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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Kurt: Signed just two days after the draft, the Valdes-Scantling deal did slide in a bit under the radar, but this seems a wise move to add a veteran to the wide receiver room and perhaps even build in a little security in the event the George Pickens situation goes haywire.
Now entering his ninth season, the 6-foot-4, 206-pound Valdes-Scantling certainly brings size and experience. And you’re right, he’s topped 30 catches and 500 receiving yards three times in his career, which includes finishing third on the Chiefs with 687 yards during their 2022 championship season. He also had a touchdown grab in Kansas City’s 2023 Super Bowl victory.
Of course, the last two years have been more nomadic for Valdes-Scantling as he split 2024 between Buffalo and New Orleans and then spent time with both San Francisco and Pittsburgh in 2025. Last season in particular wasn’t exactly pretty, as he battled a calf injury on his way to just 120 receiving yards combined off 14 catches.
Meanwhile, Ryan Flournoy, who is five years younger, enjoyed a breakout effort in his sophomore campaign for the Cowboys, finishing with 40 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns a season ago. At this point, the team clearly sees him as the first option for that third wideout spot.
So Valdes-Scantling will be in a battle for playing time (and perhaps even a roster spot), but taking a flier on a two-time Lombardi Trophy winner with a contract for less than $1.5 million, and only $187,500 of that guaranteed, made perfect sense. It’s a small investment that could potentially pay big dividends.
The Dallas Mayor’s Summer of Safety initiative is back for a fifth year.
The program aims at keeping Dallas residents ages 13-17 safe and out of trouble during the summer months by offering free or low-cost access to programs and attractions that might otherwise be out of reach for them and their families.
Several city departments partner for Summer of Safety, including Dallas ISD, the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas Public Library and Dallas Park and Recreation.
John Jenkins, who leads the city’s park and recreation department, named off some of the more popular destinations featured in the popular ‘All Access Pass: “Arboretum, Trinity River Audubon Center, Holocaust Museum, Southern Skates Roller Rink, Perot Museum. New venues this year are Dave and Buster’s, Dallas Love Field and the State Fair of Texas.”
The website detailing each program is now up and running, but keep in mind the estimated all access passes distributed across the city’s rec centers will not be available for pick up until June 30, according to the website.
Dallas ISD is also taking on the responsibility of providing students a place to go during the day, according to Dr. Pamela Lear, Dallas ISD Deputy Superintendent.
“In June and July, Dallas ISD is offering fun and engaging summer opportunities, learning opportunities, offering everything from camps focused on cheer, mariachi and robotics,” she said during Monday’s photo opportunity.
Curbing summer crime is also top of mind as Dallas prepares for the FIFA World Cup.
The host city is set to welcome thousands of visitors from across the world to downtown Dallas and Fair Park.
Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux was asked how DPD plans to increase visibility to keep youth and fans safe during the busy summer months.
“We’re really looking at some of the extras, like the mounting unit, we have more horses that’s going to be available this year,” said Comeaux. “We just purchased eight new horses. They’re in training right now, and hopefully you’ll see them walking the streets a little bit more. We added some additional motor units. So we’re going to have more officers on motorcycles out there”.
For more information about the Mayor’s Summer of Safety program, click here.
Aiming for a modern-yet-retro look, Whataburger is reviving its iconic A-frame. Sort of.
The Texas burger chain is introducing two new prototype store designs, each of which is “grounded in the brand’s heritage but built for how [customers] experience Whataburger today,” the company says. The designs will be incorporated into newly built locations.
One of the prototypes, called The Legacy, reintroduces the classic A-frame shape, but with a modern twist, on the exterior of a 3,000-square-foot store and enlarges the dining room, the company says. The new A-frame treatment maintains “the unmistakable Whataburger look with bold architectural updates,” says the burger chain, but it takes up far less space than the original version.
The other prototype, called The Essential, leans into the iconic orange-and-white striped scheme on the exterior of a 2,000-square-foot restaurant.
The Essential design features the iconic orange-and-white striped scheme.Rendering courtesy of Whataburger
In 2020, Whataburger debuted its first refreshed store in South San Antonio, de-emphasizing the familiar A-frame, adding more glass around the front of the building, updating the décor, and retooling the kitchen. In the six years since, most of Whataburger’s original A-frame-adorned “flying W” stores have switched to new formats, and all newly built locations have incorporated modern designs.
Among other changes coming to new Whataburger restaurants are:
- Warmer spaces featuring natural wood tones, more glass, and modern materials to “create a more open, welcoming environment.”
- Updated layouts with flexible seating and dedicated areas for mobile orders and third-party order pickups.
“The result is a space that feels like Whataburger from the moment you pull in, with a few thoughtful updates to make every visit even better. It’s all about honoring the brand’s roots while making room for what’s next,” the company says.
The new prototypes will debut in Texas and then be rolled out in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Construction is set to start later this year, and store openings are expected in early 2027.
Whataburger, founded in 1950 in Corpus Christi, operates more than 1,100 restaurants in 17 states, with the bulk of them in Texas.
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