Thursday

District 19-6A

Mayde Creek (2-5, 0-3) vs. Morton Ranch (3-4, 1-2), 6 p.m., Legacy Stadium

• Mayde Creek and Morton Ranch are both in need of wins, but for different reasons.
  Mayde Creek, is likely out of the playoff race after starting district with losses to Cinco Ranch, Kat and Taylor but is playing for pride. The Rams are figuring out how to be a winning team and had bright spots against Taylor last week but also made mistakes that come with being a young team. The Rams are learning and working to get better on both sides of the ball while creating consistency within the program.
  For Morton Ranch, this is a must win game. The Mavericks got a big win over Taylor to open district play, but since then have lost to Seven Lakes in a heartbreaker and were blown out by Tompkins last week. Morton Ranch was unable to muster a point against the Falcons while Tompkins rattled off 33 points in just the second and third quarters.
  The Mavericks need a win to have any shot of making the playoffs, and even then, it will be an uphill battle.

District 10-5A, Div. I

Paetow (7-0, 5-0) vs. Hightower 6-1, 5-0), 7 p.m., Rhodes Stadium

• This week is the big one for Paetow, as the top two teams in District 10-5A, Division I will face off with first place on the line. Paetow comes off a 74-0 trouncing of Terry, in which the Panthers put up double digit points in every quarter. Daymyrion Phillips rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns and Paetow had seven rushing touchdowns in total while C.J. Dumas had 94 yards passing and two touchdowns, completing 8 of 13 attempts. Hightower comes off a 61-0 win over Kempner and has boasted a strong defense all season, as the team has given up under seven points on average through their seven games this season. Sophomore quarterback Kendron Penson Jr. has been a revelation for the team, he is averaging over 200 yards through the air per game and 25 yards on the ground. Fellow sophomore Jeremy Payne is averaging 93 yards on the ground while the team has two big threats in the passing game in Kaleb Johnson and Caleb Douglas.
  Paetow will have their hands full, and will need to rely on its steady ground game and strong defense to make the difference against a very tough Hightower team.

Friday

District 19-6A

Cinco Ranch (4-3, 1-2) vs. Taylor (2-6, 1-3), 6 p.m., Legacy Stadium

• Cinco Ranch is through with the hardest parts of its district schedule and now is the time where we learn if they can be a playoff team and a team that can compete if they get there. The Cougars were unable to muster much against Katy last weekend, and were unable to stop the Katy ground game as the Tigers pounded the rock all game. The Cougars finally have receiver Noah Abboud back and expect big things in the coming weeks now that all of its receiving corps is health for the first time this season. That will start against Taylor, a team that comes off arguably its best performance of the season in a win over Mayde Creek. This is a must win game for both teams as they try to stay in playoff contention. Taylor will look for Chase Cobbin to continue to improve at the quarterback position while Cinco Ranch will look for its passing game and defense to get back on track against a Taylor team that seems to have found its groove.

Tompkins (7-1, 3-1) vs. Seven Lakes (5-2, 2-1), 7 p.m., Rhodes Stadium

• Tompkins kept rolling as the team topped Morton Ranch 47-0 last week. Cole Francis once again was very solid, completing 10 of 16 passes with one touchdown. But it was the run game, and two sophomores leading it that bodes well for Tompkins. Wyatt Young rushed seven times for a whopping 131 yards and four touchdowns, averaging over 18 yards per carry, and Caleb Blocker had 13 rushes for 50 yards and a score. Young and Blocker also did damage in the pass game, as the two combined for five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown as six different players recorded catches.
  Tompkins will look to keep improving as they face Seven Lakes, which comes off a bye. Seven Lakes will be liking its chances at making the playoffs regardless of what happens in this game, but also want to make a push to get out of the fourth spot in district and a win over Tompkins would go a long way towards that. Seven Lakes has leaned heavily on its run game and will do that again, but it will be no easy task against a very stingy Tompkins defense. Seven Lakes defense has looked strong at times but also been inconsistent in different spots and will need to put together a complete game for the Spartans to have a chance.