WEEK 4 PREVIEW: Breaking down the biggest games in Texas high school football

Frisco Lone Star (3-0) at Denton Ryan (3-0) Denton Ryan’s meat grinder of a non-district schedule concludes this week with last year’s 5A Division II runner-up, Frisco Lone Star. Both teams come in unbeaten, but both have also been tested. Lone Star bounced back from a subpar performance in Week 2 on offense with a big effort in a 62-31 win over Lovejoy. QB Jason Shelley had another big game with 363 yards of offense and five touchdowns to pace the Rangers. The LSHS offense will get a massive test this week against a very talented Denton Ryan front seven that is at times downright impossible to move the ball against. Ryan has three impressive non-district wins over Lancaster, Mesquite Poteet and Wylie East, but in all three games the Raiders have started slowly. They can’t afford that kind of slow start against Lone Star, who has the offensive punch to put the game away early. Ryan QB Spencer Sanders has been solid, but the young offensive line has had fits and starts of good play. They’ll need consistency this week and I think at home, Ryan puts a strong effort together and makes a statement to the state that they will indeed be a force to be reckoned with in 5A. Stepp’s Pick: Denton Ryan by 8 Craven’s Pick: Frisco Lone Star Max’s Pick: Denton Ryan Gilmer (3-0) at Carthage (2-0) A delicious Saturday night matchup in East Texas pits the two pre-eminent 4A powers in the Piney Woods, hooking up in what should be a ferocious non-district tilt. Gilmer, led by QB Aaron “Poppy” Brown, has put up some staggering offensive numbers. Through three games, the Buckeyes are averaging 64 points per game. Last week, Brown continued his assault on secondaries by “only” throwing for 196 yards and three touchdowns. Gilmer’s ground game was the story in the 61-19 win over Argyle Liberty Christian, as GHS ran for 217 yards and five touchdowns. They’ll need that kind of balance against a fast and physical Carthage defense that’s allowing just over 17 points per game. The Bulldogs stymied a potent Whitehouse attack in a 23-13 win last week. CHS allowed just 66 yards of offense to WHS and QB Kason Davis had another nice night, throwing for 235 yards and two touchdowns. If this game is a shootout it will totally favor Gilmer, but at home I think Carthage’s defense keeps this clash at a reasonable pace and that’s what Coach Suratt and his staff want to see. Carthage’s defense proves to be the difference in this one. Stepp’s Pick: Carthage by 4 Craven’s Pick: Carthage Max’s Pick: Gilmer Austin Westlake (2-1) at Austin Bowie (3-0) Westlake is in their third week without Sam Ehlinger, and the Chaps offense looked much better a week ago in a 35-0 win over Pflugerville. With Ehlinger gone, Westlake relied on RB Nakia Watson to deliver, and he ran for 145 yards and four touchdowns to lead the way. Even more impressive was the Chaps defense, which completely shut down a PHS offense that just a week earlier put up some big numbers. Bowie, which has traditionally played second fiddle to Westlake and Lake Travis, is plenty solid in their own right, knocking off Vista Ridge 35-21 last week. Tied 21-21 at the half, Bowie’s defense took charge in the second half, allowing just three first downs. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ rotating QB’s got a pair of scores to pull away. I expect Bowie to keep this one close, but Westlake may have found their answer to navigating their schedule without Ehlinger, and that’s with a strong defense and ground game. That formula should work again this week and could make Westlake really dangerous when Ehlinger returns from his knee injury. Stepp’s Pick: Austin Westlake by 13 Craven’s Pick: Westlake Max’s Pick: Westlake  Cibolo Steele (2-1) at Smithson Valley (1-1) A week after a tough overtime loss to Lake Travis, Steele bounced back in a big way with a convincing 45-24 win over a good San Antonio O’Connor squad on Saturday night. Despite O’Connor getting a lot of breaks (including recovering two first half onside kicks), the Knights pulled away late. QB Xavier Martin had a monster game, accounting for five touchdowns and over 400 yards of offense. The high-powered Steele attack will get a test this week against the always stingy Smithson Valley defense. The Rangers’ offense, however, stumbled last week in a 20-14 loss to Round Rock. At home I think SVHS has a chance to play Steele tough – the Knights defense has shown they will give up yards and points – but I don’t believe they can consistently generate enough to stops to seriously threaten Steele and their long district winning streak. Stepp’s Pick: Cibolo Steele by 14 Craven’s Pick: Steele Max’s Pick: Steele  Stratford (2-0) at Canadian (1-2) After not losing a game in two years, Canadian’s off to a bit of a rough start, losing two of their first three games. Don’t hit the panic button just yet as both losses have come at the hands of solid 4A programs. This week, Canadian steps down to take on panhandle 2A power Stratford who has had a whole two weeks to prepare. The Elks have revenge on their mind as their only two losses in 2015 came at the hands of powerful Canadian. Last week, the Wildcats dropped a 24-14 decision to Perryton. The defense played well enough to win, but the offense only generated 275 yards in the loss. The two-hour lightning delay seems to be a theme of Canadian losses, as they also sat through a long weather delay in their Week 1 loss to Bushland. Stratford has this one circled and will keep it close, but Canadian’s offense and experience against larger schools will pay dividends. Stepp’s Pick: Canadian by 6 Craven’s Pick: Canadian Max’s Pick: Canadian