Week 7: Duncanville vs Waxahachie
During the Red River week, I drove from Austin to Waxahachie to catch a game between the Indians and the top-ranked Duncanville Panthers. Led by Texas Longhorns commits 2024 five-star EDGE Colin Simmons and 2024 four-star defensive lineman Alex January, the Panthers look to repeat as state champions this season in the UIL’s 6A Classification. Unfortunately for Waxahachie, that means the Indians were in the way of Duncanville’s wrecking crew in their district matchup.
In week seven, January was arguably the best player on the field, tallying two sacks in the first half of action alone. The 6’4″ defensive lineman is one large human being who looks relatively nimble for his size, weighing in at 325 pounds. While I only have a small sample size of the eye test, January certainly jumped off the charts and will be a promising prospect for the Longhorns to develop – especially considering the upcoming move to the Southeastern Conference.
Along with January, Colin Simmons, who I have seen in person a couple of times now, is as good as advertised. The 6’3″ EDGE is athletic as they come, and is a natural at creating havoc at or behind the line of scrimmage. Against Waxahachie, it was evident early that the Indians offensive game plan would revolve around avoiding Simmons’ side of the field. With that being said, Simmons was still able to contribute around the line of scrimmage and came away with a few big plays.
Offensively for Duncanville, junior five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore keeps on getting better and better. The LSU commit made a couple of big gains through the air, including a touchdown reception, and continues to be someone that the Longhorns are eyeing at the receiver position.
Along with Moore, fellow LSU commit Caden Durham continues to be a threat for the Duncanville offense. Against Waxahachie, Durham was the most productive player on offense, scoring a total of three touchdowns – showcasing a good bled of speed and strength. Like Moore, both Duncanville products have received an offer from Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns staff.
Thanks to a formidable performance on both sides of the ball, Duncanville ultimately breezed their way to a lopsided 44-10 victory over Waxahachie.
Week 8: Temple vs Hutto
After covering Duncanville, I wanted to see what local talent the Hutto Hippos possess in the Central Texas area. Two players immediately stood out for Hutto: senior four-star quarterback Will Hammond and senior wide receiver Alex Green.
Currently, Hammond is committed to Texas Tech, however Green is a recruit who is still available on the college market. Against Temple, the Hammond-to-Green connection was on point, with Green amassing a staggering 300 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the night. Against their division foe, that was the only offensive strategy that the Hippos really needed to employ.
At this point in time, Green has received a total of 18 collegiate offers but is still waiting for an offer from a Power Five program. But, you would figure that Green will see his recruiting stock grown soon, having tallied 1,509 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns on 80 receptions throughout eight games this season.
Lastly, Temple’s sophomore defensive end Jamarion Carlton certainly stands out from a physical standpoint. The 6’5″ athlete has a similar frame to current Longhorns tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, and already possesses four scholarship offers from schools such as SMU and Nebraska. Against Hutto, Carlton came away with a lengthy fumble recovery, flipping the field for the Wildcats
Led by Hammond and Green’s production, when it was all said and done, Hutto cruised to a comfortable 52-31 victory over the Temple.
Extra Point:
The Duncanville to Austin pipeline has been alive and well, but I don’t think that the Longhorns are necessarily done recruiting the campus either. As I mentioned earlier, Dakorien Moore will certainly be a player that the Longhorns coaching staff continues to recruit until the final whistle. Additionally, we are still far away from the junior’s National Signing Day in December of 2024.
Moreover, I aim looking forward to seeing the progress of Alex Green and Jamarion Carlton’s recruitments as time goes on. In the case of Carlton, the sophomore defensive end still has a couple of years to go before graduation, but he has the tools too become a star recruit in the Central Texas area. For Green, graduation is coming up but someone will be bound to take a flyer on such a productive wide out.
Miles Logged:
497 miles (Total)
