MaxPreps 2012 Preseason Xcellent 25 Football preview: No. 3 Skyline

If not for a meandering fox, Skyline (Dallas) could have been state champions a year ago.

Sure, the Raiders still would have had to get past Hightower, but the team’s loss in the Class 5A-I semifinals was extremely unusual to say the least, after it led 24-14 with less than 2:30 remaining.

Still, Skyline’s season helped assuage the idea that the team was a talented group of players that couldn’t win when it counted. In 2012, it could be even better, with many key pieces returning from a team that came so close a year ago.

Devante Kincade and Ra'Shaad Samples form a potent offensive duo that could represent the nation’s best quarterback-wide receiver combination.



In total, seven offensive starters return, a balanced mix of linemen and skill players that should have Skyline’s offense clicking even early in the season.

Defensively, head coach Reginald Samples needs to find replacements for a dominant linebacking corps that graduated this spring. The names aren’t yet familiar to Texas high school football fans, but Isaiah Williams, Justin Norton, Darnell Reed and Mar’quaveon Jones are among the players that should be able to fill in for the Raiders.

With Cedric Collins and Will Barrow, the secondary has two bona fide returners and should be a strength of the defense.

Local Look: “It would be easy for the returning Skyline players to get overconfident. After all, they won 14 consecutive games and the roster is filled with talent to have another similar season. However, Reginald Samples doesn't sound like he's going to let that happen.”
- Jon Machota, Dallas Morning News
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Size: Class 5A


Enrollment: 5,100 (approx.)


2011 finish: 13-1, Class 5A semifinalist




Head coach: Reginald Samples


Career record: 193-66-2


Years at school: 7


Notable players coached:
Mike Davis (Texas)
Corey Nelson (Oklahoma)
Anthony Wallace (Oregon)
Thomas Johnson (Texas A&M)
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No. of returning starters: 7 (offense), 6 (defense)

Key losses:
WR Thomas Johnson

LB Peter Jinkens



LB Domenic Spencer

LB Nigel Robertson

Key Returners:
QB Devante Kincade

WR Ra’Shaad Samples

OL Kevin Coleman

DB Cedric Collins



Key newcomers:
RB Jatory Sparks-brown

LB Malik Jamison

LB Darnell Reed

OL Deshaun Lawson
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Toughest game: Dallas Jesuit. A Week 5 road game against a well-coached Dallas Jesuit squad that has gotten better each of the last three seasons could present some challenges to Skyline.

Question mark: Will the linebacker unit gel together and be as formidable as it was last season? That appears to be the team’s one glaring weakness. However, the offense struggled in the spring, so that will have to be fine-tuned as well.

Local outlook: The Woodlands, which Skyline beat in the Region II title game last season, should also be strong this year. However, the real test could come much earlier in the playoffs when it will likely have to get past DeSoto, which it downed 41-31 a year ago. Of course, Southlake Carroll will also be very strong, and a playoff rematch is certainly not out of the question.



Overall outlook: This is a hungry team with the talent, coaching and experience to make a run at a state title in the Lone Star State’s most competitive playoff bracket. Skyline has plenty of doubters around the state of Texas, but this team believes in itself. It’s the top team in Texas to start the season and at No. 3, might even be too low in the national rankings.

Coach quote: “We’ve got a pretty good team coming back. There’s a lot of motivation. They’re putting in the work right now.”
- Jason Todd, defensive coordinator
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