Week 6 Football Outlooks

Katy St. John XXIII (4-0) Vs. Cameron Yoe (3-1)

Cameron is coming off of a 39-26 district-opening win over Troy.  It was and important win because Troy is more than likely not going to finish any worse than third place in the district, meaning Cameron now should not finish any worse than second.  Even though it was a win, you could tell there was disappointment in the air as it was somewhat of a struggle throughout, which is something that is uncommon for this Cameron and Troy series.  Troy is still fairly predictable in what they're going to do, but the Yoemen had quite a few problems in stopping Troy's top running-back, which rushed for nearly 300 yards.  Troy is improved but I would not consider them a great or elite 3A DI football team quite yet.  Remember, offense wins games, but defense wins championships and that unit will decide how far this team can go in 2018. 

As far as this game, this private Katy school is playing with a lot of confidence as they have not lost a game all season long.  That is where I believe things come to a screeching halt,  as I believe the Yoemen should have the advantage in just about every category of this game.  If this one was not sealed and in hand by the half, I would be very surprised. 

Josh's Pick: Cameron Yoe by 28+. 

Holland (4-1/1-0)) Vs. Thorndale (3-0/1-0))

This is a big one, as it could end up being the district championship out of 2A D13.  Holland has been impressive up to this point, defeating traditional power Crawford by 21 points while knocking off what was a preseason ranked Hearne team to open district, 40-32.  The lone loss comes to Mart, which is the odds on favorite to win the state title in division II.  I expect this to be a hard-fought ball game with the final being in the upper 20s or lower 30s. 

Josh's Pick: Thorndale by 3.  

Lago Vista (1-4/0-1) Vs. Little River Academy (2-3)

The big shocker last week was Lago Vista losing to Jarrell in their district opener.  Not only did Jarrell win that game but they were pretty much in control all the way in a 31-15 final.  Little River Academy did what was expected with Manor New Tech, cruising to the 56-0 final.  If the Bees win this, I believe Lago Vista will be totally out of the playoff picture.  Academy would then later play Jarrell for what should be the fourth and final playoff spot. 

Josh's Pick: Academy by 10. 

Manor New Tech (1-4/0-1) Vs. Rockdale (3-1/0-0)

There is really not much to say about this game besides it should get ugly quick.  Rockdale was fairly impressive in their non-district schedule and Manor New Tech is simply just not close to that level at this point in time.  The big key is to get the lead and take your starters out to avoid any unnecessary injuries. 

Josh's Pick: Rockdale by 28+. 

Troy (3-2/0-1) Vs. Jarrell (3-2/1-0)

If you're Troy, I'm pretty sure moral victories aren't something you look at in district play, but they had to be pleased they way they battled Cameron, making them earn everything they got last Friday night.  Meanwhile, Jarrell, which had no chance of winning a district game last year, is now in a position to be back in the playoffs just a year later.  The win over Lago Vista was impressive and a win here would really open some eyes.  I think we pump that breaks on that a bit this week. 

Josh's Pick: Troy by 24. 

Groesbeck (5-0) Vs. West (3-2)

It's time to start paying close attention to these games out of 9-3A, because this is the district that the likes of Cameron, Rockdale and Troy will see in the bi-district round of the playoffs.  Groesbeck has destroyed everyone on their schedule up to this point, including Maypearl in the district opener, 60-14.  However, the toughest game on the schedule has been Hearne, which the Goats won, 28-6.  Meanwhile, West has really turned a corner after their shocking blowout loss to Hillsboro in the season opener, 58-7.  To put things in perspective, Grandview defeated that same Hillsboro team, 42-0, and West just defeated Grandview in overtime, 42-41.  If West wins this game I would be shocked if they did not win the district championship.  

Josh's Pick: West by 7.