11-3-23 J.J. Pearce
A win over Richardson Pearce on Friday will give Highland Park its 55th district championship, something no program in the history of Texas high school football has ever done.
If you are a Scots football player, that will give you something to play for.
History!
The Scots will need some internal motivation in this game because the playoff teams have already been set and everyone will get serious next week when a playoff loss ends your season. For coaches, this is the hardest match to get your guys fired-up for. Win or lose, the Scots will still host next week’s bi-district game.
On the other side of the field will be the J.J. Pearce Mustangs who are at 6-3 and just missed the playoffs last week. They are hungry and a win over the Scots would make their season a success. After the game they will take their team bus back home for the final time this season. It will be over. But if they win this game, there will be a massive 11-mile celebration that will last the rest of their lives.
Like everyone, the Scots have played some good teams and some not-so-good teams. I’m here to tell you that this Pearce team is quite good, averaging 39 points per game and its pilot is a junior quarterback named Presley Harper who has put up some numbers the Scots haven’t seen this season. He has completed 157 of 267 passes (59 percent) for 2,523 yards and 20 touchdowns. No other team in North Texas has lit up the Friday night sky like Harper and his merry band of receivers. Harper’s favorite target is a 6’3” senior named Jack McGarry, who has caught 54 passes for 884 yards and 10 touchdowns.
For comparison’s sake, McGarry has the same receiving yardage as the top three Scots receivers combined. The Mustangs’ second leading receiver, 6’4” senior Jewlyen Roberts, has picked up 515 yards (more than any HP receiver) and has scored six TDs. And don’t forget Ray Long, who has caught 13 passes for 236 yards.
The Scots defense is probably the best D the Mustangs have seen since Lake Highlands and the Mustangs put 29 points on the Wildcats. Earlier in the season Pearce lost to Jesuit, 41-39, on a 27-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game and then lost to Berkner, 35-28, on a 39-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left. The numbers tell us that Pearce is every bit as good as Jesuit or Berkner, two teams that are basking in playoff glory.
The Scots’ offensive leader, 6’5” quarterback Warren Peck, has had an impressive season, leading his team to a 8-1 record while leading the team in rushing, passing and scoring. He suffered an injury last Friday when his head hit the turf while being tackled. He left the game and will not play tonight.
Fortunately, the Scots have one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the state. Senior Parker Thompson will step in for Peck and the Mustangs won’t want to face him either. Thompson, who was the backup quarterback at Southlake Carroll last season, has already accepted an offer to play quarterback at Air Force. He is a gifted runner and will cause problems for any defense he faces. Backing him up will be another senior transfer, Cade Trotter, whose father, Toby Trotter, is a former Highland Park coach. Cade started for his private school last year and could probably start for most teams the Scots face this season.
And don’t get me started on Gil Wagner, who is probably the best fourth-string quarterback in Texas.