Texas Football

By Travis Stewart/Texas Football -- Hangover from Week 0?

We move onto Week 1 of the high school football season knowing that from here on out, Thursday nights will never be the same. The opening salvo of games always carries a strong Thursday presence, but things fall back to normal pretty quickly once the luster of Week 0 has come and gone. Now it's all about winning, which is exactly where we'll start: a team that expected to get a win last week, but didn't. How it responds tonight will give us an idea of how far it needs to come to live up to its preseason ranking.

The Thursday Headliner:
Arlington Martin at South Garland, 7:00 PM
Notes: Arlington Martin struggled on offense last week, falling to a Plano West squad that many outlets — including us — didn't see as a playoff contender in 2009. Sporting at least four major college recruits, two on both sides of the ball, Martin was supposed to offer an athletic backfield with an attacking defense, but only the latter half showed up a week ago. The major issue now, beyond its precarious spot in the 5A top 25s, is that South Garland's defense and ball control running attack, headed by John Lacour, is the exact wrong kind of style to see if your offense is trying to find its way. Martin underperformed a week ago, but even if it plays at a high level tonight it might not win on the road. 
DCTF's Pick: South Garland 21, Arlington Martin 20
Jerry Forrest's Pick: Arlington Martin by 5

Class 5A Games:

Region I:
EP Americas at Onate (NM), 8:00 PM 

Mayfield (NM) at EP Montwood, 8:00 PM 

Hereford at Amarrillo Tascosa, 7:30 PM

Bethel (WA) at Odessa Permian, 7:30 PM

Boswell at Keller Central, 7:00 PM

Region II:
Dallas Seagoville at Dallas Sunset, 7:00 PM

FB Marshall at Klein Forest, 7:00 PM

Huntsville at The Woodlands College Park, 7:30 PM

Austin Akins at Austin McCallum, 7:00 PM

Region III:
Aldine MacArthur at Houston Chavez, 7:00 PM

FB Dulles at Katy Seven Lakes, 7:00 PM
Notes: FB Dulles' one-point win over Alief Hastings last week was a great opener to the season, and considering it scored a rare 20+ points for FBISD last weekend (check the scores, you'll see!) it should be delighted with the result. But Katy Seven Lakes dropped Kempner in Week 0, a mild upset. Can Dulles avoid being the second Spartan victim in a row? 
DCTF's Pick: Katy Seven Lakes 31, FB Dulles 28
Jerry Forrest's Pick: Katy Seven Lakes by 3

Houston Milby at Houston Northbrook, 7:00 PM

Houston Westbury at Houston Sharpstown, 7:00 PM

Houston Waltrip at Pasadena, 6:00 PM

Region IV:
Boerne Champion at SA Brandeis, 7:00 PM

Juarez-Lincoln at Laredo Johnson, 7:00 PM

Donna at Brownsville Rivera, 7:00 PM

McAllen Rowe at PSJA North, 7:00 PM
Notes: This is where on DCTF Game Day crew will be tonight, as Dennis Hall makes his first appearance on our new state-wide TV program on Fox Sports Southwest. Search for our programming on FSSW, and listen in to Dennis talk about how McAllen Rowe needs a win tonight after a disappointing opener with Edinburg Economedes. PSJA North, on the other hand, looked good running the ball against an overmatched Donna squad. North gets the nod.
DCTF's Pick: PSJA North 31, McAllen Rowe 20 
Jerry Forrest's Pick: PSJA North by 20

Class 4A Games:

Region I:
Gadsden at EP Jefferson, 8:00 PM

MacArthur (OK) at Wichita Falls, 7:00 PM

FW Eastern Hills at Dallas Wilson, 7:00 PM

Arlington Seguin at Mesquite Poteet, 7:00 PM
Notes: Both of these groups started off a mildly surprising 1-0 last week, especially Seguin, which scored 40 points on offense and looked plenty better on both sides of the ball than many of its highly-regarded city counterparts. Playing on the road this week shouldn't phase them, even against Poteet.
DCTF's Pick: Arlington Seguin 29, Mesquite Poteet 24
Jerry Forrest's Pick: Arlington Seguin by 8

Region II:
Dallas Madison at Dallas Kimball, 7:00 PM

Dallas Conrad at Dallas Smith, 7:00 PM

Region III:
Houston North Forest at Houston Reagan, 7:00 PM

Region IV:
SA Southside at SA Sam Houston, 7:00 PM

Small-school games:

Region I:
West vs. Troy, 7:30 (Waco)
Notes: West didn't have a strong showing last week, but Troy, which was outscored by 32 points in Week 0, wasn't too much better. Both of these teams want to right the ship with a win, but more importantly, neither wants to get blown out again.
DCTF's Pick: West 31, Troy 29
Jerry Forrest's Pick: West by 6