Allen at No. 16 Denton Guyer: Follow live, how to watch, players to watch

It's poised to be a good ol' fashioned Texas high school football shootout Thursday on ESPN2 as No. 16 Guyer (Denton) hosts perennial Lone Star State power Allen.

The host Wildcats are 7-0 and led by MaxPreps National Player of the Year candidate Jackson Arnold while the Eagles enter the game 6-1 with their lone loss to No. 4 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), which was the No. 1 team when they battled in August.

How to watch
When: Thursday, Oct. 20, 6 p.m. CDT
Where: Denton ISD Stadium (Denton, Texas)
Follow: MaxPreps live scoring

Denton Guyer is looking for a state title after falling in the 6A Division 2 title game last year and have been fueled by star quarterback Arnold, an Oklahoma commit. The five-star prospect has thrown for 1,542 yards this season with 17 TDs against three interceptions and a 63 percent completion percentage. He's added 228 yards on the ground with five more scores. He tallied 4,580 yards of total offense (3,921 passing, 659 rushing) and 46 touchdowns in the runner-up finish.

Arnold's favorite targets are senior Landon Sides (26 catches for 596 yards and seven TDs) and junior Josiah Martin (24 catches for 363 yards and three scores). Junior running back Trey Joyner provides balance for the Dentor Guyer offense with 597 yards on 113 carries and 10 scores. Allen has won five state championships since 2008 and finished ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 six times since 2012. The Eagles have won six straight since the opening-week loss under first-year head coach Lee Wiginton, who came to the program after six seasons at Midlothian Heritage. Allen has been one of the best programs in Texas and produced top-end talent with eight players drafted in the NFL since 2012, including Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray.

This season, quarterback Mike Hawkins has led the Eagles with over 1,000 yards passing on 93 of 155 with 12 touchdowns. A trio of pass-catchers — junior Messiah Washington (34 catches for 361 yards and three TDs), sophomore Davon Mitchelll (18 catches for 328 and four TDs) and junior Allen Wimberly (16 catches for 209) — have been Hawkins' primary targets. Junior running back Kayvion Sibley leads the ground attack with 935 yards on 109 carries and 11 TDs.