Texas High School Football Games to Watch in 2008

A new football season is upon us, and there are thousands of games to be played before we crown the 2008 state champions. Some games, however, really jump out on the schedule and fans start talking about them several weeks before kickoff.

There are several interesting out-of-state games that really caught our eye, such as defending 4A state champion Lake Travis taking on Evangel Christian from Shreveport, Louisiana. The Texas Gridiron Classic has a lot of good match-ups, especially the Euless Trinity-John Curtis showdown. However, we are limiting this list to games between Texas schools. With that in mind, here are our top ten games to watch in Texas this season.

10. Duncanville at Odessa Permian, August 29 - Can former Lake Travis head coach Jeff Dicus right the ship in his first season at Duncanville? We may find out very quickly if his team can make a season-opening statement at Shotwell Stadium. Permian is coming off their best season in several years, and Mojo will hope to keep the momentum going in this, their only non-district game. Duncanville fans, meanwhile, will be anxious to see how their new spread offense helps a team that has high expectations despite last year's 3-7 finish.

9. Cy Ridge vs. Cy Falls, October 18 - The Berry Center will be the site for what could very well turn into the District 15-5A championship game. Although both teams will still have three games left following this showdown, Cy Ridge and Cy Falls certainly look like the class of the district in the preseason. The Rams have arguably the state's best one-two punch in quarterback Russell Shepard and tailback Hasan Lipscomb. Meanwhile, Cy Falls not only has one of the best passers in 5A in quarterback in Kolby Gray, but they also have a big, experienced offensive line to protect him. If anyone in 15-5A can take down the highly touted Rams, the Golden Eagles have the horses to do it.

8. Allen at Plano, October 17 - This is a game that almost always goes a long way towards settling the district championship. With both schools ranked in the top five in most state polls, it is very likely that could be the case again this year. Allen will be led by Texas A&M commit Uzoma Nwachukwu, who should flourish as the team's go-to receiver, especially with rising junior quarterback Matt Brown entering his second year as the starter.  Meanwhile Plano features one of the state's top offenses behind running back Rex Burkhead and receiver Kris Lott. Allen got the best of Plano last season and went on to win the district championship. Plano has homefield this year and hopes to return the favor.

7. Lake Travis at Austin Westlake, September 5 - It's a great non-district rivalry, and there are plenty of reasons to catch this year's game between the Cavaliers and the Chaparrals. Defending 4A state champion Lake Travis boasts one of the nation's best quarterbacks in Texas commit Garrett Gilbert. Coming off offseason shoulder surgery, Gilbert has looked strong this summer and has his eyes on another title, and beating his crosstown rivals would be a great way to get things going in that direction. Westlake, however, is a 5A school that would love to keep their rivals at bay like they did last season. Texas A&M commit Ryan Swope should get the ball early and often. One of the state's top running backs, Swope's ability to make plays on the ground and control the clock will be a big key if the Chaps hope to get the victory.

6. Euless Trinity at Cedar Hill, September 12 - This will be the pinnacle of a brutal non-district schedule for the Longhorns. After they open the season against Cincinnati-area power La Salle, they'll play a very strong 4A team in Wichita Falls Rider in Week 1 before this match-up with defending state champion Trinity. That's certainly how to throw new starting quarterback Driphus Jackson to the wolves, but we expect a Joey McGuire coached team to be ready for anyone. Plus, Cedar Hill gets this game at home, but will the home-field advantage be enough? Trinity looks absolutely loaded with Nebraska commit Tray Robinson leading the offense and a powerful defense led by Texas commit Eryon Barnett and Kansas pledge Earnest Norman. This will be Trinity's second game of the season, as they'll have 10 days off after their season opener against John Curtis and will likely be anxious to test themselves against a solid in-state team like the Longhorns. If Cedar Hill can knock off the Trojans, they will clearly establish themselves as one of this season's top contenders.

5. San Antonio Warren at Converse Judson, August 28 - It's a showdown for San Antonio area supremecy in Zero Week as the Warriors meet the Rockets. Points could be at a premium in this game as both teams have oustanding defenses. Warren is led by Texas commit Calvin Howell at defensive tackle, and he is one of the state's best at his position. He is backed up in the secondary by safety Joseph Bonugli, a hard-hitter who had 109 tackles and six picks last year and is starting to see scholarship offers come in from the likes of Arizona and SMU. Judson, meanwhile, will counter with an experienced defense that has six starters back from last year's impressive run to the state title game. Linebacker Chris McAllister leads the way with his great speed and leadership. Defensive backs Erik Brown and Phillip Gaines are also expected to be playmakers for the Rockets this season. Both of these schools are expected to make deep playoff runs, and this game is an excellent early test for both squads.

4. Beaumont West Brook at Galena Park North Shore, November 7 - Kudos to the schedule-makers for putting this in the final week of the season. West Brook and North Shore both look like they have district championship talent, but only one can walk away with the 21-5A crown. While we're not discounting the other teams in the district (Port Arthur Memorial, Baytown Lee, Baytown Sterling, and Channelview), these two schools definitely look like the class of the district. So, it is only fitting that a possible district championship game is set up for Week 10. North Shore has a very talented defense and a dynamic offense featuring Texas commit Barrett Matthews at tight end and a pair of explosive tailbacks in Tracy Woods and DeAundre Jones. West Brook, however, has arguably the state's best running back in Christine Michael. Besides Michael, West Brook has seven other returning offensive starters and could have one of the best offenses in the state. Michael told us this summer that while he respects the North Shore program and their players, he believes his Bruins are one of the best teams in the state and hopes to capture a district title. This is the game to prove it.

3. Plano at Temple, September 19 - This will likely be the highlight of Plano's very tough non-district schedule, which also includes Irving MacArthur, DeSoto, and Hebron. We could have just put Plano's entire schedule on this article, and it still would have been an above average list. But, we believe in spreading the wealth a little more, and this game definitely jumps out on the schedule. Wildcats versus Wildcats. Explosive running back versus explosive running back. Great tradition versus great tradition.  There will be a lot of hype going into this game because both teams are so exciting to watch and have such great fan bases. While Plano will hope to get the most out of Burkhead, Temple will look to showcase rising junior Lache Seastrunk, who could be right at the top of the 2010 recruiting rankings by his senior year. Look for a lot of big plays and emotion in this contest, as both teams will be hoping to make one last statement before beginning district play.

2. Wichita Falls Rider at Sulphur Springs, September 11 - It's not a game that would normally get a lot of press, but that is far from the case this season as two of the nation's best quarterbacks meet on a Thursday night. ESPN2 has picked up the game between the Raiders and Wildcats as they want to give the nation a look at Michigan commit Shavodrick Beaver and the very highly-recruited Tyrik Rollison. Including Beaver, Rider has 15 starters back from last year's state quarterfinalist team and could be one of the best 4A has to offer this year. Sulphur Springs, meanwhile, would love to get a big win on national television to give them some confidence before they begin a tough district slate that includes Longview, Texas High, and Marshall. Fans and television executives alike are hoping to see both teams air it out in a high scoring contest. The teams themselves, however, will most likely just be looking for a quality win no matter how they get it.

1. Galena Park North Shore at Southlake Carroll, September 27 - Remember what we said about Plano's schedule a minute ago? Ditto that for North Shore, who will play Katy, Aldine Eisenhower, Cy Falls, and La Marque before making the trip north to Dragon Stadium. The Mustangs clearly have no problem putting their 70-game regular season winning streak on the line. If they can manage to get past those first four games without a blemish and Carroll also enters this game at 4-0, expect a playoff-type atmosphere in Southlake. The Dragons could be trying to make a statement that their dynasty is alive and well while North Shore would love to keep their winning streak alive by taking down powerful Southlake, whose only regular season loss in the last six seasons came last year to Miami Northwestern, who was ranked number one in the nation. Since the beginning of the 2001 season, these two programs have combined for a record of 172-12 with five state championships. Something has to give, and only one team can make a statement. Which will it be?

There are so many games to get to, but we think these ten deserve a lot of preseason hype. Hopefully, they live up to it. We'll see in December which games turn out to be the best of the season.

Date of Article: Wed Aug 20, 2008 9:37 am

Related Content:
- Allen  - Lake Travis  - Austin Westlake  - West Brook  - Cedar Hill  - San Antonio Converse Judson  - Duncanville  - Euless Trinity  - Galena Park North Shore  - Houston Cy-Falls  - Houston Cy-Ridge  - Odessa Permian  - Plano  - Sulphur Springs  - Temple  - Wichita Falls Rider