Round Rock McNeil (1-0) at Midway (1-0)

Last week: McNeil defeated Bastrop, 22-20; Midway defeated Round Rock, 17-0

Breakdown: While the Hewitt community will most likely be focused on the opening of the new Panther Stadium, McNeil will have Midway’s full attention.

The Mavericks ran 52 times for 236 yards last week and threw it only six from an option offense that is based out of the I-formation.

Midway stuffed Round Rock for 65 yards on 33 rushing attempts in the shutout.

“Any time you can come out of a ballgame with a shutout, it says a lot about your staff and players,” Gambill said. “People are going to move the ball on you, but it’s about preventing big plays and keeping points off the board.”

Gambill said the Panthers’ quarterback situation will be determined by who has the better week of practice between Ryan Smith and Rodney Gordon.

Whoever it is this week will face a 3-4 defense similar to Round Rock’s.

—Jason Orts

Waco High (1-0) at Copperas Cove (1-0)

Last week: Waco High defeated Austin High, 34-32; Copperas Cove defeated Southlake Carroll, 35-14

Breakdown: Waco High coach Danny Ramsey is prepping for the fastest backfield the Lions will see all year. Indeed, the Copperas Cove running game is no joke — the Bulldawgs racked up 380 rushing yards in a romp over Southlake Carroll. Quarterback Orlando Thomas rushed for 136 yards and backfield mate William Randolph had 129. There are more weapons still.

Cove attempted a single pass all game, a 47-yard screen for the Dawgs’ first score, but Ramsey said they can change offensive philosophies in a snap just because of the talent of their personnel.

“We have to worry about the run game,” Ramsey said. “It’s not like they can’t throw, they just didn’t need to in that particular instance.”

Waco High’s run defense gave up just 109 yards on the ground against an Austin High team that didn’t care much about running. The reverse is the case against Cove. Equally important is the Lions’ budding spread option system under first-year starter Deonte’ Phillips, who thrived in his debut last week.

— Will Parchman

Hutto (1-0) at University (0-1)

Last week: Hutto defeated Austin LBJ, 47-7; University lost to Forney, 29-0

Breakdown: University’s defense was hardly at fault for what was an abysmal offensive performance against Forney.

Due to an injury to three-year wideout A.J. Montgomery, the revolving quarterback situation never materialized, and senior Gerrell Griffin took every snap under center. Montgomery’s injury triggered a domino effect on the depth chart, moving cornerback Anthony Tisdale to wide receiver, and quarterback Ray Washington, expected to see some snaps under center, was forced to cornerback. He’ll stay there until Montgomery returns, so the Trojans will sink or swim with Griffin at quarterback.

Griffin, a former running back, had trouble cranking up the offense, passing for 47 yards and an interception in the opener. Hutto’s high-scoring two-back offense might necessitate more out of University’s offense, which wasn’t able to relieve a solid defense in the slightest last week.

— Parchman

Fairfield (1-0) at Hillsboro (0-1)

Last week: Fairfield defeated Ferris, 35-17; Hillsboro lost to Clifton, 12-0

Breakdown: Expect to see a lot of ground work in Hillsboro. Both of these teams will primarily run the ball, though Fairfield was much more effective with the ground game last week, as the scores indicate.

Out of its I-formation set, Fairfield burned Ferris for 278 rushing yards, running 41 times to just nine passes, and quarterback Justin Terry was still an efficient 8-for-9. Hillsboro’s triple option offense has a lot further to go.

Hillsboro won’t change its offensive stripes despite failing to score a point and managing a paltry 40 offensive yards. Pounding away inside the tackles with Hillsboro’s beefy line will be the key, though the misdirection plays may take a more featured role in an effort to get the most out of the offense.

— Parchman

Glen Rose (0-1) at China Spring (0-1)

Last week: Glen Rose lost to Bridgeport, 49-26; China Spring lost to Mexia, 45-31

Breakdown: Two former District 7-3A foes collide, both in search of their first win.

China Spring coach Mark Bell said the teams use similar offensive schemes.

Both teams like to throw the ball around, although the Cougars did most of their damage on the ground last week, with Michael Martin rumbling for 210 yards and Michael Armstrong picking up 111 more.

They also both have work to do defensively, but Bell chalked Glen Rose’s woes up to playing Bridgeport, which knocked China Spring out of the playoffs last season and has “everything back.”

Bridgeport is “a top-five team in the state in 3A,” Bell said.

For the Cougars, Bell said they just have to tackle better, something they improved on as the game went on last week.

— Orts

Groesbeck (0-1) at Robinson (0-1)

Last week: Groesbeck lost to Rogers, 42-39; Robinson lost to Alvarado, 21-7.

Outlook: Robinson will welcome a high-powered passing attack from Groesbeck. Quarterback Chase Burrow passed for 375 yards and three touchdowns in a losing effort last week. Most of the strikes went to Stephen Ruen, who had 13 catches for 232 yards. 

“Offensively, we executed pretty good,” Groesbeck coach Stephen Burrow said. “We did OK on our running game but we need to be more consistent between the tackles.”

Robinson coach Brian Lewis doesn’t expect anything different this week.

“We’re going to give them a lot of different looks,” Lewis said.

The Rockets will count on linebacker Philip Hurtado, who tallied 13 tackles last week, to dial in pressure and diagnose the run. Quarterback Chad Hollingsworth, who “made a lot of positive decisions” last week, will have a week of experience under his belt.

— Brian Bateman

Connally (0-1) at Marlin (1-0)

Last week: Connally lost to Cameron Yoe, 52-7; Marlin defeated Salado, 42-26

Breakdown: Marlin will play with its chest puffed out a little more after matching its win total from last year’s 1-9 season.

Marlin coach Keith Willis said it was important for his team to get off to a good start, but that now it has to learn to deal with a taste of success.

Connally hopes to get running back Stanley Barnes, who missed the opener with a quad injury, back into the lineup.

Both teams need to protect the football better. The Bulldogs put it on the turf four times in the first half of the opener, while the Cadets lost five fumbles.

— Orts

La Vega (0-1) at Cameron Yoe (1-0)

Last week: La Vega lost to Prosper, 15-14; Cameron Yoe defeated Connally, 52-7

Breakdown: La Vega coach Willie Williams said he got conservative in last week’s loss after getting up, 14-0, and it cost the Pirates.

“We’re so young, I didn’t want to make a mistake and put our defense in a bad spot,” Williams said. “I have to have more confidence in our kids.”

The La Vega secondary will get a big test from Cameron quarterback Jack Rhoades, who threw for five touchdown passes last week.

“We can’t afford to let (Rhoades) sit back there and pick us apart,” Williams said. “We’ve got some kids that we can lock up man-to-man and run with them, but we can’t give him a lot of time.”

— Orts

Lorena (1-0) at Grandview (1-0)

Last week: Lorena defeated West, 41-13; Grandview defeated Troy, 35-3

Breakdown: Lorena’s win over West last Thursday was impressive, but so was Grandview’s romp over suspected playoff contender Troy. Grandview led, 29-0, at halftime, so the score could have been even uglier.

Utility player Daniel Spencer will be a challenge for Lorena’s defense. He was a monster last week, and he can line up at any offensive skill position on any play. Dual-threat quarterback Derek Jarrell provides a similar challenge for the Leopards’ hard-hitting defense, which kept a similar quarterback in West’s Kolbey Carpenter from having too much of an impact last week. Shutting Jarrell down will be tougher.

Lorena quarterback Fisher Simpson was impressive in his season debut last week, throwing for 175 yards and a pair of scores. With running back Kailin Ketcherside’s status still up in the air, Simpson’s rapport with receivers Bradly Krall and Micah Jones will be key, as will be possible stand-in Hunter Lowe’s ability to find gaps on the ground.

— Parchman

Mexia (1-0) at Gatesville (0-1)

Last week: Mexia defeated China Spring, 45-31; Gatesville lost to Brownwood, 56-19

Breakdown: Gatesville coach Kyle Cooper said his team has responded well this week at practice and his offense can play better than it did last week.

Look for Hornets quarterback Jake Truss to spread the ball to his weapons like Nardi Meyers and try to dictate the tempo of the game.

Mexia wants to control the game as well with their strong rushing attack. Doug Gentry is a special player in a talented backfield capable of big plays.

Both defenses made some big plays last week but have room to improve and want to limit the other teams’ yards this week.

— David Ash

Axtell (1-0) at Bruceville-Eddy (0-1)

Last week: Axtell defeated Dawson, 41-35; Bruceville-Eddy lost to Florence, 41-25.

Breakdown: Axtell is coming off an impressive offensive showing, scoring on every drive except a kneel-down to kill the clock. Bruceville-Eddy struggled through the first quarter, falling behind, 21-0, on three special teams fumbles and just one offensive possession.

Bruceville-Eddy will aim to change that this week behind running back Gauge Sarber, who made good decisions last week, Bruceville-Eddy coach Chris Lancaster said.

The Eagles lost Dalton Robbins to a separated shoulder and will be out at least through this week.

— Bateman

Clifton (1-0) at Rosebud-Lott (0-1)

Last week: Clifton defeated Hillsboro, 12-0; Rosebud-Lott lost to McGregor, 34-19

Breakdown: Clifton did a lot more mashing inside than spreading offensively last week, and Cubs coach Brandon Brown figures that will change some this week. 

Rosebud-Lott likes to run a similar spread offense, though it led to zero offensive points in a Saturday loss to McGregor.

On the other sideline, the Clifton defense held Hillsboro to 40 total yards last week, but its spread offense was also ineffective in generating points. As a result Clifton went in tight more, which resulted in a somewhat sloppy 12-0 win sealed by a late 40-yard run from Brad Morrow.

Both teams will look to get untracked offensively, though on the surface this shapes up as a defensive slugfest. It won’t help that Rosebud-Lott quaterback Riley Edwards went down clutching his knee against McGregor with what is likely his second ACL injury, which would wipe out his season. Likely to start in his place is Hunter Neumann, who is more of an athlete than a pure quarterback.

— Parchman

McGregor (1-0) at Crawford (1-0)

Last week: McGregor defeated Rosebud-Lott, 34-19; Crawford defeated Jarrell, 39-0

Breakdown: Something is likely to give as neither team gave up an offensive point last week.

The Bulldogs’ 19 points allowed to Rosebud-Lott came on two kickoff returns and a fumble return.

This rivalry game represents a big step up in competition for the Pirates, of whom coach Delbert Kelm said need a game against a “good sound football team” like McGregor to help them see where they are.

McGregor coach Tim Seward said his main goal is to keep improving offensively, while he wants the defense to just keep playing hard.

— Orts

No. 3 Mart (1-0) at Italy (0-1)

Last week: Mart defeated Chilton, 50-0; Italy lost to Maypearl, 23-19

Breakdown: Mart coach Rusty Nail said the first words out of his mouth after last week’s game were “Don’t get complacent.”

It would be easy for the Panthers to do so after they put together a comprehensively dominant performance.

But it’s a different challenge this week than Chilton’s grind-it-out style, with Italy’s spread and dual-threat quarterback Jasenio Anderson.

“He stands right out in the center of the page,” Nail said. “He’s got big passing and rushing stats. He’s a huge weapon for them, not only making plays for himself but distributing the ball around.”

The Gladiators have struggled defensively in their last scrimmage and first regular season game with their 3-3 stack scheme.

“Reicher scored several times on them (in the scrimmage) and Maypearl moved the ball pretty well on them,” Nail said.

Mart continues to search for improvement in the kicking game and likely will continue to go for two points after every touchdown until Nail finds a reliable alternative.

— Orts

Bosqueville (1-0) at Chilton (0-1)

Last week: Bosqueville defeated Hubbard, 54-0; Chilton lost to Mart, 50-0

Breakdown: Chilton needs to take care of the ball and control the clock on offense if the Pirates want to bounce back this week.

Bosqueville wants to continue to dominate the line on both sides of the ball.

Bulldog running back Michael Carpenter is dangerous each time he touches it. Chilton coach Robert Little said Carpenter “really improved, his vision impresses me, and obviously (he) has a ton of speed.”

— Ash

Moody (1-0) at Granger (0-1)

Last week: Moody defeated Holland, 21-14; Granger lost to Johnson City, 27-14

Breakdown: After last week’s aerial attack by Holland, Moody’s defense will have a different challenge with Granger.

This week’s task will be a punishing ground game. Tailback Andrew Almond and fullback Colton Mazoch will look to find holes in the Bearcat defensive line.

Offensively, Moody left several opportunities on the field last week. Getting points while in scoring position will be the focus this week.

Justin McNeely and Justin White will continue to split time at quarterback and get the ball to playmakers like Teddy Dine, who scored twice last week.

Moody coach Sam Gillispie continues to preach confidence to his kids and keep their expectations high. “We know if we play well and limit our mistakes, we should win this game,” he said.

— Ash

Riesel (1-0) at Wortham (1-0)

Last week: Riesel defeated Snook, 46-0; Wortham defeated Blooming Grove, 21-13

Breakdown: Riesel’s cakewalk of an opener against a school restarting its football program was a nice ease-in game to start the season.

First-year Wortham coach Jerry Young was brought in to rebuild the program, and an opening weekend win for a program that hasn’t made the playoffs in six years means that Riesel will give this game increased scrutiny.

Riesel’s rebuilt offensive line will get its first test of the year. Wortham defensive linemen had five sacks last week, and Riesel leans heavily on giving its talented backfield room to run in order to build momentum. Whoever wins that battle up front will have a leg up.

— Parchman

TCA (0-1) at Valley Mills (1-0)

Last week: Valley Mills defeated Cross Plains, 34-6; Texas Christian lost to Milano, 27-17.

Breakdown: Valley Mills brings a potent rushing attack against TCA. Quarterback AJ McFarlane and fullback Cody Sivils both earned triple-digit rushing yardage, while three others will likely have similar totals this week.

TCA struggled with poorly timed turnovers against Milano last week, and “probably would have beat Milano if it weren’t for the turnovers,” Valley Mills coach David Wells said.

— Bateman

Trinity Christian (1-0) at Reicher (1-0)

Last week: Addison Trinity Christian defeated Houston St. Pius, 33-7; Reicher defeated Academy, 35-7.

Outlook: Reicher faces a tough test from Division I Trinity Christian’s speed. A new quarterback guides the Trojans, but if Jake Hayes can find his receivers, it could be an issue for Reicher.

Defensive end Nick Martinez will be asked to put pressure on Hayes, while cornerback Brandon Dwyer, who had a kick return and 65-yard reception last week, will be counted on to shut down Trinity Christian’s passing game.

— Bateman

RELATED SEARCHES

• Web Exclusive: Whitney preview capsule