Wichita Falls Memorial (1-0) at Wolfforth Frenship (0-1)
In their first ever varsity football game, the Memorial Mavericks looked sharp as they blew past Fort Worth Wyatt at home with a 47-20 victory. The Mavs' rushing duo of Kenji Johnson and Eric Powell was as advertised as they combined for 283 yards on the ground with five touchdowns. Johnson also hauled in a touchdown pass from junior signal-caller Joe Castles, who finished with 187 yards through the air. Frenship took Class 6A Byron Nelson to the mat last week, but the Tigers came up just a bit short in a heartbreaking 48-46 loss. As is the case much of the time, there’s no question Frenship will put points up, but can they get enough stops against the better 6A teams to be a viable threat out of West Texas in the postseason? Memorial is a dangerous 5A-Division II team coming to town, but FHS has a bit too much firepower in this showdown.
Stepp’s Pick: Wolfforth Frenship by 13
Coppell (1-0) at Waxahachie (1-0)
This is a sneaky good matchup of a pair of DFW 6A teams who are no longer up and coming, but looking to take the next step into the top tier of teams across the state. Coppell took care of business last week with a solid 31-10 win over Sachse. Baylor commit QB Edward Griffin only threw for 102 yards and a touchdown, but he showed the ability to get it done on the ground with 149 yards and two scores. The defense was lights out, eliminating Sachse’s ability to run the football and holding an explosive passing attack to just one score. Waxahachie had its way with Ennis in the opener as the Indians took care of business, 42-14. Sophomore QB Jerry Meyer III showed he was ready for the bright lights of TXHSFB by throwing for 268 yards and a score. RB Wade Lemons showed why he’s one of the state’s most underrated backs with 137 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. WHS amassed 520 yards of offense on the night, but handling the Coppell defense is going to be a tall task for a talented, but young Waxahachie squad. This is one that will come down to the wire, but I’m taking the senior leadership and experience for Coppell on the road.
Stepp’s Pick: Coppell by 4