by Kirk Dooley
On Wednesday morning it was reported that the Mesquite Horn Jaguars would not be able to play the Scots this Friday due to Covid issues. As word of the surprising development was sinking in, Highland Park athletic director Johnny Ringo and HP head coach Randy Allen were hard at work behind the scenes trying to find another opponent for this Friday.
No pressure. They had 54 hours until kickoff.
And they would earn extra credit if they found another team named the Jaguars
Since most teams are already scheduled, the only way to find a team to play would be to see who else had a sudden opening due to its opponent’s Covid issues. The list was small but Flower Mound was available because its game against Naaman Forest was canceled by Covid.
So instead of sitting at home playing video games on Friday night, players from Highland Park and Flower Mound will be in pads playing under the Friday night lights at Highlander Stadium.
The Flower Mound Jaguars are in one of the toughest 6A districts in the state, with the Lewisville schools, the Plano schools, Coppell and Flower Mound Marcus. The Jaguars won their first game of the season last week when they beat the Mesquite Skeeters, 30-14.
The Jaguars are led by quarterback Nick Evers, who last week completed 20 of 35 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another. He is one of the top quarterbacks in North Texas, with more than 20 major college offers on the table. Last season he threw for more than 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. His top two receivers last week were Walker Mulkey (seven receptions for 104 yards) and Cade Edlein (four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown). And they have almost as many solid receivers as the Scots. Against the Skeeters the Jaguars picked up 375 yards of total offense, 100 rushing and 275 passing. The Flower Mound defense held the Mesquite offense to 234 yards (49 rushing and 184 passing). They have good momentum coming into this week’s contest.
The Scots had spent all week preparing for the Mesquite Horn Jaguars, only to throw that playbook out the car window. They were given Wednesday and Thursday to cram a week’s worth of preparation for the game. The only good part is that it goes both ways. The Jaguars have never heard of Jack Curtis, Brennan Storer, John Rutledge or George Wright. By the time all these guys get to know each other, the game will be over.
This Friday will be Game Two of the Scots’ 6A World Tour before district play starts. They lost to Southlake Carroll last week because they were camera shy and inexperienced. This week and next they’ll play two teams from district 6-6A – Flower Mound and Coppell – before ending the pre-district season against always-tough Rockwall. When district play begins, the Scots will be battle tested and experienced.
And hopefully during district play they’ll know who they’ll be facing each week.