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2018 Texas Tour Week 1

What is the Texas Tour?

For nearly 15 years our love for Texas high school football has sent us around the state to watch some of the truly great players that our state has to offer.  We’ve seen Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw snap the ball to Pro Bowl QB Matt Stafford. We were sitting in the stands watching future Heisman Trophy winners RG3 (Robert Griffin III) and Johnny Football (Johnny Manziel) for their explosive prep careers.  Our goal is to see as many future college and NFL players that a Friday night will allow!

The Back Story

For Week 1 we rolled on down to Cedar Hill to watch the Cedar Hill Longhorns take on the Tyler John Tyler Lions.  It is difficult to get out to East Texas, so there was a lot of excitement when we found out that the Lions would be in driving distance.  Both teams are coming off down years. Cedar Hill went 4-6 in 2017, but a lot of that could be attributed to injuries and consistency at the quarterback position.  John Tyler went 5-5 and missed the playoffs for the first time in nine years. Realignment forced the Lions down to 5A and they started the season ranked #16 in the AP poll.

Who we came to see

Cedar Hill

DB Donavann Collins; #49 CB in nation committed to TCU

QB Shayne Lawerence; Top 30 QB in state

OL Steve Carter; Top 30 OL in state

DL Xavier Ross; #64 DT in nation committed to Oklahoma State

ATH Quin Bright; #49 ATH in nation (2020)

OL Courtland Ford; #23 OT in nation (2020)

DB Joshua Landrum; #263 CB in nation

WR Zakari Franklin; #295 WR in nation

DB Tmar White; #248 ATH in nation

Tyler John Tyler

WR Keandre Street; #114 WR in nation committed to Houston

OL Chance Billington; #65 OG in nation committed to Louisiana-Monroe

RB Rod Hawkins; #213 RB in nation

DL JaBralen Yarber; #141 DT in nation

Game Time

It was over before it began.  The Lions first drive was plagued by a couple of penalties and an explosive Cedar Hill offense got on track early with an 80 yard pass down the sideline from Shayne Lawrence to junior RB Quin Bright.  His 4.45 speed was on full display and he finished the game with 113 total yards. The Longhorns scored rushing touchdowns on plays of 26, 37, and 46 yards while throwing touchdowns of 80, 53, and 8. On the other side of the field it was disastrous as John Tyler lost starting QB Devlen Woods to injury halfway through the second quarter.  Backup QB X’avier Allen looked good going 7-12-1 for 184 yds and a TD, but his passing stats weren’t the real story. Several bad snaps and a fierce Longhorn pass rush led to the Lion offense losing over 80 yards on passing plays and a fumble that was returned for a Cedar Hill score. The John Tyler run game was stopped behind the line of scrimmage on seven additional occasions. Cedar Hill had their subs in about halfway through the 3rd quarter and cruised to a 57-7 win.

Game Notes

If you are heading to a game at Cedar Hill this year, be aware that they have policies similar to the NCAA and NFL.  You cannot take bags unless they are transparent or the size of a clutch. Be prepared to go through a metal detector security system, as well.  If you get to the game early enough, we’d highly recommend checking out Soulman’s BBQ for dinner. The Belly Blaster sandwich was incredible, the French fries were fantastic, and the banana pudding was heavenly.  Soulman’s is right around the corner from the stadium.

Next Week

We’re headed to the River City to catch Cibolo Steele and San Antonio Reagan.  If you know of any great places to eat around Heroes Stadium let us know!

by Brett Levy

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