Lake Highlands and Berkner are the only remaining teams to be undefeated in District 7-6A play this season. With the two rivals set to clash this Friday, a win for either the Wildcats or Rams could pave the way to a district title.
Lake Highlands running back Christian Rhodes rushes for a first down versus Richardson Berkner on October 18, 2024. Photo courtesy of Mike Duhon Photography.
That crown has belonged to Lake Highlands (5-1, 3-0) the past two seasons, but a resurgent Berkner team will stand in the way of the Wildcats’ third straight.Â
The Rams (4-1, 3-0) haven’t won more than seven games in a season since 2006, when they went 9-4. However, through the first three district games of the season, Berkner has run through its competition.
Despite a scare against Richardson that saw Berkner win 17-14 on a Daquwan Dunn touchdown with just two seconds left in the game, the Rams have taken it to district foes Irving Nimitz and Irving MacArthur. Berkner won those two games 58-0 and 36-17, respectively.
Whereas Lake Highlands shut out MacArthur, 42-0, the Rams allowed a few scores in part due to a whopping 16 penalties and a lost fumble.
Berkner has boasted a potent offense apart from those miscues. The Rams are led by senior quarterback Aaden Parsons, who has thrown for 861 yards and eight touchdowns with zero interceptions going into Week 8.Â
Parsons has a strong array of weapons on offense, including two Division I receivers. Dunn, who has amassed 139 yards and two touchdowns, plays both sides of the ball and committed to Arizona State as a 3-star cornerback this past May.
Opposite him is Kamarri Davis, a junior who holds eight Division I offers. Davis has led the Rams with 16 receptions for 212 yards and a touchdown this season.
In addition to the receiving room, Berkner boasts a strong backfield. So far, Damonte Nelson has had 46 carries for the Rams en route to 322 yards and two touchdowns. The other running back, Tra Gaston, has rushed for four touchdowns and 241 yards. Gaston has been explosive as a runner, averaging over 10 yards per carry.
The Wildcats, who remain at No. 17 in the SportsDay Dallas-area football rankings after a 52-21 win at Jesuit last week, have given up just over 82 rushing yards per game this season. They’ll be tested against Berkner’s backfield, which has averaged 143.6 yards per game on the ground.
SMU commit and Lake Highlands running back Christian Rhodes was named a player to watch by Greg Riddle of SportsDay following a two-touchdown and 158-yard performance versus Jesuit. Riddle also picked the Wildcats to win 38-17 against the Rams, joined by six of his SportsDay colleagues who picked Lake Highlands.
Chuck Smith and Franklon Evans will also be players to watch for the Wildcats. Smith currently has the third-most passing yards for Dallas-area schools (1,801), despite having the fewest passing attempts out of anyone in the top five.
Evans, who has emerged as a dominant force for Lake Highlands’ offense this season, is tied for the eighth-most points scored out of the Dallas-area players with Carter Zahm of Rockwall-Heath. Both players have recorded 72 points for their teams so far this season.
Behind Evans, Smith and Rhodes, Lake Highlands ranks fifth among Dallas-area teams in offense, averaging 466.7 yards per game. The only other team in the Wildcats’ district to make this list was Richardson at No. 20 with 380 yards per contest.
Lake Highlands could take a big step towards another district championship with a win against Berkner, but it won’t be easy. The Battle of Wildcat-Ram Stadium will kick off at 7 p.m. Friday with the Wildcats listed as the away team in this year’s edition of Lake Highlands versus Berkner.
