Midland Lee (1-0) at Amarillo Tascosa (1-0): It’s an old Little SWC rivalry game that’s moved to a non-district game with the move of Amarillo Tascosa to Class 5A. Midland Lee’s offense looks as dynamic as ever as the Rebels beat Amarillo 54-40 last week. The big question going into this one is the status of QB Mikey Serrano, who threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns in three quarters before leaving the game with an injury. Versatile Shemar Davis came in and finished the game at QB; he had 105 yards rushing and 61 receiving yards. RB Makhilyn Young added 165 yards on the ground and two touchdowns as well. Tascosa went on the road last week and, despite a tough challenge, knocked off Abilene High 26-20. Tascosa’s option-based offense was hitting on all cylinders, topping 450 yards on the ground with three backs rushing for at least 63 yards. Major Everhart led the way for THS with 119 yards and a touchdown, while QB BT Daniel had 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground in his first start. Tempo will dictate this game. If Midland Lee pushed the envelope and gets this pace at a rapid rate, it’ll favor Clint Hartman’s squad. Tascosa wants to control the clock and keep the ball away from that dynamic Midland Lee attack and wear the Rebels down. The problem for Tascosa is Midland Lee knows their offensive attack pretty well as they see a similar scheme with Permian every year; add in the strength of the Midland Lee defense is stopping the run and you have a recipe for Midland Lee to get win on the road. Stepp’s Pick: Midland Lee by 11
Humble Atascocita (0-0) at Allen (1-0): Atascocita, one of the Houston area’s up and coming powers, makes their season debut with a very tough road trip as they head north to the DFW area to take on Allen. Allen did play last week, and the Eagles opened up with a solid 49-26 win over Plano East. WR’s Blaine and Bryson Green, both Oklahoma State commits, led the way for Allen with 193 receiving yards combined and three touchdowns. Jake Wolff and General Booty, two transfer QB’s from outside of the state, split time last week and that rotating may continue throughout the year unless one player separates himself. Atascocita has elite skill talent with WR’s Landen King (Auburn commit) and Keith Wheeler, while RB’s Quincy Thompson and Tyras Winfield combined for 25 touchdowns rushing a year ago. Atascocita has big questions on defense, and with inexperience at QB on the road in Allen playing at a stadium where the home team has never lost a game, is a tall order for Coach Stump’s squad. Stepp’s Pick: Allen by 10