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Best Dallas-area non-district wins of the 2022 season

The first four weeks of the season featured some big upsets.

With district play underway across the Dallas area, here’s a look at some of the most significant non-district victories from teams in the region in the first four weeks of the season.

Week 1

Parish Episcopal over Aledo, 24-17

Parish Episcopal opened its season in shocking fashion, upsetting 10-time state champion Aledo to prove that the private school can compete with the UIL’s best. The reigning TAPPS Division I state champions scored the game’s first 17 points but saw their lead trimmed to one score late in the third quarter.

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Ole Miss commit Daniel Demery had a forced fumble, two interceptions and a game-sealing pass breakup, carrying his team to what will likely be its best win of the year.

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Argyle Liberty Christian over Plano Prestonwood, 28-7

Unranked Liberty stunned No. 3 Prestonwood behind a dominant 11-catch, 268-yard, two-touchdown performance from sophomore wide receiver Brady Janusek. Two of Liberty’s four touchdowns went for over 90 yards.

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The win catapulted Liberty to third in the Dallas-area rankings. After winning just two games in Jason Witten’s first year as head coach, the upset marked the beginning of a much stronger start in year two.

Week 2

Allen over Houston King, 49-14

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After falling to St. John Bosco, the No. 1 team in the country, in Week 1, Allen bounced back with a dominant win over a top-25 team in Texas, according to MaxPreps, and avoided losing consecutive games for the first time since 2004.

Allen running back Kayvion Sibley had 229 rushing yards and four total scores, including 84- and 78-yard touchdown runs.

Lancaster over South Oak Cliff, 21-3

Lancaster shocked the defending 5AII state champions, dropping South Oak Cliff to 0-2 and out of the top spot in SportsDay’s rankings. Lancaster receiver Ti’Erick Martin led the way with six catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns against a secondary that has five Division I commits.

Through two games, Lancaster didn’t sacrifice a single touchdown and climbed five spots to No. 4 in the regional rankings with the win.

Argyle over Lovejoy, 56-49

Even with Lovejoy wide receiver Kyle Parker setting a Dallas-area record of 23 catches for 341 yards and three touchdowns, Argyle upset the No. 2 5A team in the area to earn its first marquee win since moving up in the latest realignment.

In a game that featured 105 total points, 15 touchdowns, 1,414 yards and a goal-line stand to win, Argyle stole the win and first place in the area rankings just two weeks after entering the classification.

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Week 3

Trophy Club Byron Nelson over Denton Braswell, 79-20

Byron Nelson’s offense made some noise in its first two wins but putting up nearly 80 points against the No. 17 team in the area earned it the seventh spot in the Week 4 rankings.

Quarterback Jake Wilson completed 29 of his 33 pass attempts for 486 yards and four touchdowns in the win. His team scored on every possession except for the last, which ended in a Wilson kneel to end the game.

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Prosper over Rockwall, 19-11

In a matchup of two top-10 area teams, No. 9 Prosper got the win over No. 7 Rockwall through standout defensive play. Prosper’s defense held Rockwall to 31.5 points below its season average, forced four turnovers and didn’t give up a touchdown until the final few minutes of the game.

Prosper advanced to 3-0 on the year with the win and No. 6 in the area heading into district play.

North Crowley over Lovejoy, 28-20

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The area’s top defense was on full display against one of the most explosive offenses, as North Crowley held Lovejoy and its loaded wide receiver room to 233 yards, 138 passing yards and three points in the first half.

Following the win over the area’s fifth-ranked 5A team, North Crowley earned the 19th spot in the 6A rankings — its first time in the top-20 this season.

Week 4

South Oak Cliff over Parish Episcopal, 31-28

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After starting 0-3, the reigning 5AII state champion got their first win on the road with a walkoff field goal. SOC’s defense forced five turnovers, including four consecutively to end the game, while its offense rushed for 336 yards.

With the win, SOC climbed three spots in the 5A area rankings to No. 7 heading into district play.

Anna over Celina, 28-25

For the first time in 50 years, Anna took down Celina, knocking off the top 4A team in the Dallas area. With 2:06 remaining in the third quarter, Anna quarterback Evan Bullock completed a 95-yard touchdown pass to Jacob Emmers to take a lead Celina couldn’t recover from. It also forced four turnovers.

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Anna overtook the top spot in SportsDay’s rankings for the first time this year with the win.

Honorable Mention: Arlington Martin over Lake Travis (39-31, Week 1), Grapevine over Frisco Wakeland (49-28, Week 1), Frisco Emerson over Hillcrest (41-34, Week 1), Crandall over Forney (58-55, Week 1), Mansfield Lake Ridge over Mansfield Summit (50-27, Week 1), McKinney North over Justin Northwest (47-39, Week 2), Allen over Arlington Martin (27-16, Week 3)

On Twitter: @Lassimak

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