Run-oriented teams gain ground in Dallas

During the last decade, schools such as Carroll (Southlake, Texas), Lake Travis (Austin), Ryan (Denton) and Ennis each won multiple state titles with devastating passing attacks. By making it look so easy, they helped the spread offense gain favor over the power running attacks that were common at the high school level.

But it’s not yet time to kick dirt on three yards and a cloud of dust.” In fact, some of the Dallas-area’s most impressive teams of the early season have been teams that spread the ball around to running backs, not receivers.

Trinity-Euless (3-0), the top-ranked team in MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25, is the top rushing team in the Dallas area. Other Dallas-area 5A teams with run-first offenses include Mansfield (3-0), Richardson (3-0) and Marcus-Flower Mound (3-0), which has attempted only 14 passes in three games.

“Teams fear playing Marcus,” said Marcus running back Rufus Mason. “Most teams like the spread, but we like smash-mouth football.”

Coaches like what will win them games, and so far this season, smash-mouth football is winning a lot of them. The top 10 5A rushing teams in the Dallas area have a combined record of 24-9. The top 10 5A passing teams have only managed a record of 16-15.

Three of those 16 wins are by Coppell (3-0), which has thrown for a lot of yards but will never be confused for a pass-happy team. Coppell running back Cam McDaniel carries the ball 31 times per game, more than any other running back in the Dallas area.

“We’re trying to be as physical as possible,” McDaniel said.

That seems to be a good way to win. Plano West, which last year gained twice as many yards passing as rushing, is now powered by a strong running game. Combined with a sturdy defense, Plano West is 3-0 for the first time since 2003.

“Strong defense and moving the chains,” Plano West coach Mike Hughes said. “That’s what I want our identity to be this year.”

It won’t often be pretty, but it should be successful.

More top stories of the last week from around the Dallas area:

2. Denton Guyer tops Mesquite Horn with dramatic touchdown: Guyer (Denton) quarterback J.W. Walsh, who has orally committed to Oklahoma State, threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Quint Gardener as time expired, finishing off Guyer’s 34-31 victory over Mesquite Horn. Walsh passed for two touchdowns and ran for two as Denton Guyer improved to 2-1.

3. Poteet (Mesquite) football turnaround continues: In a matchup of unbeatens, the difference was an extra point in overtime. After Red Oak’s point-after kick bounced off the upright, Poteet scored a touchdown and then made the kick to earn a 21-20 victory. Poteet, which was 0-10 last season, improved to 4-0.

4. Coppell in, DeSoto out in state rankings: DeSoto’s three second-half turnovers ended its hopes to beat Round Rock Stony Point and also ended its run in the 5A state rankings. DeSoto, which was No. 7, fell out of the rankings after the 46-29 loss to No. 3 Stony Point. Coppell, which had last week off, jumped into the rankings at No. 9, where it is tied with Beaumont West Brook.

5. Eddy Peach will miss Arlington-Lamar game: Former Lamar (Arlington) football coach Eddy Peach, who coached from 1970 through last season, will not be at Friday’s Arlington Lamar-Arlington game. Scott Peach, Eddy’s son, coaches Arlington, and the game has been referred to as the “Peach Bowl” when they’ve coached against each other in the past. Eddy Peach will be on a 10-day vacation to Barcelona, Spain, when Arlington and Lamar play Friday, and Peach told The Dallas Morning News that his wife intentionally planned the vacation for the week of the game. “She knows how hard it’s going to be, and she felt like I needed to be out of town when Arlington High and Lamar played,” he said. “She’s probably right.”

Top Performers

Among the outstanding efforts last week:

* Taylor Light (Flower Mound cross country): Light won the Flower Mound Invitational’s girls 5K race with a time of 18 minutes, 40 seconds. She finished 16 seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

* Deray Thomas (A. Maceo Smith-Dallas football): The senior quarterback passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-20 victory over Carrollton R.L. Turner. Thomas took over as starter after Monterius Dukes, the only quarterback with any experience on A. Maceo Smith’s roster, broke his right femur in the season-opener.

* Develtrick Adair (Samuell-Dallas football): The senior linebacker had 12 tackles, forced a fumble and returned a punt for a touchdown in a 14-12 win over Bryan Adams.

News and Views

Horn (Mesquite) defensive end Stephon Sanders orally committed to SMU last week, becoming the fourth Football Bowl Subdivision commitment on Horn’s roster. Receivers JaCorey Shepherd (Kansas) and Jakeem Grant (Tulsa) have also made oral commitments, along with linebacker Kyle Boyd (Iowa State). … Highland Park (Dallas), which is No. 5 in the 4A state football rankings, will continue to use two quarterbacks, coach Randy Allen told The Dallas Morning News. Jake Howeth, a senior who is a better runner than passer, and Brady Burgin, a junior who is a traditional dropback passer, will split time. Burgin taking more snaps might allow Howeth to play some on defense, where he was an all-district safety last year. … The biggest football game of the week features Allen playing host to Plano, which is the last team to beat Allen in a district game. Allen has won 31 straight district games since losing to Plano in 2005. Both teams are 3-0 this season and Allen is No. 4 in the 5A state rankings.

Matt Wixon, the high school sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News, covers the Dallas region for MaxPreps.com. He can be reached at mwixon@dallasnews.com or at www.twitter.com/mattwixon.