By Jason Hickman
MaxPreps.com
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The Teams
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Euless Trinity, Texas (3-0) at South Grand Prairie, Texas (3-0)
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This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Texas' defending Division I 5A state champions, Euless Trinity. But three games into the 2006 season, head coach Steve Lineweaver's Trojans are looking like legitimate threats to make a repeat run at the title.
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The Dallas-area school enters Friday's game as the No. 3 team in Texas, according to the Padilla Poll, but No. 2 in MaxPreps' National Rankings. That may be a little confusing, but the MaxPreps ranking simply illustrates how dominant the Trojans have been against a trio of quality teams with a combined record of 9-0 - outside of their unsuccessful outings with Euless Trinity.
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Tyler Lee, Odessa Permian, and Waco have gone down in that order by a combined score of 112-40 - an average of 37-13. That's not too far off the pace set by a loaded Trojan squad a year ago en route to a 14-1 record. With Trevor Vittatoe (UTEP) at quarterback and Dimitri Nance (Arizona State) at running back, Trinity won by an average of 44-13, scoring 50 or more five times.
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But the defending champions reloaded at running back with senior Shannon Moore, who exploded for 218 yards against Tyler Lee, and Georgia transfer Justise Campbell, who ran for 102 yards last week against Waco. The quarterback position was supposed to be manned by senior Ryan Taggart, but injuries have forced fellow senior Dillon Swingle and sophomore Teu Kautai to fill in. Taggart is expected back this week.
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For South Grand Prairie, staying with Euless Trinity might require another performance from star quarterback Denzel Dewberry like the one he had two weeks ago in a 50-36 win over Mansfield Summit.
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The senior signal caller earned Dallas Morning News SportsDay Offensive Player of the Week after completing 10 of 15 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns, while cranking out another 153 yards and a score on the ground, in the process out-dueling Summit star (and Texas Longhorn commitment) John Chiles.
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Dewberry, being pursued by the likes of Alabama, Texas Christian, and Colorado State, is among the state's most underrated prospects and is determined to change that.
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"I just came out and played my game (against Mansfield Summit) and showed I can compete with any quarterback in Texas," Dewberry told the Dallas Morning News. "I knew I had to make big plays, and I tried to put us in position to win. We knew we could win, and we had to prove it to the state of Texas that we're better than Chiles and Summit. We won as a team."
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The Bottom Line
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South Grand Prairie is clearly the underdog in Friday's 5A District 7 clash, but Dewberry, who will likely be the best playmaker on the field, isn't the only reason for optimism if you are a Warrior.
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SGP handed the Trojans their only defeat a year ago, a 35-28 thriller in week nine, and it will have the home field advantage, for whatever that is worth at the high school level.
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The MaxPreps "Pregame" feature is predicting a lopsided, 44-12, victory for Euless Trinity, but expect Dewberry and the Warriors to keep it closer than that.
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MaxPreps USA Football Tour
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Photo: Euless Trinity performs the "Haka" dance after a playoff win at Texas Stadium last season. (By Bob Booth).