MaxPreps Texas Top 25 high school football rankings

Eight-time state champion Carroll (Southlake) made the biggest move in this week's MaxPreps Texas Top 25, gaining five places to No. 4.

The Dragons (8-1) of coach Hal Wasson had to overcome a halftime deficit to secure their eighth straight victory — 31-27 over Fossil Ridge (Keller).

The only blotch on the Carroll record came at the hands of No. 2 Allen in the season opener. Ryan Agnew has stepped in at quarterback to fill the shoes of Kenny Hill.

The most recent of the Dragons' eight state titles occurred in 2011, their fifth in a stretch of 10 seasons.

Debuting at No. 25 this week is Brandeis (San Antonio). Since falling to No. 11 Smithson Valley in their opener, the Broncos have fashioned an eight-game winning streak and wrapped up the District 27-5A title.

Here's the MaxPreps Texas Top 25 following Week 9 games.

Be sure to check out our new Metro pages for Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.


1. DeSoto 9-0 (Last week 1)
Desmon White threw for 404 yards and five touchdowns in a 67-7 rout of 1-8 Grand Prairie. Akile Davis caught three scoring passes and Tristen Wallace rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles, the District 7-5A top seed in the Division I playoff bracket, try to complete their second straight 10-0 regular season when they host 5-4 Mansfield on Thursday.

2. Allen 9-0 (2)
With starting quarterback Kyler Murray sidelined by injury, backup Ryan Hoogerwerf threw for one score and ran for another in the Eagles' 56-7 blowout of 3-6 McKinney. Jaelen Barlow rushed for 110 yards and two scores, helping Allen increase its winning streak to 20. In the regular season finale on Friday the Eagles go on the road to meet 7-2 Plano.

3. Katy 9-0 (3)
Rodney Anderson, back from injury that sidelined him five weeks, scored three touchdowns and Manny Mendoza kicked four field goals in a 40-7 defeat of 7-2 Cinco Ranch (Katy). Sy Slater came up with two of the Tigers' four interceptions and returned one 35 yards for a touchdown. The victory nailed down another District 19-5A title for the Tigers. Katy will go for its 48th straight regular-season victory on Friday against 6-3 Memorial (Houston).

4. Carroll (Southlake) 8-1 (9)
Trailing by 10 points at halftime, Ryan Agnew ran for a touchdown and threw for another in a hard-fought 31-27 victory over 6-3 Fossil Ridge (Keller). The Dragons defense helped offset 367 Fossil Ridge passing yards with four interceptions and Agnew rushed for 143 yards on 29 carries. On Friday, the District 4-5A champion hosts 3-6 Haltom (Haltom City) in the regular-season finale.

5. North Shore (Houston) 9-0 (5)
Junior Tristan Houston rushed for 266 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-0 blanking of 5-4 La Porte. The Mustangs' defense intercepted three passes and recorded its fourth shutout of the season. The win clinched a share of the District 21-5A title for the Mustangs. On Friday, North Shore will complete the regular season with a road game at 4-4 Deer Park.

6. Westfield (Houston) 9-0 (6)
Courtland Greenwood threw for three touchdowns and ran for two in a 52-20 blowout of 6-3 Kingwood. Akpaffiong Tisdale and Latevius Downs had long touchdown runs in the second half. In the regular-season finale Friday, the Mustangs will face 2-7 Dekaney (Houston).

7. Lamar (Houston) 8-0 (7)
Ronnie Wesley caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Darrell Colbert with 4:35 remaining for the decisive score in the Redskins' 28-21 victory over 7-2 Bellaire. Colbert threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 123 yards and a score. The victory wrapped up the District 20-5A title for Lamar. Up next is the regular-season finale on Thursday against 3-6 Chavez (Houston).

8. Coppell 7-1 (8)
The Cowboys' smothering defense held 6-2 Ryan (Denton) without a first down in the second half of a 28-3 victory. For the fourth consecutive game, Coppell did not allow any points in the second half and in the last three hasn't allowed a touchdown. Gavin McDaniel rushed for one score and caught one of two scoring passes thrown by Skyler Bonneau. Up next is a Friday trip to 3-6 Lewisville in the regular-season finale.

9. Steele (Cibolo) 8-1 (10)
Justin Stockton got the Knights off to a fast start with a 201-yard rushing performance and two touchdowns in a 45-3 romp over 3-5 Carroll (Corpus Christi). Quarterback L.G. Williams ran for one touchdown and threw for another. On Friday the Knights face 5-4 Southwest (San Antonio) in the regular-season finale.

10. Manvel 8-1 (13)
In a showdown for the District 22-5A title, Manvel sophomore Deriq King was superb, throwing for 376 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-7 thrashing of 8-1 Pearland. King added 145 rushing yards for the Mavericks against a defense that came into the game allowing only 27 points all season. Up next is the regular season finale Thursday against 3-6 South Houston.

11. Smithson Valley (Spring Branch) 9-0 (12)
Cameron Jones rushed for 111 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-14 blowout of 3-6 New Braunfels. Quarterback Garrett Smith, returning from injury, threw a pair of touchdown passes. On Friday the Rangers will close out the regular season against 0-9 Wagner (San Antonio).

12. Skyline (Dallas) 8-1 (11)
Sederian Copeland threw four touchdown passes in the first quarter in the Raiders' 65-7 throttling of 1-8 W.T. White (Dallas). The Skyline defense limited White to minus-16 yards of total offense and two first downs with the only touchdown coming on a kickoff return. With another District 9-5A crown secured, the Raiders will face 3-6 Richardson in the regular season finale on Friday.

13. Aledo 9-0 (15)
The Bearcats proved they are capable of scoring big even when not playing a Fort Worth ISD team. Jess Anders rushed for three touchdowns and Ryan Newsome carried back two punts for scores in a 72-6 crunching of 8-1 Granbury. Quarterback Luke Bishop, playing just over a half, completed 16 of 17 passes for 190 yards and two scores. Aledo concludes its regular season Saturday on the road against 2-7 Trimble Tech (Fort Worth).

14. Hendrickson (Pflugerville) 10-0 (16)
Tazh Maloy rushed for 147 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 96-yarder in the fourth quarter, to lead the Hawks to a 21-7 victory over 2-7 McNeil (Austin) and an unblemished regular-season record. The Hawks defense limited McNeil to 123 yards including minus-17 rushing. After a Week 10 open date, Hendrickson will advance to the Region II playoff bracket.

15. Cedar Hill 7-2 (17)
Senior Larry Hill scored four touchdowns to help the Longhorns climb out of an early 10-point deficit in a 42-17 victory over 5-4 Mansfield. Justin McMillan threw for 156 yards and a touchdown. The victory was No. 100 for coach Joey McGuire and it assured Cedar Hill the top District 7-5A seed in the Division II playoff bracket. The Longhorns host 4-5 Midlothian Friday to close out the regular season.

16. Fort Bend Elkins (Missouri City) 8-1 (19)
Quarterback Jonathan Giles rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Knights to a 35-21 victory over 2-6 Fort Bend Travis (Richmond). Giles' seven-yard touchdown run late in the third period snapped a 21-21 tie. Timothy Jackson, who rushed for 146 yards and two scores, broke a 71-yard touchdown clincher with five minutes remaining. Elkins will attempt to complete a 7-0 record in District 23-5A on Friday against 4-5 Fort Bend Austin (Sugar Land).

17. Pearland 8-1 (4)
An Oilers defense that had allowed only 27 points in its first eight games was torched by the passing attack of 8-1 Manvel. Pearland was no match in the District 22-5A showdown, falling 42-7. Pearland's run game was limited to 66 yards. The Oilers will try to rebound on Friday when they host 5-4 Pasadena Dobie (Houston).

18. Cedar Park 8-1 (20)
Nate Grimm ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-21 triumph over 4-5 Vista Ridge (Cedar Park). Grimm, a senior quarterback, also threw for a score. Bill Estevanott rushed for 99 yards and two scores. The Timberwolves will host 2-7 Dripping Springs in the regular-season finale on Friday.

19. Reagan (San Antonio) 9-0 (21)
Senior quarterback Ty Summers, a Rice pledge, carried 27 times for 288 yards and seven touchdowns in a 49-35 District 26-5A victory over 5-4 Churchill (San Antonio). Summers added 216 passing yards on 12 completions. The Rattlers will try to close out a perfect regular season against 2-7 MacArthur (San Antonio) on Friday.

20. Lake Travis (Austin) 8-1 (22)
Varshaun Nixon capped a 134-yard rushing performance with a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:17 remaining and Dylan Tracy kicked the extra point for a 28-27 victory over 5-4 Westlake (Austin). Dominic Packer caught a touchdown pass and returned a punt for another score, but the Cavaliers trailed by 13 points going into the fourth quarter. Following a Week 10 bye, Lake Travis will gear up for yet another playoff run.

21. Sachse 9-0 (23)
Senior Kent Myers threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-26 triumph over 1-9 South Garland. Myers has thrown 33 touchdowns this season. Devine Ozigbo added 138 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Mustangs try for an unblemished regular season when they host 5-4 Naaman Forest (Garland) on Friday.

22. Longview 8-1 (24)
The Lobos reeled off 28 points in the first 10 minutes and cruised to a 63-7 rout of 4-5 Lee (Tyler). L'Darrius Peterson rushed for three touchdowns and Dezmond Chumley threw for three. The win assured the District 12-5A title for Longview. Next is a Friday road game at 5-4 Rockwall.

23. Summer Creek (Houston) 9-0 (25)
Senior Aaron Sharp threw for one touchdown and ran 42 yards for another in a 41-10 triumph over 5-4 Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu). Wallace Jackson returned a fumble 98 yards for a Bulldogs' touchdown early in the fourth quarter. In Friday's regular-season finale Summer Creek hosts 5-4 Dayton.

24. Bowie (Arlington) 7-2 (14)
The Vols fumbled eight times, losing three, and threw an interception in a 24-21 loss to 5-4 Arlington. Even when not turning the ball over, Bowie was forced to punt six times and did not score in the second half. Trenton Shumate led the Vols with 151 rushing yards on 15 carries. On Thursday Bowie concludes the regular season against 4-5 Martin (Arlington).

25. Brandeis (San Antonio) 8-1 (NR)
Kadarius Lee and Dayden Wooster had interception returns for touchdowns during a 14-second span of the third quarter in the Broncos' 50-6 throttling of 1-8 Marshall (San Antonio). Jaylon Dukes paced the rushing attack with 133 yards on 18 carries in the team's eighth straight win. Up next is the regular-season finale on Thursday against 0-9 Holmes (San Antonio).

Dropped out: No. 18 Cinco Ranch (Katy)

On the bubble
Atascocita (Humble) 8-1, Bellaire 7-2, Clear Creek (League City) 7-2, Cy-Fair (Cypress) 8-1, Fort Bend Bush (Richmond) 8-1, George Ranch (Richmond) 9-0, Judson (Converse) 7-2, Texas City 9-0, The Woodlands 7-2, Trinity (Euless) 7-2