Scots Look to Warm Up Field for Cowboys
Highland Park has never before played a regular-season game at AT&T Stadium, but the Scots developed an affinity for the home of the Dallas Cowboys during the 2013 playoffs.
HP blasted Kimball 58-21 and Mansfield Legacy 48-0 on consecutive weeks during a postseason run that led all the way to the Class 4A state semifinals. The Scots are 2-1 overall there, including a 2010 playoff loss to Mesquite Poteet.
On Saturday, the Scots will wrap up their nondistrict schedule against Prosper as part of the Southwest Showcase, an event that includes six games at the stadium in a two-day span. The HP game, which starts at 11 a.m., will be the first of four on Saturday.
The Scots will look to gain momentum in their final test prior to the District 10-6A opener on Sept. 25 against North Mesquite.
Perhaps more importantly, HP aims to bounce back following a 40-13 loss last week to Arkansas private-school power Pulaski Academy that snapped HP’s 84-game home winning streak that stretched back 17 years — the entire tenure of head coach Randy Allen.
As long as that streak was, it’s been even longer since the Scots lost two consecutive games in the same season, which is a fate they will try to avoid on Saturday.
A year ago, HP rolled past Prosper 54-0 by gaining 498 yards of total offense and intercepting four passes on defense. This year, the Scots (1-1) are still waiting for their offense to fire on all cylinders, having scored just 13 points in its last six quarters combined.
Still, quarterback Henry Allen has been efficient through the air and Stephen Dieb has provided some tough yardage on the ground. A defense filled with new faces has shown flashes of potential. Now the challenge is consistency.
The resurgent Eagles (2-0), under new head coach Chris Ross, have started fast behind dual-threat quarterback Ryan Davis, who rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns last week in a 29-14 win over Justin Northwest. His 55-yard scamper in the closing minutes sealed the victory.
The Prosper rushing attack has amassed 638 yards and seven touchdowns in its first two games combined. The Eagles topped Birdville 35-10 in their opener.
