Odessa Permian (1-1) at Southlake Carroll (2-0):
There will be a lot of state championships on the field at Dragon Stadium in Southlake on Friday – 14 to be exact. There will also be a lot of outstanding players as both teams have sights set on deep playoff runs in 2018.

Permian played DeSoto tough in Week 1 and had to take the 300-mile trip out west to El Paso and looked sluggish. The Panthers found a way to pull away late knocking off El Paso Franklin 43-27. Justin Hammond led the way for the Panthers with 147 receiving yards and two scores, 57 rushing yards and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the win. RB Ed Williams had another solid game as well chipping in 190 rushing yards and two scores.

After a slow start on offense in Week 1, Southlake Carroll got it going last week and rolled past Colleyville Heritage 42-17 as QB Will Bowers had 259 yards of offense and two scores, while the SLC defense forced three Colleyville turnovers. Look for star RB Cam McDaniel to have a big game in this one for Southlake Carroll. He’s been solid but hasn’t broken out with a big game yet this year. That big Dragons offensive line could wear Permian down in the second half, especially considering it’s the Panthers’ second straight 300-mile road trip.
Stepp’s Pick: Southlake Carroll by 13

Allen (2-0) at Coppell (2-0):
The last team to hand Allen a regular season loss was Coppell all the way back in Kyler Murray’s sophomore year. That’s how long Allen has been dominant. In fact the Eagles have lost just two games since that defeat in 2012. They continued that dominance last week by easily dispatching of Salt Lake City East, 52-20, as Theo Wease hauled in two touchdown passes and the Allen defense totally dominated their opponents from out of state. Allen’s defense hasn’t received the attention that the offense generates, but the Eagles through two weeks have been a brick wall, making it tough for opposing offenses to even generate a first down. Coppell went to the running game early and often last week in the wet weather as Ryan Hirt ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Cowboys to an easy 41-7 win over Hurst Bell.

Traditionally, Coppell has given Allen some trouble and played the Eagles closer than most on a fairly consistent basis, so I expect this one to be close for a while but Allen’s depth and penchant for big plays will be the difference.
Stepp’s Pick: Allen by 11

Copperas Cove (2-0) at Belton (1-1):
District play gets rolling in District 12-6A as old rivals Copperas Cove and Belton get reacquainted Friday night. Copperas Cove is off to a 2-0 start under new head coach Jack Alvarez after the Bulldawgs knocked off Manor in a slugfest 7-6 on Friday.

CCHS’ offense was hampered all night with penalties and turnovers and escaped with a win due to a missed PAT by Manor. Belton was supposed to take on Round Rock Thursday night on the road, but the weather had other ideas forcing this game to be moved to Friday night in Belton.

The Tigers started a little slow but got rolling in a big way with a 45-24 win led by QB Connor Carouthers who threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns to pace a Belton offense that rolled up over 500 yards. Copperas Cove is unbeaten but haven’t really played a team near Belton’s level, so it is hard to tell where the Bulldawgs are in the early portion of Alvarez’s tenure. Belton, on the other hand, appears battle-tested after a solid showing in a Week 1 loss to Austin Westlake and a big win last week. Belton’s dynamic offense will be the key in this matchup. Look for the Tigers to jump out quick on Cove and put the ‘Dawgs behind the curve early.
Stepp’s Pick: Belton by 10