FINAL FIVE: Pickle’s thoughts from the Week 11 DCTF Road Tour Game of the Week between McKinney North and Mesquite Poteet

McKinney North (Photo by Wayne Gooden)

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Down in the history books

Etching a sketch into the history books of a Texas high school football program is not an easy task to endure. For the first time in program history the McKinney North Bulldogs have earned 9 wins in the regular season and have been crowned out-right district champions after flying past Mesquite Poteet, 63-21. This entire momentous season for the Bulldogs will be one that neither their program nor head coach Mike Fecci ever forgets. Speaking to coach Fecci earlier this week he explained to me that when you look at a game like this you recognize the implications that are on line, but in their program they preach focusing on each game individually and not looking ahead. This dominant win shows just how much the Bulldogs squad has bought into Fecci’s system.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The word &quot;dominate&quot; gets thrown around a lot, but <a href="https://twitter.com/MNHS_Football?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MNHS_Football</a> did just that!<a href="https://twitter.com/ashley_pickle12?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ashley_pickle12</a> shows us what McKinney North is all about.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ForeverTexas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ForeverTexas</a> <a href="https://t.co/skUQJXWGEw">pic.twitter.com/skUQJXWGEw</a></p>&mdash; FOX Sports Southwest (@FOXSportsSW) <a href="https://twitter.com/FOXSportsSW/status/1193041335390896128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2019</a></blockquote>

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Dillion Markiewicz continues to shine in 5A

Coming into this game McKinney North quarterback Dillion Markiewicz lead all of 5A in passing by over 550 yards. This stat line was showed consistently for the senior stud as he completed 17 of 24 passes for 426 yards and 4 touchdowns along with additional 2 scores on the ground. Earlier this week Bulldogs’ head coach Mike Fecci, expressed to me how happy he was that the signal caller was performing this way in his senior season. Markiewicz has had quite the path to be the sole starting quarterback for North. During his freshman season both the varsity and JV quarterbacks suffered season-ending injuries. This meant North had to look all the way down to their freshman group to find their starting varsity QB. Markiewicz remained on varsity for the years to follow but played split time on the field. This season is the first time he has been able to be the sole shot caller on the field and he has shown nothing but discipline and experience week-in and week-out.

Capitalizing on momentum

With under two minutes left in the first half McKinney North added 7 more on the board to go up 42-21. Heading into the locker room at the half, regardless of the 21-point favor towards the Bulldogs, coach Fecci said, “We are nowhere near where we need to be with this ball game by any stretch, 2nd half early is going to tell a lot. We have to come out ready to play.”  North did just that as sophomore running-back Jayden Smith ran the ball into the endzone from the 1-yard line to conclude the Bulldogs’ first offensive drive of the second half. Following this initial 2nd half score North would go on to add 21 more points in the 3rd quarter.

Defense wins championships

The offensive side of the ball for McKinney North has been the shining star this entire season averaging over 54 points per game. In this final regular season battle for the district championship title, there was no shortage of offense but the Bulldogs defense came through in an impressive fashion. North’s defense produced a 2nd half shut against a normally explosive Pirates’ offense. This disciplined group of defenders is what allowed North’s offense to take the field confidently and continue to add points on the board.

Playoffs are upon us

Get ready Texas High School Football fans, it’s officially playoff time in the Lone Star State! Make sure to visit www.texasfootball.com/playoffs to see all of your TXHSFB playoffs information. Brackets, game times, locations, predictions and so much more. For even more in depth coverage become a DCTF Insider today for exclusive insight from the best team of reporters in the Lone Star State! CLICK HERE!

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