Although no longer district foes, south Houston neighbors Manvel and Pearland keep rivalry alive.
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See top highlights from last weekend's action in the Lone Star State.
University Interscholastic League realignment saw Manvel drop to Class 5A this fall, thus ending for the time being its district association with Pearland. But happily, the two south Houston powers agreed to keep the rivalry going with this pre-district encounter.
That game and nine other intriguing Week 3 match-ups:
The Manvel offense scored 70 points or more six times in 2015 but the defense could be the team's strength this season.
Photo by John Godwin
7 p.m. Friday
Last week Manvel shocked Class 6A-DI champion North Shore (Houston) 26-13 behind 255 passing yards from
Kason Martin. Pearland blanked Memorial (Houston) 36-0 as
Jaelin Benefield turned six carries into 124 yards and four touchdowns.
Waxahachie, 2-0 at Ennis, 1-1
7:30 p.m. FridayThe "Battle of Highway 287'' dates back to 1908. The Ellis County rivals are separated by 15 miles of the highway that connects the cities. Waxahachie won last year's game, 38-20, but trails the overall series. Ennis lost to John Tyler (Tyler) 30-14 last week. Waxahachie edged Highland Park 40-37 on the last of Oklahoma pledge
Jalen Reagor's three touchdown catches, the last coming with 19 seconds remaining.
Lamar (Houston), 2-0 at Klein Collins (Spring), 1-1
7 p.m. FridayOwen Holt threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns in Lamar's 51-0 rout of Fort Bend Hightower (Missouri City) last week. Klein Collins took defending Class 6A-DII state champion Katy to double overtime before falling 50-49 despite
D'Anthony Doyle's 162-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance.
Celina, 1-1 at Argyle, 2-0
7:30 p.m. FridayCelina, a Class 4A-DII state finalist last fall, bounced back last week with a 55-31 rout of Liberty Christian (Argyle) behind a 239-yard, three-touchdown rushing performance by
John Franklin. Argyle, the Class 4A-DI state finalist last season, is coming off a 14-8 victory over La Grange.
Don Williams, a junior, rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown.
Whitehouse, 2-0 at Carthage, 2-0
7:30 p.m. FridayJavier Neal and
Ken'Tavian McDade each have a pair of interceptions for Class 5A Whitehouse. Carthage, a very successful Class 4A program, is led by quarterback
Kason Davis with 437 passing yards and five touchdowns so far.
China Spring, 2-0 at Cameron Yoe, 2-0
7:30 p.m. FridayEncouraged by lopsided wins over Lorena and Huntsville, China Spring attempts to slow Yoe quarterback
Zack Andress who in two games has thrown for 593 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Katy, 1-1 at The Woodlands, 2-0
7:30 p.m. FridayThe defending Class 6A-DII state champion Tigers dodged an 0-2 start in a 50-49 win over Klein Collins (Spring) behind 250 rushing yards and five touchdowns by
Deondrick Glass. The Woodlands, which has had more success against Katy than most, rolled over Spring 36-7 as
Eric Schmid threw for two scores and ran for another.
Mansfield Legacy, 2-0 at Aledo, 2-0
7:30 p.m. FridayKameron Session has rushed for 306 yards and three touchdowns to help spur Legacy to a 47-point average so far. Aledo, a state semifinalist last year, is led in tackles by sophomore cornerback
Brannon Webb, who also has an interception and a fumble recovery.
Lovejoy (Lucas), 1-1 at Lone Star (Frisco), 2-0
7 p.m. FridayChad Hesson, a senior running back for Lovejoy, has already accumulated 322 offensive yards. Senior quarterback
Jason Shelley, a Utah pledge, has thrown for 489 yards and three touchdowns so far for Lone Star. The Rangers reached the Class 5A-DII state title game last season.
Abilene, 1-1 at Abilene Christian, 1-1
7:30 p.m. Friday
Both teams have absorbed a lopsided defeat, but that will mean little when this rivalry is renewed. Abilene depends on senior running back
Abram Smith, a Tulsa pledge who already has rushed for 245 yards and four scores. The last three encounters have been routs and Cooper has been on the losing end of the last two.
