HP Faces Ryan Rematch in 5A Semifinals
A return trip to the Class 5A Division I state championship game is the primary goal for Highland Park on Friday. Reaching the 900-win milestone in program history would merely be a bonus.
Both are within reach for the Scots on Friday against Denton Ryan in a state semifinal showdown at The Star in Frisco. The combatants are two perennial powers with abundant experience playing December football — including against one another.
It’s hard to separate the two teams this season on paper. Both have high-powered offenses and stingy defenses. Both carry identical 13-1 records and lengthy winning streaks (10 for HP, nine for Ryan). Since Ryan opened in 2000, the Scots have earned four trophies and the Raiders have three.
The Scots will look to follow the same script from their three consecutive title seasons from 2016 to 2018, when they toppled the Raiders in the semifinals every time. Two of those games were nailbiters.
HP, which fell to the Raiders in the quarterfinals back in 2003, hasn’t played in a semifinal game since that 2018 championship run — spending the past two seasons at the 6A level.
Meanwhile, Ryan was the 5A Division I runner-up in 2019 and won the crown in 2020, when it pushed past HP in the quarterfinals along the way.
That history might not carry much significance for current players on either side, but it does add to the anticipation of a matchup that will determine the favorite in this year’s title game.
The Scots have defeated three consecutive Frisco ISD opponents, highlighted by an impressive 41-28 win over Lone Star last week in the Region II final.
HP has been led all season by sophomore quarterback Buck Randall, with running back James Lancaster and receivers Cannon Bozman and Benton Owens putting up big numbers. The unit will need to be efficient and avoid miscues.
The stellar defense is spearheaded by linebackers Jack Morse and Anders Corn as part of a stout front seven that will have its hands full against Ryan.
In Region I, the Raiders rallied past Aledo 31-21 last week to avenge their only defeat from the regular season. Among the standout playmakers are junior quarterback Quin Henigan, running backs Nemo Warmate and Tre’Vaughn Reynolds, and receiver Braeden Mussett.
The mammoth offensive line is anchored by Alabama commit Ty Haywood and Texas A&M signee Marcus Garcia. Linebacker and TCU signee Dillon Arkansas is the top tackler on defense.
Particularly intriguing is the faceoff between a Ryan offense that averages 46.4 points this season and an HP defense that has surrendered just 13.4 points in its 13 victories.
The winner will face one of the two other regional champions in the division, Angleton or Spring Branch Smithson Valley, next weekend at AT&T Stadium for the crown.
The Scots have tallied a remarkable 899 victories all-time, by far the most of any high school in Texas. Plus, they’ve won more than 75 percent of their contests over more than a century, ranking among the top programs by percentage.
Securing the 900th triumph would carry extra significance, not because of the number but because of the stakes.
