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: Allen vs. Duncanville
There is nothing like playoff time in Texas high school football, and we are down to the final few weekends. Allen and Duncanville face off on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in a battle of unbeatens, and we break it all down for you in this week's TexAgs Game of the Week.
Monday morning recruiting notes
I've talked to 3-4 commits since Saturday. The loss doesn't seem to have affected the morale amongst the commits. It's actually sort of galvanized them. You saw Scooby Carter even tweet something about how he can't wait to come in and make an impact. As usual, the recruits handle losses better than most fans. -Jason put out a note on Marcus Banks commitment date, and I'm certain he'll be a main target at corner to close the class. However, he's not the only one. Illinois commit Marquez Beason remains in the conversation as does junior college standouts Elijah Blades (Oregon), DJ Daniel (South Carolina), and I continue to hear LSU pledge Dreshun Miller has reciprocated interest. It's pretty clear that A&M has made getting immediate impact at corner a priority.-We've heard murmurs of Florida based commits Adrian Medley and Tarian Lee scheduling visits elsewhere. If that happens, I think the A&M staff would take that as a reason to continue to recruit/push guys at their respective positions. With about two months to early signing day, taking visits this late can be nefarious propositions. -I'm doing some more digging on a pair of underclass prospects that may have some upcoming news. As soon as I get more intel, I'll post that note later today.
A few late night recruiting notes
I posted in another thread on Ft Bend Dulles ATH Ainias Smith. I've spoken to two more sources over the course of the night, and it sounds like it's being communicated to those in Fort Bend County that Smith is extremely valued by Jimbo Fisher and staff. This jives with what our TA recruiting staff has heard. It sounding more and more like it's a real possibility that Smith lands in College Station. We'll have more as/if it develops. Looch and I both agreed on the Beliucci Hour today that Marcus Stripling likely lands somewhere other than A&M. Some information I received late this evening would back up that sentiment. Things could still change as Terry Price is expected to see Stripling play in person this weekend. I'd expect Fort Myers (FL) DL Derick Hunter to get a strong push down the stretch. Elijah Robinson was in Florida during the bye week. Communication continues between A&M and Marquez Beason and Marcus Banks as well as the junior college corners I wrote about the other day. This comes in the face of the flirtation by Bobby Wolfe with other programs. I also learned late tonight that Wolfe may not in the best standing at Houston Madison. We'll work on getting more info tomorrow. The Aggies are already searching the country for 2020 linebackers, and they're targeting some of the best. Washington (DC) blue chip Mekhail Sherman is extremely high on their list. The Aggies will be fighting just about everyone in the country for his services. A&M will work to get him on campus possibly after NSD. Sherman just had surgery this week. I'm unsure how long he'll be out.I've also heard murmurs that one of the top underclassmen on the west coast has interest in taking a trip to College Station to see a couple of sports on the A&M campus. I'll wait until the talks get more serious before getting more detailed.
A few Monday morning recruiting quick hitters
-We are hearing Jimbo will be at North Shore today to see 2020 RB Zach Evans as well as OL Damieon George and the rest of North Shore's college minor league team. Evans did not make it to Austin over the weekend.-Terry Price will see Independence CC OLB Kuony Deng today then hit Katy ISD over the weekend to see Braedon Mowry, David Ugwoegbu, and Marcus Stripling. -I've been told that offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey will be in Georgia this weekend to see Kenyon Jackson, Zach Calzada, and 2020 LB Phillip Webb. -Be on the lookout for LB commit Tarian Lee to take a visit soon. I've heard Purdue is a possibility. -Though nothing has been officially set up, I continue to hear what Jason has been reporting about Marquez Beason. That line of communication remains open. -I've also heard Dickinson TE Jalen Wydermyer is inching closer and closer to announcing a final decision. One source in Dickinson thinks it could happen before the end of the HS season, but until I get more supporting intel, I still believe he'll wait until his season is done. -DC Mike Elko will be in DFW for a few stops this weekend. I'm told he check on the DB commits up there ( Brian Williams and Demani Richardson) as well as some top 2020's like Darius Snow and Chris Thompson.