Dallas, TX
10 high school football players to watch, Week 9: Dallas-area RBs hope for big games
Here are 10 Dallas-area players to watch in Week 9 of the Texas high school football season.
Kamari Carter, West Mesquite, RB
Carrollton Creekview at West Mesquite, 7 p.m. Thursday at Mesquite Memorial Stadium
Carter rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-0 win over Bryan Adams in Week 7 to keep West Mesquite undefeated on the season. Carrollton Creekview, Carrollton Newman Smith and West Mesquite all carry perfect records in District 6-5AI after last week. Entering a pivotal district matchup with unbeaten Creekview, Carter is West Mesquite’s leading rusher with 65 carries for 580 yards and nine touchdowns.
Braeden Imhoff, Prosper, QB
Prosper at Allen, 7 p.m. Friday at Allen
Prosper, which has beaten Allen in close district games the last three years, meets the five-time state champion in a game that could decide the District 6-6A champion. Imhoff, a junior, has helped 6–1 Prosper to a perfect record in district play ahead of its contest with undefeated Allen. He ranks ninth in the area among 6A quarterbacks, having passed for 1,775 yards and 20 touchdowns to five interceptions. Imhoff leads a Prosper offense that is averaging 463.4 yards per game.
Chance Culley, Plano, RB
Plano East at Plano, 7 p.m. Friday at Plano’s John Clark Stadium
In Plano’s 42-35 win over McKinney Boyd last week, Culley had 194 yards rushing and a touchdown on 31 carries. On the season, the junior has rushed for 925 yards and eight scores to rank fourth among the Dallas-area’s 6A rushers. Plano (4–4, 3–3 District 6-6A) meets crosstown rival Plano East (6–1, 4–1) this week and hopes for a win after losing last year’s matchup 31-28.
Kobey Wall, Justin Northwest, WR
Justin Northwest at Trophy Club Byron Nelson, 7 p.m. Friday at Northwest ISD Stadium
Leading Justin Northwest in receiving, Wall is averaging 14.5 yards per reception on 28 catches for 406 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also rushed for two touchdowns this season. Wall was Justin Northwest’s leading receiver last season, too. Then a junior, he finished the year with 46 catches for 577 yards and five touchdowns for an average of 12.5 yards per reception.
Marcus Simpson, Flower Mound, RB
Flower Mound Marcus at Flower Mound, 7 p.m. Friday at Flower Mound
Simpson carried the ball 17 times for 103 yards in Flower Mound’s 31-14 win over Denton Braswell last week. He has tallied 740 yards rushing and six rushing touchdowns for Flower Mound, which is 2–2 in District 5-6A play ahead of its rivalry game with Marcus. The senior ranks among the area’s top 20 rushers in Class 6A.
Drew Kates, Richland, QB
Richland at Aledo, 7 p.m. Friday at Aledo
The area’s Class 5A passing leader, Kates has played incredible for 7–1 Richland, which meets Aledo in a District 3-5AI contest this week. Kates has completed 71% of his passes for 2,108 yards and 22 touchdowns to two interceptions. The senior has also been effective on the ground with 334 yards rushing and six scores. He is on pace to surpass his numbers from his junior season, when he threw for 2,498 yards and 29 touchdowns to four interceptions
Deondrae “Tiger” Riden Jr., DeSoto, RB
DeSoto at Cedar Hill, 7 p.m. Friday at Cedar Hill
Riden is on pace to have another 1,000 yard plus season. Through seven games, Riden has tallied 782 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns on 116 carries. The four-star Texas A&M pledge scored three rushing touchdowns and recorded 114 yards in DeSoto’s 65-24 win over Mesquite Horn last week. Despite missing games last season due to injury, Riden finished his junior campaign with 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Luke Watkins, Prosper Walnut Grove, WR
Lovejoy at Prosper Walnut Grove, 7 p.m. Friday at Prosper’s Children’s Health Stadium
Prosper Walnut Grove continues a challenging back half to its district schedule with a contest against Lovejoy this week. Expect Watkins to be a factor in the game after making five catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Walnut Grove’s 55-41 loss to Anna last Friday. The senior leads Walnut Grove, which has the area’s top 5A offense, in receiving with 28 receptions, 695 yards and 12 touchdowns for an average of 24.8 yards per catch. He is the area’s sixth ranked 5A receiver.
Noah Schuback, Melissa, QB
Melissa at Frisco Emerson, 7 p.m. Friday at Frisco’s Ford Center
Ahead of Melissa’s district showdown with Frisco Emerson, Schuback has passed for 1,530 yards and 20 touchdowns. The three-star junior has added 296 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Schuback turned in a strong performance in Melissa’s 75-6 win over Frisco Independence, finishing 15-of-21 for 255 and three touchdowns. He also finished with eight carries for 63 yards and a touchdown last week.
Matthew McClain, Prestonwood Christian, WR
Parish Episcopal at Prestonwood Christian, 7 p.m. Friday at Prestonwood Christian
After losing out on the district title to Parish Episcopal last season in a 49-40 loss, Prestonwood Christian gets another shot at the defending TAPPS Division I state champion. McClain could be key in securing the Prestonwood win. He has 37 catches for 800 yards and 11 touchdowns. The junior had five catches for 88 yards in Prestonwood’s 35-28 win over Frisco Legacy Christian. In Prestonwood’s 30-27 loss to Argyle Liberty Christian, the area’s top-ranked TAPPS team, he recorded five receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
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Dallas, TX
CJ Goodwin announces retirement after 8 seasons with Cowboys
FRISCO, Texas — After 12 seasons in the NFL and the last eight with the Dallas Cowboys, defensive back CJ Goodwin has announced his retirement.
Goodwin, 36, has played in 108 games for the Cowboys since he joined the team in 2018. He was the second longest-tenured Cowboy on the roster behind only Dak Prescott, who preceded Goodwin by two seasons.
Since 2019, Goodwin has been one of Dallas’ key players on special teams, recording 69 tackles with the Cowboys [ninth in Cowboys history] and 87 in his NFL career. In 2021, Goodwin became the first player in franchise history to lead the team in special teams tackles for three consecutive seasons.
After going undrafted in 2014, Goodwin received a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers after Steelers Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount, whose son attended high school with Goodwin and who Goodwin had worked for as a farm hand, urged the team to give him an opportunity. Pittsburgh would sign him as an undrafted free agent afterwards.
Following time with the Steelers, Falcons, Cardinals, Giants, 49ers and Bengals, the Cowboys signed Goodwin off of Cincinnati’s practice squad in October of 2018.
In his eight seasons with Dallas, Goodwin notched 2,211 snaps on special teams. He worked primarily as a gunner on punt coverage and was one of Dallas’ most impactful defenders on kickoff coverage during his career with the team.
Goodwin was named one of the Cowboys’ six captains in 2025, and the second captain on special teams alongside Brandon Aubrey. He finished the year with 18 special teams tackles.
In 2026, the Cowboys will now have to look to fill Goodwin’s shoes on special teams. Some of their offseason signings, like safety P.J. Locke, have a strong history as defenders on special teams and could end up being crucial for special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen in his second season in Dallas.
Dallas, TX
Dallas community gathers donations for Venezuela
Dallas, TX
Dallas weather: June 28 morning forecast
Temperatures are expected to climb into the upper-90s and triple digits over the next week, with no real sign of relief! Sunshine dominates the forecast, with only a very slim chance of rain by the end of next week.
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