By Kenny Mitchell
This Friday night’s football action brings the end of regular season play and playoff seeds are up for grabs.
Big games are everywhere this week so if you love high school football, this is your week.
Big matchups include New Boston at Daingerfield, DeKalb at Hooks, and Detroit at Simms. So, I am going to step out on a limb and make some predictions.
New Boston at Daingerfield
Let’s face it, we all know the recent history on this one. The Daingerfield Tigers have had the Lions number in big games in recent years. The Tigers have thwarted playoff runs and have generally been a thorn in the side of the New Boston faithful. Some really good New Boston teams have fallen to the Tigers.
But, guess what. This is a new year and a new Lions team, and I think this might be the year for New Boston fans to have a post game celebration.
Both squads have already made the playoffs, this game is just to decide bracket seeds and who will finish the regular season in 2nd place behind the district champion Bears.
Yes, Daingerfield has Chase Johnson that throws my brain back to what he did in the playoffs last year to Hooks, but the Lions have big guns too. Names like Ashton Rowden, Justin Allen, Brycen Thomas power an offense that puts a lot of points on the board. And how about if Will Erwin and the defense shutdown Johnson and Kenny Mosely.
No doubt this game will be a barnburner. The Tigers are coming off shutouts over Hooks and Hughes Springs. They will not shut out these Lions.
New Boston 35 Daingerfield 30
DeKalb at Hooks
Okay, DeKalb is the district champion. That fact is set in stone regardless of how this game ends. But there is a lot on the line here. Aside from playoff seeding for the Hornets, both of these squads are playing for a lot more than their final regular season record.
The Hornets sit at 3-2 in district with losses to Daingerfield and New Boston so they need a win over DeKalb to jump over the loser of the game in Daingerfield and claim a higher spot in the brackets.
Hooks QB Ripken Birdwell is coming off a seven touchdown game in the squad’s win over Redwater last week and no doubt he will put up some big numbers this week as well.
But DeKalb has their horses too with senior QB Jaylen White leading a Bears team that scores a lot of points. With RB Kayden Wherry racking up big yards every Friday as well, the Bears’ offense is one of the best around this year. Wherry has rushed for over 1,300 yards in 2024 and White broke DeKalb’s single season passing yards record last week, and the Bears have not scored less than 30 points in any game this year. They are going to score points.
With all of the offensive weapons on both sides, this game will come down to defense. The Hornets have given up more than 40 points in their last three games so the advantage leans toward DeKalb on that side of the ball.
DeKalb 48 Hooks 35
Detroit at Simms
The James Bowie Pirates sailed rough waters earlier in the season, but they have come alive now when it counts and they are in the playoff mix. It is a “win and we’re in” scenario for the Pirates at home this Friday against a Detroit team that also needs a win badly.
What this game will boil down to is if the Prates are able to execute their ground game and run over the Eagle defense.
The Eagles have district losses to Maud, Cumby and Clarksville. The Pirates also lost to Maud and Clarksville, but beat Cumby. This one will be tight, but if Lukas Dodson rushes for more than 100 yards I am going to go with James Bowie. And he should.
James Bowie 28 Detroit 12
And let me say…
The Maud Cardinals will steamroll Linden-Kildare and go into the postseason flying high and the Redwater Dragons will scorch the Hughes Springs Mustangs by at least four touchdowns.
