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Texas high school football central: Final scores, must-read stories and more for Dallas area games (Oct. 1-2)

We break down the top teams, storylines and more for Dallas-area teams.

Recap Thursday’s and Friday’s games below.

Find final scores from Oct. 1-2 here.

Here’s how area- and state-ranked teams fared this week.

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Friday’s games

High School Sports

The latest news, analysis, predictions and more for each season.

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Thursday’s games

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Must-read stories

Texas typically records low turnout among young voters. High school football players are trying to change that

In recent months, a new trend has taken off within college athletics. Teams from universities across the country are posting on social media to celebrate achieving 100% voter registration rates among student-athletes, and the enthusiasm toward civic engagement has reached high school football coaches and players in the Dallas Fort-Worth area.

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Historically, Texas has recorded low turnout among young voters. A study done by Tufts University found that only 8.2% of voters in the 18-to-29 age bracket cast ballots, but that figure tripled to 25.8% in 2018. Charlie Bonner, the communications director for MOVE Texas, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing voter registration in underrepresented youth communities, said over a million voters under the age of 30 have registered since the 2016 election.

Kole Keunstler is one of the All Saints seniors leading the charge when it comes to raising awareness toward the election. He said there’s “an excitement” among the players who recently reached voting age, especially since so many public figures have spoken about it.

“Politicians are trying to get more people to vote. I’ve seen it all over with celebrities and athletes trying to get more people to vote,” he said. “Awareness on social media has brought a lot of my teammates to realize that voting is not just something that you can do. It’s something that you’re obligated to do.”

Garland Naaman Forest seniors Will Cabaniss and Devean Deal both intend to exercise their right to vote after learning its significance through government classes and conversations with their coaches. Head coach Jesse Perales made sure all players on his team who are old enough to vote were registered well ahead of the Oct. 5th deadline. He hopes his entire coaching staff, which includes two government teachers, can be “a catalyst” for getting the students to the polls.

Continue reading this story here.

Why play high school football during a pandemic? South Oak Cliff senior Justyn Harrison and his twin sons need it

Normally, getting any type of read on South Oak Cliff senior Justyn Harrison is difficult. Shy and soft spoken, he’ll tell you how he’s feeling if he’s asked, but only with a few words.

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No one had to ask him how he was feeling on Aug. 20. He was angry when he heard what Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said, distraught at what it could mean.

On that day, Hinojosa announced DISD wouldn’t resume athletics four days later, like originally planned. Instead, because of county guidance and apprehension regarding COVID-19, the district suspended the start at least two weeks.

“We haven’t won any state championships in football, so we do want to be cognizant of the safety of our students when they do start competing,” Hinojosa said, in part, during his announcement, “but there’s still a lot of debate about whether we’ll even have football.”

Immediately, Harrison was emotional. He “blew his top off,” he said, as doubt about the possibility of a season creeped into his mind.

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“You don’t know what some kids in the environment go through,” Harrison said. “I know a couple of them that need football to make it out.”

The debate about athletics, and football in particular, has been polarizing this year, just like every conversation connected to the pandemic.

The argument to not play football — a sport considered high risk for a virus that’s killed more than 200,000 Americans — is clear, but the other side can be more ambiguous. It’s hard to understand the need for a game unless you hear why it means so much to someone like Harrison.

Continue reading this story here.

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Preview material

Get ready for this week’s Texas high school football games with preview material from The Dallas Morning News.

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Schedule of games: View matchups here

Stats leaders: See who is leading the D-FW area

Notable games: Previews and predictions for 12 games

Pick 'Em: Here’s who our experts are taking

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More than a dozen Dallas-area football games have been canceled this week — many for COVID-19 reasons

More than a dozen Dallas-area football games that were scheduled for this week have been canceled, including many for COVID-19 reasons. We’ve got a full list of those games right here.

5 Dallas-area football storylines to know for this week, from an intriguing 2022 QB matchup to a renewed rivalry

The Dallas Morning News' Joseph Hoyt breaks down five Dallas-area Texas high school football storylines to follow this week.

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1. The battle for Denton

Different classifications didn’t stop the renewal of Denton Guyer vs. Denton Ryan.

The two rivals — both of whom played in state title games a year ago — will face off this week for the first time in five years. The last time they played it was for a district title, a game that Denton Ryan won 31-28.

The stakes aren’t that high this time around, but bragging rights are still on the line. And if last week was any indication, it should be a good game. Denton Ryan is coming off a dominant performance in a 47-24 win over Arlington Martin, the preseason No. 11 6A team in the state. Senior Ja’Tavion Sanders, a Texas pledge, had seven receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns, as well as pick-six on defense. Guyer, the second-ranked team in 6A-II, beat Hebron 56-33 in quarterback Eli Stowers' first start since injuring his knee in the state title game.

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In the long run, the result of this game doesn’t matter — but don’t tell these two inner-city rivals. Ryan leads the all-time series 4-3.

Continue reading this story to see Nos. 2-5 here.

Other notable reads

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Find more high school sports stories from The Dallas Morning News here.

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