Bishop Gorman will be looking for its first district win tonight in homecoming action.
The Crusaders (2-2, 0-1) play host Carrollton Prince of Peace (4-0, 1-0) in a TAPPS D-II District 2 matchup at 7:30 p.m. from McCallum Stadium. Gorman opened league action with a 24-22 setback against Bullard Brook Hill last week.
Gorman has been working overtime this week to prepare for Prince of Peace's vaunted triple option. Coaches have scheduled extra film study and meetings to prepare players for the offense.
‘They do something on offense that is unique to the district," Crusaders coach Coby Gipson said. "They are the only triple-option team and they've completed just four passes in four games, but their offense is still averaging 40 points a game. Their quarterback is a great player. He's the sparkplug of their offense."
Gorman fell in the final minute last week to Brook Hill, which scored the game-winner on a tipped pass.
Senior wide receiver and defensive back Collin Parks led the Crusaders with 10 receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown and six carries for 36 yards.
Gorman's defense was anchored by linebackers Tyler Bate (19 tackles), Dominic Jasso (11 tackles, sack, fumble recovery) and Martin Guzman (eight tackles, one tackle for loss); and defensive linemen Jordan Morales (11 tackles) and Brad Earls (eight tackles).
— Shane Stark
GRACE COMMUNITY AT TRINITY CHRISTIAN-CEDAR HILL
A pair of 3-1 teams who lost their district openers battle in an early pivotal matchup in Cedar Hill today.
Both Grace Community and Trinity Christian-Cedar Hill fell to last year's first- and second-place teams, respectively, in their TAPPS D-II District 2 openers.
A year after going 2-8 (0-7 in district), the rejuvenated Tigers have turned things around having already surpassed their 2012 win total.
Led by senior Isaiah Harwell 344 yards, TC-CH is rushing for 217 yards per game. Senior quarterback Tre Gilbert has thrown for 360 yards and rushed for 175 while junior Jon Cole has 205 receiving yards.
"They've got a lot of new blood in their program and they've made a lot of improvement with their players," said Grace coach Mike Maddox, whose team won this fixture 48-7 last year. "We're going to have to play at the highest level that we can play."
— Travis Yoesting
BULLARD BROOK HILL AT DALLAS SHELTON
Brook Hill secured its two victories this season with deep passes late and has racked up 841 yards passing and nine touchdowns, but the biggest positive Guard coach Bobby Brasher took away from his team's 24-22 win last week over Bishop Gorman was its success running the football.
The Guard had done little to nothing on the ground in their first three games. However against Gorman, Gabe Lucio rushed for a season-best 104 yards and a score.
Brook Hill (2-2, 1-0 TAPPS D-II District 2) now go on the road to face Dallas Shelton at a neutral site. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. from Prince of Peace's home stadium in Carrollton.
The Chargers (0-3, 0-1) lost 40-22 last week to Prince of Peace in their league opener despite Chargers quarterback Andrew Luce passing for 276 yards and three touchdowns. But Shelton couldn't stop Prince of Peace from rushing for 440 yards.
Brasher hopes Brook Hill's breakthrough with its ground game continues against Shelton.
"We are going to continue to run the football and work with that because you control the clock and it opens your throwing game up," Brasher said. "Even though we can throw it and have done it a lot, I want to be more balanced."
— Chris Parry
GARLAND CHRISTIAN AT ALL SAINTS
The All Saints Trojans try to build on the momentum from last week's big win as they play host to Garland Christian Academy tonight at Mewbourne Field on the campus of All Saints Episcopal School.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. It is Pee Wee Cheer and Football night.
Coach Mike Hall's Trojans (1-4) scored a 32-14 over Union Hill at Billy Bass Stadium in Bettie Friday.
Three underclassmen showed the future is bright for the squad as junior quarterback Matt Brunson, sophomore quarterback Chet Wynne and sophomore running back/linebacker Luke Lee came through for the Trojans.
Brunson and Wynne shared signal-calling duties. Brunson rushed for 88 yards and scored three touchdowns on 13 carries while Wynne added 86 yards and a TD on just five attempts.
As usual, Lee was all over the football field. Offensively, he had 56 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Defensively, he had eight tackles.
The Garland Christian Swordsmen enter the contest with a 2-3 mark, with consecutive wins over Kennedale Fellowship Academy (71-12) and Flower Mound Coram Deo Academy (55-31).
Next week, the Trojans continue their home stand with Colmesneil visiting Tyler. It will be Black Out Cancer Night, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
— Phil Hicks