Duncanville (4-0, 2-0) at Waxahachie (4-1, 1-1): Duncanville will look to continue its dominance in 11-6A as the Panthers take on a solid and improving Waxahachie squad after the district took last week off.

Duncanville annihilated Cedar Hill two weeks ago, 56-0, as the Panthers allowed just two first downs and 55 yards of total offense in the victory. LSU RB commit Caden Durham ran for 90 yards and three touchdowns and QB Keelon Russell completed all nine of his passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns, with LSU commit Dakorien Moore catching two of them.

Waxahachie went toe to toe with DeSoto for a half last week, but the Indians didn’t have enough firepower in a 56-35 loss. QB Ramon McKinney, Jr. had a strong night throwing for 192 yards and two scores while adding 112 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

There are no weaknesses on this Duncanville team. Aside from its showdown against DeSoto in a couple of weeks, there may not be a team on the schedule that stays within three touchdowns of the Panthers.

Waxahachie stays competitive for a half before the Duncanville onslaught gets going.

Stepp’s Pick: Duncanville by 28

Willis (6-0, 4-0) at The Woodlands College Park (3-2, 3-0): Willis will look to continue its demolition of 13-6A this week, but the Wildkats expect a stiff challenge from College Park, whiich has gotten off to a hot start under first year head coach Kyle Coats.

Willis set a school record for points last week as it obliterated an overmatched Cleveland squad, 75-14. Florida commit QB DJ Lagway has led the WildKats to at least 45 points in all six games this season and they’ve topped the 60-point mark in three straight weeks.

College Park has gotten things in gear on offense during this three-game winning streak as the Cavaliers rolled to a 51-14 win over Conroe Caney Creek. That was just a week after putting up 70 points in a win over Cleveland. WR Conner Dunphy had a big night with 169 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns in the victory over Caney Creek.

This will be Willis’ biggest test by far as the schedule down the stretch gets much tougher for the ‘Kats, but this offense is more than just Lagway, and the defense has been better than expected.

Stepp’s Pick: Willis by 12

Humble Summer Creek (5-0, 2-0) at Galena Park North Shore (5-0, 2-0): District 21-6A is starting to heat up for second ranked North Shore as the Mustangs face their second straight game against a state ranked opponent in No. 10 Summer Creek.

Summer Creek’s defense has been among the best in the state this year as the Bulldogs allow just 10 points per game. After back-to-back shutouts, the SCHS defense did yield points last week in a dominant 42-15 win over Humble High. QB Blake Thomas accounted for three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the first half as the Bulldogs raced out to a 35-3 halftime lead.

The challenge this week is their biggest of the season as North Shore looks to be hitting on all cylinders after blasting C.E. King 42-6 last week to extend their district winning streak to 38-games.

The Mustangs were led by QB Kaleb Bailey, who had three touchdown passes and ran for another touchdown in the lopsided win for the Mustangs.

North Shore has made a habit of starting fast and putting teams away quickly, that won’t happen this week so expect this to be a game well into the second half. But Bailey and that North Shore offense is just too explosive, and they’ve got enough weapons to get the edge on a really good Summer Creek squad that’s a threat in Region III in 6A-Division II.

Stepp’s Pick: Galena Park North Shore by 15

San Antonio Brandeis (3-3, 2-2) at San Antonio Churchill (4-1, 2-1): Injuries at key positions have derailed what was a promising season for Brandeis and now the Broncos are basically facing a must-win this week as their playoff hopes would fade quickly with a loss to Churchill.

Brandeis’ defense simply had no answers for an explosive San Antonio Johnson offense in a 46-20 loss to the Jaguars on Saturday night. QB Lincoln Philyaw was unable to finish the game and WR Tre Pepito stepped in and finished the game at QB. RB Noah Logsden led the Broncos with 125 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

Churchill’s defense was sensational last week slowing down a potent ground game in a 29-13 win over San Antonio Roosevelt. RB Nicolai Pari ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Chargers offense.

Churchill’s defense will be the difference in this one and against a banged-up Brandies squad. The Chargers all but extinguish Brandeis’ playoff hopes.

Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Churchill by 11

La Porte (5-1, 4-0) at Port Arthur Memorial (5-0, 3-0): Surprising La Porte is rolling in Kevin Berneathy’s second season and that’s despite the Bulldogs not having a home stadium while their facility is being completely rebuilt.

They’ll face what is certainly their toughest test of the year as they head down to Port Arthur to tangle with state ranked Port Arthur Memorial.

La Porte has lived dangerous the last two weeks as they’ve had back-to-back seven-point wins over Barbers Hill and Humble Kingwood Park. After leading 27-14 in the third quarter, the Bulldogs needed overtime to get past Kingwood Park 34-27 as RB Ricky Sandolph led the charge with four rushing touchdowns.

Port Arthur Memorial had some trouble with struggling Crosby last week as it led just 35-31 going into the fourth quarter before the Titans exploded for four touchdowns in the final quarter. Ja’Coryn Baker ran for two scores and the Titans defense had a pair of interception returns in the victory.

La Porte’s Wing-T offense will give Port Arthur fits, but the Titans are so talented and dynamic I expect them to pull away down the stretch.

Stepp’s Pick: Port Arthur Memorial by 17

Mansfield Summit (3-2, 2-0) at Midlothian Heritage (5-0, 2-0): First-place in 5-5A Division II is on the line as a talented Mansfield Summit squad visits state ranked Midlothian Heritage after both teams were on their bye last week.

Summit rolled past Burleson in their last outing, 49-11, as RB Amare Burgess ran for 289 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Jaguars offense, while the defense led by California commit DL Legend Journey dominated a struggling Burleson attack.

Summit’s secondary has been vulnerable against dynamic passing attacks. It will have iits hands full against a Midlothian Heritage offense that always executes at a high-level.

Midlothian Heritage (also the Jaguars) rolled past Joshua, 56-10, last week as five different players found the end zone and the defense did not allow any passing yards to Joshua.

If Summit can get pressure on Midlothian Heritage’s QB and not allow downfield routes to develop, they’ll have a shot. But if the Heritage OL protects, it’ll be a long night for Summit.

Stepp’s Pick: Midlothian Heritage by 8

Texas City (4-1, 1-1) at Fort Bend Marshall (4-1, 1-1): Second place and a home game in the bi-district round of the playoffs is likely on the line in this matchup as both Texas City and Fort Bend Marshall are looking up in the standings at Port Neches-Groves.

Texas City fell to PNG last week, 38-23, as the Stingarees offense was able to move the ball and hang as they trailed by just five late, but the defense late in the game wore down.

Fort Bend Marshall’s offense has continued to struggle finding an identity most of the year. Two weeks ago, the Buffs fell to PNG, 7-0, and were only able to put up a 28-7 win last week against a struggling Santa Fe defense.

What Fort Bend Marshall does have is a state championship level defense and that unit is the difference in this matchup.

Stepp’s Pick: Fort Bend Marshall by 10

Quick Picks

El Paso Eastwood (4-1, 3-0) at El Paso Americas (4-2, 3-1) Stepp’s Pick: El Paso Eastwood by 10

Aldine Nimitz (5-0, 2-0) at Spring Westfield (3-2, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: Spring Westfield by 16

Dickinson (4-1, 1-0) at Clear Falls (3-3, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: Dickinson by 4

San Antonio Harlan (6-0, 4-0) vs San Antonio Sotomayor (4-1, 2-1) Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Harlan by 21

Harlingen (4-1) at Weslaco (5-0) Stepp’s Pick: Harlingen by 2

Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (4-1, 2-0) at Victoria West (2-3, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial by 9

Abilene Wylie (3-2) at Plainview (4-1) Stepp’s Pick: Abilene Wylie by 14

Belton (6-0, 2-0) at Leander Rouse (4-1, 1-0) Stepp’s Pick: Belton by 6

San Antonio Pieper (4-1, 1-0) at Kerrville Tivy (5-1, 1-1) Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Pieper by 3

Mission Sharyland Pioneer (5-0) at Mission Veterans Memorial (2-3) Stepp’s Pick: Mission Sharyland Pioneer by 7

Last Week Record: 16-4 80.0%

Season Record: 83-37 69.2%