A look at the notable games around the Dallas area in the regional semifinal round of the Texas high school football playoffs.
Hot ticket
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Southlake Carroll vs. Prosper
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Choctaw Stadium
Southlake Carroll, ranked No. 9 nationally by MaxPreps this week, has won by an average of 45.4 points per game during its 12-0 start. But expect this to be a huge test for the eight-time state champion, as Prosper (11-1) comes in leading area Class 6A teams in passing offense (314.7 yards per game) and scoring (52.8 points per game). Prosper quarterback Braeden Imhoff has thrown for 3,438 yards and a 6A area-best 42 touchdowns, while Pittsburgh pledge Angelo Renda has thrown for 3,514 yards and 36 touchdowns for Carroll. Tulsa pledge Lathon Latiolais from Prosper leads area 6A players in receiving yards (1,444) and receiving touchdowns (21), while Carroll has two 1,000-yard receivers with Ohio State pledge Brock Boyd and Blake Gunter.
Riddle’s pick: Southlake Carroll 42, Prosper 31
Spotlight
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
North Crowley vs. Coppell
When/where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Midlothian ISD Stadium
North Crowley won the Class 6A Division I state title and finished 16-0 last year, but it got a scare from Coppell in the regional semifinals, trailing 21-13 in the second quarter before rallying for a 35-24 win. North Crowley ran for 278 yards in that game and has two exceptional running backs this year, as Kiante Ingram and G’Yrell Smith have combined to rush for 2,250 yards and 37 touchdowns. Coppell has won seven in a row and has three players with more than 700 yards rushing — running backs Dylan Mcafee and Jayden George and quarterback Carter Zingelmann — and those three have combined for 32 touchdown runs.
Riddle’s pick: North Crowley 35, Coppell 28
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
South Oak Cliff vs. Terrell
When/where: 6 p.m. Friday at North Forney’s Better Life Stadium
High School Sports
Terrell is 12-0 and has its most wins since the 1997 team finished 13-1. Terrell has won two state titles, in 1952 and 1957 (both when it was a 2A school), but to win a third it will have to get past a South Oak Cliff team that has played in the last four Class 5A Division II state championship games. South Oak Cliff (11-1) has won 10 in a row since a 35-28 loss to Class 6A powerhouse Duncanville, and SOC hasn’t allowed more than 18 points in a game during its winning streak. South Oak Cliff running backs Levon Morton and Mikail Trotter have combined to run for 1,778 yards and 27 touchdowns, while Terrell has two 1,000-yard running backs in Julian Ashley (1,346 yards, 21 touchdowns) and Roderick Hambrick Jr. (1,190 yards, 15 touchdowns). Terrell averages 352.7 yards per game on the ground, best among area 5A teams, and it also ranks No. 1 in scoring at 56.4 points per game.
Riddle’s pick: South Oak Cliff 28, Terrell 21
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Odessa Permian vs. Allen
When/where: 6 p.m. Friday at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene
Five-time state champion Allen is 12-0 and has outscored the opposition 592-106 while winning by an average of 40.5 points. Florida Atlantic pledge Jeremiah Daoud has thrown for 2,322 yards and 24 touchdowns in his first season at Allen after transferring from McKinney, and Carter Harris, Arizona pledge Caleb Smith and Josyah Johnson have combined for 142 catches for 2,328 yards and 24 touchdowns. Six-time state champion Permian, looking for its first state title since 1991, has relied heavily on running back Gavin Black, who has run for 1,469 yards and 18 touchdowns. He ran for 190 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 30-28 win over Mansfield Lake Ridge but now faces an Allen defense that allows an average of 58.8 rushing yards per game, best among Dallas-area 6A schools.
Riddle’s pick: Allen 35, Odessa Permian 14
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Trophy Club Byron Nelson vs. Denton Guyer
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Northwest ISD Stadium
Denton Guyer is 11-0 in third-round playoff games in its history, including a 59-41 win over Byron Nelson in that round in 2022. Guyer has won nine in a row this season, and Illinois pledge Kaedyn Cobbs has run for 1,398 yards and 26 touchdowns for an offense that averages just 117 passing yards per game.
Riddle’s pick: Denton Guyer 38, Trophy Club Byron Nelson 24
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
DeSoto vs. The Woodlands College Park
When/where: 3 p.m. Friday at Cedar Park’s Gupton Stadium
Four-star USC pledge Ethan Feaster is DeSoto’s premier recruit, rated the fourth-best wide receiver in the nation in the Class of 2026, but it is three-star junior running back SaRod Baker who has been the team’s most productive offensive weapon. Baker, who lists eight college offers, has run for 1,943 yards and 32 touchdowns and is coming off a 371-yard, five-touchdown game in last week’s 60-28 rout of 2024 state semifinalist Longview. College Park junior quarterback Camden Hughes lists offers from North Texas and UT-San Antonio and has thrown for 2,648 yards and 36 touchdowns, with only four interceptions.
Riddle’s pick: DeSoto 42, The Woodlands College Park 28
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Highland Park vs. Frisco Wakeland
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at the Ford Center at The Star
Highland Park quarterback Buck Randall has been unstoppable, throwing for 3,794 yards and 44 touchdowns while completing 70% of his passes and running for 10 touchdowns for an 11-1 team that has won 11 in a row. Cannon Bozman is averaging 22.3 yards per catch, with 44 receptions for 982 yards and 14 touchdowns, and Matthew White has a combined 1,304 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing and receiving. They will be matched up with a Wakeland defense that allowed just 89 passing yards but 350 rushing yards in last week’s 43-36 win over Cedar Park. Six-time state champion Highland Park beat Wakeland 38-10 in the second round of the playoffs last year as Randall threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns and Bozman had eight catches for 143 yards and a score.
Riddle’s pick: Highland Park 38, Frisco Wakeland 17
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Melissa vs. Anna
When/where: 3 p.m. Friday at Allen
Melissa won the first matchup between these district rivals 40-34 on Sept. 26 as quarterback Brett Holloway threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Anna star quarterback Ziondre Williams didn’t have a touchdown pass in that game but ran for two scores and accounted for 322 yards of total offense. Holloway, a transfer from Allen, has accounted for 43 touchdowns on the season and Williams has accounted for 48 touchdowns.
Riddle’s pick: Anna 35, Melissa 31
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Argyle vs. Prosper Walnut Grove
When/where: 2 p.m. Friday at Choctaw Stadium
Walnut Grove can beat teams in so many ways, as Cam Newton has run for 2,214 yards and 38 touchdowns, Hayes Hackney has thrown for 2,831 yards and 35 touchdowns and Zaiden Crain has 44 catches for 804 yards and 11 scores. Argyle counters with a defense that allows 19.9 points per game and the area’s top 5A receiver in four-star junior Julian Caldwell, who has 73 catches for 1,394 yards and 18 touchdowns. Walnut Grove will be looking to avenge a 52-35 loss to Argyle in last year’s regional semifinals.
Riddle’s pick: Prosper Walnut Grove 42, Argyle 38
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Frisco Lone Star vs. West Mesquite
When/where: 2 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Center at The Star
West Mesquite is 11-1 and has tied the school record for most wins in a season, set last year. But it faces a tall task in trying to slow down a prolific Lone Star offense led by quarterback Trey Wright (accounted for 44 touchdowns) and Florida pledge Davian Groce (934 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving).
Riddle’s pick: Frisco Lone Star 38, West Mesquite 21
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Duncanville vs. Klein Collins
When/where: 4 p.m. Saturday at Hutto’s Memorial Stadium
Three-time state champion Duncanville has leaned on two of its top recruits in the playoffs, with TCU pledge Ayson Theus rushing for 182 yards and a touchdown in two games and four-star junior wide receiver Trenton Yancey producing a combined 282 yards and six touchdowns rushing and receiving. Duncanville’s defense has allowed an average of 147 passing yards in the playoffs, and cornerback Victor Lincoln just flipped his commitment from Arkansas to Ole Miss on Monday.
Riddle’s pick: Duncanville 35, Klein Collins 17
Notable Dallas-area high school football games for the area round of the UIL playoffs.
SportsDay Staff
Forney vs. Willis
When/where: 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Center at The Star
Two of the state’s top players meet in this one. Four-star Notre Dame pledge Javian Osborne has run for 2,064 yards and 32 touchdowns for Forney and has broken school records for career rushing yards and career rushing touchdowns. Texas pledge Jermaine Bishop Jr., a five-star cornerback/wide receiver who is rated the fifth-best athlete in the nation in the Class of 2026, has 93 catches for 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns for Willis.
Riddle’s pick: Willis 45, Forney 42
On X: @DMNGregRiddle
Dallas-area football teams dominated out-of-area opponents last week, continuing a trend
Local UIL teams went 17-3 against teams from outside of D-FW, winning by an average of 31.4 points.
Duncanville QB Maximus The Great Denson remains out; new starter to keep playing
Denson hasn’t played in the last four games after having a tremendous start to the season.
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.