TAIAO No. 1 Austin St. Stephens (1-0) at 1A DI No. 3 May (1-0)
7:30 p.m. Friday
The Class A Division I No. 3 May Tigers coasted past the Jayton Jaybirds by a 58-12 count in their season-opening road victory, and will open their home slate against the Texas Association of Independent Athletic Organizations’ top-ranked squad Austin St. Stephens, which defeated Marble Falls Christian, 66-20, last week.
Against Jayton, May finished with 427 yards of total offense – 330 passing and 97 rushing.
Luke McKenzie completed 5 of 7 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns, Braden Steele connected on 5 of 8 attempts for 147 yards and a score, and Ben Harrell was 2 of 3 for 26 yards.
Leading receivers included Bryson Guerrero with five catches for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Steele with four grabs for 138 yards and two trips to the end zone, Harrell with two receptions covering 46 yards, and Damian Salinas chipped in a 1-yard catch.
On the ground, Steele led the way with 31 yards and a touchdown, Salinas tacked on 27 yards and scored twice, Wyatt Hardy tallied a 21-yard carry, and McKenzie finished with 18 yards rushing.
The Tiger defense was led by Steele with 12 tackles, including two for loss, and a pass defended; Salinas with 11 tackles with one for loss, a fumble caused and a fumble recovered; Guerrero with six tackles and two for loss; McKenzie with six tackles and a pass broken up; Kross Kenyon with three tackles, one fumble recovery and one kick blocked; Harrell with three tackles; Hardy and Adam Blankinship with two tackles; and Alexis Mejia with one takedown.
In the Austin St. Stephens Spartans’ win over Marble Falls, the offense generated 456 yards of total offense, with 342 coming through the air.
Jack Mabley completed 4 of 8 passes for 188 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, while Louis Layton connected on 5 of 8 tosses for 154 yards with one touchdown.
Darrell Houston caught a team-best three passes for 123 and two touchdowns, Dylan Mosier added three grabs for 92 yards with a trip to the end zone, and Dennis Wilkinson and Garrett Nale hauled in scoring receptions of 60 and 22 yards, respectively.
Houston also led the Spartans with 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground, while Christopher Tapia rushed for 31 yards and two scores.
Defensively, Wilkinson and Tapia led the Spartans with six tackles apiece followed by Layton with five and Anthony Watson with four. Wilkinson recorded three interceptions as well.
According to sixmanfootball.com, May is a 2-point favorite.
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Blanket (0-1) at Bryson (0-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday
The Blanket Tigers will attempt to rebound from a Week 1 upset loss to Rising Star as first-year head coach Michael Cherry’s squad ventures to Bryson to battle the Cowboys Friday night.
In the loss to Rising Star, Blanket surrendered 305 yards of total offense 158 on the ground and 147 coming through the air. The Tigers yielded four rushing touchdowns and three scores through the air.
Offensively, the Tigers finished with 235 yards of total offense – 215 rushing and 20 passing.
Levi Vazquez led the ground game with 146 yards and two touchdowns followed by Brayden Day with 69 rushing yards and a score. Through the air, Brennan Varner completed 3 of 8 passes for 20 yards. Vazquez hauled in two receptions with a long of 13 yards.
Defensively for Blanket, Day paced the Tigers with 16 tackles followed by Vazquez with 14 tackles; Kannon Kensing with 9 tackles and a fumble recovery; Adyan Wheeler with 6 tackles; Isaac Smith with 4 tackles; Jayden Carson and Adam McLaughlin with 3 tackles apiece; and Mason Beck with 2 tackles.
Bryson was blanked in its initial outing of the season by Azle Christian, 45-0.
The Cowboys mustered just 135 total yards – 75 rushing and 60 passing – while giving up 364, including 276 on the ground.
Freshman Caleb Allen rushed for 75 yards on 40 carries, while sophomore Evan Ford completed 3 of 8 passes for 60 yards. Junior Chance Hand caught two passes for 30 yards to lead the way.
According to sixmanfootball.com, Blanket is an 8-point favorite.
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Zephyr (0-1) at Veribest (0-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday
The Zephyr Bulldogs came a touchdown shy of a season-opening victory, and will attempt to halt a 14-game Friday when they take to the road for the first time in 2022. The Veribest Falcons await, also seeking their initial victory of the season.
In a 44-37 home loss to Bronte last Thursday, Zephyr finished with 344 total yards – 245 rushing and 99 passing – but committed three turnovers and was flagged 12 times for 72 yards.
Eathan Gowin rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns, caught two passes – both for touchdowns – totaling 63 yards, and hurled a 10-yard completion. Jayden Millican added 173 yards and a score on the ground, tossed a 50-yard touchdown to Gowin and caught a 10-yard pass from Gowin.
Defensively, Zephyr yielded 342 yards of total offense – 178 through the air with three scoring tosses and 164 on the ground with two scores. The Bulldogs also gave up a 45-yard kick return for a touchdown and forced one turnover.
Veribest was handed a 58-13 loss by Santa Anna in its season debut. The Falcons are led by former Blanket head coach Casey Mund, who guided the Tigers to a 9-2 record in 2021.
According to sixmanfootball.com, Zephyr is an 18-point underdog.
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Kopperl (0-1) at Brookesmith (0-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday
The Brookesmith Mustangs began the Jack Graves coaching era with a 38-6 loss to Mullin, and will attempt to bounce back against a Kopperl Eagles team that was downed by Gholson, 58-8, in their opener.
Adyn Ribble sparked the Mustangs’ effort with more than 100 rushing yards and double digits in tackles. Additional information from Brookesmith’s game against Mullin was not available.
According to sixmanfootball.com, Brookesmith is a 45-point favorite.
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1A DII No. 2 Richland Springs (1-0) at TAIAO No. 8 Austin Royals (0-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Richland Springs Coyotes moved up to the No. 2 in the latest sixmanfootball.com Class A Division II rankings following their season-opening win at High Island, 56-0.
The Coyotes will be on the road for the second week in a row, taking on Texas Association of Independent Athletic Organizations No. 8 Austin Royals.
Austin Royals was supposed to face the Victoria Cobras home-school team in Week 1, but that game was canceled.
Additional information on Richland Springs’ Week 1 win was not available.
Coyotes to look out for include Braxton Ethridge, who won Class A state championships in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, as well as the 100-meter dash, at Springlake-Earth, along with Keston Lusty, Jeremiah Beam, Cohen Tharp, Hutton Rogers, Kenny Triplett, Joshua Essery, Brandon Stewart, and Jayden Sutherland.
According to sixmanfootball.com, Richland Springs is a 45-point favorite.
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De Leon (1-0) at Cross Plains (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Cross Plains Buffaloes and De Leon Bearcats are both looking to keep their early-season, perfect records intact as the two teams square off Friday night.
Cross Plains is coming off a 40-14 triumph over Winters as the Buffaloes led by a 12-6 count after one quarter, 33-14 at halftime, and added a final touchdown in the third quarter.
The Buffaloes finished with 355 yards of total offense – 221 rushing and 134 passing – while giving up 297 yards, with 220 coming through the air.
Standouts for Cross Plains included Noah Moses with 104 yards and a touchdown on the ground, Asher Moses with 36 rushing yards, Riley Conlee with 35 yards, and Dusty Wyatt with 29 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.
Through the air, Kade Purvis connected on 10 of 17 passes for 134 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Ryan Reed led the Buffaloes with two catches for 75 yards, both of which resulted in touchdowns. Asher Moses hauled in four receptions for 47 yards, Noah Moses grabbed two passes for 11 yards and Wyatt finished with two catches for 10 yards.
Defensive standouts were Conlee with 10 tackles and a sack; Noah Moses with eight tackles and three pass break ups; Tye McWalters with five tackles, two sacks and an interception; Michael Samora with four tackles and a sack; and Coltyn Barron and Wyatt also picked off passes.
De Leon, meanwhile, upended Junction by a 28-8 count after going winless in 2021.
The Bearcats, who halted a 15-game losing streak, led 14-8 at halftime and tacked on two insurance touchdowns in the final two quarters.
Heston Jobe scored on runs of 19 and 8 yards for De Leon and Kayden Salinas chipped in a 17-yard scoring sprint.
According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Cross Plains is a 19-point favorite.
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Ballinger (0-1) at 2A D1 No. 7 Coleman (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Class 2A Division I No. 7 Coleman Bluecats fended off the Mason Punchers late for a 7-6 season-opening victory, and look to remain unbeaten when they host the Class 3A Division II Ballinger Bearcats Friday night.
Against Mason, the Bluecats grabbed a 7-0 lead in the first period on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Jadin Jackson to Braxton Smith. Mason tallied its only touchdown on a 26-yard scoring toss with 63 seconds left in the contest, but the winning two-point try failed.
Coleman finished with 252 total yards – 138 rushing and 114 passing – and four turnovers, while Mason manufactured 218 yards – 127 through the air and 91 on the ground – with three giveaways.
Jackson completed 3 of 5 passes for 101 yards with one interception for Coleman, as Smith caught two passes for 76 yards and Ryland Gentry hauled in a 25-yard reception.
On the ground, Gentry led Coleman with 44 rushing yards trailed by Brent Bouldin with 43, Jackson with 35 and Dayden Hunter with 16.
Ballinger’s season began with a 29-7 loss at the hands of Sonora.
The Bearcats were limited to 79 yards of total offense – 56 passing and 23 rushing on 23 carries. Martin Quiroga paced the Ballinger offense with 60 yards passing, completing 5 of 9 tosses with one to the end zone.
Defensively, Ballinger yielded 247 yards of total offense
According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Coleman is a 27-point favorite.
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San Saba (1-0) at Junction (0-1)
7:30 p.m. Friday
The San Saba Armadillos throttled the Florence Buffaloes, 46-14, in their season opener and look to already equal their win total from 2021 as they visit the Junction Eagles.
In the victory over Florence, San Saba produced 326 yards of total offense with 277 coming on the ground.
Tyler Johnson paced the Armadillos with 77 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while also catching three passes for 37 yards with two more trips to the end zone.
Ethan Gonzales rushed for a team-high 112 yards for San Saba while Lance Taylor chipped in 42 yards, Haiden Van Bibber added 39, and Zuriel Herrera logged a 7-yard carry.
Taylor also completed 4 of 5 passes for 49 yards, while Lane Miller added a 12-yard reception.
Defensively for the Armadillos, Dylan Ware collected 15 tackles, including seven for loss, trailed by Herrera with 12, Winton Lackey with nine and Jesus Betancourt with seven.
In Junction’s 28-8 loss to De Leon last week, the Eagles trailed just 14-8 at halftime, but failed to light up the scoreboard in the second half while yielding two more touchdowns.
According to Harris Ratings Weekly, San Saba is a 31-point favorite.
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Goldthwaite (0-1) at Santo (1-0)
7:30 p.m. Friday
The Goldthwaite Eagles began the Andy Howard coaching era with a 49-0 loss to state-ranked Crawford, and face another hefty chore in Week 2 with a visit to the Santo Wildcats.
Against Crawford, Goldthwaite finished with 272 yards of total offense – 157 on the ground and 115 through the air – while Crawford piled up 392 yards – 341 rushing and 51 passing.
For the Eagles, Carysn Campbell rushed for a team-best 57 yards while Rylan Wiedebusch chipped in 51 on the ground. Bryce Brookings connected on 7 of 15 passes for 92 yards but was picked off twice.
In Santo’s 49-0 opening win over Electra, the Wildcats tallied 349 yards of total offense with 288 coming on the ground.
Kash Johnson rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown, Jaime Sandoval added 58 yards and two scores, and Luke Tucker chipped in 24 yards with a trip to the end zone.
Through the air, Hutson Thorton went 4 of 5 for 61 yards with a pair of scoring tosses – both to Jake Byrd from 35 and 6 yards out.
Defensively, Tucker, Jake Bryan and Brett Hamilton led Santo with eight tackles each followed by Rodolfo Vega and Emmanuel Reyna with seven each. Sandoval also picked off a pass for the Wildcat defense.
According to Harris Ratings Weekly, Goldthwaite is a 25-point underdog.