Flower Mound Marcus (2-0) at Lewisville (3-0):

The Battle of the Axe at one point was among the state’s best rivalry games. While it might be losing a little luster, it’s still annually a must-see event. This year’s game is a district opener and features both teams walking in with an unbeaten record. Marcus had its Week 2 game called due to bad weather, but the Marauders were quite impressive in a 52-14 drubbing of Richardson Pearce in their last outing. QB Colton Nussmeier was solid throwing for 235 yards and a score, but it was the Marcus ground game that keyed things as MHS ran for 173 yards, averaging nearly six yards per carry. That balance is what will be key if Mike Alexander’s squad wants to get into the playoffs. Lewisville’s 28-21 Week 3 win over Rockwall looks much better now after Rockwall stunned North Crowley a week ago. The Farmers got 230 yards and three passing touchdowns from junior signal-caller Tre Williams and the LHS defense held Rockwall’s explosive aerial attack in check, while forcing a pair of key turnovers. Lewisville is talented enough to win a regional title this year; they’ve posted a 3-0 mark while not really playing a full four quarters of clean football. If LHS does that, they could run away and hide from Marcus. I don’t think Lewisville puts that clean game together this week, but they are getting closer. Stepp’s Pick: Lewisville by 16

South Grand Prairie (3-0, 1-0) at Arlington (3-0, 1-0): District 8-6A is going to be a battle week in and week out and two teams who expect to be right in the thick of the district title race will meet up in a game where the winner will be in the cat-bird’s seat. SGP had no trouble with Arlington Sam Houston last week as the Warriors rolled to an easy 59-10 victory. The SGP offense has been absolutely on fire early in the year, averaging 64 points per game. Even in the one game that didn’t finish up, the Warriors had put up 42 points with nearly a full quarter of action left. Arlington got pushed by a scrappy Haltom squad last week, but the Colts were able to slip away with a 28-21 win. Max Reviere scored the go-ahead touchdown for the Colts with 2:20 left in the game, the last of his three scoring runs, while the Colts defense was able to snag an interception late in the game to seal the win. The bottom line in this game is I’m not sure the Arlington High offense can keep pace with SGP. Stepp’s Pick: South Grand Prairie by 11

Killeen Harker Heights (2-2) at Waco Midway (4-0): After getting off to a strong 2-1 start with their only loss being a close game to Dripping Springs, Harker Heights’ 28-7 loss last week to 5A Midlothian was among the state’s most mystifying results of Week 4. The Knights led 7-0 after one quarter and from there, the offense simply struggled with turnovers and poor execution. They’ll need to be much, much better this week against a potent Midway squad that’s off and flying with a 4-0 start. The Panthers shockingly were minus-five in the turnover battle and trailed 21-0 early and 34-14 at the half before a dominant second half to stun Mansfield, 42-34. RB Lathan Whisenton is the headliner for the Panthers, while Harker Heights will go as far as junior QB Hudson Humble takes the Knights. Midway will match up with Harker Heights’ athleticism with a speedy defense and that unit is the difference maker in this 12-6A opener. Stepp’s Pick: Waco Midway by 6

San Antonio Brandeis (2-1) at San Antonio Johnson (3-0): District play gets rolling in 27-6A as Brandeis will look to topple what may be the best team in the San Antonio area in undefeated Johnson. BHS fell to Steele, 42-22, in their last outing as the Broncos run defense just couldn’t contain a dominant Steele ground attack. The Broncos do have one of the area’s most explosive signal-callers in QB Wynter Smith, who has put up big numbers on the ground and he continues to develop as a passer as well. Johnson closed out their non-district slate two weeks ago with a dominant neutral site win over McAllen Memorial, 38-10. The Jaguars have a three-year starter at QB in Elvis Estrada and he has a bevy of skill position players at his disposal. The key for JHS thus far in 2025 has been their improved play in the trenches on both sides of the ball and that’s going to be a potential difference maker come playoff time if the Jags want to contend in Region IV. Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Johnson by 15

Lufkin (3-1) at Barbers Hill (3-1):

Although he certainly doesn’t want to make this 9-5A Division I opener about him, there’s no doubt a lot of attention will be on Lufkin head coach Carl Abseck as he brings his state-ranked Panthers to Chambers County to take on Barbers Hill. Barbers Hill was coached by Abseck for the past several seasons before his offseason departure. On the field, Lufkin’s off to a good start winning three straight after the season opening loss to Longview, although last week got a bit dicey as the Panthers escaped with a 28-21 victory over Tyler. Facing a 4th-and-19, Lufkin QB Javion Johnson threw a 34-yard TD pass to Devon Wallace that proved be the game-winning score with just over two minutes left. Johnson tossed two touchdown passes on the night, while RB Kenneth Waters ran for two scores and had a touchdown reception for Lufkin. Barbers Hill is off to a hot start under new head coach Cody Simper. They own an impressive win over 6A Manvel and last week they rolled to an easy 43-13 win over 6A Richmond Foster. QB Brady Barrier had a strong night with two passing scores and two rushing scores to lead the Eagles attack. There’s no doubt there will be emotion on both sides in this one, but aside from the off-field storylines, this is a massive opener in district play with the winner taking a big step towards a bi-district playoff home game. Lufkin won the district in comfortable fashion and although the gap has closed, the Panthers are still the cream of the crop. Stepp’s Pick: Lufkin by 7

San Antonio Pieper (2-2, 1-0) at Smithson Valley (3-1, 1-0): A year ago in front of an over-flow crowd at Warrior Coliseum, Pieper made a statement to their older Comal ISD brothers that they were on the scene with an upset of Smithson Valley. Older brother, however, got the last laugh as Larry Hill’s squad went on to win their first state title, which was the only thing missing in a legendary resume for Coach Hill. Pieper this year has to go on the road and the Warriors once again have plenty of firepower. After two straight losses, they got right in a major way last week rolling to a 48-13 win over San Antonio Wagner. PHS raced out to a 27-0 halftime lead using stingy run defense to get the big lead and cruise in the second half. Smithson Valley made quick work of Boerne Champion as well as the Rangers rolled to a 41-14 win. SVHS led 31-7 at the half as QB Ty Knutson tossed two touchdowns and ran for another score; he added a third quarter touchdown pass as well for good measure. Smithson Valley’s front seven dominated, holding Champion to just 57 yards on the ground. That unit will have to get pressure on Pieper’s QBs this week as the Warriors WR’s will test a young SVHS secondary. If Smithson Valley’s pass rush is effective, expect the Rangers to win comfortably, but if they struggle like last year, it could turn into a shootout and that favors Pieper. Coach Hill says Smithson Valley doesn’t really have rivalry games, and every game is just as important as the previous. But if there’s a game where the Rangers have a little extra juice, this might be it.  Stepp’s Pick: Smithson Valley by 10

PSJA North (3-0, 1-0) at Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial (3-1, 2-0): The top team in the Rio Grande Valley will get their first real road test of the year as the Raiders head north to Corpus Christi to tangle with a strong Veterans Memorial squad. PSJA North has been dominant in their first three games, including two weeks ago as the Raiders tallied a 70-7 win over an overmatched Donna North squad. RB Ethan Guerra ran for 156 yards and four scores to lead a brutal Raiders ground attack that tallied eight touchdowns on the ground. Veterans Memorial last week took down Donna North 57-7 as the Eagles rushing attack, led by RB Andrew Charlebois, raced out to a big early lead and never looked back. A year ago in Pharr, PSJA North dominated a banged-up Corpus Christi Vets squad. Don’t expect a lopsided result this year, whichever defense can step up and get a key stop or two will be the difference in this one and that edge goes to PSJA North who is among the most physical teams in Region IV. Stepp’s Pick: PSJA North by 5

Melissa (2-1, 2-0) at Anna (3-0, 1-0): The contenders have separated themselves from the pretenders in 4-5A Division II and this showdown in Anna will have district title implications. After a season-opening loss to national powerhouse Don Bosco Prep from New Jersey, Melissa has been absolutely dominant the last two weeks outscoring Frisco Memorial and Frisco Liberty 146-7. QB Brett Holloway tossed four touchdown passes in the win, while sophomore RB Bear Tabor added 132 yards on the ground and three scores for the Cardinals. After getting a bye week in the opening round of district play, Anna made quite the statement last week as the Coyotes dominated Lovejoy, 45-14. QB Ziondre Williams, who led Anna to a 4A-Division I state title as a sophomore, had a monster game throwing for 268 yards and four scores and he added 180 yards rushing and a score to lead AHS. The Coyotes defense led Arizona LB commit Jaden Parker held Lovejoy scoreless in the second half as well. It’s hard to know what to make of Melissa; one of their non-district games was cancelled due to bad weather and the other was against an out-of-state powerhouse. The first two district games were against teams projected at the bottom of the standings, while Anna owns wins over Lovejoy and private school power Argyle Liberty Christian. The Anna defense has been the story early in the year and that unit is up to the task, while the offense led by Williams and head coach Seth Parr is prolific enough to sufficiently challenge a stingy Melissa defensive unit. Stepp’s Pick: Anna by 7

Iowa Colony (4-0, 1-0) at Richmond Randle (4-0, 1-0):

Defending state champion Richmond Randle was really only pushed twice a year ago, once was in the state title game against South Oak Cliff and the other was a regional final overtime win over Iowa Colony. Iowa Colony gets their shot at revenge this week as the Pioneers posted a 12-2 mark a year ago, with the only two blemishes coming against Randle. ICHS has been dominant early in the season and last week they opened district play in style with an easy 57-0 win over Baytown Lee. Houston WR commit Jayden Warren and junior QB Carson White are one of the state’s top duos in the passing game and the Pioneers, who won state in boys track last spring, will bring plenty of speed to the table. Randle rolled in their district opener last week as the Lions ripped past previously state ranked Fort Bend Marshall 51-6. RB Landen Williams-Callis followed up his six-touchdown performance in Week 2 with four rushing touchdowns, while QB Tyler Skrabanek added a pair of touchdowns through the air. The Randle defense, led TCU commit Noriel Dominguez, was dominant as well as they handled a Marshall offense that was without their QB. Randle’s physical defense has been the key in these tight games recently and as good as Iowa Colony is, it’s tough to pick against the defending champions who own a 20-game winning streak. Stepp’s Pick: Richmond Randle by 9

Quick Picks

Waxahachie (3-0, 1-0) at DeSoto (2-2, 1-0) Stepp’s Pick: Waxahachie by 4

Conroe Grand Oaks (3-1, 1-0) at The Woodlands College Park (4-0, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: The Woodlands College Park by 13

Houston Memorial (2-1) at Cypress Falls (1-2) Stepp’s Pick: Cypress Falls by 3

Austin Vandegrift (2-1, 1-0) at Cedar Park Vista Ridge (4-0, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: Austin Vandegrift by 15

Lubbock Monterey (2-2) at Amarillo (3-1) Stepp’s Pick: Lubbock Monterey by 2

Saginaw Chisholm Trail (2-2, 1-1) at Fort Worth Arlington Heights (4-0, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: Fort Worth Arlington Heights by 14

Edinburg Vela (3-1, 1-0) at McAllen (3-1, 1-0) Stepp’s Pick: Edinburg Vela by 13

Corsicana (2-2, 0-1) at Crandall (4-0, 1-0) Stepp’s Pick: Crandall by 28

Alamo Heights (4-0) at Boerne (3-1) Stepp’s Pick: Alamo Heights by 2

Mercedes (4-0) at Mission Sharyland (4-0) Stepp’s Pick: Mercedes by 5

Last Week’s Record: 13-7

Last Week’s Win %: 65.0%

Season Record: 53-27

Season Win %: 66.2%