Denton Guyer (2-2, 1-0) at Coppell (3-0, 1-0):

 Things really heat up in District 5-6A as two of the favorites collide in a matchup of state-ranked teams. Guyer opened district play in dominant fashion as the Wildcats blasted Flower Mound 49-7. The running game was key with Carter Morgan and Kaedyn Cobbs combining for 246 yards and three scores on the ground, while junior QB Zephyr Kreye added three rushing scores of his own. Guyer’s defense was outstanding as well forcing three turnovers. A young Coppell team is maturing rapidly before our eyes as the Cowboys posted a strong 37-23 win over Hebron last week. QB Carter Zingelmann ran for three touchdowns and added 132 yards through the air, while RB’s Dylan McAfee and Jayden George ran for a total of 158 yards and a score on the ground. Both teams have big strengths on the defensive side of the ball. Whichever offense can make some hay gets the edge. Guyer’s lack of a passing game concerns me and this could be the time Coppell’s young QB Zingelmann breaks out. Stepp’s Pick: Coppell by 6

Longview (2-2, 0-0) at Rockwall (3-2, 1-0): Coming off a bye week, Longview gets to join the fray in what many believe is the state’s toughest district in 10-6A. The Lobos come in at 2-2 but could easily be 4-0 with three-point losses to South Oak Cliff and Louisiana powerhouse Ruston. Two weeks ago, the Lobos headed across state lines and fell in a 38-35 heartbreaker to Ruston, which is one of the top five teams in the state. ATH Jacaiden Davis continues to make an impact for the Lobos as he threw a touchdown pass to sophomore WR Jaden Hurndon; and he added a touchdown run. Longview’s offense has been a bit inconsistent and a part of that has been that despite having four capable ball carriers, the running game hasn’t been able to dominate games. Rockwall raced out to a big lead last week in its 48-31 win over previously unbeaten Royse City. QB Brent Rickert threw for 239 yards and two scores while adding a touchdown on the ground as he spread the ball around to nine different receivers. The key in this game will be Rockwall’s front seven. There’s no secret Longview wants to be physical and run the football. If Rockwall’s front can hold up to the constant pounding, they’ll win the game. That is always easier said than done when taking on the Lobos. Stepp’s Pick: Longview by 9

The Woodlands College Park (5-0, 3-0) at Willis (4-1, 3-0):

First place in 13-6A is on the line as surprising College Park head north to Yaites Stadium where they’ll tangle with a Willis squad looking for its third straight district title. College Park’s offense has been dynamic led by QB Camden Hughes, but they’ve got playmakers on both sides of the ball. RB Duke Stephens is a versatile playmaker out of the backfield and WR’s Jordan Styles and Julian Cromartie make it happen in the outside. The Cavs defense may be their strength with two elite sophomore DTs in RJ Wyms and Jordyn Grant and FS Marco Beltran, who can make plays on defense and in the return game. With Willis, you what the job is and that is to try and find a way to slow down Texas commit ATH Jermaine Bishop. Willis lines him up at multiple offensive positions and he’ll even see action on the defensive side of the ball as well. Willis will look in this game to protect freshman QB Lincoln Frazier and lining Bishop up at RB and QB is the best way to do that. The question will be can the Willis offensive line block College Park’s ferocious defensive line? Another question for CPHS will be the status of QB who left last week’s game with an injury and did not return; will he play this week?  I picked against Willis two weeks ago against The Woodlands. I’m not making that mistake again this week. Jermaine Bishop steals the show. Stepp’s Pick: Willis by 5

Bridgeland (3-1, 1-0) vs Cypress Springs (3-1, 0-1):

It’s a Saturday night showdown in Cy-Fair ISD as Bridgeland looks to take another step towards a 16-6A title as they take on a very talented Cy Springs squad coming off a disappointing district opening loss last week. Bridgeland is fresh off a bye week after they opened district play in style with a 56-14 win over Houston Langham Creek. DB Camden Buchanan got a pick-six for BHS on the second play of the game to get things started for Bridgeland and they never looked back. Then on Bridgeland’s first offensive snap, Tyler Begal tossed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Henry Soine, so it was as fast a start as you can get two weeks ago. Begal would throw four first half touchdown passes for the Bears in the rout. Cy Springs dug themselves a 21-7 halftime hole against Cy Ranch but rallied in the second half to tie the game before allowing the game-winning score with less than five minutes remaining. Houston commit ATH Paris Melvin had a pair of touchdown runs to lead the Panthers offense. Cy Springs’ team speed will be a big challenge for Bridgeland, but the difference will be the front play for Bridgeland as the Bears have a big edge. Stepp’s Pick: Bridgeland by 8

Humble Atascocita (2-2, 0-1) vs Humble Summer Creek (4-0, 1-0):

It’s not only a battle for Humble ISD bragging rights, but it’s a key 23-6A matchup as Atascocita will look to avoid a stunning 0-2 start in district play against an absolutely loaded Summer Creek bunch. Last week offense wasn’t the issue, it was the AHS defense that struggled in a 70-55 loss to Houston C.E. King. Atascocita allowed nearly 700 yards of total offense, including 582 yards rushing. The positive news is Arizona State commit ATH Cardae Mack did return to the lineup for Atascocita. Summer Creek absolutely drilled Channelview last week, 73-0, as the Bulldogs scored three defensive touchdowns, while QB Noah Spinks tossed three touchdown passes in the first half. Summer Creek’s starters were resting early third quarter as the game was a total mismatch. Atascocita will throw the kitchen sink at Summer Creek to try and get stops, but Summer Creek’s defense is really the key as both offensive units are dynamic. Stepp’s Pick: Humble Summer Creek by 7

Amarillo (4-1, 1-0) at Abilene (3-2, 1-0):

It doesn’t get any easier for Amarillo High in 2-5A Division I as the Sandies this week take the long road trip to Shotwell Stadium to tangle with Abilene High in a game with district title implications. Amarillo last week opened up district play in impressive fashion taking down defending district champion Lubbock Monterey 37-21. The Sandies had to get creative on the offensive side of the ball as their two WR’s were out with injuries, WR Tate Blackwell chipped in hauling in two touchdown passes from QB Jett Lopez and he scored a touchdown on the ground. Amarillo also leaned more heavily into the running game as a team tallying 252 yards with RB Jude Dunavin leading the way with 150 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Abilene took the load road trip up to Amarillo last week and the Eagles rolled to a 42-7 win over Amarillo Caprock. It was a balanced effort from Abilene’s offense with Brayden Henry and Tristan Beal each tossing two touchdown passes, while John Rangel caught a TD pass from each signal caller. Beal and Ethan Joyner each added scores on the ground as well. Abilene rolled up 452 yards of offense in the win and even more encouraging was Abilene’s defense put together a strong effort. It’s tough for the away teams in 2-5A Division I, Shotwell Stadium will be rocking with Amarillo coming to town and Abilene’s team speed and home field advantage will be the edge for the Eagles. Stepp’s Pick: Abilene by 13

Frisco (3-0, 2-0) vs Frisco Lone Star (5-0, 3-0): It’s an all-Frisco ISD affair and a battle of unbeatens as fresh off their bye week Frisco High looks to take down state-ranked Lone Star. In their last outing two weeks ago FHS doubled up Frisco Heritage, 56-28, as the Racoons offense used a balanced effort to pull away in the second half. Frisco’s defense forced three turnovers, with the biggest play coming in the second quarter when Harrison Hicks returned a Heritage fumble 42 yards for a score giving Frisco a two-score lead at 27-14 and they never looked back. Lone Star has been absolutely dominant early on this year and that was on full display last week in a 54-7 rout of Frisco Heritage. Sophomore QB Trey Wright completed all nine of his passes for 213 yards and two scores and he added 103 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Florida commit ATH Davian Groce made his return to the lineup, and it was impressive as he had nine receptions for 215 yards and two scores. The Lone Star defense was impressive as well holding Heritage to just 135 yards of offense on the night. Frisco High is an improved team and will be in the playoff discussion, but Lone Star’s on a different level at the moment. Stepp’s Pick: Frisco Lone Star by 18

Amarillo Palo Duro (3-1, 0-0) at Wichita Falls Memorial (4-1, 0-1): After one week of district play, things have been thrown into disarray in 2-5A Division II with two of the district favorites taking surprising losses last week. Amarillo Palo Duro was immune from the chaos last week as the Dons were idle and now they leave the Amarillo city limits for the first time to take on Wichita Falls Memorial on the road. Palo Duro made a statement in their final non-district tune-up as they rolled past Amarillo High 35-14. QB/DB Julian Reese had a touchdown run and tallied 116 yards of offense and he picked a pass off on defense, North Carolina commit Darien Lewis did a little bit of everything with 68 rushing yards, 69 receiving yards and he threw a touchdown pass on a trick play, he also tallied double digit tackles as well. Memorial went on the road last week and took a surprising loss to upstart Abilene Cooper, 42-27. The Mavericks inability to stop the run was a major concern and will have to get cleaned up this week along with the three turnovers. WR Jamari Dean had a monster game in a losing effort with seven catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Expect an inspired Memorial effort this week and Palo Duro didn’t play well on the road a year ago, giving the edge to the Mavericks in what should be a barn burner. Stepp’s Pick: Wichita Falls Memorial by 4

Lovejoy (2-2, 1-1) at Melissa (3-1, 3-0): After a very disappointing 45-14 loss to Anna two weeks ago, Lovejoy will look to climb back into the district title race this week as they visit a surging Melissa squad fresh off a statement win over previously unbeaten Anna. QB Jacob Janacek has been outstanding for LHS early on, but the Leopards defense and running game have struggled and that’s been a major concern early on. Can they get that fixed against a very physical Melissa bunch? After two blowout wins to open district play, we learned plenty about the Cardinals in their 40-34 win over Anna last week as QB Brett Holloway emerged as Melissa’s key offensive weapon with 167 yards passing and two scores and 124 yards rushing and three scores. Sophomore RB Jeremiah “Bear” Tabor added 102 yards rushing and a score. Melissa’s depth and solid play up front on both sides of the ball neutralizes Lovejoy’s passing game and the Cardinals win by two scores to set up a looming showdown with state-ranked Prosper Walnut Grove. Stepp’s Pick: Melissa by 13

Huntsville (2-2, 1-0) at Port Neches-Groves (4-0, 1-0): After a slow start against a tough non-district schedule, Huntsville started things off last week with a 38-21 win over an improved New Caney West Fork squad that used a ball-control offense to keep the Hornets off the field. RB Trae’Shawn Brown ran for 177 yards and four scores to lead the way, while QB Zay Adolphe threw a touchdown pass as well. The Hornets defense, especially in the second and third quarters, played well also. One concern was HHS missed four PATs two kicks and a pair of two-point tries on their first four scores. They can’t expect to give points away against a team like PNG. The Indians opened up district play in resounding fashion by blasting Montgomery Lake Creek, 45-21. The score doesn’t tell the whole story as PNG led 42-0 at halftime on the strength of five Connor Bailey touchdown passes to three different PNG wideouts. The Indians played backups for the majority of the second half. Huntsville has the playmakers and talent to push PNG and they felt like they should have won last year’s game. But consistency is lacking early for Huntsville, plus this game is on the road and that’s a tough road trip to the Golden Triangle. Stepp’s Pick: Port Neches-Groves by 16

Quick Picks

El Paso Eastlake (3-2, 1-0) vs El Paso Eastwood (4-1, 1-0) Stepp’s Pick: El Paso Eastwood by 2

Waco Midway (4-1, 0-1) at Killeen Shoemaker (5-0, 1-0) Stepp’s Pick: Waco Midway by 3

Klein (4-1, 2-1) at Tomball (3-1, 1-1) Stepp’s Pick: Klein by 1

Pearland Dawson (4-1, 3-0) vs Pearland (5-0, 3-0) Stepp’s Pick: Pearland by 10

Cibolo Steele (4-1, 1-0) at San Antonio East Central (1-4, 0-1) Stepp’s Pick: Cibolo Steele by 28

Beaumont West Brook (4-0, 0-0) at Lufkin (3-2, 0-1) Stepp’s Pick: Lufkin by 8

San Antonio Southwest (4-0, 2-0) at San Antonio Southside (3-2, 2-1) Stepp’s Pick: San Antonio Southwest by 11

Harlingen South (3-2, 2-1) at PSJA North (4-0, 2-0) Stepp’s Pick: PSJA North by 17

Arlington Seguin (5-0, 3-0) at Mansfield Timberview (3-2, 2-1) Stepp’s Pick: Mansfield Timberview by 6

Last Week’s Record: 12-8

Last Week’s Win %: 60.0%

Season Record: 65-35

Season Win %: 65.0%