TexasHSFootball will be live from Pflugerville tonight, so make sure to check Twitter starting at 7:00 for updates on this District 12-6A showdown.
Weiss and Harker Heights will renew acquaintances on Thursday night in Pflugerville at 7:00. However, this time they will match up as district opponents.
In the season opener a year ago, Harker Heights edged the Wolves 43-35 in a non-district shootout.
Expect there to be plenty of offensive fireworks again this year with both teams averaging 28 points per game after non-district play.
Here’s what to watch for on Thursday night.
Pflugerville Weiss Wolves (2-2)
Head Coach: Steve Van Meter (3rd season; 14-9 record)
Offensive PPG: 28
Defensive PAPG: 30.8
Weiss Players to Watch
Last week was a special victory for Weiss as it earned Van Meter’s 200th career win as a head coach in a 49-42 overtime thriller against New Braunfels.
The Man, The Myth, The Legend… Congratulations Coach Van Meter! @pfisd @WeissFootball @SETXsports @uiltexas @UIL_AD @Matt_Stepp817 @Texan_Live @ThomasJonesAAS @statesman pic.twitter.com/qCoMyqtDU0
— PfISD Athletics (@PfISDAthletics) September 17, 2022
One question for the Wolves is how they will divide up the snaps at the quarterback position. Senior Tate Reiland and sophomore Jax Brown have split time so far this year. Both were effective last week with Brown finishing with 232 passing yards and four touchdowns, while Reiland racked up 180 yards through the air and three scores.
Joining them in the backfield is Air Force commit running back Daelan Alexander, who is averaging over five yards a carry (399 rushing yards and two touchdowns) four games in.
Out at receiver, Baylor commit Micah Gifford didn’t play last week, but Tory Simmons (9 catches for 176 yards and three touchdowns) and sophomore Adrian Wilson (six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns) stepped up in his place, showing the Wolves have plenty of depth out wide.
Big win last night @WeissFootball vs New Braunfels
–
8Rec‼️
168yds ‼️
3TDS ‼️
2PBU ‼️
1 int ‼️ pic.twitter.com/h7aGn6Ygqg— Tory Simmons jr. (@Tj_simmons4) September 17, 2022
On the other side of the ball, defensive end Lorenzo Diggs has seven Division I offers, while junior Peyton Morgan is a leader in the Weiss secondary, who is garnering the attention of Power Five Division I programs.
Harker Heights Knights (3-1)
Head Coach: Jerry Edwards (10th season; 44-54)
Offensive PPG: 28.5
Defensive PAPG: 17
Harker Heights Players to Watch
Harker Heights had a heartbreaker last week against Odessa Permian. The Knights let a 20-point halftime lead slip away as Permian rallied for an improbable 28-27 victory.
Looking back to last year, Harker Heights rushed for 318 yards against Weiss. This year, they’ll likely deploy a similar game plan.
Senior running back and Houston commit Re’Shaun Sanford has led the Knights ground game again this year with 681 yards and four touchdowns.
week 3 – cedar ridge
268 yards | 3 tds (70-80 yards called back)
100+ yards after contact
1 tackle 😂
1 win, 3-0 🤝🏾 . @HHKnights_FB pic.twitter.com/fMoyBolN56— 𝐑𝐞’𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐥𝐥 ✞ (@moneybagrrae) September 12, 2022
He’s got two great blockers in front of him paving running lanes in Texas commit Jaydon Chatman and UTSA commit Etueni Ropati.
When the Knights need to go through the air, they have some experience to turn to in junior quarterback Dylan Plake, who is in his second year as the starter. He comes into this game with 586 passing yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions so far this season. Although he had just 10 completions for 170 yards a week ago, he did add 27 rushing yards and two scores on the ground.
Defensively, linebacker Jeremy Jennings (37 total tackles) has been a stalwart in the middle of the defnse for the Knights. Meanwhile, up front, look for defensive linemen Christopher Robinson (21 tackles, 9 TFLs) and Lamarian Hatcher (19 tackles, 7 TFLs) to try and disrupt Weiss’ two-pronged passing attack.
Final Thoughts
District 12-6A has some new faces this year as Weiss, Hutto, and Waco Midway all joined the fray after realignment.
Both Weiss and Harker Heights will have playoff aspirations after both made the postseason a year ago.
The biggest question on Thursday night will be whether the Weiss defense can slow down Sanford and the Harker Heights rushing attack better this year. If they can do that, with an explosive offense of their own, the Wolves will have a good chance to win their first-ever 6A district contest.
