#7 Arlington Bowie vs. #18 Arlington Martin

    Two of the biggest surprises in DFW play for 8-5A supremacy this weekend.  Bowie and Martin are both 7-0 overall and 4-0 in district.  The winner will obviously take pole position in the district championship race.  Last week, Bowie beat Arlington 43-3 and Martin topped Duncanville 34-9.  The two common district opponents are Arlington Houston and Arlington High.  Bowie beat each team by exactly 19 more points than Martin did.  Common opponent logic doesn’t always work because this game is all about on-field match-ups, but it is an interesting coincidence nonetheless.  These are two programs that have traditionally been overshadowed by the other Arlington schools, but they are playing for the district lead this year.

    Bowie went to the playoffs last year with a young team overall and expectations were elevated coming into the season.  However, not many could’ve expected the Vols to be as dominant as they have been.  Bowie is outscoring teams 40-13 on average.  Junior QB Christian Matthews and senior receivers Roddy Maginot and Andre McGee help make the Vols a very tough team to defend.  The defense has been equally impressive and are most experienced in the front seven with seniors DL Javayle Fields and LB Marcus McGraw anchoring a strong unit. 

    Martin’s option game has been very efficient all season so far.  Senior RB Jeremi Mathis has over 1,000 yards rushing and 17 TDs already.  Senior QB Jake Sharum is executing the offense very well.  Aside from Mathis’ gaudy stats, the rest of the offense is well distributed.  Junior Branden Winn does a little bit of everything on offense.  Senior punter Ben Follis is a key asset in the kicking game for the Warriors.  The defense is giving up 17 points a game on average.  The Warriors will need to be air tight on defense this week or hope their offense keeps Bowie’s attack on the sideline.

    This is a landmark game for each of these programs.  We are taking Bowie in this game because of their balance on offense and the overall consistency of their performances on both sides of the ball.  OUR PICK- BOWIE

#8 Smithson Valley @ #22 SA Reagan

    The 26-5A district championship is up for grabs and the winner of this game will likely clinch at least a share of the title.   Reagan beat Smithson Valley on the road last year 14-10.  Last year is finished, but the Rangers probably have that score etched in the back of their minds this week.  The only loss for Smithson Valley and Reagan so far came against Madison when they still had Devin Thomas healthy.  The Rangers' rested on their bye week in week 7 and are 6-1, 4-1 overall.  Reagan beat Lee 65-35 and have a 7-1, 5-1 mark. 

     Smithson Valley gave up 374 yards to Devin Thomas, so Marcus Wright of Reagan could make a big difference in this game unless the Rangers have tightened up the run defense in recent weeks.    Wright is now the leading rusher in San Antonio and the player everyone tries to contain in the Reagan offense.  Smithson Valley has a powerful offense themselves.  Senior QB David Pawelek, senior RB Trent Rios and senior WR Cody Renken are the top producers.  Rios is a three-year starter.  The Rangers have the more balanced offense of the two teams. 

    Statistically, these are two of the best offensive teams in Region 4.  Almost all of Reagan's production is generated in the running game.  The Rattlers' junior QB Derrick Walls has proven to be a capable player as both a runner and a passer.  Overall, it looks like this game will be decided who best establishes themselves on offense.  If one of these teams starts slow, the other could jump on them quickly.  It's tough to see this being as low scoring as last year's game was.

    We pick Smithson Valley to earn a little revenge and stake their claim for the top spot in district.  Reagan projects as a Division 1 playoff team and Smithson Valley in Division 2, however, this could affect bracket position given the top four teams in this district all have one loss going into this weekend.  OUR PICK- SMITHSON VALLEY