Here are five thoughts from Week 6 of the Texas high school football season.

Unexpected title race in 3-6A

When the season started, it didn't look like next Thursday's North Crowley at Mansfield Lake Ridge matchup would be a big game. Six weeks into the season, though, that looks like it might be the game that decides the District 3-6A title.

North Crowley, the defending Class 6A Division I state champion, and Lake Ridge are the only teams in 3-6A that haven't lost a district game, with each sitting at 1-0. That was to be expected for North Crowley, but Lake Ridge was coming off a 1-19 record over the past two years and was 8-41 from 2020 to 2024.

Lake Ridge is 4-1 overall after rallying from a 21-7 second-quarter deficit to beat Mansfield High 44-21. Quarterback Deshawn Edwards ran for 146 yards, threw for 116 more and accounted for three touchdowns for Lake Ridge, while Jaiden Cotton ran for 65 yards and a score.

High School Sports

The latest news, analysis, predictions and more for each season.

Or with:

Google

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

North Crowley had this week off after routing Mansfield Legacy 68-0 last week. That was a strong bounce-back win for North Crowley, which saw its 19-game winning streak end with a 37-35 loss to Rockwall on Sept. 18.

Big comebacks

Hebron trailed area-ranked Flower Mound Marcus 35-14 early in the third quarter before rallying for a 49-42 win that included scoring 29 points in the fourth quarter. Brady Brock threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Hebron comeback, and his 15-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Hoke with 3:08 left in the fourth quarter gave Hebron a 42-35 lead.

Hebron wasn't done, as a 50-yard touchdown run by David Price just 19 seconds later extended the lead to 49-35 and capped a run of 35 straight points by Hebron. Hebron withstood a big game from Marcus four-star quarterback Colton Nussmeier, who threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

That wasn't the only notable comeback Friday. Forney, ranked No. 17 in the area in Class 6A, trailed Royse City 19-3 in the second quarter before rallying for a 40-26 victory. Four-star Notre Dame pledge Javian Osborne ran for 307 yards and two touchdowns for Forney, and quarterback Nelson Peterson Jr. threw for 277 yards and three touchdowns.

Year of the kicker

It has been quite a year for kickers at Dallas-area schools. Frisco Legacy Christian senior Jack Drygas headlines the list after making a 64-yard field goal on Sept. 12 that was the second-longest kick in Texas high school football history.

Hurst L.D. Bell senior Grady Matcham made a 60-yard field goal against Odessa on Sept. 5, matching the Dallas-area public school record. He tied Jaden Oberkrom, who made a 60-yarder for Arlington Martin in 2011.

The state record, as recognized by MaxPreps, is 67 yards by Dallas Christian's Russell Cowsert in 1987. But Drygas' kick was the longest in state history without a tee.

On Thursday, Peyton Ertle kicked a 47-yard field goal on the game's final play to give Northwest Eaton a 34-31 victory over Keller Central. Ertle also made a 31-yard field goal as Eaton rallied from a 23-3 halftime deficit. It was a crucial win for Eaton, which improved to 2-1 in District 4-6A.

Star performances

Prosper Walnut Grove sophomore quarterback Hayes Hackney had one of the best individual performances of Week 6, completing 31 of 41 passes while throwing for 348 yards and six touchdowns in Thursday's 70-10 rout of Frisco Memorial. All of his scoring passes came in the first three quarters, and he now has 17 touchdown passes for a 5-0 team that is averaging 58.8 points per game and has outscored the opposition 294-48.

But that wasn't the only six-touchdown game of the week. Highland Park's Buck Randall threw for 379 yards and six touchdowns in a 52-35 win over Red Oak on Friday, with Matthew White catching seven passes for 139 yards and three scores.

Not to be outdone, the Flower Mound duo of Baron Sampson and wide receiver Carter Massey put on a show in Friday's 49-26 win over Little Elm. Sampson threw for 362 yards and four touchdowns and Massey had 15 catches for 258 yards and two scores.

One other notable performance was from Justin Northwest running back Caris Sela, who ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries in a 19-17 win over Hurst L.D. Bell. That ended the undefeated start for L.D. Bell, which had been 5-0 after a 2-8 record last year.

Duncanville vs. DeSoto looms

Week 6 was a big bye week around the Dallas area, with District 8-6A, 11-6A, 6-5A Division II, 8-4A Division I and 6-4A Division II all off. Perhaps nowhere was that time off more important than in 11-6A, where one of the biggest games of the season will take place next Friday.

Three-time state champion Duncanville, ranked No. 10 in the state, will host three-time state champion and 23rd-ranked DeSoto at 7 p.m. Oct. 10. DeSoto (3-2, 2-0) is tied with Cedar Hill (4-1, 2-0) for the 11-6A lead after DeSoto routed then-state ranked Waxahachie 40-17 on Sept. 26 as SaRod Baker ran for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

That is the same Waxahachie team that beat Duncanville 28-27 on Sept. 19. The 11-6A schedule is starting to heat up, as Waxahachie plays at Cedar Hill on Oct. 17, Duncanville plays at Lancaster the same day and Cedar Hill plays at DeSoto on Oct. 24.

Related StoriesView MoreHighland Park drops 50-plus points again, this time on Red OakStifling defense powers Melissa past Lovejoy in crucial district showdownEarly errors prove costly as Rockwall falls to Jalen Hurndon-led LongviewMansfield Timberview's win over Arlington Seguin comes down to the final play

Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Five thoughts from Week 6: Big showdown in 3-6A and Duncanville vs. DeSoto both loom