Here are five thoughts about Thursday night football games in the Dallas area to start Week 4.
That Skeeter fight appears to be back
When Jeff Fleener became the head coach at Mesquite three years ago, he saw a program that needed a reminder of its history. He needed to remind them that they're the only Mesquite ISD school with a state championship. He needed to remind them that they were capable of reinvigorating the "Skeeter fight" that he saw from outside the program years before.
The freshman at that time are now seniors, and after three years it looks like that reminder is working. Mesquite improved to 4-0 Thursday with a dominant 44-3 win over Hurst L.D. Bell. The Skeeters, without playing their starters for the fourth quarter, finished with 503 yards of total offense. It was the first time Mesquite had eclipsed 500 yards of total offense since Oct. 14, 2016. Quarterback Dylan Hillard-McGill and running back LaDarius Turner each had three touchdowns. Turner had an eye-popping 183 yards rushing on six carries.
The last time Mesquite started 4-0 was 2012. The Skeeters went undefeated in the regular season, but lost to Allen in the second round of the playoffs. Fleener was on the Allen sideline that day, working as an Eagles assistant coach.
Prepare for points if McKinney North is involved
Man, McKinney North likes shootouts. The Bulldogs improved to 3-1 Thursday with a 56-34 win over previously undefeated Rockwall-Heath. A combined total of 90 points between the two teams is actually on the lower half of combined point totals for McKinney North's first four games. Through four weeks, games involving McKinney North are averaging a combined total of more than 105 points.
After four weeks it's clear: if you're at a McKinney North game, prepare for lots of offense, much to the chagrin of the scorekeepers in attendance.
Is Timberview about go to on a run?
Mansfield Timberview was ranked 10th this week in SportsDayHS' 5A area rankings. That's high, considering the Wolves were coming off their first win of the season, a 64-31 win over previously undefeated Mansfield Lake Ridge. An 0-2 start raised some alarms, though losses to Bixby (Okla.) and Austin Lake Travis in the first two weeks wouldn't exactly be considered upsets.
Now, after Thursday's 50-14 win over Woodrow Wilson, it appears that Timberview might be on the verge of a run. The Wolves will face Mansfield Legacy next week, which has been outscored by 106 points through a winless three weeks, before taking on Samuell and Sunset, which have a combined one win so far this year. Tough games against Lancaster and Highland Park sandwich a Week 9 game against Bryan Adams, making for a tough end to the season.
Timberview's passing game shouldn't be expected to be prolific with Texas-bound running back Jaden Hullaby moving to quarterback, but the Wolves backfield depth should be a problem for opposing teams, as shown Thursday. No single running back had more than seven carries as Timberview totaled 313 rushing yards. Hullaby, Montaye Dawson, Deuce Jones, Najee Ellis and Xavion Walker all had rushing touchdowns. Stacy Sneed, a Colorado pledge, didn't have a score, but led the team with 92 yards on five carries.
North Garland moves to 4-0, again
North Garland hasn't made it to the postseason since 2009, making for the third-longest playoff drought among 6A area teams. Head coach Joe Castillo told The News last week that the program has been building toward this team and this season for a long time. So far, it looks that way.
North Garland beat Garland Lakeview Centennial 28-14 in its district opener on Thursday. Running back Sabron Woods led the way for North Garland, rushing 20 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Timothy Gauthier also had two total scores.
Defensively, North Garland held running back Camar Wheaton — the top-ranked junior running back in the country, according to 247Sports — to 86 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.
This is now the second-straight season North Garland has started 4-0. The Raiders hope the rest of the season goes differently this time around. Last year, North Garland went 2-4 down the stretch, missing out on a playoff spot in District 10-6A.
Weather warning for Friday
Weather was one of the biggest storylines in last year's season, resulting in numerous game cancellations and many, many delays. Friday could be the Dallas area's first real bout with bad weather this season. The News' weather reporter, Jesus Jimenez, wrote Thursday morning in SportsDayHS' weekly weather warning newsletter that there's a 20 percent chance of delays and a five percent chance of cancellation for local football games. He expects a 30-50 percent chance of rain from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., but after that it drops to 10-20 percent for the rest of the football evening.
Many teams are on byes before the start of district play, but for fans of those teams who are playing, be prepared.
"Bring an umbrella and have a raincoat handy -- just in case," Jimenez wrote.
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