GARLAND, Texas — As the final week of the regular season arrives in Texas high school football, teams across the state are facing various realities. Some are playing win-and-you're-in games. Others need help. Some can wrap up a district championship with a win.
On Thursday night at Homer B. Johnson Stadium, we've got a couple of teams in different categories, as Sachse and Rowlett square off.
The Sachse Mustangs, 8-1 on the year and 7-0 in District 9-6A, can finish off a perfect district slate with a win over the Eagles. Rowlett is 3-4 in district play and needs a win on Friday to bolster their playoff hopes.
You can watch the game live on our streaming platform WFAA+, which is available on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You can also watch the game right here on WFAA.com, or our WFAA YouTube channel.
The Eagles need a win and also a loss by Garland in order to end up in the 6A playoff field. Rowlett lost to Garland but beat Naaman Forest. If the three teams end up in a three-way tie, Rowlett would end up on the outside looking in. But a tie with just Naaman Forest would land the Eagles in the postseason, as they won the head-to-head with Naaman. Of course, none of that matters unless they win on Friday.
That's easier said than done. Sachse is the class of the district and has been for a couple of years now.
Led by senior receiver Kaliq Lockett, one of the most gifted wide receivers in America, the Mustangs are hard to beat. Lockett pairs with Santana Quinn to form a very productive wide-receiver tandem. And the Mustangs also feature Boise State commit Brendon Haygood at running back.
Rowlett will counter with a two-quarterback system with Sam Loera and River Kirkhuff. They also feature running back Kelin Cottrell, who leads the team with over 500 rushing yards on the year.
Sachse also features a wide receiver named Hek'ma Harrison, Jr. He's the son of WFAA's Friday Night Football color commentator Hek'ma Harrison. Thursday night will be particularly special, as the Harrison father-son duo will be a part of the same game.
Our pregame show will begin at approximately 6:50 p.m. CT, with kickoff to follow at 7:00 p.m. CT. Join Mike Leslie and Hek'ma Harrison on the call for Week 11 of the Texas high school football season.