Temple (4-2, 3-0) at Belton (3-3, 2-1): One of them more intense big school rivalries in Central Texas gets renewed this week as Temple heads a few miles south on I-35 to take on Belton in a key 12-6A matchup as the Wildcats look to continue their stranglehold on the top spot in the district, while Belton is looking for a buffer win in their quest for a spot in the playoffs. Temple rolled past Killeen Ellison 56-27 on Thursday night to get their fourth straight win. RB Samari Howard led the way for Temple with 207 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, while WR’s Mikal Harrison-Pilot and Devan Williams each hauled in a touchdown catch. Temple raced out to a 29-7 lead, but Ellison rallied to cut the lead to eight by halftime, before Temple pulled away in the second half. Belton had opened up district play strongly with back-to-back wins over Copperas Cove and Bryan, but last week the Tigers simply had no answers for the speed of Harker Heights in a lopsided 57-21 loss. Belton will be competitive in this game, this one almost always is, but Temple’s got too many playmakers and the Wildcats will pull away in the second half. Stepp’s Pick: Temple by 16
Cypress Bridgeland (5-1, 2-1) vs Cypress Park (6-0, 3-0): It's a district 16-6A matchup as the Bridgeland Bears take on the number nineteen ranked Cypress Park. Bridgeland was without their star quarterback last week as they were upset by Cy Ranch 38-28 and fell from the state rankings. Bridgeland fell behind 28-0 and rallied late to tie the game up but a pick six. The Bears let up 28 straight points for most of the game until they were able to respond in the fourth quarter. The Bears were able to battle back to tie the game with four touchdowns by junior wide receiver Jonathan Nelson and back-up quarterback Joshua Stephens. Bridgeland’s comeback was thwarted by a field goal and pick six. Cy Park continued their undefeated run as they defeated Cy Falls 51-7. Quarterback Edward Dixon completed four of nine passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Harold Perkins was asked to contribute on the offensive side of the ball as he ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns, but still contributed on the defensive side of the ball with a forced fumble. Wide receiver Nathan Livingston had three receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Cy Park defense forced six turnovers with three interceptions and three fumbles. This is a game that will hinge on star players with Conner Weigman for Bridgeland and Harold Perkins for Cy Park. Weigman is hopeful to play in this matchup if he plays this week then the Bears will be right in the mix. The Bears showed that they can fight but Cy Park might not let them back into this one if they start out slow like last week. DCTF Intern Joshua Price’s Pick: Cy Park by 7