Scots at Mesquite Horn for Game 2

by Kirk Dooley Blog

The Scots will line up against their old friends, the Mesquite Horn Jaguars, Friday at Hanby Stadium in Mesquite. The former district rivals still maintain a deep respect for each other although one lives in the 6A world and the other in 5A.
Both Horn and Rockwall are in the same district (11-6A) along with Longview, which ran the table last season won the 6A Div. II state title with a 16-0 record.
Last weekend Horn took a road trip to Tyler’s Christus Trinity Mother Francis Rose Stadium – home of the Scots’ 2005 state championship win over Marshall, 59-0 – and challenged the Tyler John Tyler Lions, ranked sixth in the state.
Remember them?
Their most recent loss had been in the state quarterfinals last season to the Highland Park Scots. In that game the Lions had built up a 35-14 lead going into the fourth quarter and were celebrating on the sidelines when they awoke a sleeping giant. With 10:18 left in the game our man Chandler Morris began one of the most magical quarters in Highland Park football history. When the dust had cleared the Scots had scored 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win the game, 42-35.
Last Friday the Horn Jaguars made several big plays to upset John Tyler, 39-17. That’s two losses in a row.
Here’s how Horn did it and here’s what the Scots need to prepare for:
Quarterback Davazea Gabriel hit Charles Crawford III with a 52-yard touchdown pass to start the scoring. Last year Crawford started for Bishop Lynch, where he ran for 1,785 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. A few minutes later N’Kowsi Emory returned a kickoff 96 yards for another Jaguar TD. Towards the end of the game the Jaguars held the Lions on a fourth-down play on the eight-yard line. On the next play Crawford ran 92 yards for another Horn touchdown. The Jaguars score 90-yard touchdowns as often as we eat at Goff’s.
The Jaguars didn’t sneak up on the Lions, they dominated them in their home stadium where one can still sense the ghost of Matthew Stafford.
Horn is for real. Last year they lost their first seven games then righted their ship and went three games deep in the playoffs. It was the best turnaround in the state last year.
Charles Crawford III, the former Friar, is the guy to stop. N’Kowsi Emory is the guy to kick away from.
Last week we said keep an eye on Rockwall sophomore Alex Orji. That was hard to do because he had transfered to Bishop Dunne and is now starting for the Falcons. The plot thickens because Jaden Hullaby had just transfered from Bishop Dunne to Mansfield Timberview. Last week he totaled 217 yards and three touchdowns for the Wolves, and so we’ll talk about him in early November when Timberview visits Highlander Stadium.

3-In-A-Row State Champs HP Scots Open at Rockwall Aug 30th

by Kirk Dooley

With the Scots winning three straight state championships, one would think that their opponents would be somewhat intimidated.
Not Rockwall.
The Yellowjackets traditionally hold their own against the Scots. And Rockwall is the only team in the past two years to beat Highland Park.
So this Friday we go back to the scene of the crime, Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium in Rockwall, where a wild and woolly offensive shootout broke out two years ago. The Scots came into the game flying high, with the confidence and momentum of defending state champions. HP was about to win a high scoring shootout when the Yellowjackets scored near the end of the game, recovered an onside kick then scored again on a 55-yard pass with 88 seconds left to win the game, 53-49.
Last year’s match at Highlander Stadium featured the first start for junior quarterback Chandler Morris, who made a huge statement for the game – and for the season – when on the game’s fifth play he ran 70 yards for a touchdown. Boom!
The two teams had scored 77 points through three quarters when the stadium lights suddenly went out with seven minutes let in the game. Highlander Stadium became the Twilight Zone for 17 minutes. The Scots were up by 14 points when the blackout hit. Rockwall, a team that never gives up, scored on the final play of the game then headed back to Lake Ray Hubbard on the losing end of a 49-42 scary movie.
Expect similar fireworks this Friday, like 100 points and 1,000 total yards. Rockwall will again be one of the best teams HP will face this season. They lost to state champion Longview by seven points last season and finished as area finalists. This year the Jackets, like the Scots, are planning on winning the state championship.
Rockwall is armed with one of the top receivers in the nation, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who lit up the Scots secondary last year with 13 receptions for 232 yards. He is the number one receiver in North Texas, with 1,828 yards last season. Running back Zach Henry is a 1,000-yard ball carrier. The player to monitor is sophomore open field magician Alex Orji who has the talent to break a game open by himself. It’s an Orji family tradition.
The Scots will be led by all-state quarterback Morris and all-state defensive end Prince Dorbah. I predict that both HP defensive ends will disrupt the Yellowjackets passing game and help the secondary cover Smith-Njigba. The Scots’ depth at linebacker will also be evident.
On offense I see the line giving Morris time to find his receivers – some great young ones to go with the experienced seniors. Last year Morris found nine different WRs and this year he might just break his record.
The Scots are picked to win state but several sportswriters pick Rockwall to win this first game.
Meanwhile I’m wondering why the Yellowjackets are orange.