A look at notable games around the Dallas area heading into Week 7 of the #txhsfb season...
Hot ticket
Keller at Southlake Carroll
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Dragon Stadium
Southlake Carroll (5-0, 2-0 District 4-6A) has outscored the opposition 264-27 — an average margin of victory of 47.4 points — but it should be tested by Keller (5-0, 2-0). Carroll is so hard to stop because it can beat teams by running the ball with Owen Allen (581 yards, 11 touchdowns), throwing it with Wyoming pledge Kaden Anderson (1,040 yards, 13 touchdowns) or by getting it to wide receiver Jacob Jordan (361 yards, eight touchdowns). Oh, and Carroll leads the Dallas area in scoring defense, allowing 5.4 points per game.
Riddle’s pick: Southlake Carroll 42, Keller 14
Spotlight on
Waxahachie at Duncanville
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Panther Stadium
Duncanville (4-0, 2-0 District 11-6A) has won 37 consecutive district games and hasn’t lost a district game since 2016 against DeSoto. Duncanville quarterback Keelon Russell has completed 76% of his passes while throwing for 685 yards and five touchdowns, and four-star running back Caden Durham has rushed for 380 yards and six touchdowns. Duncanville won last year’s meeting 52-3 while rushing for 347 yards, but Waxahachie (4-1, 1-1) has been tough against the run in 2022, allowing 103.8 yards per game.
Riddle’s pick: Duncanville 37, Waxahachie 13
Lake Dallas at Argyle
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Eagle Stadium
This remained a matchup of undefeated teams after Lake Dallas (6-0, 2-0 District 3-5A Division II) rallied last week to beat Frisco Memorial 54-48 in overtime. Lake Dallas quarterback Cade Bortnem threw for 373 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in the win, and for the season he has 24 touchdown passes and only one interception. Argyle (5-0, 1-0) has won by an average margin of 20.2 points and has beaten three area-ranked teams (Melissa, Lovejoy and Grapevine) as running back RJ Bunnell has rushed for 748 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Riddle’s pick: Argyle 42, Lake Dallas 21
Frisco Emerson vs. Frisco Memorial
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at the Ford Center at The Star
First-year varsity program Emerson (6-0, 2-0) would take a huge step toward securing a playoff spot in District 3-5A Division II with a win in this one. Emerson hasn’t just been winning. It has won by an average margin of 24.3 points as Izzy Bills has run for 653 yards and seven touchdowns and Mike Molstad and Darryl Shelton have combined to throw for 17 touchdowns and only one interception. Frisco Memorial is 1-5, but its losses have come to teams that are a combined 23-3.
Riddle’s pick: Frisco Emerson 35, Frisco Memorial 28
Royse City at Rockwall
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium
Royse City (3-2, 1-0 District 10-6A) ranks second among area 6A teams in total offense (502.4 yards per game), and that’s largely because of a running game that ranks second in the area (293.2 yards per game). Sam Mitchum has been the star, running for 802 yards and 11 touchdowns. Rockwall (5-1, 2-0) has seen quarterback Lake Bennett account for 11 touchdowns (four passing, seven rushing) in the last three games, and four-star Clemson pledge Noble Johnson has had games of 141 yards and 99 yards receiving in that same span.
Riddle’s pick: Rockwall 45, Royse City 27
Flower Mound Marcus at Coppell
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Buddy Echols Field
Flower Mound Marcus (3-2, 2-0) is tied with Lewisville and Plano for first place in District 6-6A, with Coppell (4-1, 1-1) one game back, so this is a critical game. Marcus is coming off the emotional high of a 30-21 win over rival Flower Mound last week, while Coppell is looking to bounce back from a 38-3 loss to Lewisville in which it managed just 83 rushing yards on 28 carries. On a Marcus team that features four-star wide receiver Ashton Cozart (committed to Oregon) and four-star quarterback Cole Welliver, it was running back Ben Perlmutter (110 yards, two touchdowns) who carried the offense last week.
Riddle’s pick: Flower Mound Marcus 28, Coppell 17
Plano at Hebron
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Hawk Stadium
Plano (3-2, 2-0 District 6-6A) is looking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Plano has won two in a row since losing a 34-28 heartbreaker against Arlington Bowie when Bowie wide receiver Kelby Valsin took a screen pass 60 yards for a game-winning touchdown on the final play of the game. Hebron (3-2, 1-1) is coming off a 35-23 win over Plano East in which Braxton Baker threw for 316 yards and five touchdowns and Micah Greene had six catches for 218 yards and three touchdowns.
Riddle’s pick: Hebron 24, Plano 21
Cedar Hill at Mansfield
Where: 7 p.m. at Vernon Newsom Stadium
Winless Cedar Hill (0-5, 0-2) has been outscored 235-73, but a win over undefeated Mansfield (5-0, 2-0) would vault three-time state champion Cedar Hill right into the playoff picture in District 11-6A. Mansfield has relied heavily on a running game led by James Johnson (775 yards, nine touchdowns) and quarterback Sergio Kennedy (422 yards, seven touchdowns). Cedar Hill has won its last four meetings with Mansfield, by a combined score of 117-45.
Riddle’s pick: Mansfield 31, Cedar Hill 21
Weatherford at Hurst L.D. Bell
Where: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Pennington Field
Hurst L.D. Bell (5-0, 2-0) is looking for its first 6-0 start since 2012, and it has been powered by running back Gracien Anto (647 yards rushing, eight touchdowns) and a defense that is allowing just 12.2 points per game. Running back Joseph Polk started the season with four straight 100-yard games for Weatherford (4-1, 1-1).
Riddle’s pick: Hurst L.D. Bell 28, Weatherford 21
Denton Ryan at Burleson Centennial
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Burleson ISD Stadium
Burleson Centennial (5-0, 3-0 District 3-5A Division I) has already matched its win total from each of the last two years, and it is bidding for its first 6-0 start ever with a defense that is allowing 7.4 points per game. Denton Ryan (4-1, 4-0) has won four in a row since a season-opening 34-33 loss to New Braunfels, and Oklahoma pledge Kalib Hicks has averaged 128.3 rushing yards per game. The winner of this game should battle 10-time state champion Aledo (4-2, 4-0) for the district title.
Riddle’s pick: Denton Ryan 35, Burleson Centennial 14
Midlothian Heritage at Mansfield Summit
Where: 7 p.m. Friday at R.L. Anderson Stadium
After an 0-2 start, in which it was outscored 107-34, Summit has won its last three games and is off to a 2-0 start in District 5-5A Division II. Quarterback Joseph Williams leads Summit in rushing (545 yards, six touchdowns) and has thrown for 620 yards and six scores. In its first year in 5A, Midlothian Heritage (4-1, 2-0) has won four in a row since a season-opening 49-42 loss to defending 4A Division I state champion Stephenville, as Kaden Brown has 18 touchdown passes and just one interception.
Riddle’s pick: Midlothian Heritage 35, Mansfield Summit 20
South Oak Cliff vs. Kimball
Where: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Kincaide Stadium
After starting the season 0-3, defending 5A Division II state champion South Oak Cliff has won three in a row and will be favored to finish the regular season on a seven-game winning streak. SOC has run for 688 yards in the last three games while holding its opponents to a total of 106 yards on the ground. South Oak Cliff won last year’s meeting 59-7, passing for 427 yards.
Riddle’s pick: South Oak Cliff 49, Kimball 7
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