With a mere three weeks remaining in the 2013 Frisco High School football regular season, things are heating up in District 9-4A. Three Frisco ISD teams find themselves in a three-way tie for second place and another could jump into sole possession of third if things fall their way. With some luck their could even be a first place tie (or two) with the undefeated Cougars of The Colony. Here’s a breakdown for Week 8’s upcoming games.
Frisco High (3-1) @ Frisco Centennial (3-1)—7:00 PM @ Toyota Stadium
Centennial’s first district loss of the year was due to Wakeland’s ability to shut down the Titan’s offense—both in the air and on the ground.
This week may prove an even greater challenge for Centennial as the Raccoons’ defense ranks even higher than Wakeland’s.
Frisco High’s pass defense is second in the district, surrendering just 107.4 yards per game. They’re no slouches at stopping the run either (172.9 yards per game).
It will be up to Titan’s QB Kelly Cordova and his many weapons to prove if last week’s effort was the result of a fluke or exposed a flaw via an excellent defensive scheme. Regardless, the Titan’s offense is too good to be held to just 123 total yards two weeks in a row.
The Raccoons’ have been beating up on the district’s bottom feeders since their loss to The Colony. The Titans will represent their toughest foe since that 20-14 loss three weeks ago. QB Jake Battaglia will need to exploit a Titan’s pass defense that has allowed an average of 161.4 ypg. If RB Max Steitle can have a big game, the Raccoons might find themselves improving to 4-1 with the possibility of moving into first place.
With the district’s two top QBs going head-to-head, this is definitely going to be an old-school slugfest.
Frisco Heritage (2-2) Vs. Frisco Liberty (1-3)—7:00 PM @ Frisco ISD Memorial Stadium
The Raccoon’s used a relentless running attack last week to throttle the RedHawks in a 34-7 blowout. Look for more of the same from Heritage, as they have two running backs—Sean Jones (415 yds, TD) and Kene Nwangu (201 yds) more than capable of dishing out big yardage.
The key for the RedHawks to pull off the upset will be to stop all-purpose QB Malik Walker (1,599 yds, 19 TDs) from picking apart their secondary. This is no easy task as Walker can hurt you just as much on the ground (321 yds, 7 TDs) as he can in the air.
The RedHawks have a fine rusher in Chris McPhaul (341 yds, TD) and one of the district’s most electric WRs in Rodray Perkins (445 yds, 2 TDs). Any recipe for a win over Liberty starts with forcing QB Connor Robison (743 yds, 3 TDs 9 INTs) out of the pocket, as he can become interception prone. Robison leads the RedHawks in rushing touchdowns with five, so he can hurt you on the ground especially in the red zone.
Frisco Wakeland (3-1) @ The Colony (4-0)—7:00 PM @ Cougar Stadium
Wakeland’s mastery of the Titan’s offense last week spoiled Centennial’s plans of remaining in a tie atop the District 9-4A pecking order. In order for the Wolverines to take down the district’s most formidable foe, they’ll have to have the same success against The Colony’s stud running back, Bryan Hammond, as they did against the Titan’s ground game.
Hammond (1,549 yds, 21 TDs) has been unstoppable in district play, averaging 245.1 yds per game. Where’s Nelly so I can tell him “Whoa”?
Yeah, Hammond is just going to put up his yards—it’s a given. The question for Wakeland will be if they can put up enough points to neutralize the damage done by The Colony’s elite running game.
What often is overlooked about The Colony is their team defense. The Cougars have allowed just 195.7 yards of total offense per game this season, which makes Wakeland’s sound defense (311.6 ppg) seem pedestrian by comparison.
The Cougars are a tad more susceptible to strong running games—as Prosper’s excellent effort last week proved. For the most part, passing is a no-go so it will be important for the Wolverines to have big games from RBs Brent Altieri (665 yds, 7 TDs) and Alex Marr (437 yds, 8 TDs) for Wakeland to walk away with a win.
Frisco Lone Star (0-2) @ Argyle (1-0)—7:30 PM @ Eagles Stadium
Lone Star has had a tough go in district. Unfortunately for the Rangers, it isn’t going to get much easier this week against the Eagles of Argyle. The Eagles represent the second consecutive undefeated team with which Lone Star has to contend.
Fresh off a 65-9 bloodletting of Carrolton Ranchview, Argyle has thundered into district play. Similar in many aspects to Celina, yet even more balanced on both sides of the ball, the Eagles get the most out their athletes by spreading the rock around. Argyle’s offense is both deep and dynamic, with QB Brandon Boyzuick (901 yds, 12 TDs), RB Nick Ralson (566 yds, 9 TDs) and WR Ian Sadler (374 yds, 8 TDs) leading the charge.
The Eagles boast the 3A Area’s top-ranked scoring offense (51.9 points per game) as well as the number one overall defense (142.3 yards per game). The Argyle defense will have their hands full with a very deep Rangers offense that boasts such scoring threats as RB Ramon Harris (971 yds, 12 TDs), WRs Jordan Jones (511 yds, 6 TDs), Austin De Leon (417 yds, 2 TDs) and QBs Chase Moake (972 yds, 10 TDs) and Jason Shelley (769 yds, 7 TDs).
With no disrespect to Celina, the Rangers may be up for their biggest challenge yet.
AFrisco Legacy Christian (2-0) Vs. McKinney Christian (1-1)—7:30 PM @ Comstock Field
McKinney Christian is a team capable of putting up some crooked numbers on the scoreboard. They hung 51 on Frost just a few weeks ago. Stopping star RB Sky Walker (1292 yds, 11 TDs), who is second in the area in rushing yards, will be of utmost importance for Legacy Christian.
Statistically, the defenses are near identical—Legacy has allowed an average of 269.5 total yards per game with McKinney Christian allowing 268.6. The main question here is if the Mustangs defense can handle a Legacy offense that has more playmakers than any other team in TAPPS D-III 2.
Can’t make it to the games this week? No problem, Lifestyle Frisco has got you covered. Follow @TMurrayHowell for scoring updates and check back on Tuesday for a re-cap of all of this week’s hard-hitting action.
