Top 10 Texas high school football games in Week 3

Atascocita to face nationally ranked Westlake in Top 10 showdown; North Crowley seeks to capitalize on DeSoto upset

Tory Blaylock warms up before Atascocita's Texas high school football showdown with national power North Shore. / Photo by Tom Dendy, SBLive

Week 2 of the 2024 Texas high school football season definitely raised a few eyebrows, especially on a certain result from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

• TEXAS TOP 25 FOOTBALL RANKINGS | TOP PLAYS OF WEEK 2

That resulted in a new number one team in this week’s SBLive Texas Top 25, which will be involved in one of the Top 10 games in the state this week. But the former number one team and the team that beat said former number one squad will also be involved in this week’s key games.

Here, now, are the 10 best games to watch in Week 3:

BEST GAMES OF WEEK 3 IN TEXAS

No. 6 Humble Atascocita (2-0) at No. 4 Austin Westlake (2-0)

When: Friday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Chaparral Stadium, Austin

Key Players: Atascocita, RB Tory Blaylock (5-10, 200); QB Cardae Mack (5-10, 200); DB Brandon Washington (6-0, 180). Westlake, QB Rees Wise (6-2, 215); LB Elliott Schaper (6-3, 210); DL Maddox Flynt (6-2, 270).

What’s At Stake: One of the more highly anticipated non-district games in the state finally kicks off on Friday as two Top 10 teams clash in Austin. The Eagles have gotten strong outings from running back Blaylock, an Oklahoma commit, but they’ve also gotten a jolt from Mack, a converted tailback, who had nearly 350 yards of total offense in Atascocita’s 41-24 win last week against Katy. Westlake has looked impressive in its early season outing, including a dominant 63-7 win against San Benito as Wise threw for 168 yards and two TDs in the first half while Justice Johnson rushed for 100 yards with two TDs.

When: Friday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Crowley ISD Stadium

Key Players: Denton Guyer, WR Corbin Glasco (5-9, 175); QB Kevin Sperry (6-1, 200); RB Sterling Schneider (5-10, 190). North Crowley, Chris Jimmerson (5-10, 175); WR Quentin Gibson (5-9, 165); RB Cornelius Warren (5-11, 175).

What’s At Stake: Of course, the big question going into this game is whether North Crowley can build off of last week’s monumental win at DeSoto. But the Panthers can’t afford to relax, especially this week as a team that already has knocked off another defending state champion comes calling. Guyer, which ended Aledo’s 30-game win streak two weeks ago, followed that win up with a solid performance by beating Arlington Martin, 38-19, with running back Sterling Schneider gaining 219 yards and one TD.

Trophy Club Byron Nelson (2-0) at No. 7 Southlake Carroll (2-0)

When: Friday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Dragon Stadium

Key Players: Byron Nelson, WR/DB Leo Almanza (6-2, 175); QB Grant Bizjack (6-1, 175); RB Tucker James (6-0, 190). Southlake Carroll, RB Riley Wormley (5-11, 185); RB Davis Penn (5-10, 190); TE Jack Van Dorselaer (6-4, 225).

What’s At Stake: Byron Nelson is coming off one of the more dramatic finishes in Week 2, rallying past Lewisville, 32-28, as the Bobcats got a 54-yard TD pass on fourth down from Grant Bizjack to Leo Almanza, a Baylor commit. Now, the Bobcats attempt for a key district win this week in a huge District 4-6A opener while getting a measure of revenge in the process. Byron Nelson beat the Dragons in the regular season to claim the district, but Carroll avenged that loss by soundly beating Nelson in the 6A Division II regional finals.

No. 5 DeSoto (1-1) vs. Corpus Christi Miller (2-0)

When: Friday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Alamodome, San Antonio

Key Players: DeSoto, RB Deondrae “Tiger” Riden (6-0, 195); DE Keylan Abrams (6-2, 210); QB Kelden Ryan (6-2, 207). Corpus Christi Miller, RB Broderick Taylor (5-10, 185); QB Trevor Long (6-2, 188); WR Corey Holmes (6-2, 185).

What’s At Stake: The Eagles seek to get off the canvas after last week’s stunning home loss to North Crowley. It won’t be an easy pick-me-up, though, as DeSoto travels to San Antonio to face a Miller squad seeking to make waves in 5A Division II after making the regional finals last season in 5A Division I. The Buccaneers tuned up for their big test this week with a 50-point win last week against Seguin, with Corey Holmes tallying 196 yards receiving and three TDs while adding a kickoff return for another TD.

Prosper Walnut Grove (2-0) at Frisco Emerson (2-0)

When: Thursday @ 7 p.m. | Where: David Kuykendall Stadium, Frisco

Key Players: Walnut Grove, WR John Hutson (6-3, 205); RB Cam Newton (5-10, 181); LB Brock Hatcher (6-2, 190). Frisco Emerson, QB D.J. Shelton (6-3, 215); LB Agape Lawrence (5-10, 210); DB Maliek Hawkins (6-1, 195).

What’s At Stake: One of the toughest districts in the state - 4-5A DII - commences this week. Right out of the gate, Walnut Grove, which is making its debut season in UIL play, wants to continue its surprising early-season success. Last week, Cam Newton rushed for 196 yards on 17 carries and three TDs as the Wildcats moved to 2-0 with a win against Little Elm. Emerson, which downed McKinney in its opener, followed that up with a win against 5A Division I Frisco Reedy.

No. 15 Highland Park (2-0) vs. Dallas Jesuit (1-1)

When: Friday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas 

Key Players: Highland Park, QB Buck Randall (5-10, 170); LB Anders Corn (6-2, 215); WR Cannon Bozman (6-0, 165). Dallas Jesuit, QB Charlie Peters (6-2, 215); WR Jaeger Krauss (6-0, 175); RB Henry Bourret (5-11, 190).

What’s At Stake: Highland Park has notched two solid wins to start 2024, including last week with a hard-fought home win against Lucas Lovejoy. The Scots also seem to have developed a dynamic passing combination between quarterback Buck Randall and receiver Cannon Bozman, who has 239 yards and two TDs through two games. Jesuit is coming off a win against another school named Jesuit - in this case Jesuit out of New Orleans, La. Highland Park and Jesuit were district rivals the past two years, and even though the Scots dropped down from 6A to 5A DI, both schools are still continuing this inner-city rivalry that began in the early 1950s.

Gunter (1-1) at Celina (2-0)

When: Friday @ 7:30 p.m. | Where: Bobcat Stadium, Celina

Key Players: Gunter, WR/DB Colin Peacock (6-2, 205); OL/DL Luke Bullard (6-2, 235); LB/DL Major Thornhill (6-3, 210). Celina, RB Harrison Williams (5-11, 190); RB/LB Logan Gutierrez (5-9, 180); QB Bowe Bentley (6-3, 200).

What’s At Stake: In a matchup between defending state champs last week, 3A Division II champ Gunter was defeated by last year’s 4A DI champ in Anna, 55-28. The Tigers now seek to get back to business, but standing in their way is a contender in 4A DI. Celina comes in with wins against 4A DII runner-up Bellville and another highly regarded 4A squad in Waco La Vega, a game in which Bowe Bentley was 21-of-24 passing for 221 yards and four TDs along with a rushing TD. It is the first matchup between the Tigers and Bobcats since 1999. 

A&M Consolidated (2-0) at Pflugerville Weiss (2-0)

When: Thursday @ 7 p.m. | Where: The Pfield, Pflugerville

Key Players: A&M Consolidated, RB Ja’Marlon Mooring  (5-11, 185); QB Will Hargett (5-11, 150); LB Wesley Couch. Pflugerville Weiss, WR Adrian Wilson (6-2, 176); TE/DL Tyler Gottschalk (6-2, 230); QB Jaxon Schad (5-11, 160).

What’s At Stake: A&M Consolidated is coming off of a rousing 35-34 win against Forney, rallying from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. Ja’Marlon Mooring had the go-ahead TD with less than seven minutes left. The Tigers also got a boost from linebacker Wesley Couch, who had 11 solo tackles, three tackles for loss and even blocked two punts. A player to watch for Weiss is wide receiver Adrian Wilson, an Arizona State commit, who has seven receptions for 186 yards and three TDs through two games. Ironically that same night, Arizona State is playing Texas State in nearby San Marcos, but Wilson won’t be able to see his future club in action as he will be busy trying to help get the Wolves to 3-0.

St. Frances Academy (Maryland) (2-1) at Duncanville (1-0)

When: Saturday @ 6 p.m. | Where: Panther Stadium, Duncanville

Key Players: St. Frances Academy, CB Blake Woodby (5-10, 175); S Byron Baldwin (6-1, 190); LB Bryce Deas (6-2, 210). Duncanville, QB Keelon Russell (6-4, 190); WR Dakorien Moore (5-11, 180); DE K.J. Ford (6-3, 225).

What’s At Stake: One of the biggest interstate matchups in the entire country, this matchup also features the No. 4 (Duncanville) and No. 23 (St. Frances Academy) teams in the latest SBLive national Top 25 poll. The Panthers started their season on a high note with a 34-12 win against South Oak Cliff as QB and Alabama commit Keelon Russell had 325 yards and five TDs passing. St. Frances won its first two games but is coming off a 15-13 loss to Orange (Calif.) Lutheran. Among the Panthers’ top Division I commits include cornerback Blake Woodby and linebacker Bryce Deas, both of whom have committed to Auburn, and safety Byron Baldwin (Indiana). 

Cibolo-Steele (2-0) at San Antonio Brandeis (2-0)

When: Saturday @ 7 p.m. | Where: Gustafson Stadium, San Antonio

Key Players: Cibolo-Steele, QB Chad Warner (6-3, 180); WR Royal Capell (6-0, 190); WR Jalen Cooper (6-2, 170). San Antonio Brandeis, QB Wynter Smith (6-2, 185); WR Jaylin Baker (6-0, 175); DB Deron Hall (6-0, 180). 

What’s At Stake: After winning last Saturday night, the Knights will get to play under the lights on another Saturday. Steele is coming off a convincing win against San Antonio Reagan, 62-34. Jalen Cooper caught seven passes for 228 yards and three TDs in the win. Brandeis also moved to 2-0 after a win against crosstown foe Sotomayor, with QB Wynter Smith passing and rushing for exactly 93 yards apiece and accounting for three total TDs. The Knights have a 7-1 edge in this series, with the Broncos’ lone win against Steele coming in 2018.

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