By Tyler Tyre, Times Sports Editor
Taylor (1-4, 0-1) vs. Seven Lakes (3-2, 0-1) 6 p.m., Legacy Stadium
- Things have not gone the way the Taylor Mustangs thought they would this season. Taylor is in the midst of a four game losing streak and badly needs a bounce back win against Seven Lakes on Thursday. The Mustangs come off a loss to Morton Ranch in which they found the endzone only once and only mustered 210 yards offensively. The defense wasn’t there either for the Mustangs as Morton Ranch put up 43 points and ran for 235 yards on the ground. Things will not get easier for Taylor as it is dealing with injuries to both Joe Jefferson and Jackson Ingram at quarterback.
Seven Lakes was dealt a tough draw last week as the Spartans opened district against Katy. The team was unable to get over 200 yards of offense and only mustered three points on the night. One bright spot for the team was sophomore Barrett Hudson, who led the Spartans in both rushing and receiving. The Spartans defense couldn’t contain Katy, allowing 169 yards through the air and 281 yards on the ground. This is an extremely important game for both teams as they look to stay in the playoff race. Taylor will try to fix the errors they’ve made in their past four games and Seven Lakes will try to regain the consistency it had on offense before its setback against Katy.
Cinco Ranch (3-2, 0-1) vs. Mayde Creek (2-2), 7 p.m., Rhodes Stadium
- Cinco Ranch is now losers of two straight, but showed lots of fight against a strong Tompkins team. The defense was the biggest culprit for the Cougars, who allowed over 500 yards of offense to Tompkins, but did force two takeaways. The Cougars will also need to find a consistent running game, as they only had 23 yards on the ground on 24 carries against Tompkins. But Cinco Ranch showed promising signs as well. Gavin Rutherford did a good job of keeping plays alive and was smart with the football while Samuel McKnight and other complimentary players were able to have good days in the passing game.
Mayde Creek comes off a bye week and hope to keep developing their run game heading into district play. The Rams rushed for just 208 yards over their four non-district games but have found success in the passing game, especially with sophomore Jaylen Bragg under center. The Mayde Creek receiving core of Jordan Kelly and Leroy Turner have over 40 receptions and 450 yards on the season. The Mayde Creek defense has been good at times and will need to be strong especially in the secondary against Cinco Ranch while the Cougars will need to find success on the ground and have a good day against the Mayde Creek passing attack.
District 10-5A
Paetow (4-0, 2-0) at Milby (0-5, 0-3), 7 p.m.
- Paetow comes off its bye week to face Milby, a team which has mightily struggled this season. Paetow’s rushing attack has accumulated over 1,100 yards on the ground and 17 touchdowns, including 636 yards and 12 touchdowns from Jacob Brown. The team has also had success in the air, as C.J. Dumas has 580 yards and six touchdowns on the year while Kole Wilson has 226 yards and three touchdowns on the season. The defense hasn’t been slouches this season either, as the team held its last opponent to seven total yards and zero points. This game should serve as a nice preparation week for Paetow as they get ready for a tough schedule towards the end of the year.
Friday
District 19-6A
Katy (5-0, 1-0) vs. Tompkins (5-0, 1-0), 6 p.m., Legacy Stadium
- The big game is here, as Katy and Tompkins will meet for the first time since the Falcons beat the Tigers last season and won the District 19-6A crown. The two also come into the matchup as the only undefeated teams in the district. Katy comes off a drubbing of Seven Lakes in which Caleb Koger passed for 141 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions. The Tigers seem to have found a nice balance at running back, as Dallas Glass ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, while Seth Davis rushed for 76 yards on 11 carries in the game and at receiver Antonio Silva had a very strong game, as the senior caught five passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns.
Tompkins also had a very strong game in its district opener against Cinco Ranch. Cole Francis passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns, Josh McMillan had 98 yards receiving and Wyatt Young had a strong day catching the ball while Caleb Blocker and Collin Marshall had good days at running back. The defense stepped up as well, limiting Cinco Ranch to under 25 yards on the ground. Tompkins will need to continue their strong defensive performance and hope to create turnovers. Katy will hope to continue their dominance on both sides of the ball and protect the football as the Tigers seek to avenge last year’s loss.
Non-District
Jordan (1-4) vs. Hitchcock (2-2), 7 p.m., Rhodes Stadium
- Jordan wasn’t able to get back in the win column when it faced Lake Belton as the team lost a heartbreaker one possession game for the second straight week. The Warriors are now 1-4 in their inaugural varsity season and will continue to gain experience and learn how to win as their first season progresses. Hitchcock comes into the game at 2-2 and won its last matchup against Houston Christian 34-14 in a strong offensive performance. The Bulldogs also have a win over Van Vleck this season but have lost to East Bernard and La Marque.