The Texas high school football season will continue on Thursday, and there are several intriguing matchups in the Fort Worth area.
Here are four storylines to keep an eye on in Week 3:
Southlake Carroll-Byron Nelson rivalry
On Friday, Southlake Carroll and Trophy Club Byron Nelson will face to begin District 4-6A play. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Dragon Stadium.
In 2023, Trophy Club Byron Nelson shocked the high school football community with a 34-17 regular-season win over Southlake Carroll, claiming the District 4-6A title.
Despite the regular-season win, the Dragons had the upper hand when it mattered most, thrashing the Bobcats 56-7 in the Class 6A Division I quarterfinals.
Southlake Carroll has dominated the overall rivalry, with last year’s regular season loss being the sole time Byron Nelson has come out victorious. The Dragons are a heavy favorite in Friday’s game, which should make Byron Nelson hungry to prove its worth.
The thrashing in the playoffs makes the regular-season win look like a fluke, but Byron Nelson is a returning district champion, while Southlake Carroll is not. The game will kick off district play for 4-6A, yet it could be the deciding factor in a championship race.
In the Star-Telegram’s Class 6A rankings , Southlake Carroll and Byron Nelson sit at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Both teams lost a fair amount of seniors but have a few returning stars and plenty of rising talent.
Both teams have new starting quarterbacks that have got off to fantastic starts. Carroll quarterback Angelo Renda earned Star-Telegram Player of the Week honors for his six-touchdown performance against Midland to start the season.
Byron Nelson quarterback Grant Bizjack led the Bobcats to a come-from-behind win over Lewisville, connecting with star wide receiver Leo Almanza for a game-winning score.
North Crowley looks to stay undefeated
Last Friday, North Crowley shocked the Texas football world, taking down DeSoto , the defending Class 6A Division II State Champions. Now, the target on the Panthers’ back is a whole lot bigger.
North Crowley (2-0) is heading back to Fort Worth to face Denton Guyer (2-0), a team that took down Aledo to start the season. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Crowley ISD Stadium.
It’s tough to reach the top of the Texas football mountain, and you can argue North Crowley reached the summit with the win over the Eagles. It’s even harder to stay at the top.
Now, the Panthers are on a mission to win one game at a time to extend their undefeated streak. If the Panthers can stay hungry, keep improving and perform under pressure, there is no telling what they can accomplish.
Arlington Seguin, Trimble Tech, Saginaw off to solid starts
Many undefeated programs are heading into week three, but for these three squads, it’s more significant.
Arlington Seguin (2-0) completely throttled Red Oak, a team that scored 35 points against Aledo in the 2023 regional semifinals . The Cougars are 2-0 for the first time since 2015, which could signify a solid season.
Seguin will face Burleson (1-1) at Elk Stadium at 7 p.m. Friday.
Saginaw also had a strong start to the year, taking down EMS ISD rival Boswell, a Class 6A school. The early dominance is a great sign for Saginaw as it prepares to enter district play with EMS ISD’s Chisholm Trail and a flurry of Fort Worth ISD squads.
Last year, Saginaw lost to Boswell 55-30 and went 1-9 in a tough district that included Aledo, Denton Ryan, Burleson Centennial, Justin Northwest, and others.
Now, the Rough Riders have the potential to put together a bounce-back season for the ages. Saginaw will face Fort Worth Polytechnic at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Farrington Field.
Trimble Tech, following a 1-9 season, is also 2-0 to start for the first time since the 2009 season. The Bulldogs took down Inspired Vision 62-6 and bested Carrollton Turner 26-6.
Trimble Tech will face South Hills Friday at Clark Stadium with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff time. South Hills, following a winless season in 2023, has also shown improvement with a season-opening 59-7 win over Diamond Hill-Jarvis.
Rising Class 6A teams looks to build momentum
Four teams moved up in the Star-Telegram’s Class 6A football rankings : Mansfield (6), Keller Timber Creek (8), Justin Northwest (9) and Keller (10).
With District 4-6A play beginning, the Timber Creek Falcons (2-0) can start building a playoff resume. Timber Creek will face Hurst L.D. Bell (1-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Pennington Field.
Mansfield (2-0) will play Arlington Martin (0-2) at Anderson Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff on Friday. The Warriors’ stock has fallen lately, and they’ll be hungry to get back on track against a top team.
On Friday, Northwest (2-0) and Keller (1-1) will face off for positioning in a competitive District 4-6A at Northwest ISD Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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