Dallas, TX

10 high school football players to watch, Week 9: Dallas-area RBs hope for big games

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1 year ago

October 21, 2024

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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.

On Twitter/X: @t_myah

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Dallas, TX

High 5: Reserve players to watch in final 2 games

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1 hour ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

High 5: Reserve players to watch in final 2 games

(Editor’s Note: Who doesn’t love lists? Throughout the season, ‘High 5’ will provide a top five list for many of the critical topics surrounding the Dallas Cowboys 2025 season.)

With the Dallas Cowboys officially eliminated from the playoff picture, it is now true evaluation time for the entire roster. This is a team that just landed five players on the Pro Bowl roster, with multiple reliable starters that were just outside the list of contenders. Meaning there is still talent on the roster to build upon for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

One of the biggest questions about the roster has to do with the depth at certain positions of need. Dallas stacks up nicely when it comes to the offensive weapons and promising defensive prospects.

Another year, another young backup quarterback with questions surrounding his future with the franchise. Last season, it was Trey Lance, this year it’s Joe Milton. Dallas traded a 2025 fifth-round pick for Milton in April and have yet to see what he can really do as a backup in this organization.

In just his second year out of Tennessee, Milton’s contribution in the regular season was an incredible Week 18 performance last season, a touchdown pass late against the Broncos, and a fumble late in the game against the Chargers. Now, it appears Dak Prescott will play most of the remaining snaps, but this may be the best chance to give legitimate work to a backup quarterback who could use it.

With all the investments made up front for the Cowboys interior defensive line, there is a clear outlook of where the team is headed at the position. Think about it this way, since Jay Toia joined the team in the 2025 NFL Draft, Dallas has added Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, and Perrion Winfrey at the position group alone.

In his rookie season, Toia has three combined tackles, one QB hit, and five appearances. His last active appearance for the team was in Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders. As a seventh-round pick, he may only have the final two games of the regular season to prove his worth to a growingly busy defensive tackle rotation.

After a promising stint in the preseason with 15 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown, Phil Mafah was just on the outside of the Cowboys crowded running back room when Dallas shelved him on Injured Reserve with a shoulder issue. He had suffered a torn labrum in his final season with the Clemson Tigers and possibly carried that over into his time in Dallas.

Mafah is an interesting case because when he was competing for reps in training camp, he was doing so against a full room of prospects who hoped to become the starter. Of course, it was Javonte Williams that emerged as the team’s primary back, while the only other running back that has seen success in 2025 is Malik Davis. Meaning a roster spot for 2026 is very much so on the table for the bigger-bodied tailback.

When the Cowboys traded a 2025 fourth-round pick for Jonathan Mingo, it was right in the middle of their hunt for a sustainable WR2 option. Since then, George Pickens and Ryan Flournoy have stepped into a solid second and third wide receiver role, while Mingo and Jalen Tolbert have struggled to stay on the active roster.

Mingo finished 2024 with five receptions on 16 targets for 46 yards, with the anticipation that he’d get more playing time and run with the first team guys in 2025. Not the case. He’s tallied only one reception on three targets for 25 yards and has been active for just four games. He is currently under contract for next season, but will need to take advantage of his very few opportunities to earn his spot on the roster.

Once a regular in the minds of Cowboys fans everywhere, Jaydon Blue quickly became an afterthought because of the emergence of Javonte Williams and Malik Davis this season. Instead of being a consistent change of pace runner in the Cowboys backfield, Williams has been inactive for all but four games this season. He registered a season-high eight carries for 29 yards in the blowout loss to Denver in Week 8.

Along the same lines as Phil Mafah, he’ll have just as much to prove going into this offseason than he did going into first season in the NFL. Ball security and pass protection were each reported as reasons that Blue was not a consistent presence in the lineup. He’ll have to show improvement in those categories, and use his athletic ability or speed to stand out.

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Dallas, TX

Mavericks vs. Pelicans Final Score: Dallas loses to New Orleans, 119-113

Published

13 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Mavericks vs. Pelicans Final Score: Dallas loses to New Orleans, 119-113

The Dallas Mavericks lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 119-113 Monday night in New Orleans, the second-straight loss for the Mavericks after falling to Philadelphia on Saturday.

It was also a second-straight clutch loss for Dallas, as the Mavericks once again couldn’t find any answers during the high-leverage possessions during the fourth quarter. Anthony Davis led all scorers with 35 points, while Zion Williamson led the Pelicans with 24 points off the bench.

It was a really frantic game from the opening tip, with both teams pushing the paints and attacking the rim. Dallas trailed by double-digits midway through the first quarter, but eventually took a lead in the second quarter and into the locker room thanks to a throwback first-half from Klay Thompson. Thompson scored 20 points in the first half, nailing threes and doing some decent work inside the three point line as well. Davis’ half was a little uneven, even though his numbers were great, but he rebounded and scored the ball well to stabilize the Mavericks after a poor start to the game.

It looked like Dallas was going to blow things open in the third, as the Pelicans went ice cold from three, the Mavericks kept pounding the paint, and Davis continued to look like his All-NBA self. In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks let their own double-digit lead slip away, as the Pelicans finally made some threes, and then Williamson just roasted the Mavericks defense. The Pelicans went to Williamson almost every time down the floor after a three point from Jordan Poole tied the game at 98-98 midway through the quarter. Williamson either scored at the rim or got fouled. Dallas had no answer, whether that was Davis or PJ Washington.

The Mavericks couldn’t match the Pelicans intensity and they lost. A brutal loss to a bad team, one the Mavericks can’t afford if they’re serious about making a play-in run.

Here’s one major thought from the game.

Maybe the Mavericks aren’t that good

For a few weeks now I’ve had a column stewing in our content management system here at Mavs Moneyball. The title was “The Mavericks might be a good team, so what does that mean?” I’ve been wanting to write it for a while now, as the Mavericks steadied their play since the middle of November behind Davis’ return from injury, Ryan Nembhard’s surprising play at point guard, and Cooper Flagg’s continued ascension. It made sense, and even if the Mavericks weren’t truly a good team, they at least proven to be a competitive one that should make the West’s play-in bracket.

It might be time to tap the brakes on that idea, at least for now. Dallas has lost three out of its last four games, with two of them being to Utah and New Orleans, both teams looking toward the lottery than a playoff push. The Mavericks are now 11-19 and two games back of 10th place. While there’s still plenty of time for the Mavericks to make a push, the schedule is only getting harder: the Mavericks play six of their next nine games on the road, with the schedule evening out after the Mavericks were gifted so many home games to start the season. Dallas is dreadful on the road, only 3-9.

Some of that magic from a few weeks ago feels like it’s wearing off. Davis has still been good, but his defensive effort waxes and wanes as he’s relied on to be the team’s primary scorer. Nembhard has cooled off considerably, and the Mavericks are once again mixing and matching point guards every night to try and find a combo coach Jason Kidd likes as Brandon Williams has gone AWOL from the three point line. Flagg is still awesome, but he’s 19. Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington haven’t made sustained impact, with both dealing with some nagging injuries. The Mavericks are still playing hard as hell, but they don’t seem to have something else to rely on. It’s great to play harder than the other team most nights, but you have to be better at more than that to consistently win games. This is the NBA — playing hard should be the bare minimum, not a bonus. Other teams will play hard, like the Pelicans did in the fourth quarter, and once a team matches the Mavericks effort level, they have shockingly little counters past that. Kidd even went back to the double-big lineup in the fourth with Davis and Gafford together, and the Pelicans predictably roasted that grouping. But it feels like Kidd is at times just shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

Perhaps the Mavericks will hit another good shooting stretch, or Flagg will level up his game once more. But the Mavericks aren’t guarding well, they aren’t shooting well, and they are running into teams that are playing just as hard as they are. It’s a tough combination, and even if the Mavericks can find a way to regain some of that edge they had before this losing stretch, 11-19 is an awfully big hole to climb out of, especially with Dallas’ schedule being so road heavy to close the season.

Make one thing clear: the Mavericks aren’t tanking. They’re still playing hard. But it’s easier than ever to imagine some veteran trades getting done as we inch closer to February’s deadline.

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