Category: KIRK DOOLEY’S BLOG

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.

by Kirk Dooley

It’s a safe bet that Highland Park has never faced a team called the Sharks.
My pre-season pick for the state championship game was Highland Park versus the Hutto Hippos, who were very good this year and also have one of the best names in our great state. I had never heard of Shadow Creek (which is a pretty cool name) so I figured they couldn’t be dangerous.
I figured wrong.
The Scots have their hands full in the state championship game. The two best 5A Div. I teams in the state are meeting in the title game. HP is going for its third straight championship and it has some great statistics. HP has won more games that any other high school in Texas. With 30 wins in a row, the Scots now have the longest winning streak in the state. But Shadow Creek has a statistic that’s just as impressive.
The Sharks have never lost a varsity game.
This is the first year that the Shadow Creek Sharks are competing on a UIL varsity level. The school opened in 2016 and the past two years have played an independent and junior varsity schedule.
What gives about the team being refered to as Alvin Shadow Creek and Pearland Shadow Creek? The school is located south of Houston in a sub-division called Shadow Creek Ranch. It is in the city limits of Pearland and is in the Alvin ISD.
In the Alvin ISD it is possible to go to Walt Disney Elementary and then to Nolan Ryan Junior High School.
Here’s where the plot thickens. When Shadow Creek was created, it drew students from the other two high schools in the district – Alvin and Manvel.
Uh-oh. I just said the M word. That should spook every blue-and-gold-blooded Scots fan.
“Shadow Creek is Manvel Two,” deadpanned HP coach Randy Allen.
The Sharks are coached by Brad Butler who was the defensive coordinator at Manvel a couple of years ago before moving 15 minutes to the new school. Small world: When Butler was an all-state quarterback at Brownwood High School his head coach was a young Randy Allen. They’ve been good friends for decades.
Shadow Creek was picked to finish sixth in their district and now they sit at 15-0. It is the state’s best Cinderella story this year.
To win the game the Scots will need to limit contain elusive quarterback Jamarian George. He is one of those players who can beat you by himself. Every time he has his hands on the ball he could go all the way. The Sharks have speed at every position. They have come from behind to pull off several wins, so you can never count them out. They are as relentless as the Scots and are very fast and very athletic.
Randy Allen predicts a close game that could come to the final possession. He’s right that the HP crowd noise gave the Scots the energy to help them in their incredible comeback against Tyler John Tyler. He’s hoping for a loud and enthusiastic crowd for the state title game. It helps his players play harder and run faster.
And that’s the energy the Scots will need to give their fans a three-peat for Christmas.