12-6-24 Frisco Lone Star
The Scots’ 2024 Frisco World Tour will conclude this Friday at 7:00 p.m. at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco as 12-1 Highland Park faces 12-1 Frisco Lone Star. This will be the third Frisco team in a row that the Scots have faced in this year’s playoffs. Over the past two weeks the Scots have defeated Frisco Wakeland (38-10) and Frisco Reedy (31-12), setting up this regional final. The winner will advance to play the winner of Saturday’s Aledo-Denton Ryan game to earn a spot in the state championship game.
At this point there are eight teams left in the state’s 5A Div. I bracket.
The Scots have played solid football all year and still have the capacity to get better and compete with the best of the best. The key to the game for the Scots is to contain elusive quarterback Karese Hoyt, a sophomore who is a good passer and a great runner. He might pass for 250 yards and run for 250 yards. Pick your poison. Once a team slows down Hoyt, then it must focus on the Rangers’ four-star running back, Davian Groce, who racked up 287 all-purpose yards last week, including a 72-yard touchdown scamper and an 85-yard kickoff return for a TD.
Very few teams have this level of electricity in the backfield. This week the Scots have been working on ways to shut off the power, or at least dim the switch.
The Rangers have lost only one game, an incredible 65-59 explosion to Frisco Wakeland. This was the game that ended in 59-59 tie and went into overtime. Wakeland got the ball first and did not score. Lone Star drove the ball to the goal line, where a field goal or touchdown would win the game. But two incredible things happened.
First, Lone Star fumbled the ball at the goal line.
Second, a Wakeland defensive lineman picked up the ball and rumbled 100 yards to score and win the game.
The Rangers’ past two playoff games were close wins over Highland Park’s 7-5A district mates. Two weeks ago Lone Star beat Red Oak, 34-28, after Red Oak scored the game’s final 21 points. Then last week Midlothian led Lone Star throughout the game. With 5:04 left, Midlothian was ahead, 35-24. But the previously mentioned Lone Star quarterback, Karese Hoyt, led the Rangers on a five-play drive to tighten the score to 35-32.
What Lone Star needed at that point was a miracle. On cue, Midlothian fumbled and Lone Star’s defensive end Ephraim Whitaker pounced on the ball. Six plays and 42 yards later, Hoyt scampered into the end zone for the winning score (39-35) with 2:18 left in the game. It was the first time Lone Star led that night.
The Scots have had a dominant playoff run, but each week the competition gets tougher. This game will be the Scots ultimate challenge this season.
Coach Randy Allen, the assistant coaches and all the players are prepared and confident. This game was circled on their calendars when the season began. The Scots will have to play their best game to beat Lone Star but they have the desire, the poise and ability to do it.
I think the Highland Park defense will play hard to shut down the supercharged Lone Star offense. And if it plays its best game of the season, the electricity-eating defense could cause a black-out in the building.