10-2-26 Richland
Last Friday while the Scots were takin’ care of business (cue Bachman-Turner Overdrive) against Naaman Forest, 38-7, they also picked up a win as Lewisville had to forfeit its first three games due to an ineligible quarterback. So the 2-3 Scots became 3-2.
That makes zero difference this Friday as the Scots head to Richland to battle the 5-0 Royals, who are ranked ninth in state. If you’re getting tired of the Scots facing teams that are averaging 50 points per game, you’ve got one more to endure this Friday. It is not a stretch to say that this battle will result in a district championship. And this is only the second week of district competition.
Richland is located in North Richland Hills near Fort Worth. They have beaten Frisco Wakeland (42-7), Haltom (49-21), Fort Worth Brewer (51-23), Colleyville Heritage (47-29) and Carrollton Creekview (63-7). So they are unbeaten and are averaging 50 points per game while holding opponents to 19. They feature a running back named Jayshon Gibson who is ranked as the 30th best running back in the nation for the class of 2027. He has already pledged to play for UCLA.
Through the first five games, Gibson has already picked up 735 yards on 70 carries, averaging over nine yards per carry, He has also caught nine passes for 189 yards and two more touchdowns.
Two weeks ago The Royals were losing to Colleyville Heritage, 29-23, after three quarters. They woke up and trounced Heritage, 24-0, in the final quarter to win by 18 points. That was Richland’s only close game. It should be noted that Gibson ran for 301 yards and four touchdowns in that game. We’re talking 10.75 yards per carry.
Last Friday QB Brett Kates threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Ben Sanders on the second play from scrimmage. That set the tone for a 63-point night. And while the Richland offense lit up the scoreboard, its defense held Creekview to 165 total yards and seven first downs.
On the Scots’ side of the ball, there is a Buck Randall watch in effect. He has thrown for 9,865 career yards and the all-time Dallas area record is 12,532, currently held by our old friend Graham Harrell of Ennis. Randall would need to string together a few 400-yard games to challenge the record, but it’s something be’s been doing for a couple of years. It is hard to believe that Randall has already broken Matthew Stafford’s HP passing record.
HP head coach Randy Allen will break the Texas high school football record for most playoff games when the Scots play their first playoff game in November.
Former Highland Park and SMU standout offensive lineman Richard Neely contacted me with the news that his HP teammate, Rusty Combes, passed away last week. Combes was a solid Scots linebacker who was involved in a horrific auto accident in Austin while he was attending the University of Texas. He survived the crash but was partially paralyzed for the rest of his life. He also suffered from a speech impairment. His personality shined through as his family, friends, classmates and teammates were inspired by his spirit and attitude.
It was Combes and Neely’s 1976 Scots team that went 12-1, losing only to Temple in the state quarterfinals. The previous two HP teams had gone 1-9 and 5-5 and the 1976 Scots were the guys who turned things around, saving Coach Franks Bevers his job and elevating a winning tradition that continues today at Highland Park. That tradition has gotten stronger during the Randy Allen era and now Highland Park has the winningest program in the history of Texas high school football.