The 2023 high school football season officially began across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, with schools playing their first games on Thursday and Friday. Here are some notable results from the opening week:
DeSoto 39, Allen 7
DJ Bailey threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns while DeSoto spread the ball around to its three running backs to roll past Allen. Allen scored on its first drive to take a one-point lead, but DeSoto closed the game with 33 unanswered points.
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Lake Travis 13, Arlington Martin 6
Lake Travis prevailed in a low-scoring battle. Tied at six in the fourth quarter, Lake Travis capitalized on a Martin turnover as quarterback Kadyn Leon found Seth Galbraith for the game-winning touchdown in the final minute.
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Denton Guyer 42, Rockwall-Heath 14
Guyer’s 21-point third quarter, part of a 35-point outburst, helped the Wildcats pull away. The Guyer defense held the Heath offense to under 200 yards in the game and kept the Hawks off the board in the second half.
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Duncanville 34, South Oak Cliff 13
Two-time defending 5A Division II state champ South Oak Cliff was no match for reigning 6A champ Duncanville. Duncanville put up over 500 yards of offense and scored 26 of its 34 points in the first half.
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Prosper 42, Euless Trinity 41
Prosper raced out to a 28-7 lead, but Euless Trinity fought back with 34 points in the second half. Trinity scored a potential game-tying touchdown with 11 seconds remaining but decided to go for a two-point conversion to win the game. Prosper kept the play out of the endzone to preserve the win.
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McKinney 23, Longview 21
McKinney’s quick start helped it hold off one of the top 5A teams in the state on Thursday night. Longview eventually took the lead on a long touchdown pass to start the fourth quarter but could not extend it off a McKinney turnover. McKinney then kicked a game-winning field goal with just over a minute left.
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Aledo 50, Parish Episcopal 35
Aledo got the best of Parish after dropping the season opener to the Panthers a year ago. Aledo quarterback and TCU commit Hauss Hejny was the one gathering attention entering the season, but it was the rushing combination of Raycine Guillory and Hawk Patrick-Daniels and the defense that led the way for the Bearcats.
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Forney 64, Crandall 10
Forney amassed over 600 yards of offense to blowout Crandall in a matchup of two of the area’s top 5A in the preseason. Forney led by 61 points before Crandall scored a late touchdown.
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Melissa 50, Argyle 14
Melissa proved worthy of the top ranking in 5A Division II by dominating the third-ranked team. Melissa outscored Argyle 50-7 over the final three quarters and held Argyle to just 66 rushing yards.
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Anna 37, Decatur 30
Anna started the season with a seven-point win in a matchup of top-tier 4A teams as it held off Decatur with a 16-point fourth quarter.