DeSoto and Cedar Hill are neighbors - and two of Texas' best football programs. They face off this week, headlining the Top 10 Games.
Photos by Robbie Rakestraw/Kyle Dantzler. Graphic by Ryan Escobar
We preview of one the top rivalries in Dallas-The Metroplex in this, the latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.
Not much separates sixth-ranked DeSoto (Texas) from its District 7-5A neighbor Cedar Hill. The communities are less than six miles apart along East Belt Line Road, and the football programs share equal status among the most successful in Texas the last five years: Each team has 53 wins since 2008. Each team is solidifying its standing as a top contender in Class 5A this year, but only Friday night's winner will start off district play with a 1-0 record.
Other action involving teams ranked in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 this week has a distinct Florida flavor, as third-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) tries to avoid another upset against unbeaten Miramar and No. 9 Central (Miami) travels to New Jersey to face powerhouse Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey).
Stephen Spiewak's 8-2 record picking last week's games has boosted him into the lead of our season-long predictions contest. His 28-11-1 total through four weeks is one game better than GOTW author Jamie DeMoney and four better than Leland Gordon, who is in third place.
Here's a look at this week's Top 10 games along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers and contributors Mitch Stephens, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland, Leland Gordon, Colin Ward-Henninger and Jamie DeMoney.
MaxPreps Top 10 Football Games of the Week
DeSoto (Texas) at Cedar Hill (Texas)What to watch: Oklahoma-committed defensive back
Marcus Green and the rest of Cedar Hill's tough defense trying to extinguish one of Texas' most explosive offenses. DeSoto (3-0) averages more than 50 points per game.
Desmon White, a senior dual-threat quarterback who is only 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, had 364 passing yards and 112 yards on the ground with six touchdowns in just the first half the Eagles' 61-35 blowout of perennial power Trinity (Euless) last week. Cedar Hill (2-1) is battle-tested, having already played No. 2 Allen earlier this season. The Longhorns lost 39-20, but turnovers and two blocked punts led directly to a few of Allen's scores. Last week, Cedar Hill shut out Ozen (Beaumont) 48-0 while holding the Panthers to only 108 total yards,
according to the Dallas Morning News.
Just the facts: Both teams were still alive deep into the month of December last season. Cedar Hill finished 11-5 after losing to Katy in the 5A/II state championship game. DeSoto was 14-1 with only a 5A/I state semifinal loss to eventual champion Allen. … These rivals have split their last eight games played since 2004. DeSoto won the two most recent battles, including a 48-35 triumph last season.
Mitch Stephens: DeSoto 34, Cedar Hill 31
Kevin Askeland: DeSoto 45, Cedar Hill 30
Jamie DeMoney: Cedar Hill 40, DeSoto 37
Stephen Spiewak: DeSoto 55, Cedar Hill 40
Leland Gordon: DeSoto 45, Cedar Hill 35
Colin Ward-Henninger: DeSoto 42, Cedar Hill 35
