Texas

10 high school football players to watch in Week 1: Baylor, Texas commits face-off

Published

2 years ago

August 26, 2024

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10 high school football players to watch in Week 1: Baylor, Texas commits face-off

Texas high school football is back, and programs in the Dallas-area will begin taking the field this week.

Here are 10 Dallas-area players to watch during Week 1 of the 2024 Texas high school football season.

Riley Pettijohn, McKinney, LB

McKinney at Frisco Emerson, 7 p.m. Thursday at the Ford Center at The Star

The five-star Ohio State pledge is the No. 2-ranked linebacker in Texas and had an extraordinary 125 tackles as a junior to go with eight sacks. He will be facing an Emerson team that averaged 51.9 points per game — best among area 5A schools — and 450.8 yards of total offense during a run to the Class 5A Division II state semifinals.

Edward Griffin, Coppell, QB

Sachse at Coppell, 7 p.m. Friday

The Baylor pledge threw for 288 yards and five touchdowns in last year’s 44-41 win over Sachse, and he had four touchdown passes in the second half. This could be another high-scoring affair, as Sachse ranked fifth among area 6A teams in passing (271.6 yards per game) and returns five-star Texas pledge Kaliq Lockett, the nation’s No. 3-ranked wide receiver who had five catches for 154 yards and a touchdown against Coppell last year.

Javian Osborne, Forney, RB

Lake Highlands at Forney, 7 p.m. Friday at City Bank Stadium

The four-star junior is rated the fourth-best running back in the nation in the Class of 2026 after he ran for 2,204 yards and 38 touchdowns as Forney reached its first state semifinal since 2002. Forney has moved up to Class 6A in realignment, and its first game in the new classification will be against a Lake Highlands team that is coming off a 9-3 season — the third time in four years that it has won at least nine games.

Bryson Jones, Frisco Lone Star, WR

Argyle at Frisco Lone Star, 7 p.m. Friday at the Ford Center at The Star

Lone Star four-star running back Davian Groce gets a ton of attention, and rightfully so after he had a combined 1,796 yards and 22 touchdowns rushing and receiving as a sophomore last year. But Jones, a four-star Texas Tech pledge, is rated the 12th-best wide receiver in Texas and had 64 catches for 1,092 yards and 15 touchdowns in an offense that ranked fourth among area 5A teams in passing yards per game (244.8).

Taz Williams Jr., Red Oak, WR

Red Oak at Colleyville Heritage, 7 p.m. Friday at Mustang-Panther Stadium

The four-star Baylor pledge had six 100-yard games en route to amassing 80 catches for 1,251 yards and 14 touchdowns. There should be plenty of fireworks in the passing game, as Colleyville Heritage ranked second in passing yards per game and Red Oak was third among area 5A teams last year.

Gracen Harris, Ennis, WR

Ennis at Waxahachie, 7 p.m. Friday

Going into the 103rd meeting between these teams, the all-time series is tied 50-50-2 in the “Battle of 287.” Harris, an Oklahoma pledge who is the fifth-ranked wide receiver in the Dallas area, will try to help Ennis end a two-game losing streak in the series.

Kevin Sperry, Denton Guyer, QB

Aledo at Denton Guyer, 7:30 p.m. Friday at C.H. Collins Complex

The four-star Oklahoma pledge makes his Guyer debut after transferring from Carl Albert (Okla.), where he accounted for 42 touchdowns for Oklahoma’s Class 5A state champion. He will face an Aledo team that has won back-to-back Class 5A Division I state titles and beat Guyer 48-45 last year on a field goal on the last play of the game.

Jamarion Phillips, South Oak Cliff, LB

South Oak Cliff at Galena Park North Shore, 7:30 p.m. Friday

Phillips had 95 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 14 sacks as a sophomore and has picked up offers from Ohio State, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, among others. He will look to slow down a prolific North Shore offense led by star quarterback Kaleb Bailey, who accounted for 52 touchdowns and 4,244 yards of total offense for last year’s Class 6A Division I state runner-up.

Chris Jimerson Jr., North Crowley, QB

North Crowley vs. Lancaster, 2 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Center at The Star

The North Texas pledge is one of the state’s most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks, as he showed last year when he threw for 3,092 yards and 40 touchdowns and ran for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns to lead North Crowley to its first state semifinal since 2003. Jimerson accounted for at least three touchdowns in 11 of North Crowley’s 15 games, and he had one game with seven touchdown passes and two other games in which he accounted for six touchdowns.

Deondrae “Tiger” Riden Jr., DeSoto, RB

Creekside (Ga.) at DeSoto, 5 p.m. Saturday

The four-star Texas A&M pledge has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons despite missing five games and getting only 137 carries last season during an injury plagued junior year. He is healthy now and makes DeSoto’s offense even more explosive than a year ago, when it averaged 53.4 points and 516.2 yards of total offense while winning its second straight Class 6A Division II state title.

Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

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Texas

North Texas father mourns wife, unborn son days before Mother’s Day

Published

12 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

North Texas father mourns wife, unborn son days before Mother’s Day

Just days before Mother’s Day, a North Texas father is grieving the sudden loss of his wife and unborn son after she died unexpectedly, only days before her due date. Avi Carey said he is still in shock over the death of his wife, Tiffany, whom he described as his “rock” and “soulmate.”

“Tiffany’s smile, her radiance, her presence … she didn’t meet a stranger,” Carey said.

Nearly two decades together

The couple had been together for nearly two decades, raising two children, Kingston and Kasyn, and preparing to welcome their third child, a baby boy they planned to name Kylo.

Carey said Tiffany began complaining of a severe headache just days before she was due to give birth. He recalled her sitting on the couch, dozing off multiple times – something he said was unusual.

A short time later, Carey found her unresponsive.

“I saw her face … her lips were blue. And I already knew,” he said with tears in his eyes.

A celebration turned to heartbreak

Tiffany Carey and her unborn son died May 2, leaving behind a grieving husband and two children. The loss came less than a week after the family had celebrated a baby shower.

“We went from celebrating the baby shower to planning a funeral in less than five days,” Carey said.

A crisis affecting Black mothers

Health officials say cases like this highlight a broader crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are more than three times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy‑related causes, and most of those deaths – around 80% – are considered preventable.

Carey said he is still searching for answers and now lives with questions about whether warning signs were missed.

“I would say educate yourself. Take everything seriously,” he said. “That should have been a red flag … the headache.”

Honoring Tiffany’s legacy

Now, surrounded by baby supplies meant for a child who never arrived, Carey said he is focused on honoring Tiffany’s memory and raising their children with the values she lived by.

“She always said, ‘You’ve got to lead with love,’” he said. “She did that in everything.”

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Texas

Pentagon releases UFO files with Texas sightings going back to 1948

Published

24 hours ago

May 8, 2026

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Pentagon releases UFO files with Texas sightings going back to 1948

Ever look up at the vast Texas sky and see something move across it? It could be a shooting star, a satellite — or a UFO.

The Pentagon released several documents Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogeys,” in U.S. airspace, including reports from Texas.

The documents were released by the U.S. Department of Defense at the directive of President Donald Trump, marking the release of government files related to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)” and UFOs.

“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement.

Here’s a look at the files related to Texas.

UFO spotted in 1948 above Abilene, Texas

A DoD incident summary shows that on Jan. 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Ave in Abilene, Texas.

Schroeder reported seeing a stationary bright blue-green bell-shaped object in the western sky above Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.

Fort Worth man sees UFO above Alaska

Also in 1948, Lt. Aytch Johnson noticed a silver flat disk in the sky in Fairbanks, Alaska.

According to the incident report, the Fort Worth man observed the object flying over Alaska at around 1:06 p.m. on April 18, 1948, at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour.

The report also noted that the sighting “may have been the reflection of sun from wings” of aircrafts flying in the area at the time.

Possible UFO sighting during the NASA Gemini 7 space launch

The DoD released the transcript and audio file of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 when astronaut Frank Borman reported to NASA mission control in Houston his sighting of an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”

While the launch didn’t take place in Texas, the report came back to space control in Houston.

The conversation occurred on Dec. 5, 1965 — 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight — when Borman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on their left-hand side.

When asked to clarify what they are seeing, Borman said he was seeing “hundreds of little particles” on their left, about three to four miles away.

As NASA Public Affairs clarified, the bogey was an unidentified object, along with the particles.

Pentagon documents report of other possible sightings in Texas

Some documents have connections or reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but are missing details to understand the situation.

For example, the DoD received a clipping from the Yoakum Times-Record reporting UFO sightings by Mrs. Anna Banys in 1947, but it is unclear why she was writing to the DoD.

This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.

Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.

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AMBER Alert girl last seen in Texas after Louisiana abduction

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

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AMBER Alert girl last seen in Texas after Louisiana abduction

An AMBER Alert has been issued for a 13-year-old girl abducted from Louisiana who was last seen in North Texas.

Merlin Chirinos-Argueta was last seen around 7:10 p.m. May 7 in Allen, Texas, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Authorities say the teen was abducted from Keithville, Louisiana, and may be traveling in Texas

Chirinos-Argueta is described as a 13-year-old Hispanic girl with black hair and brown eyes. She is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 120 pounds, officials said.

The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said Merlin was reported missing Thursday. May 7 from the 6200 block of Bain Boulevard in Keithville. Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. said investigators are asking for the public’s help in locating the teen.

Investigators believe she may be with 18-year-old Daniel Vasquez Mejia, who has black hair and brown eyes.

Merlin has not been in contact with her family, which has raised concerns for her safety and well-being, authorities said. The investigation is ongoing.

Authorities say they may be traveling in a white Chevrolet SUV with Texas license plate VML6061. The vehicle is believed to have a skull sticker on the rear driver’s side back window and a “mojo” sticker on the passenger side rear window.

Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or contact the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-675-2170.

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