by Kirk Dooley
And it’s Homecoming night at HP.
To be clear, the Lions are capable of winning the game on Friday night. Coach Randy Allen compares Tyler to Longview, who came within five points of the Scots at Highlander two weeks ago. Tyler is as fast, as big and as athletic as Longview.
There’s three Tyler players in particular that the Scots must contain to keep their home winning streak alive.
Quarterback Eli Holt appears to be the second coming of Michael Vick. And if you’re too young to know who Michael Vick is, then Eli Holt is the second coming of Kyler Murray. Shifty, athletic, fast, great arm and his athleticism buys him more time or more yards when he scoots out of the pocket. And when I say scoot, I mean a possible 50-yard touchdown run.
Makavion Potts is a dynamic wide receiver who has six points written all over him when he catches a pass no matter where he is in the stadium, even at the concession stand.
Derrick McFall is hard to describe. He’s not old enough to have a driver’s license but can drive any defense crazy. He might line up at running back. He might line up at wide receiver. Either way he will also line up as a defensive back. He will return kicks and is good at taking them to the house.
Last week quarterback Holt completed 12 of 16 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 38 yards and another score. He threw touchdown passes to Potts of 52 yards and 71 yards. Then McFall ran 59 yards for a touchdown them returned a kickoff 84 yards for score. If that’s not enough, Holt hit Montrell Wade for an 89-yard touchdown, his only catch of the night.
Last Friday Potts caught four passes for 181 yards. That’s 45 yards per catch but it’s nothing compared to Wade, who averaged 89.
A few key players go both ways for the Lions, including Ameer Johnson, who starts on the defensive line and offensive line.
The Scots are coming off their most complete game of the season, a 59-24 win over McKinney North. The leading tackler was Pierce Shelby, who had 14 tackles while starting in place of George Wright. It was Shelby’s first varsity start and he was named honorable mention Defensive Player of the Week by The Dallas Morning News.
Quite a few backups got into the game last Friday. Ten different receivers caught passes. QB Brennan Storer completed 77 percent of his passes, then backup QB Hayden Ferguson came in a completed 75 percent.
The Scots know what to do to take care of business this Friday. It should be a festive Homecoming at Highland Park as the Homecoming Court is introduced at halftime. Former football captains representing their teammates will also be introduced.
For the first time ever, a Highland Park student athletic trainer, Andie Criswell, has been nominated for Homecoming Queen. The football players, who consider her a teammate, are buzzing about it.
My question is this: After she is introduced at halftime, will Andie bolt for the locker room to tape ankles and tend to her other student trainer duties … while possibly wearing a crown?