Thoughts from Saturday's Semifinal games at AT&T Stadium
Saturday was an awesome overload of Texas High School football. There was a lot to take in with semifinal match-ups of Denton Ryan/Highland Park, Duncanville/Allen, and Longview/Amarillo Tascosa. It was also a nice little practice round for me in preparation for state championships next week.So what did I think of the action? I got a few things.-Duncanville stepped up in the big moment. My biggest question mark was about how they would respond after being pushed in the final minutes of a game. Well, they answered that one in a big way. The Panthers responded with a fourth down conversion for a TD and a safety on the next Allen possession. I don't know who wins next week between Duncanville and North Shore, but I can tell you this, the Panthers will not back down when they are punched in the mouth. Great win yesterday for Samples and the Panthers, and it sets up what could be an all-time classic match-up for the 6A Div I Championship with North Shore.-While we're on the topic of Duncanville/Allen, Ja'Quinden Jackson just makes big plays. I don't know exactly where to project him as a prospect. Whether he would be better on offense or defense. I don't know, but what I do know is the guy knows how to step into a big moment and make a play when it is needed. His touchdown pass to end the first half was a thing of beauty. Rolling out to his left, throwing on the run to the back corner of the endzone, and hitting his receiver with precision. Then on 4th and 2, in a tie ball game late in the fourth quarter, he stepped up again and ran away from the Allen defense. Jackson has size and speed that translates to a number of positions. He plays with an edge and he shines in big moments. This is the kind of guy every coach wants on their team and it is a reason why so many, including Texas A&M, have put offers on the table. I don't know exactly where to project him, but I do know he can play. -Highland Park 2020 QB Chandler Morris made me open my eyes yesterday. I admit it. I was sleeping on him. He was another Highland Park QB, putting up big numbers in an offense where QBs put up big numbers. Well, he flat out picked apart a very fast and very physical Denton Ryan defense, and it was as impressive as anything I've seen to this point in the season. He threw some darts, and he threw with touch. Then he made plays with his feet. He extended plays and he scored touchdowns. There were a lot of reasons Highland Park won yesterday and the playcalling was tremendous, but Morris showed a lot as a prospect. He was not perfect by any means, but he showed accuracy, mobility, and poise. There is a good reason he already has offers Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, and Oklahoma, and I look for that offer list to continue to grow. The 2020 QB class is looking very strong. I would say Hudson Card, Malik Hornsby, Ken Seals, Deuce Hogan, Chandler Morris, and Haynes King are at the top of the list right now.-Speaking of Haynes King, his performance Saturday night was a what the gameplan called for. He didn't put up huge numbers, but he made big plays. On a night when the ground game was working, King and the Lobos hammered away. His overall athleticism was the thing that jumped out. The play that really caught my attention was when he chased down a Tascosa player after a blocked PAT. The guy had a big head start and nothing but green ahead before King ended any dreams of an endzone celebration. He not only closed on him and tackled him but he also stripped the ball. -Denton Ryan will be back. The bad news is the Raiders were handed a tough loss yesterday. One that will likely stick with them through the offseason. The good news is they are young. LB/QB Drew Sanders, QB Seth Henigan, WR/CB Billy Bowman Jr, WR/DE Ja'tavion Sanders, RB Emani Bailey, RB Ke'ori Hicks, WR/DE Delshun Neal, and S Tra Smith will all return next fall. Saturday did not go as planned, but I expect for this group to be back better than ever next fall. -In the weekend high school football thread there were a few questions about Marquez Beason and where he was yesterday. He showed up big and played a key role in keeping Theo Wease quiet after his two first half touchdowns. Beason did that with Illinois head coach Lovie Smith in attendance. He will sign with the Illini on Wednesday.-Duncanville 2020 S Chris Thompson is a safety. Yes, he has great size and he made a lot of plays in his new role in Duncanville's D, but make no mistake Thompson is projected to play S on the college level. He also had a nice momentum shifting INT to setup Ja'Quinden Jackson's TD pass at the end of the first half.-A few things that made me smile--Duncanville's swarming defense--Amarillo Tascosa's never say die attitude--Allen's second half comeback--Ja'Quinden Jackson--Longview RB Keilyn Williams (5-5, 145). 17 carries for 127 yards and 2 TDs according to ETSN.fm--Duncanville RB Trysten Smith's opening 73-yard TD runAs for recruiting notes, there really were not a lot. Duncanville's Chris Thompson and Ja'Quinden Jackson are the two biggest A&M targets that were there yesterday. They're both focused in on the playoffs and a state championship right now. I would give Texas a little bit of an edge for both right now, but there's still a long way to go with both and the Aggies are very much in the running.
TexAgs Game of the Week: Colleyville Heritage vs. Denton Ryan
The TexAgs Game of the Week returns to the DFW area. Colleyville Heritage and Texas A&M commitment Kameron Brown take on an undefeated Denton Ryan squad in a tough 4-5A Div I battle. Both are undefeated in district play and are capable of putting big numbers on the scoreboard.
TexAgs.com Texas High School football thread
It's that time again. I'm out at West Mesquite/Denton Ryan to see several top prospect. Texas A&M commit Dylan Wright leads West Mesquite. The Wranglers also have 2020 RB Ty Jordan and 2021 ATH JaKobe Walton. Ryan has OU 2020 commit Drew Sanders. I look for Sanders to play LB. The Raiders also have 2021s WR Billy Bowman Jr, RB Ke'ori Hicks, and TE Ja'tavion Sanders We're in a lightning delay, and it is looking pretty ugly outside. Hopefully Hop and Brauny are having better luck.
Notes from the road
- Texas A&M commitments Brian Williams, Demani Richardson, and Kameron Brown all seem pretty locked in with their commitments. The official visit provided some great bonding time and I look for all three to return to College Station early this summer. -Richardson continues to hear from Texas, but he says he is 100-percent with his commitment to Texas A&M. His family is also very much on board with his A&M decision, and they are all looking forward to getting back to College Station. Richardson is looking solid at 6-3, 210 and even though the Indians are not going through spring ball he is very involved in offseason workouts with his teammates.-At Dunne, Williams was just as expected. He is a heady ball player who looks like he could slide right into the A&M secondary once he arrives in College Station.-Brown is not going through spring ball for precautionary reasons after suffering a foot injury earlier this year. He may not be running routes but he is definitely involved. He was coaching up receivers and in the middle of drills throughout practice.-Dallas Bishop Dunne 2020 LB Brennon Scott has the Aggies high on his list. He is the highest ranked LB in the 2020 class, and he already holds an offer from the Aggies. He has also already visited College Station and he was blown away by what he saw in the program, the school, and the coaches. Brian Williams has been working on him too. He plans to take his time and check out his options, but the Aggies are showing a lot of interest and are in a very good spot right now.-2020 TE Elijah Yelverton (6-5, 220) lived up to the hype. He has a lot of length and he is a fluid athlete with a big time catch radius. He has been adding big offer after big offer over the last few months and yesterday I saw why so did Michigan because they offered after practice. He is going to be a big target for Bishop Dunne this fall. He is currently ranked as the top TE in Texas for 2020 and he made a good case for a move up in the overall rankings. Brauny will like this, he's also a baseball guy. -It seemed like every other time I turned around Bishop Dunne 2020 ATH Jaden Hullaby was making a play. He is a big back at 6-2, 210, but he is a versatile weapon. He has played QB in the past and he has the ability to split out at receiver or to even flip over to LB this fall. I think his future is on offense on the college level. He visited A&M earlier this spring with Brennon Scott and a few others and he received a lot of good feedback. This is a guy I see as a potential A&M offer. -If you look at the 2020 rankings you will see Lancaster 2020 CB Lorando Johnson is the top ranked prospect without an A&M offer. The Aggies have expressed an interest though, and even went by to check him out this spring. He was unable to practice that day, but I hear he is being evaluated. I also hear that if an offer is placed on the table it would get his attention.-Get ready to hear the name Gavin Byers a lot. This is a guy I mentioned back in February, but he has not taken off just yet. The Colleyville Heritage OL is big, athletic, and nasty. He emphatically finished every block I saw during team drills this morning. I mean, he was pushing guys into the dirt, after he had already pushed them into the dirt. He checks in at 6-5, 260, he plays LT, and he also plays basketball. He visited A&M this spring, and his only offer right now is from New Mexico. I think more offers will be on the way before the spring is over.-Texas A&M offered Dallas South Oak Cliff 2021 LB Jai Jones earlier this spring and I got to see him for the first time yesterday. He flies to the ball and when he gets to the ballcarrier, as one person put it "he runs through their neck" He has a stout build and great instincts. He is already 6-1, 215 and he has an SEC-pedigree. -South Oak Cliff has a few 2021s to keep an eye on. Jai has a twin brother Jalen Jones (5-10, 195). He does not have the D1 size just yet but expect him to see plenty of time this fall. CB Jimmy Wyrick also made quite a few plays on the varsity level last fall and is slated to start at corner in an athletic secondary. Like Jai and Jalen, Jimmy is a high academic prospect who has NFL bloodlines. Jimmy's father, Jimmy, graduated from DeSoto and played college ball at Minnesota before spending a few years in the NFL. Wyrick received his first offer today from Utah State. -Denton Guyer 2021 QB Eli Stowers (6-3, 195) is going to have a lot of people watching closely this fall. He has already proven to be a multi-sport standout. He ran the second leg on Guyer's 4x100 team, he competed in the long jump (PB 21-8), high jump (PB 6-4), and 110 hurdles (PB handtime 14.9), and he also played on Guyer's freshman basketball team. This spring he is showing he can put some zip on the ball and as the son of a coach he has a high football IQ and work ethic. Baylor has already offered and Oklahoma State and Arkansas are coming on very strong. He also caught the attention of A&M when the Aggies went by this spring. -Denton Ryan has some 2021s who will be worth watching this fall. Everyone should make a note of WR Billy Bowman Jr if you haven't already. He was a key member of the varsity squad last fall and already has a Boston College offer. He wasn't practicing the day I went out there, because he was preparing to run on the 4x100m team at the State Track and Field Championships. RB Ke'ori Hicks checks in at 5-11, 190 and is going to push for carries even with 2020 RB Emani Bailey returning. ATH Ja'tavion Sanders (6-4, 210) could play anywhere from WR to DE and has a lot of frame to work with.
