Haslet Eaton (4-1, 1-1) at Keller (4-1, 1-1)

After knocking off Fossil Ridge last week, Eaton will now face Fossil Ridge's biggest rival in Keller High. Eaton’s spread offense heavily favors the run, and the Eagles have thrown for just 377 yards this season. Senior feature back Dawson Pell (642 yards, 5 TD) rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Fossil Ridge. Stocky linebacker Nick Cerniauskas has highlighted the Eagles 4-3 defense and has notched 28 total tackles this season.

Keller’s offense is led by senior signal-caller Sloan Henry (1,203 passing yards, 16 TD) who is an extremely accurate pocket passer. Henry has looked the way of receiver Damon Smith (616 yards, 6 TD) most often, and the lengthy receiver has surpassed over 100 yards in four of the Indians five games. Stocky Keller linebacker Sean Payne will have his hands full, pitted against Pell, who has torched defenses throughout the season.

Temple (5-0, 3-0) at Killeen (4-2, 3-1)

No. 12 Temple was tested for the first time last week, as they ousted Belton 58-55 in a shootout. The Wildcat secondary struggled to stall the Tiger passing game last week, allowing 468 yards and five touchdowns. They were, however, able to bottle up Belton’s rushing attack. That effort was led by defensive end Amir Ward and defensive tackle Ta’shoyn Johnson who have given opposing offensive lines fits this season. 

Killeen, whose only losses come to Stony Point and Midway, has been highlighted by their stout defense that shutout Harker Heights two weeks ago. Anchoring the 4-3 defense is hard-hitting linebacker Chris Ingram (62 tackles, 3 forced fumbles), who is averaging over 10 tackles a game. Offensively, the Kangaroos boast one of the better signal-callers in the district in junior James Terry (930 yards, 8 TD). Feature back Kadarius Marshall (877 rushing yards, 13 TD) has helped ease the load off of Terry and averaged eight yards per carry, creating a balanced attack that poses a tough threat to any defense. 

El Paso Coronado (4-1, 0-0) at El Paso Montwood (2-3, 0-0)

Two El Paso schools open District 1-6A play with a battle to make the playoffs. Coronado enters the game after posting consecutive shutouts and outscoring their last two opponents 77-0. The Eagle up-tempo offense heavily favors the run, led by powerful back Garrett Slaughter (576 yards, 7 TD) who has tallied 285 yards in the last two games. Big-framed linebacker Patrick Barrett (65 tackles) anchors Coronado’s 4-3 defense and has wreaked havoc for opposing offenses.

Montwood has a contrasting offensive style as they have leaned on their passing game to move the chains. Signal-caller Jason Fernandez (691 yards, 3 TD) has headed the spread offense and utilized a receiver-by-committee with no clear No. 1 target. Fernandez’s downfall has been interceptions as the quarterback has tossed eight this season. Montwood’s defense will look to linebacker Eric Ramirez (51 tackles) – a defensive playmaker – to neutralize feature back Slaughter. The Rams have lost their last three games but are given a clean slate and a chance to get back in the win column with district play beginning.

Others Worth Your Time:

Laredo Alexander (5-1, 2-0) vs. Laredo United South (2-3, 1-0)

Two undefeated Laredo teams — both highlighted by their great defenses — face off with major implications for how District 29-6A  shakes out.

Lake Dallas (4-1, 2-1) at Frisco (3-3, 3-1)

Led by their high octane offense which has averaged 38.2 points per game, Lake Dallas continues to take care of business and sits in fourth place in a top-heavy District 7-5A DII. The Falcons will look to gain some ground in the standings as they take on Frisco, whose only district loss is to No. 7 Reedy.