Notre Dame Commits Peyton Bowen and Jaden Greathouse Set For Thursday Night Action
On Thursday night, Notre Dame fans will have their attention firmly on the state of Texas with a couple of very important games on tap. In one corner, Guyer will put their undefeated record on the line against a talented 6-2 McKinney team. They, of course, are led by 2023 safety commit Peyton Bowen, who is a dynamic member of the defense and also a premier punt returner.
The other important game scheduled is defending 6-A state champion Westlake traveling to Bowie (7-1). The Westlake Chaparrals are by buoyed by 2023 wide receiver Jaden Greathouse, who is one of the more accomplished wide receiver in the history of the state.
These two games feature four teams that combine for a record of 29-3 overall. These matchups could shake up the hierarchy for teams in the state, including potentially featuring the two teams (Westlake and Guyer) who just played each other last season in the state championship game.
S PEYTON BOWEN - Guyer (8-0) at McKinney (6-2)
After a 49-7 statement victory over Allen on national television, Guyer (8-0) will be traveling to McKinney (6-2) for another massive matchup in the Lone Star State. Guyer has quickly become one of the more dominant teams in Texas and looks ready to avenge their 40-21 loss in the 6-A state championship game to Westlake last season.
Guyer’s record over the last ten campaigns signifies just how talented the team is, led by Notre Dame 2023 safety commit Peyton Bowen, who is among the elite recruits in the 2023 recruiting class nationally. Of course, he is not the only talented player on the Wildcat squad. It is a roster littered with high level talent for the next level.
They are opposed by a McKinney Lion program that has not been nearly as fortunate from a win-loss perspective in recent years. They have, however, continued to put out some notable talent.
The team is led by a couple of notable 2024 recruits, including four-star cornerback Xavier Filsaime and Notre Dame running back target Bryan Jackson II. Those mainstays have been a big treason why McKinney has gotten off to such a strong start this season.
THE MATCHUP
Over the last ten seasons, Guyer has been about as dominant as anyone outside of the Westlake program. They have gone a combined 100-27 during that span, including six seasons with double digit victories.
The team is off to an 8-0 start this season, and has looked dominant along the way. They have failed to capture a state championship during that stretch and looked poise for a run at it again this season.
McKinney hasn’t had near the success compared to the Guyer program. During the same ten seasons stretch, they have gone 46-56.
The team’s top win total in a season during that span is seven, which they have done twice during the 2017 and 2019 campaigns. The team has gotten off to a really strong start this season and could be poised for their best statistical season when all is said and done, already sitting with six victories.
During those ten seasons, the two programs have matched off four times. Those games, frankly, haven’t been overly competitive.
Guyer has come out on top in all four matchups, including a 44-26 victory last season. The Wildcats have outscored McKinney 165-54 in those contests, averaging out to a 41-14 victory for Guyer.
Here are the results of those matchups.
2021: Guyer 44, McKinney 26
2020: Guyer 48, McKinney 7
2017: Guyer 31, McKinney 14
2016: Guyer 42, McKinney 7
BOWEN BACK AT IT
Everyone saw on television last Friday what makes Bowen so special. He has some fantastic range and athleticism on the back end, and also has more than enough willingness to come up and stick his nose in the run game.
Add in his impact as a punt returner, and you have a potential difference maker on the college level. There’s a reason why Bowen has assumed five-star status by a couple of major recruiting platforms this fall.
Peyton will also be joined by his younger brother, Eli Bowen, as a standout in the secondary. Notre Dame is very high on both Bowen brothers and would love to reunite them in South Bend down the line.
Both players will be pressed with their abilities in the run game in this matchup against McKinney. Their program is built off of their ground attack led by Jackson and they will do their best to control the tempo of this game.
WR JADEN GREATHOUSE - Westlake (8-0) at Bowie (7-1)
On Thursday night, the defending Texas 6-A state champion Westlake Chaparrals (8-0) will also be traveling to the Bowie Bulldogs (7-1) for another massive matchup. The two programs have combined to lose just one football game this season, setting up for one of the bigger contests of the season for each squad so far.
Westlake will be led by Notre Dame wide receiver commit Jaden Greathouse, who has been setting a new record on a week to week basis. The team is on a quest for their fourth straight state championship and will be put to the test against Bowie.
Over the last ten years, the two teams have faced off each year and it has largely been a one sided matchup. It will be interesting to see how the 2022 version of the game plays out.
THE MATCHUP
These two teams have seen each other on a yearly basis as division foes. Over the last ten seasons, Westlake has dominated that matchup, especially recently.
That isn’t necessarily as much a negative on Bowie, as it is a compliment to the program that Westlake has become. During those ten years, the Chaparrals have gone 119-18 overall. That includes a 48 game winning streak that began during the 2019 season.
The senior class, that includes Greathouse, has gone an impressive 53-1 during their careers on top of those three straight championships. As a whole, all this team knows is winning. They have quickly become the cream of the crop in their classification in the state of Texas.
Westlake will be opposed by Bowie, who has had a ton of success in their own right over the last ten seasons, although a bit sporadic. During that stretch, the Bulldogs have gone 77-32, including four different seasons with at least nine victories.
After a couple struggling seasons during the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, Bowie has also really turned it on during the last two seasons. They have gone 17-4 in the last two years, including a 17-1 record so far this season.
Although their success does not quite live up to Westlake (not many programs can), Bowie is still a good program who comes into this Thursday matchup with every intention to leave with a victory. They especially look to reverse the trend against Westlake recently.
During the last ten seasons, Westlake has dominated the matchup. Bowie actually defeated the Chaparrals twice early in that series in 2013 and 2014 but since then, they have dropped the last seven matchups.
It has been extremely one sided during the last five games they have played. Westlake has won all of those contests and outscored Bowie 227-14.
Obviously Bowie hopes to correct that trend in the future. Here are the results of the last nine contests.
2021: Westlake 35, Bowie 0
2020: Westlake 45, Bowie 7
2019: Westlake 63, Bowie 0
2018: Westlake 35, Bowie 0
2017: Westlake 49, Bowie 7
2016: Westlake 35, Bowie 21
2015: Westlake 24, Bowie 9
2014: Bowie 19, Westlake 13
2013: Bowie 21, Westlake 16
CONTINUING TO BE GREAT
In the last two weeks, Greathouse has continued to rewrite the record book for Westlake. He hauled in his 200th career reception two weeks ago and eclipsed 50 touchdown catches last week.
Calling Greathouse one of the more accomplished wide receivers in all of high school football would be a massive understatement. He is a beacon of consistency that Westlake has leaned on so frequently during the course of his career.
Historically, Greathouse has actually not dominated Bowie in their first three matchups. He has hauled in just 12 catches for 169 yards and three touchdowns, with that total being a little misleading due to his six-catch, 111-yard outing as a sophomore.
The team will look to lean on the senior pass catcher in the biggest game of their season so far. Notre Dame fans should tune in to get a glimpse of the future of Fighting Irish football.
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