Here are 10 Dallas-area players to watch during Week 5 of the Texas high school football season.
Lake Bennett, QB, Rockwall
Rockwall-Heath at Rockwall, 7 p.m. Friday at Rockwall’s WIlkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium
After getting injured on the first drive of the season against Cedar Hill, Bennett missed Rockwall’s games against Jesuit and Prosper but made his return in the Week 4 matchup against South Grand Prairie. He looked like he took no time off, completing 79% of his passes for 370 yards and two touchdowns that both went to Noble Johnson.
Now with one full game under his belt, Bennett will lead his team as it prepares for its biggest game on the regular-season schedule against cross-town rival Heath.
Calvin Simpson-Hunt, CB, Waxahachie
Waxahachie at DeSoto, 7 p.m. Friday at DeSoto’s Eagle Stadium
Waxahachie has made noise early as a contender in 11-6A, advancing to 4-0 after its first district game on Friday. Now, it has its toughest test yet, facing No. 4 DeSoto. It’ll lean on the area’s No. 19 overall recruit, which has led a defense that ranks second in points allowed (9.25 per game) among all 6A area teams.
Simpson-Hunt will have the challenge of containing five-star Texas commit Johntay Cook, who has five touchdowns and is averaging nearly 20 yards per catch this season.
Bryan Jackson, RB, McKinney
McKinney at McKinney Boyd, 7 p.m. Friday at McKinney ISD Stadium
Jackson ranks fourth among area 6A quarterbacks with 594 yards and nine touchdowns through his first four games. He had a standout performance in McKinney’s win over Little Elm last week, rushing for 156 yards and three scores.
His role will be critical again this week, as McKinney looks to extend its win streak to four games and beat cross-town rival McKinney Boyd for the first time since 2019.
Kevin Sperry, QB, Prosper Rock Hill
Prosper Rock Hill at Prosper, 7 p.m. Friday at Prosper’s Children’s Health Stadium
Rock Hill’s sophomore quarterback carried his team to an upset over Denton Braswell Friday night, finding Isaiah Orlando for the go-ahead score with 10 seconds remaining. That touchdown was one of six he accounted for in the matchup, as he threw for two others and rushed for three more. He also passed for 278 yards and rushed for 154.
Now at 2-2, Rock Hill will face its fellow Prosper ISD school that ranks in SportsDay’s top 10 and boasts one of the Dallas area’s best defenses.
Tre Wisner, RB, DeSoto
Waxahachie at DeSoto, 7 p.m. Friday at DeSoto’s Eagle Stadium
In addition to Waxahachie ranking second in scoring defense, it also is eighth in rushing defense, giving up just 84 yards per game, which could be a significant challenge for the area’s 18th-raked recruit.
However, he is coming off a two-touchdown performance against Skyline in which he had 98 total yards. Alongside Jaden Trawick and Deondrae Riden, the DeSoto running back room will be Waxahachie’s toughest matchup yet.
Malachi Tuesno, RB, Rockwall-Heath
Rockwall-Heath at Rockwall, 7 p.m. Friday at Rockwall’s WIlkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium
Tuesno has been the brightest spot on Heath’s offense this season, as he leads a group of running backs that rank second in Dallas-area 6A, averaging 300 yards per game. The junior running back had a standout day against Waco Midway, rushing for 136 yards and three touchdowns. He currently has 437 yards and 10 scores on the season.
Kennedy McDowell, DL, Frisco Memorial
Argyle at Frisco Memorial, 7 p.m. Thursday at Frisco’s Ford Center
Memorial gave up a whopping 444 rushing yards in the Week 4 loss to Texarkana Pleasant Grove and is set to face an even tougher run game. Argyle leads all Dallas-area 5A teams in rushing, averaging 339 yards per game behind RJ Bunnell (643 yards, 10 touchdowns), Landon Farris (438 yards, four touchdowns) and dual-threat quarterback Jacob Robinson (203 yards, two touchdowns).
To contain Argyle, Memorial will look to the area’s No. 83 recruit and Colorado State commit McDowell to lead its defense in its toughest district matchup of the year.
Kyson Brown, RB, Lancaster
Lancaster at Longview, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Longview’s Lobo Stadium
Heading into his district opener against McKinney North, Brown had just two touchdowns on the year. In the 74-7 win, he tripled that total, rushing for three more and adding a receiving touchdown. He had 183 all-purpose yards in the matchup.
Brown and Lancaster will square off against Longview, the last remaining undefeated team in District 7-5AI and the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last year.
Jaylon Braxton, CB, Frisco Lone Star
Frisco Wakeland at Frisco Lone Star, 7 p.m. Friday at Frisco’s Ford Center
After falling to Frisco Reedy in Week 3, Lone Star had the week off but will pick back up against Wakeland. Braxton, the area’s No. 26 recruit who has led his team on both sides of the ball, will face a big test this weekend against Brennan Myer, the top 5A passer in the Dallas area.
Wakeland has four threatening targets in Trip Riordan, Ben Patterson, Hayden O’Neal and Ashdyn Kahouch, who leads the team with four touchdowns on the year. In addition to playing a big role on the defensive side of the ball, the Arkansas commit has also been a threat on offense, leading his team with 170 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Derek Eusebio, WR, Parish Episcopal
China Spring at Parish Episcopal, 7 p.m. Friday at Parish Episcopal’s Gloria H. Snyder Stadium
Though South Oak Cliff came away with the last-second win over Parish Episcopal on Friday, the Parish offense showed a lot of promise against one of the area’s most loaded defenses, and secondaries in particular. Eusebio had a team-high four catches for 84 yards, averaging 21 yards per catch, and had a 39-yard touchdown to put his team on the board in the first half. His performance added to his five total scores on the year.
Facing yet another reigning state champion, Parish will need another strong performance from its leading receiver in its final non-district game.
On Twitter: @Lassimak
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