Lake Highlands football can lock up the District 7-6A title with a win as the Wildcats travel to play Richardson (5-2, 4-1) Friday night.
Players shower Wildcat Coach Cory Campbell after a 51-41 win over Highland Park on September 8, 2023. Courtesy of Mike Duhon Photography.
The Eagles are coming off a nail-biter 28-27 victory versus Jesuit. Down 27-14 with 9:41 left in the game, Richardson’s offense came together to rally to a win. The game-winning score came on a 41-yard passing touchdown from senior quarterback Lucas Sawyer to receiver Jacob Watson with just 38.6 seconds remaining. Eagles’ kicker Keneth Flores nailed the subsequent PAT, delivering the victory.
“Very explosive offense that we’re about to see with some really dynamic playmakers,” Lake Highlands coach Cory Campbell said after last Friday’s game. “We’ve got to get back to studying those guys and I think that efficiency on first down is gonna be huge next week, whether we’re on offense or defense.”
“We’re ready for it.”
Sawyer’s 383 yards through the air led all Dallas-area quarterbacks in Week 9, with three-star Dameon Crowe hauling in a team-high six receptions. That performance was good for the seventh-most receiving yards among players in Week 9, with 145. Crowe, a senior receiver, is committed to Texas State.
Crowe has been a steady presence for Richardson, with 24 receptions for 420 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Opposite him is Watson, the team’s leading pass-catcher as a sophomore, with 27 receptions for 505 yards and three scores.
The receiving room isn’t just two players deep for the Eagles. Jayden Hernandez leads the team with seven touchdowns and the duo of Nash Harder and Deshawn Dewalt has combined for five scores this year.
Richardson’s backfield isn’t to be trifled with, either. Senior Zach Breazeale is the clear lead-back for the Eagles, amassing 617 yards and six touchdowns on 87 carries. Breazeale was especially good in Richardson’s 61-13 drubbing against Irving, where he finished with two trips to the end zone and 148 rushing yards.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles feature Jaimeon Winfield, a four-star senior defensive lineman, committed to USC.
“We’re focused on that four-star d-lineman they have, working protections to combat him and his ability”, Wildcat quarterback Chuck Smith said. “And then, we’re really working with our receivers to get off the press and really work the releases.”
The Eagles’ lone loss this season came against Berkner, when the Rams won on a 12-yard touchdown with just two seconds remaining.
Lake Highlands, on the other hand, cruised to a win in Week 9. Matched up against a winless Irving Nimitz team, the Wildcats won 63-14 despite the starters being shelved for the entirety of the second half.
In the first two quarters alone, Smith completed all eight of his passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
“I was seeing a lot of open receivers, to be honest”, Smith said. “They did a great job getting open this last week. We knew we gotta just get everybody rolling.”
Last week, Smith received an offer to continue playing football at TCU.
Christian Rhodes, Lake Highlands’ running back who was named a player to watch by SportsDay heading into this week’s matchup, added two scores of his own against Nimitz while accumulating 90 yards rushing on just four carries.
“I can’t even say enough about him”, Smith said. “He’s a beast. Just the ability for him to get pretty much an instant first down every time I hand him the ball and in the pass game. No one really gives him credit in the pass game. He has improved tremendously this year.”
“If I’m about to get sacked or something, he’s always around, ready to get the ball dumped to him. He’s tremendous.”
With the victory, the Wildcats maintained their spot at No. 16 in the SportsDay Dallas-area high school football rankings.
Lake Highlands can officially crown itself district champion with a victory. If Richardson wins against the Wildcats, the Eagles can force a three-way tie for the top spot in the district with Berkner and Lake Highlands.
The two teams will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday at Eagle-Mustang Stadium.
