Category: KIRK DOOLEY’S BLOG

by  Kirk Dooley

Class, let’s review. Go back two years to 2018. On September 13 the Scots traveled to Frisco to challenge the new sheriff in town, the Lone Star Rangers. The Scots were ranked second in the state and the Rangers were ranked fourth. It was billed as the Clash of the Titans. In a surprisingly defensive battle the game was tied, 7-7, when HP defensive back Hudson Clark broke up a deep, 4th-down pass from QB Julian Larry to Marvin Mims with 1:29 left in the game. With 89 seconds left Scots QB Chandler Morris drove his team 53 yards to the five-yard line with one second left on the clock.
After Clark’s heroic pass break-up, he was on the sideline when a coach told him, “By the way, if it comes down to a field goal, you’ll be the kicker.” It did, he was and his 22-yard FG gave the Scots a 10-7 victory. (Clark, now an Arkansas Razorback DB, hauled in three interceptions against Ole Miss two months ago and was named the college Defensive Player of the Week. The Offensive Player of the Week was Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. Pretty good company to keep.)
Fast forward to last September. HP hosted Lone Star on Friday the 13th. Mims stepped out of a phone booth and caught 11 Garret Rangel passes for 236 yards as the Rangers got their revenge against the Scots. Sure enough, they met in the third round of the playoffs and HP made sure that Mims wouldn’t beat them again. He was double teamed the entire game and still caught nine passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns, but he didn’t beat the Scots. The rest of the Lone Star supporting cast did. Garret threw for 417 yards and Trace Bruckler caught 14 passes for 183 yards as the Rangers slipped past the Scots 33-27 in overtime. It was the Scots only playoff loss in four years.
Which brings us to this Thursday afternoon at Globe Life Park. Mr. Rangel, Mr. Bruckler and several other starters from last year’s team are back. Once again, the Rangers are one of the best teams in the state. Once again, this will be a Clash of the Titans.
Now that Marvin Mims has graduated and is a star Oklahoma Sooners receiver, the Rangers have a new one-two punch in Ashton Jeanty (#2) and Jaden Nixon (#5). These two electrifying athletes each have more than 1,000 yards of total offense under their belts and they lead the team in scoring. QB Rangel, now a junior, has thrown for 2,199 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. On top of that, the Rangers defense is outstanding, especially at inside linebacker.
In last year’s playoff game the Scots defense held the Rangers to 46 yards rushing but gave up 417 passing yards. Without one of the nation’s best receivers, the Rangers may not put up those passing numbers but they still have plenty of firepower in Jeanty and Nixon.
On paper, it looks like a game where 49 points may not be enough to win it.
The HP players have been foaming at the mouth for a year to play these guys again. If we haven’t seen the Scots’ best foot forward yet, we will on Christmas Eve.

by  Kirk Dooley

The Scots are serious about taking care of business this week. They need to be.
Highland Park faces Frisco Independence, Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at Globe Life Park in the second round of the playoffs. This should be he most competitive second round game for the Scots in several years.
Don’t let the Knights’ 5-4 record fool you. Forget their first three games. They are 5-1 over the past six weeks and are averaging 52 points per game. Their only loss during this stretch was to Denton Ryan.
Coach Randy Allen believes that Independence may be hitting its stride. The Knights have one of the best passing quarterbacks in North Texas in Braylon Braxton. What makes him so dangerous is that in addition to his 1,639 yards passing, he has also run for 798 more, averaging 9.6 yards per carry. He has thrown for 21 touchdowns and run for a dozen more. He reminds me of Mansfield Legacy’s Jalen Catalon (now an Arkansas Razorback) and Denton Ryan’s Spencer Sanders (now the QB at Oklahoma State). Great arms. Great legs.
Braxton has D-1 talent but he’s not the only one. His favorite receiver is 6-5, 220 lb. tight end Elijah Arroyo, who will play for the University of Miami next season. He has caught 12 of Braxton’s 19 touchdown passes. When defenses double team Arroyo, Braxton hits Jordyn Tyson.
While Dwayne Orr is their top running back (7.8 ypc. this season), keep an eye on Reggie Bush, an explosive athlete who lines up at running back, wide receiver and kick returner. Last time I looked, he was averaging 50 yards per kickoff return. And ironically, he is also the team’s kicker.
Braxton is so good that Frisco Athletic Director David Kuykendall figured out a way to clone him. The result is sophomore DB Jaylon Braxton who is averaging 30 yards per kickoff return. He’s back there with Bush with his 50 yards return average.
My advice is to wind up Jack Stone and have him kick it over their heads.
Caleb Ellis is the Knights’ star safety, a D-1 athlete who makes plays all over the field. The Scots would be best served to put the ball where he is not.
Denton Ryan is the only team in the past six weeks go hold the Independence offense to under 55 points. The Highland Park defense is looking forward to the challenge. In the epic star quarterback battle between Schager and Braxton, my money is on the Scots defense.

by  Kirk Dooley

The Scots get their fifth home game of the season this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. as they host the New Caney Eagles in a bi-district match. Being a playoff game, there will be no reserved seats. Everything is general admission. If you’ve always been a season ticket holder, feel free to get to the game early and grab your own seats before someone else does. The early bird gets the seat.
When you say your prayers this evening, be sure to put in a word of thanks for Coach Randy Allen and his choosing to play this game on Thursday night. The weather forecast predicts a nice, clear football-weather evening on Thursday. On Friday evening the weather is predicted to be in the 40s and raining.
In north Texas, not much is known about New Caney, located northeast of Houston. The 5-5 Eagles slid into the playoffs at the last minute and are excited to taste some post-season action. It would be a nice feather in their cap to oust the state’s second-ranked team in the first round.
There’s one particular game I’d like for you to ponder. Two weeks ago New Caney beat Magnolia West, 55-48. The Eagles’ standout running back Cale Sanders, Jr. ran for 253 yards and five touchdowns. That alone commands your attention but what’s mind-boggling is that the Eagles have a sophomore running back, Kedrick Reescano, who gained more! Like 269 yards and one TD. Sanders averaged 11 yards per carry and Reescano averaged 10. That sounds like a clock-eating, first-down machine.
Of course, these two talented running backs have never met Mr. Marshall Landwehr or Mr. Patrick Turner and their merry band of running-back eaters. A solid and experienced Highland Park defense has gotten even better as the Scots enter the playoff season. This could be fascinating to watch.
Another new wrinkle that makes this game unique is that New Caney has six excellent players who go both ways and will see action on offense and defense. The Scots, with a roster big enough to have its own zip code, has the depth and flexibility to rotate its players without missing a beat. For those of you taking notes Thursday night, compare the first quarter stats with the fourth.
The winner of this game will advance to play the winner of Frisco Independence vs. Woodrow Wilson. They’re playing on Thursday night at Forester Field, a stadium named for the grandfather of 1972 Scots linebacker Mike Forester. His father (Bill Forester) and uncle (Herschel Forester) were both all-state players at Woodrow, all-SWC players at SMU and both played in the NFL. So there could be some good Woodrow karma at Forester Field Thursday night.
Meanwhile, back at Highlander Stadium, the Scots will try to hold New Caney to under 500 yards rushing.