Friday marks the first big night of high school football in Dallas-Fort Worth. Here are some of the best season-opening games on the schedule this weekend.
Duncanville vs. South Oak Cliff – 8 p.m.
Week One features a colossal matchup between defending 6A-Division I state champion Duncanville and defending back-to-back 5A Division II state champion South Oak Cliff. The teams began the season against each other last year. Duncanville won 23-10.
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DeSoto vs. Allen – 7:30 p.m.
DeSoto begins the season ranked as the AP’s third-best 6A team in the state and the No.2-ranked 6A team in the Dallas area, according to The Dallas Morning News. Allen is also among the top 6A teams in the area, ranked ninth. Allen only won seven games last season after establishing itself as a contender in previous seasons, while DeSoto has won at least 10 games the last three years in a row.
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Denton Guyer vs. Rockwall-Heath – 8 p.m.
This is another matchup of two of the top 20 6A teams in the Dallas area. Guyer, ranked ninth in the state, begins the season with high expectations and will be counting on several new faces to become playmakers. Rockwall-Heath, ranked 15th in the area by the DMN, will be playing its first game under former Guyer head coach Rodney Webb, who replaced John Harrell after the latter resigned during the offseason following an incident in which many players were hospitalized during offseason training.
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Arlington Martin vs. Lake Travis – 7 p.m.
After defeating the Cavaliers in the season opener in Arlington last season, Martin, the 13th-ranked 6A team in DFW, heads to Austin to return the favor and face the No.11 team in the state. Historically, Lake Travis has been a powerhouse program with six state championships, but the Cavaliers won just seven games last season, even though they ultimately reached the regional semifinals.
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Highland Park vs. Flower Mound Marcus – 7:30 p.m.
Two of the top 6A programs in DFW will square off in Flower Mound. Highland Park begins the season as the DMN’s No.11 team in the area after an 11-win season a year ago. The Scots have just four returning starters after losing 70 players from last year’s team, while head coach Mike Alexander will make his debut for Marcus.
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Crandall vs. Forney – 7 p.m.
This is a matchup of two of the top 20 5A teams in the area. Crandall was an area finalist last season but has to replace most of its production on offense. Forney enters the season looking for its third consecutive playoff appearance after a 15-year drought.
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Anna vs. Decatur – 7:30 p.m.
This is a meeting of two of the top 4A teams in the state, both eliminated by state champion China Spring during the playoffs last season. Anna enters the season ranked fourth in the state by the AP after winning a program-record 13 games last season, while Decatur brings back most of its playmakers from an 11-win team that reached the state semifinals.
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Argyle vs. Melissa – 8 p.m.
This game features two of the top three teams in 5A Division II. Argyle went unbeaten until the state semifinals last season, falling to South Oak Cliff. Melissa enters its second 5A season as the No.1 team in Division I after an 11-3 season.
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Parish Episcopal vs. Aledo – 8 p.m.
Lastly, we have a matchup of the best private school team in the state (Parish) and the No.1 team in 5A Division I (Aledo). Both teams enter the season as defending state champions and expect to contend again this season. TCU commit Hauss Hejny returns after leading Aledo to 14 consecutive wins last season, while Parish aims for its fifth straight state title.
