Ace

It would be really hard for anyone to challenge Matt's statement that SOC has the toughest non-district schedule in 5A.

The schedule posted by Coach Stanford on Twitter/X shows Midlothian Heritage at location to be determined. I guess that means neutral site, but it sure would be good to get that one at home. Otherwise, Tigers have only 4 home games - one in August, one in September, one is October, one in November. Three game stretch in September to Argyle (well over 400 mile round trip), then Midlothian Heritage (neutral site???), then Fayetteville (close to 500 miles round trip).

Where is the Texas High v. Midlothian Heritage game? I have seen conflicting information.

I wonder what time the bus will roll back in to the T-High parking lot on Saturday morning after a Friday night game in Fayetteville, Arkansas? If they leave the stadium at 11:30 pm, will the sun be up in Texarkana when they get back home?

Isn't Cowboy TE Jason Witten the coach at Liberty Christian in Argyle?

Same old problem for Texas High, really hard to get non-conference games due to geographic isolation (and the fact that the team might be pretty good). Not uncommon to have to go to Arkansas or Louisiana, but my recollection is that those two states are not on the same 2 year cycle that Texas is on, so it's hard to be able to guarantee the game in year 2 because of re-shuffling that might happen in those states.

Really surprised to see those Southeast Texas teams in Region 2, as District 8. It will be really important for my T-High Tigers to win District 7 and get to play that first playoff game at home and force the opponent to make a 5 or 6 hour drive up through the Piney Woods.

At Texas High we just shrug. We know we are going to travel. Will we leave town going west on I-30 or south on US 59 for the district games? It seems to bounce back and forth.

Marshall is another great example of the "oddity". Several years ago the UIL went to completely separate Div 1 and Div 2 districts (for football only) based on enrollment. Mavchamp, when was that change?

Do you remember the days that it was only after the 4 teams going into the playoff was decided that it was determined which teams would go Div 1 "big school" and which would go Div 2 "small school"? It had to do only with whether you were bigger or smaller in comparison the 3 other playoff teams from your own district. That led to some strange results. In 2002 Texas High and Denton Ryan were the two champs in 4A (what is now 5A). Texas High was the Div 1 "big school" champ. Denton Ryan was the Div 2 "small school" champ. As it turned out the "small school" champ had 400 MORE students than the "big school" champ.

Score?

T-High opened the year with Longview (scrimmage) and then Frisco Lone Star and then Colleyville Heritage. My uneducated assumption is that Lucas Lovejoy will be somewhat similar to Lone Star and Colleyville Heritage, but maybe that is just because they are high income area Dallas suburban teams. Is there something about the LL team that separates them from Lone Star and CH and makes them significantly different/better?

Apparently both Alabama and Ohio State think the Lucas Lovejoy linebacker is good enough to play since both have offered. He's committed to Ohio State, I understand.

Your feeling may very well be correct, but I will be surprised if either PG or T-High decides to lay down and roll over because of the quality of the opponent on the other side of the field.

I agree with Matt that Pine Tree was most likely Coach Stanford's "neutral" and he won the flip. As soon as I heard that the PG/Carthage game was scheduled for Friday afternoon at Pine Tree I wondered about the possibility of a Texarkana doubleheader with Texas High playing at the same location so as to make things easier for Texarkana fans that might want to go support both Texarkana teams.

I am not sure if T-High is fully healthy or not. The offense will need #13 Hall, who has been out for a while. Coach Stanford is quoted in the Texarkana Gazette as saying that 6 of Summit's defensive starters have D-1 offers. Not going to be easy.

Several D1 commits at Mansfield Summit. Linebacker Kyland Reed is committed to Baylor. DL Journey is committed to Cal. DB/WR/Ath Joseph Williams is committed to Oregon State. DL Buhake has several offers including UNT and Texas State. The center has Blinn and Navarro juco offers. Probably others.

It looks like Summit has good size and more than its fair share of athletes. Texas High will have to bring its "A" game.

Mansfield Summit is next. When and where?

I think guys have made the move to bicycle shorts rather than football pants.

Does UIL prevent the telecast of playoff games by Texarkana Gameday and similar outlets?

THSfanatic is correct that Texas High played starters. The offense was poor, especially the passing game. The quarterback missed several easy throws. When he was on target the ball was dropped. Pine Tree's first touchdown came as a result of a dropped flare pass to the back that turned out to be a backwards pass and live ball that no Tiger made an effort to recover. In fact, the play just prior to that one was also a pass to the back in the flat. It was dropped, too. Tigers were set up to win in OT. Short fourth down pass to our best receiver wide open in the endzone -- dropped. The Pine Tree game seemed to me to be an exact carbon copy of last year's first round playoff game against Terrell. Goof around for most of the game. Late in the game the opponent ties it up and then wins in OT. Makes me scared about the matchup with Terrell again.

SOC #1 and Lovejoy #2 may be an accurate ranking at this point. Any team that makes it to the semis out of Region 2 will have earned it.

Agree.

Really huge to avoid Melissa and Lovejoy in the first round.