Top 5 High School Football Games In The Metroplex - Week 3

Only two weeks into the high school season and already something has become very clear: Euless Trinity isn't suffering from the post-championship syndrome that most teams tend to catch after winning a state title.

Coaches have always said that keeping the focus the year after a title run can be extremely difficulty. Complacency has a tendency to set in, and most times that's all it takes to demolish a shot at back-to-back championship.

But it looks like the Trojans didn't get that memo.

After hanging 80 points on Shiloh Christian (Ark.) -- including 10 rushing touchdowns -- on Monday afternoon, the question on everyone's mind isn't who will beat the Trojans this season. but who will get within 10 points of them the rest of this year.

Who knew it would only take two weeks to crown a 5A state champion!

Colleyville Heritage (1-1) vs. Irving Nimitz (2-0): Like Shiloh Christian (Ark.), Colleyville Heritage came back down to earth after the previous week's 3OT thriller against Duncanville. Hebron took advantage of Heritage's drained emotions, getting up on the Panthers early and never looking back in a 60-27 route.

The game should be exactly what Heritage needs to get back to reality this week in the 6-5A opener against Irving Nimitz, a team that should give Heritage head coach Mike Fuller all he can handle.

Nimitz is riding high at the moment after last Friday's 35-31 away win against Richardson Pearce that saw them move to 2-0 on the season. Quarterback Adam Charles will try to carve up the Heritage offense the same way Hebron's Kyle Aubuchon did last week. If he learned anything from the game, it's that Heritage is very susceptible to the deep ball.

Heritage will once again rely on Quarterback Jeff Calvert to carry the offensive load. The all-everything QB currently leads the team in rushing and passing. If Calvert expects to lead Heritage to a W on Friday, he'd do best to stay away Nimitz DB Glenn McQuinney.

Pick: Heritage

Mansfield (2-0) vs. Mansfield Summit (2-0): Two weeks into the season and already Mansfield has surpassed its win total from last year. After going 1-9 in '09, Mansfield has the chance to make it a 3-0 start against cross-town rivals Mansfield Summit.

Summit definitely has the advantage in this game from a talent perspective. Quarterback Xavier Williams is just one part of the two-headed monster Mansfield will have to deal with on Friday night. He's passed for over 270 yards and rushed for 175. Throw in running back Lewis Washington (141 yards rushing) and you force Mansfield's defense to be honest against the run and the pass.

Mansfield's Damon Bullock will be the marked man in the backfield. The running back scored six touchdowns last week (5 rushing) in a 50-30 zero week win. He followed that performance up with three more touchdowns and currently has 8 in just two games. It's safe to say he's the workhorse in the Mansfield offense.

Expect a ground battle between two of the more unheralded backs in the area with Summit coming out on top thanks to the balanced attack.

Pick: Summit   

North Mesquite (1-1) vs. South Grand Prairie (2-0): North Mesquite boasts the area's top running back (after two weeks) in Joseph Bergeron; SGP has one of the better defenses in the area. Something has to give when these two teams meet on Friday evening.

Bergeron's racked up 478 yards in his first two games, and will be a legitimate threat every time he touches the football. He'll be matched on the opposite side of the field by defensive lineman Kindred Evans. If SGP wants to stay in this game, they'll need to make sure Evans gets in the backfield on a consistent basis. 

SGP QB Jared Johnson is a dual-threat that should give North Mesquite fits. He's passed for 290 and rushed for 141 yards in his first two games.

North Mesquite should find a way to grind this game out late in the fourth with the help of Bergeron.

Pick: North Mesquite

Haltom (1-1) vs. L.D. Bell (1-1): Bell gave Southlake all it could handle last week in a 20-17 defeat that probably felt like a moral victory. While the team doesn't want to hear about moral victories, the defeat could be the perfect jumping off point for Friday's 6-5A opener against Haltom. 

Bell RB Kenneth Farrow has been the center of the offense this season, rushing for 340 yards on 51 carries in the first two games. His per carry average, while high, should increase this week against a Haltom defense that's been atrocious against the run.

Just last week, Haltom allowed Crowley's Sean Flynn to rush for 239 yards. And Flynn was the quarterback. Now they have to go up against a legitimate workhorse in Farrow. Needless to say, their chances of coming away with a victory on the road are slim.

Haltom will need a big game from running back J.J. Gibbs, if they want a chance in the fourth.

Pick: L.D. Bell

Flower Mound vs. Arlington Martin (0-2): Flower Mound QB Paul Millard has been putting up video game numbers in his first two starts. With 761 passing yards and 8 touchdowns, Millard is arguably the hottest signal caller in the area. 

While he still has a ways to go before being compared to Guyer's J.W. Walsh or Cedar Hill's Driphus Jackson, Millard does possess a certain skill set that makes him extremely successful in the pocket. He'll get a chance to pad the stats against winless Arlington Martin, a team that's had trouble finding its way early in the season.

RB Danzel Williams (225 yards, 3 touchdowns) has been the lone bright spot for Martin. He'll need to match his total offensive production for the season in one night if his team wants any shot of knocking off Flower Mound. 

While it's hard to go against Martin at home, Flower Mound's offense is clicking on all cylinders right now. Sometimes you have to go with the hot hand, and that just happens to Millard and the FM air attack. 

Pick: Flower Mound