Preview State Semifinal: HP vs Denton Ryan — 1:30pm Sat, 12/10, at AT&T Cowboys Stadium

by Kirk Dooley

Of all the flashy stars from both teams in Saturday’s state semifinal shootout between Highland Park and Denton Ryan, the MVP could very well wind up being Matteo Cordray.
   Cordray, a junior kicker at HP, stepped in when talented starting kicker Jackson Hubbard suffered an injury. Like Dak Prescott, Cordray has done quite well and hasn’t given the starting job back.denton-ryan-logo
   This state semifinal game pits two offenses that can light up a scoreboard against two defenses that have sucked all the oxygen out of North Texas. Usually we’re trying to predict which team will slow down the other team’s offense. This game could beg the question, “Which defense will shut down the other team’s offense?” While it’s hard to believe that Saturday’s offensive fireworks could be suffocated, the reality is that this game could go 10-7 either way. In that case, my money is on Cordray.
   He was a middle school soccer standout when PE coach Ryan Gibbs pulled him aside and asked if he had ever thought about kicking a football.
   “No, sir. I never thought about it.”
   Gibbs, the Scots’ running backs coach, has a nose for talent and he helped Cordray develop into a solid and dependable football kicker. If a field goal beats Denton Ryan Saturday, the assist goes to Gibbs.
   While Denton Ryan will be the best team the Scots have faced in several years, HP has a great advantage in playing Frisco Independence, Mansfield Lake Ridge and Mansfield Legacy in the playoffs leading up to this game. Those three playoff wins featured a Highland Park defense that shut down three of the best offenses in North Texas. The fact that the Scots neutralized Legacy’s Kendall Catalon last week means that HP has the ability to neutralize Ryan’s QB Spencer Sanders (which, by the way, nobody has come close this season).
   Ryan is averaging 40.4 points per game. HP is averaging 38.6. Ryan is giving up 16.1 points per game. HP is giving up 13.5. Ryan is coached by a former Highland Park assistant. He knows what makes the Scots special. Can he outfox his former mentor? Although he has the D-1 talent to beat some colleges right now, I think he will face the best prepared team he’s seen in his three years in Denton.
   On paper nobody can beat Denton Ryan. They are said to have the best 5A defense in North Texas but I think the Scots’ defense will be better on Saturday. Spencer, one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation, could get rattled if his offense gets throttled early. His team is not used to being behind.
   This game should be a defensive death match. When was the last time the Scots won a game like that?
   Well, last week. 
   I know it’s not this simple, but let me repeat my theory: If you can corral Kendall Catalon, you can corral Spencer Sanders. And if that happens, the Scots will be playing next Saturday for the state championship.

PUT SCOTS ILLUSTRATED IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND.  DOWNLOAD .PDF.

HOW TO GET TICKETS, WHERE TO SIT AND OTHER GAME DETAILS:

Highland Park will face Denton Ryan at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 10 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Click here to order your tickets online now. Prices are $13.80 online or $15 at the stadium box office. Parking is $10 per vehicle in lots 5, 6, 7 or 11, and the gates will open at 4 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the HPISD Athletic Office.

 

This is the first time the Scots have been in the final four of the playoffs since 2013. Head Coach Randy Allen and Athletic Director Johnny Ringo are excited that the community has been so supportive of the team so far, and they are looking forward to a large, vocal crowd at the upcoming game.
HP fans will be seated on the south side of the stadium. Click here for entry and seating diagrams, and click here  to view the stadium’s bag and purse policy.
The winner of this game will compete in the state championship against the winner of the Temple/Richmond Foster game. Click here to view the playoff bracket. The state championship game is scheduled to be played at noon, Saturday, Dec. 17 at AT&T Stadium.
RADIO BROADCAST INFORMATION:

For those of you who want to listen to the awesome Russell Scott, Jim Castellaw and Jae Ellis on the radio here is the info you will need…

Our radio broadcast of the Highland Park vs. Denton Ryan State Semifinal Playoff Game on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 10th will be carried on 103.3 ESPN (KESN) throughout the Dallas area. Pre-Game starts at 12:30 PM with kickoff slated for 1:30 PM. Fans listening at home (or anyplace other than the stadium) can hear the game by any of the following methods:

1. With a radio tuned to 103.3 FM
2. On a mobile phone or computer by going to www.kesn1033.com … then clicking the “Play” (right) arrow to “Listen Live”.
3. By going to www.kesn1033.com … then downloading the free app via the link on the homepage.

For those fans who are attending the game at AT&T Stadium:

1. Tune your transistor radio to 103.3 FM ESPN. You should be able to get reception on the FM station inside the stadium. If you are having trouble getting steady, clear reception, try moving to another seating location. The signal tested “good” in most locations on the Highland Park side of the stadium.
2. If you are inside the stadium, do NOT try to listen on your phone or computer. Your phone or computer will delay the transmission by 7-10 seconds and therefore what you are hearing will not “match-up” with what you are seeing. This delay does not occur when listening on a transistor radio.

LIVE TELEVISION BROADCAST
The game will be broadcast live on KTXA-Channel 21.
Go Scots!

HP vs Mansfield Legacy at AT&T Stadium – 5:30pm kickoff Friday, 12/2

by Kirk Dooley

It’s right about now that we should be glad the Scots lost to Wylie East in the final district game.
   Not that we’re pleased with a loss (especially the first loss in HP history to a Wylie team) but it did expose some HP weaknesses and it propelled the Scots into the playoffs with that bitter taste of defeat in their mouths. The players left their Superman capes in the phone booth and came out with a blue-collar resolve to prove to the world that they had what it takes to be champions.
   And win they did. In the first three playoff games they have averaged 52 points per game and kept the bad guys out of the end zone the first 10 quarters of the playoffs. These Scots have matured, come together, overcome injuries and have the zeal to leave a football legacy like previous generations of Scots before them.mansfield-legacy-helmet
   And now Mansfield Legacy walks into their crosshairs. This is the best Mansfield team, not that the other two HP beat this season were slouches. The only two losses Legacy has suffered have been to Aledo and Lancaster, both of which are playing this weekend in the state quarterfinals.
   Like Poteet, Legacy has sprinter speed. Randy Allen says that this is the fastest team the Scots have faced this season. They have a 2,000-yard running back (Cameron Session), A wide receiver (Trenton McDonald) who runs back kickoffs for touchdowns as often as Southwest flies to Houston, a sophomore free safety (Jalen Catalon) who has 140 tackles and seven interceptions and a quarterback (Kendall Catalon) who has thrown for 1,581 yards and run for 1,036, accounting for 47 touchdowns.
   Kendall Catalon injured his shoulder last Friday and didn’t play in the second half. Will he and his 47 touchdowns play this Friday against the Scots? Coach Allen says he probably will. If he doesn’t, I think his little brother, Jalen, will fill in and could be a challenge to contain. Think Michael Vick or RG3.
   The Scots come into this game without their leading receivers, Cade Saustad and Scully Jenevein, and their top running back, Jack Kozmetsky. But other good players are filling in and there should not be any drop-off.
   Here’s five things to look for Friday at AT&T Stadium:
   1. The Scots defense clogging the box and forcing the Broncos to throw the ball.
   2. Jack Sell and Junior Dorbah making vicious tackles on the kickoff coverage teams.
   3. On the video screen: Stephen Jones high-fiving his dad in the owners box every time John Stephen tosses a TD pass.
    4. After the game, the Catalon brothers starting to prepare for the track season.
    5. Paxton Alexander enjoying a breakout game, turning short gains into electrifying touchdowns.   
   This game could be a nail-biter, where the winner is determined on the final drive of the game. Whether HP has the ball or not, this is where the Scots’ offensive line or defensive line puts the team on its back and carries it to the state semifinals.

PARKING, SEATING AND GAME TICKETS:

Click here to order your tickets online now. Prices are $13.80 online or $15 at the stadium box office. Parking is $10 per vehicle in lots 5, 6, 7 or 11, and the gates will open at 4 p.m. Tickets will not be sold at the HPISD Athletic Office.
HP fans will be seated on the south side of the stadium. Click here for entry and seating diagrams, and click here  to view the stadium’s bag and purse policy.
The winner of this game will face the winner of the Denton Ryan/Colleyville Heritage game. Click here to view the playoff bracket. Highland Park is now one of only eight teams left in UIL 5A Division I playoffs.

HP vs Mansfield Lake Ridge – 1pm kickoff Black Friday at The Star in Frisco

by Kirk Dooley

The Highland Park defense has aggressively grabbed the spotlight during the playoffs, stuffing high-octane offenses and proving to be the difference between the Scots being a good team and a great team.mansfield-lakeridge-helmets
   That challenge escalates this Friday night as the Scots battle the Mansfield Lake Ridge Eagles, who averages 490 yards and 42.5 points per game. The winner of this game plays the winner of the Frisco Wakeland – Mansfield Legacy contest in the state quarterfinals next week.
   Last week the Eagles scored 87 points against the Samuel Spartans. They never let their foot of the gas because the Spartans kept scoring themselves, finishing the night with 58 points. And to be clear, the Scots offense could have scored 90 points each of the past two games if their opponents had kept scoring. But those past two teams, Mount Pleasant and Frisco Independence, were completely shut down by a destructive HP defense. Mount Pleasant was credited with a safety and Independence came away with an early field goal. No touchdowns. The HP defenders are still mad about the loss to Wylie East and they are playing like mad men.
   The Scot coaches get an A-plus for their preparation, giving their players the best chance to succeed. Independence had the highest-rated 5A offense in North Texas (508 yards per game) and had a 2,000-yard runner. The Scots defense, built Ford-tough, held the Knights to 148 yards of total offense and held their star back to 35 yards rushing. That was not luck. It was talent, determination, spirit and preparation.
   This week the Scots face a better team. Lake Ridge was in the state finals last year. Its quarterback, Jason Dean, has thrown for 2,725 yards and 25 touchdowns. He has also run for 530 yards and six more TDs. The Eagles have a star running back, Darrius Lee, is 52 yards away from 1,000 yards for the season.
   The Scots’ top two receivers, Cade Saustad and Scully Jenevein, are injured and out for the season. But the Scots rotate eight top-notch receivers each game, so a dropoff isn’t felt. J.T. Dooley got more playing time last week and responded with a dazzling 97-yard, two-touchdown night.
   Common opponents? Both teams beat Poteet, but not by much. HP shut out Mansfield Timberview, 31-0, then the Wolves turned around and gave Lake Ridge its worst loss of the season, 35-7. Go figure. Waxahachie, once a state top-10 team, beat the Scots on Sept. 2, then Lake Ridge beat Waxahachie, 63-49, in their final district game. The winner made the playoffs and the loser stayed home. Waxahachie is arguably the best team in Texas that didn’t make the playoffs.
   Both Highland Park and Lake Ridge come from outstanding districts, as 9-5A and 15-5A had four teams advance to the second round and both have three teams in the third round. HP, Lake Ridge and Mansfield Legacy are three of the four Div. I teams left in the region. Poteet, Wylie East and Lancaster are three of the four teams left in Div. II. That is a lot of firepower for two districts.
   Scots quarterback John Stephen Jones last week completed 11 of 15 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns. He is comfortable, confident and seems right at home at the Ford Center at The Star.
   Lake Ridge averages 42.5 points per game and the Highland Park defense allows 12.9. How will that translate? My money is on Luke Blanton, Marshall Hammack, Turner Coxe, Matt Gahm, Bennett Brock, John House, Max Holsomback, O’Neil Sitzer, Alex Walzel, George Stewart, Zac Folts and James Herring.
   Gentlemen, start your defense.