ESPN

Recruits in SMU's signing class range from California to Michigan to Florida, but the Mustangs didn't completely ignore their home territory.

Of the 20 players who signed with SMU on Wednesday, six are from the Metroplex.

That list includes a pair of Everman defenders, LB Lincoln Richard and DB Horace Richardson.

The other locals heading to the Hilltop are Frisco Heritage DL Elie Nabushosi, Garland LB Damien Neroes, Coppell OL Sam Rice and Dallas Lake Highlands OL Chase Walling.

Find more on SMU's recruiting class here.

One of the area's top uncommitted recruits came off the board over the weekend.

Euless Trinity four-star defensive end Polo Manukainiu committed to Texas A&M after a trip to College Station.

Dallas Skyline four-star receiver Thomas Johnson remains the top-ranked uncommitted recruit from the Metroplex.

Here's a look at other recent area recruiting news leading up to Wednesday's signing day, courtesy of Damon Sayles' Midlands Region recruiting blog:

Lake Highlands offensive tackle Chase Walling changed his commitment from North Texas to SMU.

North Forney athlete Stephen Buckley committed to Northwestern.

Mansfield defensive end Hassan Ridgeway confirmed his pledge to Texas despite taking a visit to Texas A&M over the weekend (via HornsNation's William Wilkerson).

DeSoto receiver Ridge Jones committed to New Mexico.

Dallas Skyline linebacker Nigel Roberston committed to Central Arkansas.

DALLAS, Texas -- One glance at Lake Highlands point guard Beau Barnes from the stands in the Lake Highlands gym and you can see the resemblance.

As he drove from the perimeter to the baseline with 12 seconds remaining in the game and his team down 47-45, even a double-take might not make Barnes look any less like former Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea.

With his diminutive stature, short hair and stubbly beard, Barnes never looked more like the Puerto Rican guard than on Friday, when he drained two free throws after that baseline drive, tying the game at 47. Twelve seconds and one more Barnes free throw later, his Wildcats (12-10, 3-2) took a huge District 9-5A game from Dallas Jesuit (17-4, 3-2), 51-47.

"With the full beard and the short year, yes [people tell me I look like Barea]," Barnes said. "They tell me I play more like him than I look like him, but we're both not close to 6 feet, no matter what people say about J.J."

All the time Barnes said he spent studying film of Barea's play over the past several years came in handy Friday, especially in the fourth quarter.

Barnes left the court in the final period with leg cramps, but was able to re-enter the game and provide a spark for a Wildcat team that had seen its lead vanish late in the game.

Lake Highlands cut Jesuit's lead to one at 46-45 on a 3-pointer from the corner by senior forward Travis Hornstein with 29.5 seconds remaining in the game.

Barnes went so far as to call the shot "a turning point in the season."

"It was the biggest shot all year," Barnes said.

Jesuit guard Jared Johnson hit one of two free throws on the next possession, giving the Rangers a two-point lead.

Barnes drew a foul on a baseline drive and hit both free throws to tie the game, then nabbed a Jesuit turnover and drew another foul with 4.9 seconds remaining. He hit one of two, giving Lake Highlands a one-point lead.

"Those were the two toughest free throws in my life and I managed to hit one to give us the lead," Barnes said. "It's tough to block out that whole crowd though."

Jesuit threw a prayer of a pass to try and hit a last minute shot, but it was intercepted by Lake Highlands to ensure the win.

From the game's start, Barnes brought the energy that is a trademark of his Minnesota Timberwolves doppelganger. The Wildcats' first points of the game came off a turnaround jumper from Barnes, created by a dribble-drive through the middle of the lane.

An early 5-0 run in the second quarter and three big blocks in the frame helped the Wildcats take a 19-12 lead at the half. Lake Highlands jumped to a 40-24 edge after three quarters.

Jesuit switched to a high-pressure, full-court press in the fourth, forcing several Wildcat turnovers to help mount a late comeback.

In the end, it was Barnes' spark that gave Lake Highlands a key district win over Jesuit, who was favored to be the 2-seed in District 9-5A, putting the Wildcats in the mix for prime playoff positioning.

"Maybe this will kind of get us over the hump, because it would have been easy for us to throw up our hands late in the game and we didn't and some good things happened for us," Lake Highlands coach Rob Wylie said. "Hopefully we'll fit in to that mix of four or five teams battling for those [playoff] spots."

As Lake Highlands continues through district play, Wildcat fans should watch out for the Barea look-alike as he pushes himself to do everything his NBA counterpart can, including date a Miss Universe -- or at least a high school equivalent.

"I'm trying to get Miss Lake Highlands," Barnes said. "It's close, but I'll get there."

RICHARDSON, Texas – A massive gust of wind surely must have pushed across the Metroplex around 10 p.m. Friday night originating from Lake Highlands.

The gust was from the entire community letting out a sigh of relief after the Wildcats slipped into the playoffs with a 21-14 win over Richardson at Eagle-Mustang Stadium.

The first person to let out a breath after holding it for a week in anticipation of this win-and-you’re-in matchup was Lake Highlands coach Scott Smith.

“Yes, yes we can [finally breath],” Smith said with a big grin. “Our kids worked our tails off this week and pulled out all the stops.”

Lake Highlands running back Jacobi Johnson was unexpectedly thrust into the role as the feature back in the team’s most critical game of the season after starter DeVonte Sunwenghan was sidelined with an injury.

Johnson scored two of the Wildcats three touchdowns on the night, racking up over 170 yards rushing.

“He was a guy coming into the season that we knew he had the capabilities of doing what he did tonight,” Smith said. “A lot of times, because of our offense and how we move it around so much, he didn’t get as many touches sometimes during the week that he wanted. Tonight he had to. Tonight was his night and he had a great night.”

It was Smith’s 5-yard run with seven minutes left that would be enough to send the Wildcats to the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

“It feels great to know that you can carry the team with the star player being hurt,” Johnson said. “This week, with grades coming in and everyone having to pass and this game, it’s just been tough.”

Lake Highlands' defense also came up big, stopping speedy Richardson quarterback Parker Smith on a fourth-and-1 try deep in Lake Highlands’ territory.

Lake Highlands (5-5, 4-3 District 9-5A) will face Rowlett, the top Division II seed from District 10-5A, in a bi-district playoff game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Homer B. Johnson Stadium in Garland. Richardson's season ends at 5-5 overall and 3-4 in 9-5A.

Smith said Rowlett is not unlike many teams the Wildcats have faced this year, but has talent spread all over the field.

Smith said they are “counting on” Sunwenghan being available for the bi-district matchup.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Smith said. “We are going to enjoy this tonight but tomorrow morning we’ll be back at it to see what we can bring to the plate for Rowlett.”

DALLAS LAKE HIGHLANDS (4-5, 3-3 9-5A) AT RICHARDSON (5-4, 3-3)
7:30 p.m. Friday at Richardson’s Eagle-Mustang Stadium

When we saw them last: Lake Highlands fell to undefeated District 9-5A champion Skyline, 37-0. Skyline held Lake Highlands to 150 yards of total offense. Richardson handled 2-4 W.T. White, 59-39.

2010 result: Lake Highlands edged Richardson by a field goal, 17-14. The win gave Lake Highlands the No. 2 spot in the district, and despite the loss, Richardson still made the playoffs with the last seed.

What’s at stake: Win and you’re in. The winner of this game will claim the last District 9-5A playoff spot and the other will have its season come to an abrupt end.

Key matchup: Which offense will show up ready for the playoffs a week early. Lake Highlands’ offense is centered around running back DeVonte Sunwenghan. Stop him and Richardson has a good chance to outscore Lake Highlands with a very similar run game and short-yardage passing game.

Players to watch: Richardson’s all purpose offensive standout is quarterback Parker Smith, who leads the team in both passing yards and rushing yards. Lake Highlands starts Michael Ketchmark under center, but will bring in athlete Trent Jones to change up the pace in the run attack.

Prediction: Richardson can’t find a way to stop Sunwenghan, and Lake Highlands sneaks into the playoffs, 24-17.

In arguably the biggest regular-season game of the year, No. 1 Allen travels to No. 6 Flower Mound Marcus tonight in for a battle of unbeaten District 8-5A heavyweights. Jeff Andrews is on the scene to bring you updates and and answer your questions.

We also have writers at Cedar Hill-Mansfield (Randy Jennings), Duncanville-Mansfield Timberview (Travis L. Brown) and Dallas Jesuit-Dallas Lake Highlands (Brittany Levine) to provide updates and take questions.

Here are this week's previews, and here's the Week 8 scoreboard.

DALLAS JESUIT (5-2 9-5A, 3-1) AT DALLAS LAKE HIGHLANDS (4-3, 3-1)
>7:30 p.m. Friday at Lake Highlands’ Wildcat-Ram Stadium



When we saw them last: Jesuit doubled up on Richardson, 62-30, behind an eight-touchdown performance from fill-in quarterback Brian Buell. Lake Highlands lost a heartbreaker to rival Richardson Berkner, 16-13, changing the shared stadium's name to Ram-Wildcat Stadium next year.

2010 result: Lake Highlands beat Jesuit, 29-20, in current Wildcat running back DeVonte Sunwenghan's breakout game. Filling in for injured star and current Oklahoma State freshman Desmond Roland, Sunwenghan rushed for just under 200 yards and four touchdowns in the game that assured Lake Highlands the No. 2 seed in District 9-5A.

What’s at stake: Jesuit needs to continue to win to claim a second-place finish in District 9-5A behind Dallas Skyline. Lake Highlands is currently tied with Jesuit for second in the district, but has yet to play ESPN Dallas 5A No. 2 Skyline and playoff contender Richardson. Lake Highlands needs to come up with a big win against Jesuit to give the Wildcats a leg up in the race for the last two playoff spots.

Key matchup: Jesuit’s defense against Lake Highlands rushing attack. The Wildcats have proven to be a very one-dimensional team, limited to production on the ground. Until last week’s game, when Michael Ketchmark threw for 133 yards vs. Berkner, no Wildcat passer had thrown for more than 100 yards in a game this season. Jesuit must shut down Sunwenghan and force Lake Highlands to move the ball through the air.

Players to watch: Both teams’ quarterbacks have interesting storylines coming into this game. Before the first game of the season, Jesuit quarterback Brian Buell was relegated to the second team. But after Jack Brezette went down in Jesuit’s loss to Coppell, Buell has filled in seamlessly, throwing for eight touchdowns last weekend. Ketchmark won the starting job over classmate Trent Jones last season, but Ketchmark had been sidelined for the majority of this season because of injury. He returned two weeks ago and has shown signs of being at full strength, but he's several weeks behind in game-speed action.

Prediction: Jesuit 42, Lake Highlands 10.

William Wilkerson of HornsNation caught up with Dallas Lake Highlands offensive tackle Kent Perkins after Friday's game against Dallas Sunset and talked recruiting as well as how wrestling has helped him become a standout on the football field.

Perkins -- all 6-foot-5, 300-pounds of athlete -- has offers from several Texas schools and is expecting one from UT.

For those with insider access, check out Wilkerson's story here at Horns Nation.

DISTRICT 9-5A

• Richardson Berkner (4-6, 3-4). Coach: Jim Ledford
• Dallas Jesuit (6-5, 5-2), lost in DII bi-district. Coach: Brandon Hickman
• Dallas Lake Highlands (7-4, 6-1), lost in DII bi-district. Coach Scott Smith
• Richardson (7-4, 4-3), lost in DI bi-district. Coach: Brian Chandler
• Dallas Samuell (3-7, 1-6). Coach: Steve Pierce
• Dallas Skyline (9-3, 7-0), lost in DI area. Coach: Reginald Samples
• Dallas Sunset (1-9, 0-7). Coach: Dennis McAdams
• Dallas W. T. White (4-6, 2-5). Coach: Eric Ezar

THE BIG QUESTION: Can Jesuit challenge Skyline for the district title?

Dallas Jesuit enters the 2011 season with a new stadium, a new coach, the returning district offensive player of the year and the best shot at giving Dallas Skyline a run at the district championship.

But is that enough?

Jesuit still must find a starting quarterback, between Jake Brezette and Brian Buell, to feed WR Jake Oliver, 2010 offensive player of the year for District 9-5A. While they keep the same offense, the Rangers are switching to a 4-2-5 defense to combat the spread offenses most of the district runs.

Skyline boasts one of the most talented rosters in the area and should have no problem with the rest of District 9-5A.

If all the pieces fall together neatly for Jesuit, the Oct. 7 game against Skyline could be circled as the district championship game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

DB Trey Caldwell, DL De’Shon Purtue, Berkner; WR Jake Oliver, DT Akuda Esin, RB Christian Franz, Jesuit; WR Devonte Sunwenghan, QB Michael Ketchmark, Lake Highlands; RB Derrick Jackson, RB Devante Branch, RB Cameron Booty, Richardson; DT Darian Allen, RB Devontrae Smith, Samuell; LB Peter Jenkins, WR Thomas Johnson, QB Devonte Kincade, Skyline; LB Simon Ochoa, Sunset; ATH Donald Snow, W.T. White.

DID YOU KNOW?

After head coach Brent Whitson left for South Grand Prairie, Richardson looked within district 9-5A for his replacement, hiring former Lake Highlands offensive coordinator Brian Chandler. … After running a two-quarterback system for part of 2010, Lake Highlands head coach Scott Smith has settled on Michael Ketchmark as the starter. ... Berkner fell just short of the playoffs in 2010 for just the second time in eight years.

PROJECTED PLAYOFF TEAMS

1. Skyline
2. Jesuit
3. Lake Highlands
4. Berkner

SACHSE, Texas -- Sachse softball head coach Casey Nelson wasn’t wary of his District 10-5A fourth-place team facing the District 9-5A champion, Dallas Lake Highlands, in the bi-district round of the 2011 playoffs Saturday.

Nelson said the difficulty of his district combined with the strength of schedule his team endured before district play prepared them for any games they would have to play in May or June. That experience showed Saturday in a five-inning mercy rule 15-2 Mustang win over Lake Highlands.

The Mustang onslaught began on the mound with starting pitcher Kelsey Payne who pitched all five innings, facing only four more than the minimum. Payne struck out nine and allowed three hits with no walks.

Payne said she too believed her time as the everyday starter through District 10-5A play gave her the experience needed to throw a good outing Saturday.

“I think this whole district [season]- since I’m the only pitcher – it’s helped a lot this year. Last year I wasn’t as prepared as I was this year.”

The top of the first was the only half-inning Payne had to play without a lead. Sachse’s offense provided the run support on 16 hits with seven out of the starting nine batters tallying at least one hit. Five of those seven had multi-hit games, led by Rachel Rogers and Lauren Iverson with three.

Iverson also lead Sachse in RBI’s Saturday with four, knocking in at least one on every one of her three singles.

Sachse scored five in the first off four hits and an error, followed by 5 in the second off four hits and two errors.

“We’ve talked about figuratively punching teams in the mouth right of the bat. As soon as you can score some runs to start a game, they’re instantly on their heels and they have to play catch-up.”

Lake Highlands changed its approach at the plate with two outs in the top of the third, electing to play small ball. A bunt single by pitcher Erin Brenan broke up Payne’s perfect game bid and started a two out rally that would score her and following batter Andrea Beard for the Wildcat’s two runs in the game.

Sachse notched a victory in the first playoff game the Mustangs hosted on the campus of Sachse High School. The Mustangs were given an opportunity to host the game in exchange for agreeing to Lake Highlands head coach Kelly Baker’s wish to play a single elimination game, Nelson said.

“That was awesome. It was a dream scenario,” Nelson said about the home playoff game.

Sachse advances to play the winner of Temple and Tyler Lee in the area round next weekend.

Nelson believes the bi-district win puts Sachse in the drivers seat as they advance in the playoff bracket.

“Coming out as the four seed almost helps us because at this point we’ve flipped the script,” Nelson said. “We’ve almost become the one seed now. If we continue to play ball at the level we’ve been playing at…. teams might look past us. They may see the score on the UIL website and go, ‘Oh well they got lucky.’”

If high school basketball coaches and athletic directors weren’t confused enough trying to reschedule games after last week’s winter weather spectacular, the snow storm that wiped out Wednesday's games should have done the trick.

With playoff spots on the line and a valuable few district games left to play, teams booked the week full of games to make sure all contests were completed by the Saturday's district certification deadline for girls. That certification is the first step in the process of making a bracket for the UIL girls playoffs, which are slated to begin Tuesday.

If all district games and tie-breakers can't be played before the deadline, it will be up to each District Executive Committee to decide how to determine which teams claim the four playoff spots.

“They have the ability to play those games in exception to school weeks and calendar week limits if they are canceled due to weather if there are enough days to get them in,” UIL interim director of athletics Mark Cousins said. “Ultimately it would be left up to the District Executive Committee on how they were going to certify their representatives if it came down to it.”

With the ice thawing throughout the day Wednesday, it appears Thursday and Friday will be available to finish most, if not all, district games. However, those days had been reserved for tie-breaker games, leaving District Executive Committees with the task of breaking potential ties for playoff spots. Each DEC has its own set of tie-breaking rules, which causes for more confusion among coaches and athletic directors.

In District 9-5A, the Dallas Lake Highlands girls sit in the fourth with a record of 5-6, one game ahead of Dallas Sunset, with one game to play. If Sunset wins its finale against Dallas W.T. White and Lake Highlands loses to Richardson Berkner, there will be a tie for the final playoff spot because Lake Highlands and Sunset split their head-to-head district games.

Sunset athletic director Dennis McAdams was not sure of District 9-5A’s tie-breaking procedures if a play-in game could not be scheduled, but he said it could possibly come down to a coin flip.

McAdams was optimistic that all the necessary games would be played before the deadline.

“Each sport may have a little bit different way they tweak the playoff,” McAdams said. “It just has to be done by Saturday, and we’ll be able to because the weather is going to turn decent.”

Wednesday’s storm might have thrown a wrench in an already crazy week of basketball, but it could have been worse.

“If it had come, let’s say, Friday and it had gone through Saturday, then we’d be in a lot of trouble because all of sudden you’d run out of days,” McAdams said. “That’s why you play the last district game on Tuesday because it gives you Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday for play-ins.”

If inclement weather persists through the end of the week, districts can also petition the UIL for an extension on the certification date, which would give them until Monday to sort out their four playoff representatives.

DALLAS -- South Garland blew out Dallas Lake Highlands in a scrimmage before the 2010 season began at Wildcat/Ram Stadium. However, at that point, Lake Highlands was trying to find its identity and a quarterback, as Michael Ketchmark and Trent Jones split time.

Fast forward to the first game of the postseason for both these teams and the outcome was the same. South Garland beat Lake Highlands, 42-10, at SMU’s Ford Stadium in the first round of the Class 5A Division II playoffs.

“It’s a matter of us lining up and playing well today and executing our game plan,” South Garland head coach Keith Wright said. The kids were tremendous today.”

The South Garland rushing attack was unstoppable. John Lacour led the way with 144 yards and three touchdowns.

“My line came out and played a great game,” Lacour said. “We were pushing and working hard this whole week. Coach told us we can beat these guys. We had to be more physical and it paid off today.”

The Colonels struck first on a 14-yard run by quarterback Stephan Turner on South Garland’s first play from scrimmage.

The Wildcats were able to cut the deficit with a 23-yard field goal, but just minutes later Lacour ran in his first score of the game from 59 yards out. He had reached the end zone just a few plays before from 76 yards out, but the play was called back on an offensive penalty.

The Wildcats have a bright future in junior running back Devonte Sunwengham, who powered his way into the end zone from 3 yards away in the second quarter. The Wildcats' only touchdown was set up by a 42-yard flea flicker that was caught by Sunwengham at the South Garland 3.

Lacour gave the Colonels the final say in the half on a 2-yard touchdown run, sidestepping his way past defenders into the end zone, bring the score to 21-10 at the half.

It was all South Garland when the teams came back onto the field after the break, as the Colones scored four more unanswered touchdowns. The scores were highlighted by a 92-yard touchdown run by Reece Lyod on his second touch of the game to end the South Garland scoring.

The Colonels move on to play the winner of Saturday’s Belton-Longview matchup at Dallas’ Kincaide Stadium.

“We’re right where we want to be,” Wright said. “A first-round victory and looking forward to the Longview-Belton game tonight.”

Division II appears to truly be the land of opportunity in this year’s Class 5A football playoffs.

It's light on state-ranked teams and unbeaten records, perhaps, but stocked with some of the area’s best passers.

From the Dallas/Fort Worth area alone, the Division II bracket can boast five quarterbacks averaging over 200 passing yards per game:

[+] Enlarge
Travis L. Brown for ESPN.comDenton Guyer quarterback J.W. Walsh rushed for five touchdowns in a Labor Day overtime loss to Cedar Hill, and he might see the Longhorns again in the second round of the playoffs.
• Paul Millard of Flower Mound, 4,188 passing yards and 45 touchdowns.
• Driphus Jackson of Cedar Hill, 2,524 yards and 24 touchdowns.
• Mike Savage of Dallas Jesuit, 2,478 yards and 25 touchdowns.
• J.W. Walsh of Denton Guyer, 2,107 yards and 23 touchdowns.
• Collin Strahan of Mesquite Horn, 2,027 yards and 19 touchdowns.

In the playoffs, beware the quarterback with a hot hand.

The big question: Can Flower Mound win with a defense that allows 46.3 points per game?

Somewhere along the line, the Jaguars missed the passage in the coaching manual that points to a running game and strong defense as pillars of success.

Refreshingly, Flower Mound flings it (438 passing yards per game) and is comfortable outscoring, rather than shutting out, opponents. And if it takes 50 points to win, that’s fine. The Jags average 51 points per game.

Hunter Lee (33 touchdowns) and Josh Brake (16 touchdowns) have each gone over 1,000 receiving yards for the season. No team has held the Jaguars (7-3) to fewer than 37 points this season.

But only once did the Jaguars hold an opponent under 28 points.

Flower Mound will get an early test against Southlake Carroll in a bi-district game 7:30 p.m. Friday at Justin Northwest.

Which TD producer will celebrate a bi-district victory: Jeff Calvert or Damon Bullock?

PLAYOFF PREVIEWS
Watch ESPNDallas.com's Travis L. Brown, Randy Jennings and Jeff Andrews break down the UIL football playoff brackets. Class 4A   Class 5A

These two seniors do it differently but know the way to the end zone. Calvert, the Colleyville Heritage quarterback, has thrown for 1,828 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 665 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Bullock, Mansfield’s running back, has rushed for 1,507 yards and scored 22 touchdowns.

The bi-district game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Pennington Field in Bedford.

Dark horse: Mesquite Horn

A 6-4 record allows the Jaguars the opportunity to fly under the radar. But on closer inspection, Horn appears a lot better than its record. All four losses were to playoff teams: Coppell (13-0), Denton Guyer (34-31), Longview (13-8) and DeSoto (61-47.)

Collin Strahan to Jakeem Grant is one of area’s best passer-receiver connections.

Horn has a difficult first-round draw against a top-flight Central Texas program, 9-1 Copperas Cove, but the game will be played Friday in Stephenville, where Horn won it final non-district game in September.

Battle of runners: Desmond Roland vs. John Lacour

Saturday’s bi-district game matching a pair of 7-3 teams, Dallas Lake Highlands and South Garland, could be decided by the 1,000-yard running back that has the best day at SMU’s Ford Stadium.

Roland, a 6-2, 195-pound Lake Highlands senior, rushed for 1,255 yards and 21 touchdowns in the regular season.

Lacour, a 5-10, 176-pound senior, has gained 1,000 yards and scored 10 touchdowns for South Garland.

Best potential second-round matchup: Cedar Hill vs. Denton Guyer

A rematch of one of the best games of the season is a possibility, contingent on a Cedar Hill bi-district win over Hurst L.D. Bell and a Guyer victory over Flower Mound Marcus.

Cedar Hill defeated Guyer in overtime, 42-41, on Labor Day in the Herbstreit Classic at Cowboys Stadium. Guyer quarterback J.W. Walsh rushed for 202 yards and five touchdowns that day. Cedar Hill quarterback Driphus Jackson threw for 283 yards and four touchdowns.

Around the state in Division II

Defending Class 5A Division II state champion Abilene (7-3,) led by the Sims cousins, quarterback Ronnell and running back Herschel, will attempt to defend its title.

Top challengers include:

• From Region I, Abilene Cooper (9-1,) which defeated Abilene, 45-28, in a district game.
• Region II power Lufkin (9-1) has been on a roll since the return of running back Jamarcus Walker from injury.
• Region III favorite Alief Taylor (9-1) suffered its only defeat at the hands of powerhouse Katy in Week 1.
• San Antonio’s best, MacArthur (9-1,) could prove the team to beat in Region IV with running back Darik Dillard (1,467 yards) leading the way.

DALLAS -- Dallas Skyline extended its winning streak to seven games and clinched the District 9-5A title by beating Dallas Lake Highlands, 39-14, on Friday night at Wildcat-Ram Stadium.

Both teams entered the game unbeaten in district play.

Skyline junior Peter Jenkins, who was recently converted to running back, carried the Raiders (7-2, 6-0) on offense. Jenkins rushed 13 times for 234 yards, most of which came in the second half, and scored three touchdowns.

“It felt good because I was able to help the team out with whatever was needed and I feel good,” Jenkins said.

With star running back Desmond Roland limited by an ankle injury, Lake Highlands was forced to rely on the air game, but it was plagued by dropped passes.

First-year Lake Highlands quarterback Michael Ketchmark looked comfortable in the pocket, going 11-for-24 for 128 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

“Michael played well,” Lake Highlands head coach Scott Smith said. “Put the ball where he needed to and managed our offense nicely, but in the end it didn’t finish out the way we wanted it to. So he would agree we didn’t do what we needed to, to win the game.”

Skyline, No. 9 in the ESPNDallas.com area Class 5A rankings, went on top in the second quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Devante Kincaid to Thomas Johnson. Johnson had a step on his defender on a 13-yard out and was given a free lane into the end zone when the defender tried and failed to jump the route.

Jenkins scored his first touchdown with just under five minutes left in the half on a 3-yard run up the middle, bringing the score to 14-0 at the half.

The Jenkins show continued in the third quarter, as he broke off touchdown runs of 68 and 65 yards.

“They weren’t containing the outside and I saw it open and I was just like, ‘I’ve got to go,’” Jenkins said. “I just turned the jets on and I ran as fast as I could.”

Lake Highlands (6-3, 5-1) was able to find the end zone in the fourth on a fade pass from Ketchmark to Devonte Sunwengham right over the defender's hands to the back corner of the end zone, narrowing the deficit to 26-7.

Skyline would not let up, scoring two more times in the fourth on a 19-yard catch on a post route by RaShard Samples and a 5-yard run by Joshua Wilkins. Sandwiched in between the Skyline scores was a Lake Highlands touchdown on a 6-yard run by Sunwengham.

Roland was held out of most of the second half as a precaution against aggravating an ankle injury he suffered in the Richardson Berkner game. Smith said he should be available for the Wildcats' regular-season finale against Richardson.

We're down to the final two weeks of the season, and playoff berths are in the balance. Our writers will provide live updates and answer your questions from four key games, and we'll also provide area scores as they come in over the course of the night.

Travis L. Brown is on hand as Dallas Skyline and Dallas Lake Highlands battle for supremacy in District 9-5A.

Jeff Andrews is at Pizza Hut Park as Frisco Liberty and Frisco Wakeland try to claim the 9-4A crown.

Randy Jennings is following the action as Cedar Hill tries to nail down a playoff spot and South Grand Prairie attempts to solidify its chances to emerge from District 5-5A.

Kellis Cunningham, contributing via Twitter as TheKicker04, has the Richardson Pearce-Wylie game covered, as both teams fight for position in the tightly contested 10-4A race.