Scots Ready for Marcus in Season Opener

Given the abundance of new faces on both sides of scrimmage, Highland Park might start the season with more questions than answers.

The same could be said of Flower Mound Marcus, who will host the Scots in Friday’s season opener. The Marauders have a new coach and a host of new skill-position starters.

Both teams will find out plenty about their rosters in a matchup between perennial playoff teams that will be especially significant for HP — which has just two weeks to prepare for a challenging District 7-6A opener on Sept. 8 at Lake Highlands.

The Scots are in a familiar position, relying on a fresh batch of starters to carry over the momentum from an unbeaten regular season in the 6A classification. HP reached the second round of the playoffs before falling to powerhouse Denton Guyer.

New quarterback Warren Peck was the backup a year ago, although fellow senior Parker Thompson also is expected to see action as the signal-caller. The Scots will likely rotate players at almost every position, both because of the expected hot temperatures and to test their depth.

HP won last year’s matchup by a 38-24 score over Marcus, which finished the year with a 6-5 record and lost to Guyer in the opening round of postseason play.

The Marauders are integrating a new system under coach Mike Alexander, who spent the past six years at Grapevine. Plus, they will need to replace standout quarterback Cole Welliver, who transferred to Argyle Liberty Christian.

Defensive might be the strength for Marcus, especially an experienced line, which allowed 17.1 points in its six wins in 2022.

HP is seeking its 11th consecutive 10-win season and its 36th straight playoff appearance. The Scots also have a streak of eight district championships in a row.