’s plenty of intrigue as the district is proving to be deeper than many thought in the preseason. No one is surprised that Denton Guyer is off to a strong start and state ranked despite closing out non-district with a loss to North Crowley. The Wildcats have gotten things done with timely defense and special teams for the most part, while the offense, which is led by Oklahoma commit QB Kevin Sperry, has had success in fits and starts, but has lacked consistency. Flower Mound is one of the real surprise stories in DFW early on as the Jaguars swept through non-district at 3-0. FMHS has figured out how to win the close ones with a two-point win over Arlington Bowie in the opener and a touchdown in the game’s dying seconds to slip past Lake Highlands two weeks ago, 21-17. The Jaguars will need a little more of that magic this week if they want to pull the upset. Expect Guyer with the off-week to come out a little more crisp offensively. I think the Wildcats look to establish the running game to give Sperry a chance to show off the accuracy he has on the deep ball in play-action. Stepp’s Pick: Denton Guyer by 15

Waco Midway (3-1) at Killeen Harker Heights (2-2): The District 12-6A title may be crowned in the first week of the season as Midway heads over to Killeen to take on Harker Heights in the premier 6A game in Central Texas this week. Both teams come into this one licking their wounds a bit as Midway suffered its first loss of the season last Thursday on the road to unbeaten Mansfield, 29-15. The Panthers led at the beak, but Mansfield broke out with a big third quarter and that proved to be the difference. The key blow for the Panthers was allowing the opening second half kickoff to be returned for a touchdown and that set things in motion the wrong way. Midway’s offense rolled up 425 yards and outgained Mansfield by 100 yards and ended up +2 in turnover differential, yet they still lost - you don’t see that often. Harker Heights got off to a hot start to the season, but the Knights have dropped two straight games by a combined five points. Last week in a 47-45 loss to Midlothian, HHHS led by 17 points early in the third quarter and 38-27 going into the fourth quarter, but a touchdown pass on the game’s final play sent the Knights home with a stunning loss. Harker Heights did run the ball well in the loss as Kaden Butler and Zy’riyan Evans combined for 204 yards and four touchdowns rushing. Midway’s defense is underrated and their strength-on-strength matchup with the Harker Heights offense will be the key factor in this one. Defense typically travels, so I’m leaning to Midway at home for a key win. Stepp’s Pick: Waco Midway by 3

Alvin Shadow Creek (3-1, 2-0) at Pearland Dawson (3-1, 2-0): Two schools less than six miles apart in the Houston area will battle it out and first place in 22-6A will be on the line in what is usually a hard-fought matchup. Shadow Creek after a humbling loss to Humble Summer Creek to open the season has righted the ship the last three weeks and last week the Sharks put together a complete effort in a 43-20 win over Manvel. The score doesn’t indicate Shadow Creek’s dominance in the matchup as the Sharks led 40-0 late into the third quarter before some late window dressing from Manvel. QB Joseph Stewart tossed four touchdown passes with two each going to Jacorey Watson (Baylor commit) and WR Chris Stewart (Texas commit). Dawson has also won three straight after dropping their season opener, but the Eagles got a big scare last week in a 48-45 win over Pasadena Memorial. It was a back and forth affair with Dawson giving up 31 first half points, but the offense led by RB Jeremiah Treadway who had a monster night with 215 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns for the Eagles. Dawson giving up 45 points to Pasadena Memorial is a bit concerning especially when facing an offense as talented as Shadow Creek. Expect a lot of points in this one and a lot of big plays, but I’ve got more confidence in the Sharks defense at this stage. Stepp’s Pick: Alvin Shadow Creek by 11

Lake Travis (4-0) at Austin Bowie (4-0): District play opens up in 26-6A as surprising Austin Bowie will look for a statement victory this week as they tangle with state power Lake Travis. Lake Travis had no trouble with San Marcos in an easy 62-13 victory last week as East Carolina commit QB Chaston Ditta tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Cavaliers had their starters out of the game halfway through the third quarter. Bowie went on the road last week to Converse Judson and walked away with a solid 28-24 victory. The Bulldogs offense was cooking in the first half with three scores, however they had to hang on as Judson made a late push. Bowie’s a good story, but they’ll need a huge effort and a few breaks at home to keep up with Lake Travis in this one. Stepp’s Pick: Lake Travis by 21

Frisco Heritage (2-1, 0-1) vs Frisco Lone Star (4-0, 2-0): What was thought to be a battle for the lead in 6-5A Division I is not happening now as Frisco Heritage was upset a week ago 27-26 by a struggling Frisco High squad. Heritage will have to rebound quickly or their playoff chances will start to slip away and this week they tangle with state ranked Lone Star. Heritage trailed 21-7 at the half and then rallied for nineteen straight points to take the lead before letting it slip away in the fourth. WR Tatum Bell, Jr. led the way for the Coyotes with 123 receiving yards and a pair of scores. Lone Star drilled Frisco Centennial 62-7 a week ago as the Rangers got three passing and two rushing touchdowns from sophomore QB Karece Hoyt, WR Bryson Jones hauled in three touchdown receptions and ATH Davian Groce had 148 yards from scrimmage, it was domination from start to finish for Jeff Rayburn’s squad. Heritage has the speed and playmakers to keep things competitive, but Lone Star is the most complete team in Frisco ISD for a reason and they pull away for a comfortable win. Stepp’s Pick: Frisco Lone Star by 16

Smithson Valley (3-1, 1-0) at San Antonio Pieper (4-0, 1-0): Supremacy in Comal ISD and possibly the 13-5A Division I title is on the line as traditional powerhouse Smithson Valley visits the new kids on the block in rising power San Antonio Pieper. Since dropping a Week 2 game against 6A San Antonio Brennan, SVHS has been dominant the last two weeks outscoring opponents 107-10. Last week the Rangers opened district play with a 42-10 win over Boerne Champion as QB Cade Spradling and RB Daniel DeHoyos were simply too much for a struggling Champion squad. Pieper had a tough test dealing with the flexbone offense of San Antonio Wagner last week, but the Warriors were able to escape with a hard-fought 35-21 win. Pieper led 21-7 late in the second quarter but Wagner ended the half with a score and opened the third with a score to tie things up, but PHS pulled away down the stretch with a pair of late scores. The Pieper offense is explosive with QB Cayden Keeth and UIW commit WR Isaiah Champagne leading the charge, but Smithson Valley plays a physical ball control style that wears teams down and makes them a challenge to prepare for. The guard may be changing in Comal ISD, but Smithson Valley played for a state title a year ago and remains the team of record at the 5A level in San Antonio. Stepp’s Pick: Smithson Valley by 7

Abilene Cooper (1-3) at Wichita Falls Memorial (3-1): Not much has been made of 2-5A Division II when it comes to the discussion in Region I, but this is a game that will be fascinating as the playoff race begins to take shape. Abilene Cooper after three closes losses to open the season let off some frustration a week ago as they ripped through Lubbock Coronado 53-7. Cooper dominated on the ground rushing for 392 yards to Coronado’s 61 yards and they won the turnover battle 3-0, JQ Scoggins led the Cougars with 137 yards and a touchdown, while RB Payton Ewing ran for 102 yards and a score. QB Austin Cummins threw two touchdown passes and added another score on the ground as well to pace the dominant effort. Wichita Falls Memorial closed out non-district with a dominant win over Andrews last week as the Mavericks rolled to an easy 50-27 win. RB Kenji Johnson ran for three touchdowns, while RB Eric Powell added two scores on the ground and also caught a touchdown pass from QB Joe Castles. Cooper is much better than their record indicates, but Memorial looks to be rounding into form as they’ve merged players from the three old high schools in town. Stepp’s Pick: Wichita Falls Memorial by 10

Colleyville Heritage (3-1, 2-0) at Argyle (2-1, 1-0): The top two teams in the deep 3-5A Division II will lock horns in Argyle and the winner will have the inside track to the district title. Colleyville Heritage last week despite only picking up 195 yards of offense against an incredibly tough Mansfield Timberview defense was able to escape with a 10-0 home win. The victory did come with a price as star WR Braden Blueitt went down with an injury in the second quarter of the game and did not return, his status for this week and the remainder of the season is in question at last check. Argyle also played Timberview in their last outing, but it was two weeks ago as the Eagles knocked off the Wolves 24-14 in a game that was 0-0 at the half, Argyle actually trailed 14-10 late in the game but a Maguire Gasperson touchdown pass and pick six on the ensuing possession gave Argyle the cushion to escape Mansfield with a win. Colleyville without Blueitt doesn’t have the big play threat needed to stretch that aggressive, in-your-face Argyle defense and that lack of a deep threat could come to the surface this week. Stepp’s Pick: Argyle by 9

Quick Hits

El Paso Coronado (3-0) vs El Paso Franklin (2-2) at Sun Bowl Stepp’s Pick: El Paso Coronado by 3

Euless Trinity (3-1, 1-1) at Trophy Club Nelson (2-1, 0-1) Stepp’s Pick: Euless Trinity by 6

Humble (3-0) at Galena Park North Shore (3-0) Stepp’s Pick: Galena Park North Shore by 24

San Antonio Johnson (2-1) at San Antonio Brandeis (2-1) Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Johnson by 7

San Benito (0-4) at Weslaco (2-2) Stepp’s Pick: Weslaco by 12

Fort Worth Arlington Heights (4-0, 2-0) at Saginaw Chisholm Trail (4-0, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: Fort Worth Arlington Heights by 8

Barbers Hill (3-1) at Lufkin (3-1) Stepp’s Pick: Lufkin by 3

College Station A&M Consolidated (4-0, 2-0) at Austin Anderson (2-1, 1-0) Stepp’s Pick: College Station A&M Consolidated by 14

Anna (1-2, 0-1) at Melissa (3-1, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: Melissa by 8

Montgomery Lake Creek (2-1) at Port Neches-Groves (3-0) Stepp’s Pick: Port Neches-Groves by 13

Last Week: 14-6 (70.0%)

Season: 58-22 72.5%