Top 6 Texas high school football games in Week 2

Duncanville debuts Friday; DeSoto vs. North Crowley, Katy vs. Atascocita headline several Texas Top 25 ranked matchups

Duncanville (Texas) wideout Dakorien Moore, an Oregon commit, carries the ball during the 2023 UIL 6A D1 state title against North Shore. / Photo by Tommy Hays

After an exciting Week 1 of the 2024 Texas high school football season, can Week 2 follow things up?

Maybe the biggest game of this upcoming week pits a defending 6A state champion against a team wanting to play for a 6A title trophy this season. But there will be other tantalizing games on the docket.

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All three Texas teams ranked in the SBLive/SI Power 25 national rankings are playing on Friday at the same time, and several other Texas Top 25 matchups wait in the wings.

Here, now, are the 10 best games to watch in Week 2:

BEST GAMES OF WEEK 2 IN TEXAS

No. 5 North Crowley (1-0) at No. 1 DeSoto (1-0)

When: Friday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Eagle Stadium, DeSoto

Key Players: North Crowley, QB Chris Jimerson (5-10, 175); RB Cornelius Warren (5-11, 175); LB Jonathan Cunningham (6-3, 205). DeSoto, RB Deondrae “Tiger” Riden (6-0, 195); WR Daylon Singleton (6-0, 170); DE Keylan Abrams (6-2, 210).

What’s At Stake: The Panthers, who reached the 6A Division I semifinals last season before falling to eventual 6A DI champion Duncanville, can make a big statement this week when they take on the champs from 6A DII. North Crowley cleared its first hurdle last Saturday with a 29-21 win against a solid Lancaster squad as Jimerson threw for 212 yards and three TDs while adding 67 yards rushing. The Panthers also rushed for 253 yards, with Warren accounting for 129 of those. On the other side, it was business as usual for DeSoto, which had no problems with Creekside (Ga.), as the Eagles rolled to a 70-0 win, their 23rd consecutive victory. While Riden and Singleton each had the exact same numbers running and catching the ball, respectively (111 yards), the Eagle newcomers were really ones to watch. New quarterback Kelden Ryan passed for 156 yards and two TDs and added 75 yards rushing and two TDs, while Myson Johnson-Cook, a sophomore transfer who played as a freshman in Illinois, rushed for two TDs.

Cedar Hill (1-0) at No. 23 Allen (1-0)

When: Friday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Eagle Stadium, Allen

Key Players: Cedar Hill, RB Dayshun Reese-Williams (5-10, 190); Cedric Mills (5-10, 170); Jordan Coleman (6-5, 330). Allen, QB Brady Bricker (6-2, 205); RB Jaden Hambric (5-10, 183); LB Mitchell Neu (5-10, 185).

What’s At Stake: These two programs, both of whom experienced championship glory over the past 20 years, meet up for the first time since 2021. Allen has also won eight straight games against the Longhorns since 2005, and both teams are coming off regional final appearances last season (Allen in 6A DI; Cedar Hill in 6A DII). Both teams also began 2024 on a high note. The Longhorns defeated Midlothian, 40-7, as Reese-Williams rushed for 171 yards on 12 carries with two TDs and Mills caught six passes for 73 yards and two TDs while adding another TD on special teams. Allen also had no trouble in its opener, rolling past Midland Legacy, 61-0, with Bricker throwing for 265 yards and four TDs, while Hambric added 118 yards and a TD on the ground.

Forney (1-0) at A&M Consolidated (1-0)

When: Friday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Tigerland Stadium, College Station

Key Players: Forney, RB Javian Osborne (5-10, 185); QB Nelson Peterson, Jr. (6-3, 190); Kelvion Riggins (6-3, 205). A&M Consolidated, WR/DB Camron Vines (5-11, 180); QB Will Hargett (5-11, 150); RB Camron Roston (5-9, 180).

What’s At Stake: Two teams with hard-fought wins against solid opponents in its respective season openers collide in College Station. Forney, up to 6A after a 5A DI semifinal run last season, had a memorable debut in its new class after rallying to beat Lake Highlands, 34-30. Peterson, a transfer from Sunnyvale and the half-brother of former Oklahoma and NFL standout running back Adrian Peterson, threw for 356 yards and four TDs, including the game-winner to Imari Jehiel with less than three minutes left. But it wasn’t a great start to the season for Osborne, one of the top Class of 2026 backs in the state, who had just 10 yards on 13 carries. The Tigers got their season started strong in a huge way, as Vines returned the opening kickoff 90 yards to the house, as they went on to a 33-21 win at Lake Belton. He also caught five passes, including a second-half TD. Roston was Consol’s top rusher, gaining 85 yards, including a 26-yard TD run in the first half.

Gilmer (0-1) at No. 25 Tyler Chapel Hill (1-0)

How many defenders does it tackle to tackle Rickey Stewart? Anna offers a glimpse. / Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive

When: Friday @ 7:30 p.m. | Where: Bulldog Stadium, Tyler

Key Players: Gilmer, QB Brady McCown (6-2, 200); WR/DB Brendan Webb (6-0, 170); K Brayden Pate (5-9, 185). Chapel Hill, RB Rickey Stewart (5-11, 190); QB Demetrius Brisbon (6-1, 178); LB Trevor Brooks (5-9, 185).

What’s At Stake: Two teams that definitely know the way to AT&T Stadium face off in perhaps the most anticipated early-season game in East Texas. But the hype for this game will be a bit more subsided following the defending 4A DII champion Buckeyes’ stunning loss at home in their season opener, 22-15, to Pine Tree in a game Gilmer led, 15-7, at halftime. McCown threw for 226 yards and a TD, as Pine Tree beat Gilmer for the first time since 2002. Chapel Hill, though, held up its end of the bargain with a resounding 56-20 win at Jasper. The Bulldogs’ offense picked up right where it left off last season, led by Baylor commit Brisbon and Texas commit Stewart en route to playing for the 4A DI state title.

No. 2 Duncanville (0-0) at No. 15 South Oak Cliff (0-1)

Duncanville's Keelon Russell, an 5-star Alabama-committed quarterback, returns in 2024 as a three-year starter. / Photo by Robbie Rakestraw, SBLive

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m. | Where: Kincaide Stadium, Dallas

Key Players: Duncanville, WR Dakorien Moore (5-11, 180); QB Keelon Russell (6-4, 190); DE K.J. Ford (6-3, 225). South Oak Cliff, LB Jayden Shelton (6-1, 220); QB Reggie McNeal Jr. (6-0, 175); ATH Carter Kopecky (6-0, 180).

What’s At Stake: The Panthers, the back-to-back defending 6A DI state champs, finally get their season started this week after being one of the few teams in the state not to be playing on Week 1. Duncanville appears primed for another title run with the return of several standouts like Moore, who committed to Oregon over the summer, and Russell, who originally committed to SMU before committing to Alabama. As for South Oak Cliff, they continue their brutal start to the season, as the Bears’ first two games are against the two teams that squared off for the 6A DI title last season. In their opener last week, they lost to defending 6A DI runner-up Galena Park North Shore, 38-0. But the Bears can look back on last season, in which they started 0-2 after losses to Duncanville and DeSoto, and still made it to the 5A DII championship game.

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What you missed in Week 1

• Vote: Who should be Texas high School Athlete of the Week?

• Vote: What is the top Texas high school football play of Week 1?

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-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx