With Week 3 kicking off tonight, there are many big games on the schedule that will leave options wide open for area high school football fans. It isn't a usual week loaded with marquee matchups because a lot of schools have Week 3 off before beginning district play, but there are still some quality games to be seen.
As usual, I'll break down a few of the area's top games today, then discuss the game of the week on Friday.
DeSoto at Duncanville, 7:30 p.m. on Friday -- Duncanville has fallen victim to one game getting canceled due to lightning when their matchup against Garland two weeks ago was called early on in the game. The Panthers opened the season with a mild upset win over then-state ranked Odessa Permian, and lost to North Mesquite last weekend in a rain-soaked affair. Now, the Panthers host one of the most athletic teams in the Metroplex in DeSoto (2-1), whose only loss was to Cedar Hill on opening night in a 3-point shootout loss. I think DeSoto just has too much for Duncanville and QB Ryan Polite, RB Marcus Murphy and WR Darius Terrell will be too much for Duncanville to handle. Prediction: DeSoto 38, Duncanville 27
Temple at Plano, 7:30 p.m. on Friday -- OK, I'm not going to lie. This really shouldn't be too much of a game because Plano should win fairly easily despite its slow 1-2 start. The Wildcats did have a thrilling one-point win over Hebron last week and might have got the ball rolling. Now they face Temple with the nation's top RB recruit in Lache Seastrunk. Heck, he's the third-ranked recruit in the country at any position. Don't believe, watch the video here and see for yourself. Plano should be ready for him though, as Seastrunk's supporting cast isn't too much to worry about. Check out this story from The Dallas Morning News on Seastrunk. Prediction: Plano 35, Temple 17
Ennis at Mesquite Horn, 7:30 p.m. on Friday -- This game will be epic. You have Ennis (2-0) with its high-flying pass offense led by QB D.J. Betik and WR Kyle Guinyard, and you have Mesquite Horn (3-0) with QB Emory Miller, one of the state's top promising dual-threat QBs. Ennis got back Lancaster last week in a close high-scoring affair. Betik & Co. were still able to move the ball with relative ease against Lancaster's Division I prospect-laden secondary. 5A Horn has scored at least 35 points in each of its three wins over Arlington Martin, Lake Highlands and Wylie. Prediction: Mesquite Horn 38, Ennis 33
Last week's record: 3-1. Season record: 8-3.
Adam Boedeker is a sports writer/award-winning blogger for the Denton Record-Chronicle. He was a bloop single away from seeing a no-hitter in person on Wednesday night.
