PROSPER — After a long and grueling season, it all comes down to one game for two teams squaring off Friday night at Eagle Stadium.
The Prosper Eagles (7-2, 5-1) will host the Lake Dallas Falcons (6-3, 5-1) for the chance to be named District 14 champions and secure a quality seed in the 5A playoff bracket. A win would give Prosper its second district title in a row and cap off its best regular season since 2013.
The story is different for Lake Dallas, a team that has bounced back from a 1-2 record in non-district play to start the year. Since then, the Falcons have averaged more than 38 points per game and have played up to par with Prosper on both sides of the ball.
“The problem we’ve seemed to be having over the years is offense and defense playing together,” Lake Dallas Head Coach Michael Young said to The Dallas Morning News. “Over the last few weeks they have and that’s why we’re in the position we are now.”
There’s not a long history between Prosper and Lake Dallas, but the Falcons came out on top 28-24 last year. Don’t be surprised if the score is in the 20’s again this time around.
With a stout defense like Prosper going up against a red-hot opponent, both sides should make a couple big plays. McKinney North was the last potent offense Prosper faced, and the Eagles were able to hold them to 17 points.
Prosper quarterback Matthew Bramer. Sara Carpenter/TexasHSFootball
Look for quarterback play to be the deciding factor in this game. Lake Dallas signal-caller Ryan Depperschmidt has put together a great season, throwing for nearly 200 yards per game and 19 total touchdowns. He also leads his team in rushing with 369 yards.
For Prosper, Keegan Shoemaker should get the nod to start the game, but watch for Matt Bramer to potentially get time under center as well. Both have had their fair share of struggles – in Prosper’s only district loss, Shoemaker threw a pick on a potential game-tying drive to end the game.
The days of blowout victories are over for both sides and the stakes are sky high. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Prosper.
Alex Lessard covers prep and University of North Texas football for TexasHSFootball. Follow him on Twitter,@alexjlessard, and read more of his content here.
