COVER1 Pregame | Wall Hawks and Mason Punchers Round Out Exciting Week 6

WALL (3-1) @ MASON (5-0) KICKOFF AT 7 P.M.

Ryan Chadwick (17-12) - The No. 4 Wall Hawks come into this matchup with their long-time rival and former district opponent, Mason, off a bye week on Friday. After rolling over Peaster two weeks ago, it seems like the loss to Jim Ned really stuck with the Hawks. Coming off a bye week, I think Wall will be too much for the Punchers to handle. With that being said, Mason has a talented roster, and Hawks’ Head Coach Houston Guy says that it’s Mason’s size that might be a factor in this game. I think this matchup will come down, as it often does, to how Wall’s defense matches up with the athletes on the other side of the ball. The Hawks will be able to put points on the board. Their methodical offense is too difficult for any defense to hope to shut out for an entire game. Mason will have to outscore Wall’s offense and keep the Hawks’ defense on the field. That’s a tall task and, if you ask me, too much to ask the Punchers to do. Wall will control the clock, and if they play a cleaner game than the one last season where the Hawks had 10 fumbles, Wall wins this one. PICK:  WALL 31 MASON 21

Matt Trammell (16-13) - Every year that Mason and Wall play it is a nail biter. Expect no difference today. These two teams know each other very well. However with Mason being undefeated expect them to keep that rolling in this defensive matchup. PICK: MASON 14 WALL 6.

James Boulginy (22-7) - The Hawks return off their bye week with a tough test in the Mason Punchers. This is a rivalry game that was a low scoring game last season where Wall took the victory 14-6. Both these teams feature good run games as Wall has Nathan Pepper, Hagyn Barbee, and Gunnar Dillard and Mason has Ryne Todd and Sutten Silerio. Not only do both of these teams have good running games but they both have very good defenses. There are not common opponents yet but Wall gets the edge as they’re coming off a bye week. PICK: WALL 28 – MASON 24

OTHER PICKS: Scott Menchaca (22-7) - WALL | Yantis Green (18-11) - MASON | Ernesto Rodriguez (20-9) - MASON | Arleen Castillo (16-13) - WALL | KIMBERLY (15-14) - MASON |

WATER VALLEY (1-3) @ STERLING CITY (3-1) KICKOFF AT 7:30 P.M.

Trammell - Another big rivalry game this week is between district foes Sterling City and Water Valley. Last year the Eagles took the game by a large margin winning 42-14. However as we know the Wildcats went through a ton of adversity last year. This game should be closer (despite what the rest of the crew thinks) but its likely not going to work out for Water Valley. PICK: STERLING CITY 35 WATER VALLEY 27.

Bouligny - Sterling City has quietly been winning a lot of football games although their last game was a loss to Roscoe before their bye week. They run the ball a lot with Johnny Monreal, Canyon McCabe, and Seth Turner. Quarterback Ty Turner gets it done at quarterback. The Wildcats have a dangerous duo in the backfield in David Valeriano and Anthony Quintana.  This district is wide open as Eldorado and Iraan are also quietly gathering wins. In this one, Sterling City takes the win. PICK: STERLING CITY 48 – WATER VALLEY 37 

Chadwick - District play begins between two Concho Valley teams coming off of bye weeks. Water Valley showed flashes of brilliance earlier in the season but has not rekindled that same magic ever since. With that being said, the Wild Cats' three losses come out to a combined 16 points. That’s rough. Water Valley has been in every game they’ve played so far on the year, and do not expect that to change on Friday night. Sterling City kicked off its season strong and picked up momentum with a win over their rivals, the Miles Bulldogs. Like Wall, Sterling City runs an old-school offense that depends on physicality and time of possession. The Eagles’ offense seems inevitable at times, marching steadily down the field. The Wild Cats may stop the Eagles occasionally, but Sterling City is no stranger to going for it on 4th down. From what I’ve seen from the Eagles this year, I think they are just too much for Water Valley. I’m picking the Eagles to beat the Wildcats at home. PICK: STERLING CITY 27 Water Valley 21

OTHER PICKS: Scott Menchaca - STERLING CITY | Yantis Green - STERLING CITY | Ernesto Rodriguez - STERLING CITY | Arleen Castillo  - STERLING CITY | 

VERIBEST (5-0) @ PAINT ROCK (4-1) KICKOFF AT 7:30 P.M.

Bouligny - Like the Brownwood game, this is the 6-Man equivalent. Two very talented teams going head-to-head. Falcons sophomore Bryce Martin and senior Hunter Hallmark at quarterback have gone 36/46 for 433 yards, 12 touchdowns, and one interception. They also have that split pretty evenly. Those two, along with running back Lane Howard, get it one on the ground. Martin has 371 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, and Howard has 538 yards and five scores. Paint Rock has put up 227 points so far. This should be a good one that will not be over by halftime. PICK: VERIBEST 63 – PAINT ROCK 45

Chadwick - Two Concho Valley Six Man teams meet in the two schools’ last non-district matchup before the final grind begins. The Falcons come in at 5-0 and Paint Rock at 4-1. Veribest defeated Paint Rock’s eventual district opponent, Panther Creek, last weekend 55-6, so this matchup will be a good test to see where the Indians match up later in the season. The combination of Bryce Martin and Hunter Hallmark will be too much for Paint Rock, in my honest opinion, but look for the Indians to make this a close matchup with a lot of points. PICK: VERIBEST 70 PAINT ROCK 55

Trammell - This one is simple to me. The Falcons are the best 6-man team in the Concho Valley. This game will be over before you know it. PICK: VERIBEST 45 PAINT ROCK 0

OTHER PICKS: Scott Menchaca - VERIBEST | Yantis Green - VERIBEST | Ernesto Rodriguez - VERIBEST | Arleen Castillo  - PAINT ROCK | 

STEPHENVILLE (3-2) @ BROWNWOOD (5-0) KICKOFF AT 7:30 P.M.

Bouligny - The Lions against the Yellowjackets should be one of the better games in the state. They are both ranked in the Top 10 for 4A schools. Brownwood is similar to San Angelo Central in the fact they graduated a lot of their offense last year but returned their quarterback, Ike Hall. The Lions also have a couple of legit prospects on defense in Quinten McCarty and Morsello Hooker. They are 5-0 and coming off two respectable wins against Glen Rose and Waco Connally. Stephenville is 3-2 and has played some dogs. Abilene Wylie is a common opponent where Brownwood won 35-21 and Stephenville lost 41-32. The Jackets have a good quarterback in Ryan Gafford, who has thrown for 1315 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions. His favorite target is by far, Tristan Gentry, who has 37 catches for 748 yards and eight scores. This should be a great game, and the Lions come out on top. PICK: BROWNWOOD 42 – STEPHENVILLE 35

Trammell - If you want to know what game everyone in Texas is talking about that would have to be this game. Two state ranked teams clashing at a sold out Gordon Wood Stadium. No clue how it’ll end but it’s going to be a nail biter. PICK: STEPHENVILLE 28 BROWNWOOD 27

Chadwick - Everyone expected the Brownwood Lions to take a step back this season after they graduated a good portion of their offense last year. Brownwood has since silenced any talk like that, as they currently sport a 5-0 overall record and sit at No. 7 in the 4A state rankings. However, Stephenville is no slouch either. They also sit in the Top 10 just behind Brownwood, and this game will be the game of the week to watch. I give the edge to Brownwood in this one solely because the Lions play at home. Brownwood ISD already announced that the game on Friday night is sold out. Expect the atmosphere at Gordon Wood Stadium to be eclectic. PICK: BROWNWOOD 42 STEPHENVILLE 35

OTHER PICKS: Scott Menchaca - STEPHENVILLE | Yantis Green - STEPHENVILLE | Ernesto Rodriguez - BROWNWOOD | Arleen Castillo  - STEPHENVILLE |