Texas Games of the Week: 8-0 teams square off in three headliner games this week

Video: Xcellent 25 High School Football Rankings
This week's Top 25 includes unbeaten Judson.

Three matchups of 8-0 teams headline the list of Week 10 top games in Texas. To have a matchup of unbeaten teams within the same district this late in the season goes against the odds. In the five classifications of UIL 11-man football, only 54 teams are 8-0. Another four have successfully made it to 9-0. That's from 1,073 combined schools in those classifications.

The cancellation of games for schools on the coast hit by Hurricane Harvey definitely has been a factor in a smaller number to reach eight wins at this point in the season.

But it also drives home the point of how difficult it is to navigate through a schedule without suffering a loss somewhere along the line.

Here's a look at the Week 10 games to watch in Texas:



Montwood (El Paso) 8-0 at Pebble Hills (El Paso) 8-0, 8 p.m. Friday
The District 1-6A showdown matches teams with 5-0 records in league play. Pebble Hills, in just its second year of varsity competition, is a surprise, coming off a 2-8 initial season. Senior quarterback Orlando Puig has thrown for 1,391 yards and 16 touchdowns, while junior Caleb Gerber has rushed for 1,209 yards and 14 scores. The defense has recorded 26.5 sacks and 20 turnovers. Montwood depends on quarterback Andrew Fernandez, both for his passing (2,340 yards, 36 touchdowns) and his running (732 yards). Tyreese Andrus is the top target with 41 catches for 1,060 yards and 17 scores. On defense, Eric Ramirez is the leading tackler.

Vela (Edinburg) 8-0 at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (San Juan) 8-0, 7 p.m. Thursday
Both teams come into this District 31-6A showdown with 5-0 league records. Vela senior Nathan Garcia has thrown for 1,748 yards and 17 touchdowns with sophomore Justin Cantu (575 yards, five touchdowns) as his favorite target. Defensively, junior cornerback Daniel Enriquez has three interceptions. For the hosts, 3-7 a year ago, junior Trey Guajardo has racked up 2,466 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. Nathan Sanchez has 44 catches for 933 yards and nine scores. Orlando Huerta leads the defense with 11.1 tackles per game.

Abernathy 8-0 at New Deal 8-0, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Both sides come into the District 2-2A DI showdown with 3-0 league records. Sophomore Bryson Daily, son of head coach Darrell Daily, leads Abernathy with 931 passing yards and 617 on the ground. Kole Carlisle (842 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns) is another key contributor along with leading tackler Dante Flores. New Deal sophomore Nehemiah Martinez has rushed for 1,179 yards and 15 touchdowns. Jett Whitfield has thrown for 12 scores. Martinez and Kendell Dunn have four interceptions each.

Smithson Valley (Spring Branch) 7-1 at Judson (Converse) 8-0, 7:30 p.m. Friday
District 27-6A has been loaded with great matchups this season and this should be another. Smithson Valley squeezed past Canyon (New Braunfels) 14-9 last week with Levi Williams' 40-yard touchdown pass to Trevon Moehrig-Woodard 57 seconds before half being the difference. Mason Pierce leads the Rangers defense with six interceptions. With University of Houston pledge Julon Williams out with a leg injury, Sincere McCormick switched from running back and filled in nicely in last week's Judson victory over Clemens (Schertz). Shae Calvin is a key man in the Judson pass rush with five sacks.
 
Klein Collins (Spring) 7-0 at Klein 6-1, 7 p.m. Friday
Collins is 5-0 in District 15-6A and Klein is 4-1. Juniors Isaiah Spiller (642 yards rushing, 12 touchdowns) and Carter Rhyne (996 yards passing, 13 touchdowns) pace the Collins offense. Defensively, Donavan Mutin has recorded six sacks. The only blemish on the Klein record is a two-point loss to rival Klein Oak (Spring) on Oct. 12. In the two games that followed, Klein routed Klein Forest (Houston) and Spring Woods (Houston) by a combined score of 108-0.

Hutto 8-0 at Cedar Park 7-1, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Each side sports a 6-0 record in District 19-5A play. Hutto junior Chase Griffin has thrown for 2,565 yards and 25 touchdowns. Chux Nwabuko, a transfer from Hendrickson (Pflugerville) has rushed for 695 yards and 16 scores. Jacob Berry is the Hippos leading tackler. Cedar Park junior Ryan Fiala stepped in for injured starting quarterback Mak Sexton and completed 22 of 30 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns in last week's 21-14 victory over Connally (Pflugerville). Cedar Park won the 5A-DII state title in 2015.

Reedy (Frisco, Texas) 8-0 at Lone Star (Frisco) 7-1, 7:30 p.m. Friday
Reedy, in only its second year of varsity play, is led by junior Josh Foskey (1,851 passing yards, 18 touchdowns). Justin Gipson is the top Reedy rusher with 1,059 yards and 13 scores. Defensively, Dominic McCorry has five interceptions. Dual-threat Lone Star quarterback M.J. Rivers has thrown for 1,491 yards and rushed for 612. Kirby Bennett, a transfer from Allen, is leading rusher with 725 yards, while Marvin Mims has 527 receiving yards and eight scores. Lone Star was a state finalist in 2015.



Van 8-0 at Kaufman 8-1, 7:30 p.m. Friday
The hosts are 5-0 in District 8-4A DI and Van is 4-0. Van went four rounds deep in the playoffs in 2016. Three-year starting quarterback Garrett Moseley leads an offense that averages over 47 points a game. His go-to receivers are Bray Doring and Gus Brewer. Kaufman, a winner in a pair of games decided by three points, relies on the running of Jay Gasper (820 yards) and the passing and running of Trey Collier (1,459 combined yards).

Ryan (Denton) 8-0 at Denison 7-1, 7 p.m. Friday
Both teams are 4-0 in District 5-5A. Ryan, a state semifinalist a year ago, is 22-1 over the last two seasons. Senior quarterback Spencer Sanders, an Oklahoma State pledge, has thrown for 1,895 yards and rushed for 414 with a hand in 31 touchdowns. Receiver Gabriel Dougals has 51 catches for 813 yards and 15 touchdowns. Denison quarterback Austin Emery has rushed for 765 yards and thrown for 733 for a combined 21 touchdowns. Nate Maulsbyleads the Denison defense in tackles with 12.4 per game.

Hirschi (Wichita Falls) 7-1 at Argyle 8-0, 7 p.m. Friday
Both teams enter the District 4-4A-DII tussle with 3-0 records in league play. Some opposing coaches are talking about Hirschi junior running back Daimarqua Foster in mystical terms. He has already rushed for 2,137 yards and 30 touchdowns with a high of 580. Argyle, winner of at least 11 games the last eight seasons, is cruising behind the passing of Jon Copeland (2,043 yards, 24 touchdowns) and the running of Don Williams (995 yards, 12 scores).

Honorable mention top games, all on Friday: Liberty 7-1 at West Orange-Stark (Orange) 6-0, 7:30 p.m.; Sachse 8-0 at Naaman Forest (Garland) 7-1, 7 p.m.; Gatesville 7-1 at La Vega (Waco) 8-0, 7:30 p.m.; Friona 7-1 at Shallowater 7-1, 7:30 p.m.; Stratford 7-1 at West Texas (Stinnett) 7-1, 7 p.m.; Joaquin 7-1 at San Augustine 8-0, 7:30 p.m.