By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
Smithson Valley Wins Featured Game at Texas Football Classic
Running back Trent Rios ground out 107 yards on 25 carries to give Smithson Valley a 17-7 win over The Woodlands Saturday at the Toyota Tundra Texas Football Classic in San Antonio.
The victory would have to be considered a mild upset for Smithson Valley, No. 10 in the state's 5A poll. The Woodlands entered the event with championship expectations and a No. 5 state ranking. But for the victorious Rangers, it's just another testament to their ability to reload.
Larry Hill's club is now 27-5 dating back to 2004 and is gunning for its 12th-consecutive playoff appearance this season.
In other action at the Alamodome over the weekend, Lake Travis knocked off Texas City, 41-34, New Braunfels Canyon downed Pflugerville Hendrickson, 37-7, Madison beat Seguin, 23-11, and McAllen Memorial upset Victoria Memorial, 24-22.
McAllen Memorial's Bradley Stephens rushed for 147 yards in the win, bringing his career total to 5,601 yards.
Lufkin "Picks Off" Evangel Christian, 24-14
In a game that was overshadowed by the wealth of multi-game, big venue events going on all over the country, Lufkin, Texas, used six interceptions to hold off Evangel Christian, La., 24-14.
The visiting Panthers, No. 5 in MaxPreps preseason rankings, had success slowing down Evangel's typically high-octane offense, but never seemed to quite get on track in both teams season opener.
"We had spurts on offense where we played well, and we had spurts on defense where we played well," Lufkin head coach John Outlaw told The Shreveport Times. "I'm frustrated with the way we played because we're too good of a team to play that way."
Senior running back Ja'Corey Turner carried the load for Lufkin, rushing 17 times for 119 yards and a touchdown, while safety Joe Jackson was the star defensively, snaring four of the team's six interceptions.
Evangel Christian will get another difficult Texas test when they travel to Southlake Carroll Sept. 14.
Oaks Christian Makes 2006 Debut
Oaks Christian, Calif., No. 9 in MaxPreps preseason top 25, debuted with a 49-0 win at Lompoc Friday.
It's normally quarterback Jimmy Clausen garnering the headlines, but running back Marc Tyler stole the show for the Lions, rushing for 224 yards and a score on just 12 carries. The USC commitment also picked off a pass and recorded three tackles.
Clausen, headed to Notre Dame, didn't have one of his more statistically impressive games - completing 10 of 18 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns - but he will be asked to do more in the coming weeks with St. Bonaventure and Venice looming on the schedule.
The Lions face Muir of Pasadena Friday.
Moore Lights Up Emerald City
Saturday's game between Southridge and Prosser at the WIAA's Emerald City Kickoff Classic in Seattle was billed as a battle between the Washington's best 3A and 2A teams, respectively.
Instead, it turned into the next chapter in the growing legend of Prosser's Kellen Moore, as his Mustangs trounced Southridge, 69-7.
The senior quarterback, who set state records with 4,600 passing yards and 66 touchdown passes as a junior, completed 25 of 32 pass attempts for 407 yards and seven touchdowns in the blowout, leading Prosser to a 49-7 halftime lead. The Mustangs added 20 more points the third quarter.
Moore found his favorite receiver, junior Cody Bruns, 10 times for 269 yards and three touchdowns.
"We've got a comfort level between each other," Moore told the Seattle Times. "We understand what the other is thinking on the field."
One other tidbit from Washington; watch out for Bellevue. The Wolverines, winners of four-straight 3A titles from 2001-2004, dominated defending 4A champion Skyline, 28-0, Friday on the road. Bellevue handled De La Salle in 2004 to end its 151-game winning streak, and Long Beach Poly in 2005. It won't take Butch Goncharoff's club long to get back in the national picture if they roll through the early portion of their schedule.
Top 25 Rundown
A quick look at weekend scores from MaxPreps' Preseason Top 25 teams.
(1) Lakeland, Fla. (2-0) - Defeated Norland, 42-12
(2) South Panola, Miss. (2-0) - Defeated Moss Point, 22-13
(3) Byrnes, S.C. (3-0) - Defeated Greer, 41-6
(4) Hoover, Ala. (1-0) - Defeated Union, Okla., 34-7
(5) Lufkin, Texas (1-0) - Defeated Evangel Christian, La., 24-14
(6) St. Edward, Ohio (2-0) - Defeated Shaker Heights, 31-0
(8) Curtis, La. (1-0) - Defeated Mandeville, 43-0
(9) Oaks Christian, Calif. (1-0) - Defeated Lompoc, 49-0
(10) Warren Central, Ind. (3-0) - Defeated Lawrence North, 41-21
(12) St. Xavier, Ohio (2-0) - Defeated Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind., 23-3
(13) Garland, Texas (1-0) - Defeated Allen, 38-35
(15) Independence, N.C. (3-0) - Defeated Olympic, 55-14
(16) West Monroe, La. (1-0) - Defeated Longview, Texas, 19-15
(17) Central Catholic, Pa. (1-0) - Defeated Gateway, 42-27
(20) Canyon, Calif. (1-0) - Defeated Moorpark, 33-14
(21) Union, Okla. (0-1) - Lost to Hoover, Ala., 34-7
(22) Maryville, Tenn. (3-0) - Defeated Clinton, 38-12
(23) Camden County, Ga. (1-0) - Defeated Brookwood, 21-17
(24) St. Augustine, Fla. (2-0) - Defeated Bartram Trail, 10-7
Team of the Week: Hoover, Ala.
Hoover went on the road to snap Tulsa Union's 57-game home winning streak in impressive fashion, 34-7. The Buccaneers - subject of MTV's "Two-A-Days" documentary - haven't backed away from national championship talk, and if they win out and capture another state title in 2006, this win will take them a long way in that discussion. Hoover used the running game, not its vaunted passing attack, to poke holes in the Union defense, cranking out 234 yards on the ground.
Max Performers of the Week
Paul McCoy, Running Back, Matewan, W.V.
A week after rushing for a state record 537 yards against Shelby Valley, Ky., Paul McCoy carried 26 times for 306 yards and four touchdowns in a 27-14 win over Madonna. In Matewan's first two games - both wins - McCoy has amassed 843 yards and 10 touchdowns, finding time to make 10 tackles and pick off a pass defensively.
Tony Jackson, Running Back, Bishop Kearney, N.Y.
The Rochester, N.Y., running back had an impressive 2006 debut, racking up 337 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-6 win for Bishop Kearney over Whitman. Committed to Duke University, Jackson made the most of his 22 carries, averaging over 15 yards per touch.
Kellen Moore, Quarterback, Prosser, Wash.
Moore and his Prosser teammates made a mockery of their highly-anticipated showdown with 3A power, Southridge, blowing out the Suns 69-7 at Seattle's Qwest Field as part of the Emerald City Kickoff Classic. Moore, who threw for over 4,600 yards as a junior, completed 25 of 32 pass attempts for 407 yards and seven touchdowns passes.
Looking Ahead
The MaxPreps USA Football Road Tour will head north from San Antonio to Oklahoma for that state's best gridiron rivalry - Jenks and Tulsa Union.
Jenks has taken the last two regular season games in the series, but Union has walked away with three of the last four 6A state titles, including a win over the Trojans in the 2004 final.
In Ohio, a pair of MaxPreps preseason top 25 teams will meet to decide early-season supremacy in the state's Division I ranks. Cincinnati's St. Xavier captured the state title a year ago, but Lakewood St. Edward will try to uphold its status as the favorite in 2006 as part of the I-wireless Prep Classic at Paul Brown Stadium.
Moeller and Massillon lock horns in an intriguing opening act for the 7:30 p.m. St. Xavier-St. Edward showdown.
Giants Stadium in New Jersey will be another hotbed for high school football over the weekend as the 2006 High School Football Kickoff Classic rolls out a six-team lineup Saturday.
Phillipsburg and Bergen Catholic open the event at 1 p.m., followed by Poly Prep Country Day of Brooklyn and St. Joseph Regional at 4 p.m. The 7 p.m. nightcap features MaxPreps preseason No. 11, St. Peter's Prep, meeting Delbarton.
Bulletin Board Material
- Victoria Memorial, Texas, head coach Jerry Campbell to The Monitor on star running back Bradley Stephens:
"(Stephens) is a quality back. Trust me, after this game I can see why (Texas) A&M is going after him. He changes the way you play the game."
- Evangel Christian, La., head coach Ronnie Alexander to The Shreveport Times on Lufkin's team speed:
"We had our chances, absolutely. They're a great football team. I knew they would be fast, but I didn't realize how fast they were."