DeSoto running back Sarod Baker (5) breaks free for a 99-yard touchdown as time expires in the fourth quarter of a Class 6A Division II state semifinal game against Southlake Carroll, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Mansfield. DeSoto defeated Southlake Carroll 57-44.
Elías Valverde II/Staff Photographer
Here are 10 players to watch during Week 9 of the Texas high school football season.
SaRod Baker, DeSoto, QB/RB
DeSoto at Cedar Hill, 7 p.m. Friday
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The four-star Texas Tech pledge ran for 167 yards and four touchdowns and was 7-for-9 passing for 77 yards in last week’s 54-0 win over Mansfield Summit as four-time state champion DeSoto won its fifth game in a row after an 0-2 start. For the season, Baker has run for 983 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 140.4 yards per game. Baker ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s 46-9 win over Cedar Hill, and DeSoto went on to win the Class 6A Division II state title before dropping down to 5A Division I in realignment.
John Cothern, Lake Highlands, QB
Lake Highlands at Plano, 7 p.m. Friday at Clark Stadium
Lake Highlands quarterback John Cothern (15) is stopped for a short gain by Coppell linebacker Madden Montague (4) and defensive tackle Sione Siale (92) during the first half of a District 7-6A game played on October 16, 2026 at Wildcat-Ram Stadium in Dallas.
Steve Nurenberg/The Dallas Morning News
Cothern threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 59 yards and a score in last week’s 27-19 win over Coppell, then ranked No. 5 in the Dallas area. The win gave Lake Highlands sole possession of first place in District 7-6A and continued a spectacular season for Cothern. He ranks third among area 6A quarterbacks in passing yards (1,949) and is tied for third in touchdown passes (23).
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DeShawn Edwards, Mansfield Lake Ridge, QB
Red Oak at Mansfield Lake Ridge, 7 p.m. Friday at R.L. Anderson Stadium
Mansfield Lake Ridge quarterback Deshawn Edwards (5) pitches the ball as Lake Highlands linebacker Lakai Wyatt (4) defends during the first half of a high school football game on Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, in Dallas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
This game could end up deciding the fourth and final playoff berth from District 11-6A. Edwards has run for a team-high 776 yards and 12 touchdowns and thrown for 1,251 yards and 16 touchdowns. Edwards is trying to lead Lake Ridge to the playoffs for the second straight year after the team was 8-41 from 2020 to 2024.
Hayes Hackney, Argyle, QB
Colleyville Heritage at Argyle, 7 p.m. Friday
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Argyle High School quarterback Hayes Hackney (2) throws a pass during the first half as Argyle High School hosted Lovejoy High School in a district 3-5A, Division II football game at Argyle ISD Stadium in Flower Mound on Friday night, October 9, 2026.
Stewart F. House/The Dallas Morning News
Hackney leads Dallas-area Class 5A quarterbacks in passing yards (2,574) and is second in touchdown passes (32). He threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 56-14 win over The Colony as Argyle improved to 7-1 overall and to 4-0 in District 3-5A Division II. That was the sixth time Hackney has thrown for more than 300 yards this season and the seventh time he had at least three touchdown passes.
Brody Knowles, Southlake Carroll, WR
Southlake Carroll at Trophy Club Byron Nelson, 7 p.m. Friday at Northwest ISD Stadium
Keller Central defensive back Ja’Mari McGee (10) tackles Southlake Carroll wide receiver Brody Knowles (1) as he makes a leaping catch in the end zone for a touchdown during the second half of a District 4-6A game, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, in Keller.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Eight-time state champion Carroll (5-2, 4-0) can take a big step toward winning the District 4-6A title outright with a win over Byron Nelson. Knowles had nine catches for 143 yards in last week’s 40-28 win over Keller that gave Carroll sole possession of the district lead, and the Illinois pledge has team highs of 40 catches, 717 yards and nine receiving touchdowns on the season.
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Chris Lark, Denton Braswell, RB
Frisco Wakeland at Denton Braswell, 7 p.m. Friday
At 6-1, Braswell already has the second-most wins in a season in school history, trailing only the 2019 team that went 9-3. A lot of that is thanks to Lark, who has run for 906 yards and 12 touchdowns. He ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 38-14 win over Flower Mound Marcus, his sixth 100-yard game of the season.
Trysten Shaw, Mansfield Timberview, WR
Ennis at Mansfield Timberview, 7 p.m. Thursday at Vernon Newsom Stadium
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Mansfield Timberview wide receiver Trysten Shaw (5) reacts after a touchdown reception during the second half of a nondistrict high school football game against Denton Ryan, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Denton.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
The Tulsa pledge has been electric this season, with 11 touchdown catches and a punt return touchdown in the first six games. He is one of the fastest players in the state, having run on Timberview’s state championship 4×100-meter relay team and winning the Class 5A state title in the 300 hurdles last spring. He is the son of former NFL cornerback Terrance Shaw, who won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. This week’s game against Ennis should decide the District 7-5A Division II title, as both teams are 4-0 in district play.
Ty Snell, Allen, QB
Jesuit at Allen, 7 p.m. Friday
Allen quarterback Ty Snell throws a touchdown pass to Josyah Johnson during the first half of a District 6-6A high school football game against Prosper on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, in Prosper.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
The four-star sophomore quarterback has led Allen to a 7-0 record and No. 9 national ranking. In four district games, he has completed 83% of his passes (50-for-60) for 709 yards and 11 touchdowns, with only one interception. In three of those games, he only played the first two quarters, and in the other he only played three quarters. He may need a big game this week against a Jesuit team that has averaged 40.3 points in its last four games.
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Taylen Strange, Waxahachie, RB
Duncanville at Waxahachie, 7 p.m. Friday
Waxahachie High School running back Taylen Strange (4) prepares to stiff arm Denton Guyer High School defensive back Preston Molina (11) during the first half as Denton Guyer High School hosted Waxahachie High School in a non district football game at the C.H. Collins Complex in Denton on Thursay, September. 10, 2026.
Stewart F. House/The Dallas Morning News
Strange could play a huge role in a game that could decide second place in District 11-6A, with the winner likely to be the district’s top seed in the Division I playoff bracket. Strange had a combined 114 yards rushing and receiving and caught a touchdown pass in last year’s 28-27 regular-season win over three-time state champion Duncanville. This year, he has run for 783 yards and 13 touchdowns for a 6-1 team.
Trey Wright, Frisco Lone Star, QB
Frisco Reedy vs. Frisco Lone Star, 7 p.m. Friday at the Ford Center at The Star
Lone Star’s quarterback Trey Wright (3) runs for a touchdown during the first half of a high school football game against Melissa at Coach Kenny Deel Stadium in Melissa, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
The four-star USC pledge leads area 5A quarterbacks with 33 touchdown passes and has thrown only one interception. He has accounted for 2,671 yards of total offense for a 7-0 team that is ranked No. 2 in the state in 5A Division I. Wright has thrown seven touchdown passes in three straight games, and he is coming off a 19-for-23, 377-yard performance in last week’s 64-7 win over Frisco Centennial. Lone Star has won 22 of its last 23 games, with the only loss coming against Spring Branch Smithson Valley in last year’s state championship game.