It’s a Texas District 11-6A, Region II headliner this Friday as No. 5 DeSoto takes on cross-town rival Cedar Hill.
The Eagles have been rolling in 2023, with a big win against No. 13 Duncanville (then ranked No. 3) in the regular season and impressive finishes in the playoffs so far against Wylie East and Willis.
The offense continues to shine, lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of nearly 52 points per game. Quarterback and Sam Houston State commit D.J. Bailey leads the attack, with Marvin Duffey and 4-star running back Deondrae Riden handling the running game while 4-star SMU commit Daylon Singleton (class of 2025) is a focus outside.
However, one of the most significant factors for DeSoto is an impressive offensive line, with 6-foot-7 Byron Washington and 6-foot-4 Ronnell McLain at the forefront.
From the other sideline, Cedar Hill looks to play spoiler while avenging the 35-13 loss during the regular season. That game, though marred by penalties, was closer than the final score makes it seem.
The Longhorns ran into a tough stretch in September—which can often be the case in the competitive Texas HS football landscape—where the team lost three straight games: Southlake Carroll, Waxahachie and Duncanville.
But the team has bounced back since then and heads into this game at 8-5.
Offensively, things are clicking, having put up 62, 59 and 28 points in the last three weeks. Quarterback Anthony Edwards has been a great story in 2023, bouncing back from surgery for compartment syndrome to lead the Longhorns on this playoff run, with plenty of talented weapons at his disposal — Dayshun Reese, Kymeion Turner, Cededrick Castleberry and two-way talent Zhaiylen Scott, to name a few.
Like the last meeting, though, expect the defense to be a critical factor.
Will it be enough to flip the script on the Eagles’ 2023 run?
High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Texas high school football playoff matchup can live stream the game on the NFHS Network.
(USA TODAY Network)
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