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Two weeks now remain in the regular season for Texas high school football programs. Most of the Texas Longhorns’ 24 committed recruits between the 2023 and 2024 classes have had successful seasons up to now. A dozen of them play for teams that are ranked high in their league or classification, and a number of them have already seen their teams clinch playoff spots. Not a single commit has been mathematically eliminated from playoff consideration, but there are a pair of future Longhorns who will need to win this week to avoid having to turn in their equipment when the regular season concludes after next weekend.
Notable events from last week’s action included Arch Manning throwing for four touchdowns and breaking yet another school record, Ryan Niblett compiling well over 200 receiving yards, Jaydon Chatman’s team winning a game that likely decided their district’s champion, defensive tackle Sydir Mitchell finishing with double-digit tackles in a big win, and safety recruit Jamel Johnson scoring a pair of touchdowns on offense.
Big games for future Longhorns this week include a talent-laden DeSoto team with two future Longhorns playing against third-ranked Duncanville, Liona Lefau’s team playing in his region’s Open Division championship, Derek Williams’s team facing one of Louisiana’s top-rated private school teams, and Jamel Johnson’s team playing for its playoff life and needing an upset over state-ranked Midlothian Heritage.
Most of the team’s eight out-of-state commits will finish their regular season either this week or next week, and only one of them appears likely to miss their league’s playoffs. So, as usual, this column will probably still be pretty active into mid- and late November as the playoffs in Texas and elsewhere get into their second and third week. Texas will have its UIL state championship games the week of December 14-17, and 1995 was the last season in which none of the UIL’s state championship-winning teams had a future Longhorn on their roster.
Below you will find each Longhorn commit’s schedule for this week, as well as a detailed breakdown of their current playoff standing. The start times listed for each game are according to its local time zone.
2023 QB Arch Manning — New Orleans (Louisiana) Isidore Newman
Last week: Threw for four touchdown passes in a 31-14 win over Metairie Park (Louisiana) Country Day.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, at New Orleans (Louisiana) M.L. King Charter
Arch Manning and his family had a momentous weekend all-around. Last Friday morning, the Manning Fieldhouse was dedicated at Isidore Newman’s field, so named to honor the athletic (and, no doubt, financial) contributions to the school by his father Cooper Manning and uncles Peyton and Eli Manning, and his grandfather Archie Manning. Cooper, Peyton, and Eli all played quarterback at Newman during their high school days, and though Archie went to high school in his native Drew, Mississippi, he was a quarterback with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints for parts of 12 seasons and was a part of the Newman community while his three sons attended the school.
Friday’s game between Isidore Newman and Country Day was the former’s senior night, and Arch Manning was among the seniors recognized before the game. He went into the game two touchdowns behind former Newman QB and Stanford wide receiver Jay Tyler for Newman’s school record for total touchdowns, and he took sole possession of the record by passing for four scores en route to a 31-14 district win over Country Day.
The Newman Greenies are now 6-1 overall and 1-0 in district play. They are the top-rated team in this week’s LHSAA power ratings for Select Division III. They have two regular season games remaining and then likely a multi-game playoff run, during which Manning can put his numerous passing and touchdown school records even further out of reach for the next star QB to come through the school.
On Friday, Newman will have its last road game of the regular season when it plays King Charter in New Orleans, a team which has an overall record of 6-2 but lost 23-6 last week in its first district game against Laplace St. Charles Catholic, who will be Newman’s opponent in next week’s regular season finale. King is rated 11th out of the 34 teams in Select Division III, while St. Charles is rated 2nd.
2023 RB Cedric Baxter Jr. — Orlando (Florida) Edgewater
Last week: Team beat Winter Garden (Florida) Horizon 54-0.
This week: Bye
Even with Cedric Baxter sitting out the game due to a hamstring pull suffered 11 days earlier, Edgewater easily dispatched with a Horizon team that went into last Friday’s contest with a 6-1 record. Edgewater remained unbeaten for the season with a 9-0 overall record. The Eagles also sewed up their district’s championship, having beaten all three opponents from District 3-3M.
Edgewater has a bye this week before concluding its regular season schedule next week with a non-district game against 4M program Boone.
2023 RB Tre Wisner — DeSoto
2023 WR Johntay Cook II — DeSoto
Last week: Cook caught 6 passes for 47 yards and 2 TDs in a 45-20 win over Cedar Hill.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, vs. Duncanville
Facing a 1-6 Cedar Hill team that had been beaten decisively in each of its six losses this season, DeSoto had a more difficult than expected time putting away their rival Longhorns. On its first possession, DeSoto had a 1st-and-goal at Cedar Hill’s 8-yard line, but a pair of penalties backed them up, and the Eagles ended up punting on 4th-and-goal from the 38.
DeSoto scored touchdowns on its next two drives, the second on an 11-yard pass to Johntay Cook that put the team ahead 14-0 with 6:25 left in the 2nd quarter. Cedar Hill scored a touchdown with 32 seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to 14-7, then tied the score up just before halftime after returning a DeSoto fumble 40 yards to the house.
DeSoto easily could have led 21-7 at halftime, but was instead tied 14-14 with Cedar Hill entering the 3rd quarter. The Eagles pulled away after that, scoring points on five of their six possessions in the second half, while allowing Cedar Hill to get past the DeSoto 40-yard line only once. Johntay Cook caught a pair of TD passes in the win, while Tre Wisner did not record any stats. I’ve not seen any kind of report indicating why he did not play.
After beating Cedar Hill 45-20, DeSoto improved to 7-1 overall and 5-0 in district play. The Eagles are tied with Duncanville for the lead in District 11-6A, and have clinched a playoff spot. The district’s remaining two playoff spots have yet to be claimed, but since DeSoto is the third-largest of the five schools that could potentially represent that district it will be in the Class 6A Division II bracket as long as Waxahachie beats Mansfield Lake Ridge this week and clinches a playoff spot. Duncanville and Waxahachie both have enrollments higher than DeSoto.
DeSoto moved up two spots in the Class 6A rankings this week to #9, and on Friday it will host 3rd-ranked Duncanville in what will be one of two matchups between top-10 teams in Class 6A (#1 Galena Park North Shore vs. #7 Humble Atascocita is the other). DeSoto and Duncanville have both been south Dallas talent factories in recent years, and Duncanville has reached the 6A Division I state championship game in three of the last four seasons, but lost each time to North Shore. Duncanville has beaten DeSoto by double digits in each of the teams’ last four meetings.
2024 WR Hunter Moddon — Houston Clear Lake
Last Week: Made 5 tackles (1 for loss) and intercepted a pass in a 31-7 loss to Dickinson.
This week: Thursday, October 27 at 6:00, vs. League City Clear Falls
Clear Lake has followed a four-game winning streak with consecutive district losses, falling 31-7 last week to Dickinson. Clear Lake is now 5-3 overall and an even 2-2 in district play. The Falcons are in fourth place in District 24-6A, a half-game ahead of Brazoswood, which is 2-3 in district play and has a bye this week before playing Clear Lake in both teams’ final regular season game next week.
Clear Lake will host Clear Falls on Friday. Clear Falls is 6-2 overall with a 3-1 district record, and is tied for 2nd with Dickinson, both teams being a half-game behind Clear Springs, which is 4-1 in district. The result of tonight’s game most likely won’t matter for Clear Lake’s playoff chances, the Falcons need to beat Brazoswood next week to secure the district’s final playoff spot. Even if they upset Clear Falls, losing to Brazoswood would give both teams a 3-3 district record with Brazoswood having the head-to-head tiebreaker over Clear Lake.
If Clear Lake succeeds in clinching a playoff spot, it will be the Falcons’ first postseason trip since 2018, and they will be in the Class 6A Division II bracket.
2023 WR Ryan Niblett — Aldine Eisenhower
Last week: Caught 9 passes for 266 yards and 3 TDs in a 46-17 win over Aldine Davis.
This week: Thursday, October 27 at 7:00, at Aldine
Ryan Niblett went off for well over 200 yards receiving in a 46-17 blowout win over Aldine Davis. The win moved Eisenhower’s record to 3-5 overall and 3-2 in district play. The Eagles’ three wins have all come against fellow Aldine ISD schools.
Eisenhower is part of a three-way tie for third place in District 14-6A, along with Spring and Aldine Nimitz. Nimitz and Spring will play each other on Friday, while Eisenhower will play the district’s cellar-dweller, Aldine High, a team that is winless in 2022 and has been outscored by an average of 42 points per game. If Eisenhower takes care of business against Aldine and Spring beats Nimitz, that would clinch a playoff spot for Eisenhower going into its Week 11 matchup with Spring.
Eisenhower is by far the smallest of the schools in its district that would make the playoffs in any scenario, so if the Eagles clinch a spot they will be in the 6A Division II bracket.
2023 TE Will Randle — New Orleans (Louisiana) Isidore Newman
Tore ACL during a game on Sept. 16 and will miss the rest of the season.
2023 TE Spencer Shannon — Santa Ana (California) Mater Dei
Last week: Team beat Santa Margarita (California) 52-7.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, at Anaheim (California) Servite
Mater Dei easily beat Santa Margarita to record its 26th consecutive win. The Monarchs have not lost a game since the 2019 playoffs, and since the start of the 2016 season its teams have amassed a record of 80-3. They have already clinched the championship of the Trinity League with a record of 4-0, and their last regular season game will be this Friday against 1-8 Anaheim Servite.
Servite went 10-3 in the 2021 season, losing twice to Mater Dei and another game to highly-ranked St. John Bosco, but its team has struggled mightily in 2022. Once Mater Dei has beaten Servite it will prepare for the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs, the championship of which will be played at the Rose Bowl on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
2023 OL Jaydon Chatman — Killeen Harker Heights
Last week: Team beat Temple 13-9.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:30, at Copperas Cove
Harker Heights improved to 7-1 for the year and took sole possession of first place in District 12-6A following its 13-9 win over Temple. The Knights are now 4-0 in district play with two games remaining.
They have clinched a playoff spot and will be in the Class 6A Division II bracket regardless of the outcomes of the games played over the final two weeks of the regular season. On Friday, Harker Heights will travel to play a Copperas Cove team that is 0-4 in district play and has been outscored in those games by an average margin of 20 points.
2023 OL Andre Cojoe — Mansfield Timberview
Last week: Team beat Dallas Sunset 80-0.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, vs. Richland
Timberview outgained Dallas Sunset 357 yards to 19 in last week’s 80-0 win, according to the Dallas Morning News’s box score. The score was 51-0 at halftime. How bad is Sunset? Its team is 1-8 this season. Since the start of the 2007 season it has won a total of 14 games, and between 1997 and 2020, the Bison had 14 seasons in which they failed to score even 100 points. Make no mistake, Timberview will be playing some very weak football teams in its district this year and next year.
The Timberview Wolves are 8-0 and alone in first place in District 5-5A Division I with a 6-0 district record. They will face their last decent opponent of the regular season on Friday when they host the Richland Royals (who were the Rebels until two years ago). Richland is 7-1 for the season and is coming off its first loss of the season last week, a 34-30 defeat at the hands of cross-town rival Birdville, a team Timberview beat four weeks ago by the score of 54-28.
Timberview retains the #2 ranking in Class 5A Division I, and Texas Football’s updated playoff projections still have the Wolves facing Connor Stroh’s Frisco Wakeland team in the first round in two weeks.
2023 OL Trevor Goosby — Melissa
Last week: Team beat Greenville 49-27.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:30, vs. Princeton
Melissa has averaged a hair under 50 points per game during its current six-game winning streak. After beating Greenville last week, the Cardinals are 6-2 overall and 5-0 in district play. They are tied atop District 7-5A Division II with Lovejoy, the 10th-ranked team in 5A Division II. Melissa has clinched a playoff spot and can finish no worse than a tie for 2nd place in its district with two games remaining.
On Friday, Melissa will host a 1-7 Princeton team that has been beaten soundly by several teams Melissa already has wins over, and its only win of the season came by a 14-7 score against winless Frisco Lebanon Trail.
2023 OL Payton Kirkland — Orlando (Florida) Dr. Phillips
Last week: Team lost to Winter Garden (Florida) West Orange 19-17.
This week: Thursday, October 27 at 7:00, vs. Ocoee
Dr. Phillips fell to 3-5 for the season after its narrow loss to West Orange last week. Four of the Panthers’ five losses have been by six points or less. The loss also dropped Dr. Phillips’s district record to 1-2, and Thursday’s game against Ocoee will be its final district game and its penultimate regular season game.
In Florida’s high school playoff system, the brackets for each classification include 32 total teams and are split into four regions, which each comprise four districts. The playoff teams in each region will be the four district champions plus four at-large teams, the latter being determined by the FHSAA’s power rankings.
As things currently stand, Dr. Phillips has no chance to win its district, and has the 11th highest power rating out of the 4M teams in Region 2. Moving high enough in the ratings to nab a playoff spot at this point may be impossible, and standing in the Panthers’ way this week is district co-leader Ocoee, which is 6-2 overall and currently has the highest rating among Region 2 teams in the 4M classification.
To have any hope of qualifying for the playoffs, Dr. Phillips will need an upset of Ocoee tonight, and then a win in the final week of the regular season against Orlando Jones, the fourth-ranked team in the state’s 3M class.
2023 OL Connor Stroh — Frisco Wakeland
Last week: Team beat Frisco Lebanon Trail 35-7.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, vs. Sherman
Wakeland won its fourth straight game last week, and is now 5-3 overall and 4-2 in district play. The Wolverines are tied for fourth place in District 6-5A Division I with Frisco Lone Star, who they have a head-to-head win against.
On Friday, they will host a Sherman team that is 1-5 in district play and has lost four straight games. Unbeaten Frisco Reedy has clinched a playoff berth, and four other teams are still fighting for the district’s three remaining playoff spots. I believe Wakeland would essentially clinch a playoff spot with a win over Sherman and a Lone Star loss to Frisco High this weekend. It could still potentially finish in a three-way tie for third place with Heritage and Lone Star, but would be in a good position in that scenario with a point-differential tiebreaker, as Wakeland beat Lone Star by 28 points back in September.
A more chaotic scenario could ensue if this week ends with Wakeland beating Sherman, Lone Star beating Frisco, and district leader Reedy beating Heritage. That set of results would lead to Reedy winning the district outright, and Frisco, Heritage, Lone Star, and Wakeland going into the final week of the regular season in a four-way tie for second place, each with a 5-2 district record.
Step one for Wakeland avoiding a lot of uncertainty will be taking care of business against Sherman this week.
2023 DL Sydir Mitchell — Oradell (New Jersey) Bergen Catholic
Last week: Made 12 tackles (1 for loss) in a 42-27 win over Jersey City (New Jersey) St. Peter’s Prep.
This week: Saturday, October 29 at 1:00, vs. Paramus (New Jersey) Catholic
Sydir Mitchell had his biggest statistical game of the season, as he was credited with 12 total tackles in last week’s 42-27 win over St. Peter’s Prep. Through eight games, Mitchell has been credited with 36 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss.
Bergen Catholic is now 7-1 overall and 2-1 against opponents in the United Red league. The Crusaders will complete their regular season schedule this Saturday afternoon after playing 2-6 Paramus Catholic.
Next week will be the round 1 matchups in New Jersey’s Non-Public playoff brackets, and Bergen Catholic will presumably be in the Non-Public A bracket, in which it is the defending state champion.
2023 DL Dylan Spencer — Houston C.E. King
Last week: Made 7 tackles (4 for loss) and 2 sacks in a 39-6 loss to Humble Atascocita.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, vs. Humble Summer Creek
Dylan Spencer has another impressive statistical showing in a lopsided loss to a ranked opponent, as his C.E. King Panthers lost 39-6 last week to Humble Atascocita, the seventh-ranked team in Class 6A.
King is now 5-3 overall and 3-2 in district play. Its three losses have come against the teams ranked 1st (Galena Park North Shore), 7th (Atascocita), and 14th (Allen) in Class 6A. In eight games this season Dylan Spencer has been credited with 40 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, a team-leading 7 sacks, and 20 QB hurries. In the three games against those aforementioned ranked opponents, he had a combined 18 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks.
King is alone in fourth place in the District 21-6A standings, one game behind Friday night’s opponent, Summer Creek. Summer Creek is 5-3 this season, but those three losses have come by a combined 14 points against teams with a combined record of 22-2. Three weeks ago, Summer Creek lost 34-27 to top-ranked North Shore, a team that has beaten every other opponent in 2022 by no less than 28 points.
King will clinch a playoff spot with either a win over Summer Creek or a loss by Kingwood to Humble on Friday. The Panthers will close out the regular season next week against 1-7 Beaumont United. Their best case scenario is beating Summer Creek this week and finishing 3rd in the district. District-mates North Shore and Atascocita are two of the twenty largest high schools in the state, so if King reaches the playoffs it will be in the 6A Division II bracket regardless of their place in the district standings.
2023 EDGE Derion Gullette — Teague
Injured - out for 2022 season
2023 EDGE Billy Walton — Dallas South Oak Cliff
2023 CB Malik Muhammad — Dallas South Oak Cliff
Last week: Billy Walton made one tackle in a 56-0 win over Dallas Samuell.
This week: Thursday, October 27 at 7:00, vs. Seagoville
South Oak Cliff pitched its fourth consecutive shutout last week, winning easily by a 56-0 score over Samuell. The Golden Bears have now gone 17 straight quarters without allowing a point, and are ranked 9th in Class 5A Division II this week.
District 6-5A Division II has ten total teams and is split into two five-team zones. SOC has the best record in its zone and will face Seagoville (5-3 overall, 3-1 in district) in a district semifinal game tonight. If SOC beats Seagoville while Dallas Woodrow Wilson beats Kimball in the other semifinal, then SOC and Wilson will play for the district championship next week. If SOC beats Seagoville and Wilson instead loses to Kimball (who SOC beat 56-0 three weeks ago), then SOC will be declared the district champion and will not have a re-match with Kimball for the district title.
2023 LB S’Maje Burrell — North Crowley
Last week: Had 5 tackles (1 for loss) in a 33-7 win over Hurst L.D. Bell
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:30, at Saginaw Chisholm Trail
North Crowley won its eighth straight game of the 2022 season last week with another solid defensive performance, holding L.D. Bell to 147 offensive yards and just 8 first downs in a 33-7 win. The Panthers remain undefeated at 8-0 and are ranked 21st in Class 6A. They have had one of the toughest defenses among 6A teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, holding opponents to an average of 216 yards per game.
With two games to go, the Panthers are alone atop the standings of District 3-6A with a 5-0 district record. They have clinched a playoff spot and are assured of a place in the 6A Division I bracket, as only one of the two schools in the district with a higher enrollment than North Crowley can potentially make the playoffs.
On Friday, North Crowley will play a Chisholm Trail team that is 1-4 in district play and has been outscored by an average of 42 points in its four district losses. Assuming the Panthers don’t have a monumental slip-up on Friday, they will go into the final week of the regular season with only cross-town rival Crowley standing in their way of their first undefeated regular season in school history. If Crowley loses to Boswell this week, North Crowley will be the district champion, but if Crowley wins over Boswell, then next week’s game will be a battle for the district championship.
2023 LB Liona Lefau — Kahuku (Hawaii)
Last week: Team beat Kapolei 44-7 in the semifinals of the OIA Open Division championship
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:30, vs. Mililani in the OIA Open Division final
Kahuku beat Kapolei for the second time in four weeks last Saturday, winning 44-7 to advance to the Open Division final of the Oahu Interscholastic Association (OIA). On Friday, the Red Raiders will face a Mililani team they beat 29-17 just two weeks ago, and the winner will be the OIA’s Open Division champion.
After that, I believe Kahuku will move on to the state’s Open Division playoff bracket, which it won in 2021.
2024 CB Jaden Allen — Aledo
Last week: Forced a fumble in a 35-21 win over Denton Ryan.
This week: Bye
Aledo won its seventh consecutive game last week, and in the process ensured Denton Ryan would not win an eighth straight district title. After a very uncharacteristic 0-2 start, Aledo has rounded into its typical form and blown away most of its subsequent competition.
Denton Ryan was ranked high among 5A Division I teams early in the season, but had fallen out of the rankings after an upset loss to New Braunfels, and then two weeks ago it fell to Burleson Centennial. Aledo, meanwhile, fell out of the rankings after its two season-opening losses, but has since re-entered the rankings and is now all the way back to #3 in Class 5A Division I.
Last Friday, Aledo led Ryan 21-7 at halftime, but Ryan scored touchdowns on two of its first three possessions of the second half while forcing a pair of Aledo punts, and the game was tied at 21-21 following a Ryan touchdown with 10:37 left in the 4th quarter.
Aledo retook the lead with a touchdown of its own three minutes later, and later in the quarter the Bearcats forced a Ryan punt with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. On the next play, Aledo’s junior QB Hauss Hejny ran for a 86-yard touchdown that put his team ahead 35-21 with 3:52 left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Aledo elected to do a squib kick, and with some assistance from Jaden Allen (which can be seen at the 0:40 mark in the video below) the ball was jarred loose from the would-be Ryan receiver, and Aledo recovered the ball to take possession at the Ryan 30-yard line. The Bearcats ran off the remainder of the game clock to ice the win.
I encourage anyone who has read this far to watch Jaden Allen’s highlights from the Denton Ryan game, as they show him making plays in pass defense and on special teams, and in one play he alertly maintains his coverage assignment when Ryan attempts a double pass, and is there to break up the second pass before it reaches its intended target.
The win improved Aledo’s record to 7-2 and clinched a 15th consecutive district championship for the Bearcats. They have a bye this week before concluding their regular season next week with a game against Brewer.
2024 CB Aeryn Hampton — Daingerfield
Last week: Team beat Queen City 48-12.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, vs. Waskom
Daingerfield won its fourth straight game last week and has clinched a spot in the playoffs for an eighth straight season, which is tied for the longest such streak in program history.
The Daingerfield Tigers are tied for the lead in District 11-3A Division II and will face co-leader Harmony in next week’s regular season finale. But first, the Tigers will have to get past a Waskom team that is 3-1 in district, with its only loss a 28-26 defeat against Harmony last week. Waskom beat Daingerfield 34-8 when the teams met in the fourth round of the playoffs in 2021.
2023 S Jamel Johnson — Arlington Seguin
Last week: Had 8 carries for 60 yards and 2 TDs, and caught 3 passes for 38 yards in a 45-20 loss to Ennis.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, at Midlothian Heritage
Jamel Johnson scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first half last week to give his Seguin Cougars a 14-10 halftime lead over Ennis in a key district game. But the wheels came off for the Cougars in the second half, as Ennis outscored them 35-6 after halftime.
The loss dropped Seguin’s season record to 3-5, and its district record to 2-3. They are tied with Burleson for 5th place in District 5-5A Division II. Losing to Ennis didn’t eliminate Seguin from playoff consideration, but it made the team’s path to the postseason exponentially tougher than it would have otherwise been.
Seguin’s only half-plausible route to the playoffs would require: 1. upsetting district co-leader Midlothian Heritage (the 7th-ranked team in Class 5A Division II) on the road this Friday, 2. having Burleson beat Ennis on Friday, 3. Seguin winning its regular season finale against Burleson next week, and 4. Mansfield Summit beating Ennis in those teams’ regular season finale next week. If even one of those games has a different result, Seguin would be mathematically eliminated. Seguin technically has one alternate path to the playoffs, but it would require Summit to lose its final two games against last-place Joshua this week and to Ennis next week, a scenario that seems even more unlikely than the previous one I outlined.
Midlothian Heritage is 7-1 for the season, having won seven straight games after a season-opening 49-42 loss to Stephenville, currently the 2nd-ranked team in Class 4A Division I. Aside from a 38-35 win over Ennis two weeks ago, Heritage has beaten every other district opponent by at least 24 points.
2023 S Derek Williams — New Iberia (Louisiana) Westgate
Last week: Team lost to Lafayette (Louisiana) Christian Academy 38-12.
This week: Friday, October 28 at 7:00, at Lafayette (Louisiana) St. Thomas More
After starting the season 5-0, the Westgate Tigers lost for the second time in three weeks. Last week they fell decisively to Lafayette Christian Academy by a 38-12 score. LCA is the 5th-rated Select Division II team, and this week Westgate will play St. Thomas More, which is 3rd in the LHSAA power ratings for Select Division II. Westgate beat St. Thomas More a year ago by a 41-13 score. That St. Thomas More team went on to reach the state semifinals of the private school Division II playoff tournament.
Westgate had been rated as high as 2nd among Non-Select Division I schools three weeks ago, but it is now rated 9th with two games remaining. Westgate won last season’s 4A state championship after finishing the regular season 8-2 and going into the playoffs as the #5 seed.
Westgate’s district includes the teams currently rated 2nd, 3rd, and 5th among Select Division II teams, and after playing St. Thomas More on Friday the Tigers will close out their regular season schedule next week with a Lafayette Northside team that is, at best, the third weakest one on their regular season schedule.
Historic Longhorn Notable of the Week: None
Along with the Longhorn football squad, this column’s Historical Longhorn Notable of the Week feature will be taking a bye this week. This section usually takes at least a couple of hours to put together even when I’ve already done almost all the necessary research ahead of time, and there just wasn’t time to write up a proper post this week, but look for it to make a return in future posts.
Below is the list of notable Longhorn football lettermen of eras past who have been featured in previous editions of this column.
Week one: Thomas Milik (1944)
Week two: Raymond Clayborn (1973-76)
Week three: Ox Emerson (1929-30)
Week four: Winston McMahon (1906)
Week five: James Ross “J.R.” Callahan (1943)
Week six: A.J. “Jam” Jones (1978-81)
Week seven: Marshall Morgan “Mark” McMahon (1898-1901)
Week eight: John Robert “J.R.” Swenson (1902)
Week nine: Lawrence Sampleton (1978-81)
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