Richland comes close to upsetting Aledo
Entering the fourth quarter of a District 3-5AI contest on Friday, Richland led 12-time UIL state champion Aledo 35-28. But Aledo scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to tie the game and force overtime. Raycine Guillory Jr.’s 8-yard run secured Aledo’s 48-42 win and kept its yearslong district winning streak alive.
Denton Ryan also challenged Aledo earlier this month, but the football powerhouse pulled off a come-from-behind victory to extend its district winning streak to 123.
Chaos in District 4-5AII
It’s called the “new District of Doom” for a reason.
Prosper Walnut Grove upset state ranked Lovejoy on Friday night in a 41-37 win and Frisco Emerson, which dropped its last two games to Anna and Lovejoy, beat Melissa 38-35.
The District 4-5AII playoff picture, bound to leave out a qualified team given the depth of the competition, only got messier after Week 9. Walnut Grove and Lovejoy both hold 5–1 district records, while Anna and Melissa have identical 4-2 district records. Emerson, the district’s fifth place team, is 4–3 with one game remaining on its schedule.
Several games in District 4-5AII have been high scoring or decided by less than one touchdown. Anna lost 66-62 to Lovejoy and 21-18 to Melissa in back to back weeks.
Melissa fell 41-38 to Lovejoy earlier this month and has Walnut Grove on tap next week for what will likely be another competitive game.
Big shocker in Frisco ISD
Frisco Wakeland stunned state No. 2 Frisco Lone Star on Thursday night in a wild finish. Wakeland clinched the win with a walk-off 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown in overtime. Entering the game, Lone Star had beat Wakeland nine times in 10 all-time meetings. Lone Star won its first five district games by a combined score of 238-58 this season, and Wakeland handed the program its first loss of 2024. Wakeland was unranked entering this week and now sits in third place in District 5-5AI play.
Rivalry games delivers
Week 9 featured several crosstown rivalry games that lived up to the hype.
Plano defeated Plano East 34-24 and is now very much in the mix for a playoff spot after finishing 0–7 in district play last year and having not qualified for the postseason since 2017. To secure the win, Plano scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
Flower Mound Marcus edged Flower Mound 33-32 on Friday, winning the Mound Showdown for the third straight year. After Marcus recovered an onside kick, quarterback Colton Nussmeier rushed six yards for the go-ahead, game-winning touchdown.
West Mesquite stays undefeated
In a battle of undefeated teams, only one could stay perfect. And on Thursday night it was West Mesquite in a 48-21 win over Carrollton Creekview, which is enjoying a surprising run this season after entering 2024 with a 21-game losing streak. West Mesquite, which finished 3–7 last season and missed the playoffs, is now the first place team in District 6-5A Division I.
West Mesquite put up 529 yards of offense in the game, as Damarian Robinson and Kamari Carter combined for 233 rushing yards. Carter had two touchdowns and Robinson scored one.
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