TXA 21 High School Football Game of the Week

Babe Laufenberg
CBS 11 Sports Director

We at CBS 11 and our sister station, TXA 21 are looking forward to another season of High School football in North Texas.

This fall, TXA 21 will once again proudly present a high school football game of the week.  The TXA 21 High School Game of the Week schedule will include 8 live games during the regular season including the opener on Saturday, August 29th.

Here's a preview of our 11 game schedule.

Odessa Permian vs. Duncanville (Saturday, August 29th - Live 4pm)

The "Panther Bowl" could be the best way to describe the Zero week opener in a game that will showcase one of the state's top teams against one of the area's traditional powers as the Odessa Permian Panthers face the Duncanville Panthers.  Duncanville will kickoff their second season under head coach Jeff Dicus hoping to build on their momentum of their 2008 campaign.  Duncanville qualified for the playoffs after going 5-1 in district last season.  The August 29th game will mark the return of Gary Gaines to the sideline as head coach of Odessa Permian.  Gaines was the head coach at Permian from 1986 to 1989, where he gained notiriaty in the book Friday Night Lights.  Gaines now takes over a program that went went 10-0 during the regular season in 2008 and advanced to the third round of the playoffs.

Southlake Carroll at Arlington Colts (September 4th - Tape Delayed on TXA 21 at 11pm)
Week one pairs two of the top teams in the state of Texas in Class 5A as the Arlington Colts host the Southlake Carroll Dragons.  Southlake Carroll is hoping to rebound from an 8-3 season in 2008.  It was the first time that the Dragons finished with less than 10 wins in a season since 2000.  Arlington is expected to be the favorite to win District 4-5A as the Colts return 15 starters from last season's regional finalist team.

Highland Park at Coppell (September 11th - tape delayed on TXA 21 at 11pm)
Week two brings us a showdown between Class 5A and Class 4A.  Perennial power Highland Park fully expects to compete for a Class 4A state title this season.  The Scots spread offense has been one of the prolific scoring units in the state for several seasons. The Coppell Cowboys, from District 6-5A, will have their 3rd head coach in the last 3 years as Joe McBride steps into the role.  The Cowboys were a division 1 Area finalist last season.

Allen at Trinity (September 18th - tape delayed on TXA 21 at 11pm)
Week three is a brewing rivalry that's beginning to boil over as the Trinity Trojans host the defending state champion Allen Eagles.  Trinity and Allen squared off twice last season.  The Trojans won the regular season meeting in 2008.  Allen responded by beating Trinity in the playoffs.

The Colony at Denton Guyer (September 24th - Live on TXA 21 at 7pm)
District play kicks off with live coverage on TXA 21 in week four.  The Colony Cougars face the Denton Guyer Wildcats in a district 5-4A showdown.  How tough is this district?  Last year, The Colony finished with a 7-3 regular season record but still did not qualify for the postgame.  Denton Guyer is coming off the first winning season in school history, and what a winning season it was.  The Wildcats advanced to the state semi-finals in 2008.

South Garland at North Mesquite (October 1st - Live on TXA 21 at 7pm)
Neighboring schools meet in week six as the North Mesquite Stallions square off against the South Garland Colonels.  Both teams will be looking to use this game to create some mid-season momentum to carry back into their respective district battles.

Allen at McKinney Boyd (October 8th - Live on TXA 21 at 7pm)
The defending state champion Allen Eagles return to TXA 21 with a district 8-5A showdown against McKinney Boyd Broncos.  2009 marks McKinney Boyd's second season in Class 5A, and the Broncos hope to make quite a splash with a mid-season upset of the defending state champs.  Allen has other plans, hoping to use the game to jump start their push towards the postseason.

Rowlett at Garland (October 15th - Live on TXA 21 at 7pm)
The Rowlett Eagles and Garland Owls are the frontrunners to win the District 10-5A title.  This showdown should go a long way in determining who will wear the crown.  Both teams advanced to the playoffs in 2008, and both expect to make plenty of postseason noise in 2009.

LD Bell at Keller (October 22nd - Live on TXA 21 at 7pm)
The Keller Indians and LD Bell Blue Raiders should both be in the running for one of the four playoffs spots in District 5-5A.  Last year both Bell and Keller finished the regular season with identical 7-3 records, but only the Blue Raiders qualified for the playoffs. Keller may have different plans in 2009.

Frisco at McKinney North (October 29th - Live on TXA 21 at 7pm)
Week nine showcases two programs in the process of rebuilding.  Both hope to use this game as a springboard for success.

Aledo at Birdville (November 5th - Live on TXA 21 at 7pm)
We close out the regular season with a live clash in district 6-4A.  The Aledo Bearcats were perfect in district play in 2008 going 7-0, while Birdville Hawks lost only once.  It could be a similar showdown this year.