ESPN

CLASS 4A REGION 1 BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

(At Snyder’s The Coliseum)

FRIDAY'S SEMIFINALS

UIL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Boys brackets: 5A »   4A » Girls brackets: 5A »   4A » State tournament: Girls » Boys »

4 p.m.: Denton Ryan vs. Fort Worth Trimble Tech

6 p.m.: Wolfforth Frenship vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights

SATURDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP

2 p.m.: Semifinal winners

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Fort Worth Trimble Tech (29-4): The District 6-4A champion defeated Aledo in bi-district 61-39; Mansfield Summit in area 65-44; Waco University in regional quarterfinals 78-50.

Denton Ryan (21-11): The District 4-4A third-place finisher defeated Canyon Randall in bi-district 61-48; El Paso Riverside in area 70-51; Little Elm in regional quarterfinals 61-59.

Fort Worth Arlington Heights (23-9): The District 6-4A runner-up defeated Keller Timber Creek in bi-district 69-44; Arlington Seguin in area 59-56; Fort Worth Southwest in regional quarterfinals 62-50.

Wolfforth Frenship (30-3): The District 3-4A champion defeated Wichita Falls in bi-district 88-75; El Paso Bowie in area 57-38; The Colony in regional quarterfinals 55-52.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fort Worth Trimble Tech: Charles Hill (6-3, Sr. G), bound for TCU, is the team's leading scorer in the playoffs (16.7); Jal Deng (6-4, Sr. P) is the leading rebounder.

Denton Ryan: Trey Mohair (5-11 Sr. G) is the team's leading scorer (18.1). Trey Cook (6-0 Sr. G) is the top rebounder (5.4).

Fort Worth Arlington Heights: Justin Hemphill (6-4, Jr. F) is the team's leading scorer in the playoffs (14.7); Travis Williams (6-3, Sr. F) is the second-leading playoff scorer (12.3).

Wolfforth Frenship: Michael Grant (6-4, Jr. P/F) is the team’s leading scorer in the playoffs (17.3); Colton Hendrix (6-0, Sr. G) is second in playoff scoring (14.3).

LAST YEAR

Fort Worth Trimble Tech: Lost to The Colony 69-53 in a regional semifinal.

Denton Ryan: Lost to Fort Worth Arlington Heights 63-52 in a regional semifinal.

Fort Worth Arlington Heights: Lost to La Marque 72-61 in a state semifinal.

Wolfforth Frenship: Lost to Denton Ryan 66-42 in a regional quarterfinal.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Damontre McFarland scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Fort Worth Arlington Heights to the boys 4A Region I semifinals.

In a physical rivalry game, Arlington Heights spread the scoring around like it has all season to beat District 6-4A rival Fort Worth Southwest, 62-50, Tuesday night.

UIL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Boys brackets: 5A »   4A » Girls brackets: 5A »   4A » State tournament: Girls » Boys »

Travis Williams and Justin Hemphill also added 12 points, and Harrison Wagner chipped in 11.

In a game riddled with turnovers, Arlington Heights coach Josh Welch said his team won by heart.

"That's about it. They just hearted it out," Welch said. "Playing-wise, that was one of our worst games of the year."

McFarland said he'll take the win heading into the Region I semifinals.

"We had a lot of turnovers, but as bad as we played, we came out with a win," McFarland said. "We're going to have to pick it up to move on Friday in the playoffs."

The game looked like it might be a blowout early.

Arlington Heights used a 9-0 run in the first quarter to go up 16-6 after the first quarter.

After just two points in the paint in the first quarter, Southwest started playing more physical defense, and it paid off. The Raiders forced several turnovers to cut Arlington Heights' lead to 28-24 at half.

Tempers flared early in the second quarter when Southwest's Trey Colbert was charged with a technical foul for pushing McFarland.

Midway through the third quarter, Williams was also hit with a technical.

Jordan Boom hit both technical free throws to give Southwest its first lead of the game at 35-34 with four minutes left in the third.

The Raiders extended the lead to 39-36 before Arlington Heights responded with a quick 9-0 run to end the third quarter up 45-39.

Things almost broke out again after Robbie Rhodes' hard foul on McFarland with 4:39 left in the game. After a short altercation, Southwest's Wesley Harris was charged with a technical foul. Both players fouled out of the game on the play.

"They play football against each and basketball against each other." Welch said. "They know each other and have that competitive spirit, which is good, but sometimes it gets out of hand because everyone wants to win."

Williams' technical free throws were part of a 10-2 run to put Arlington Heights up 57-44 with less than five minutes to go.

The Yellow Jackets controlled possession late in the game, and the Raiders never recovered.

Tolbert led Southwest with 13 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.

Arlington Heights will take on Wolfforth Frenship on Friday at The Coliseum in Snyder.

DALLAS -- Fort Worth Arlington Heights head coach Josh Welch said it was unfortunate how many times his team ended up on the wrong side of close games this season. The Yellow Jackets reversed their fortunes at the right time.

Travis Williams hit three clutch free throws in the final 20 seconds to lead Arlington Heights to a 59-56 win over Arlington Seguin in the regional quarterfinals Saturday night at American Airlines Center.

UIL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
Boys brackets: 5A »   4A » Girls brackets: 5A »   4A » State tournament: Girls » Boys »

Justin Hemphill scored eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead Arlington Heights.

"I'm not here to be a superstar," Hemphill said. "I'm just here to help my team win and try to make it to Austin."

Welch said the toughest thing about defending his team is accounting for how many scorers he has.

"Any given night, nobody can beat us," Welch said. "That's what makes us tough to guard."

Seguin forward Kelvin Downs dominated the post, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds, but the 6-foot-9 Arkansas State commit only scored one point in the final quarter.

Arlington Heights had a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Seguin responded with a 9-0 run to start the second. A late free throw by Brandon Parrish put Seguin up 30-27 at the break.

Arlington Heights came out of the locker room on fire and went on an 11-2 run to take a 38-32 lead, but Seguin again answered and used a 6-0 run to close out the third quarter down 40-39.

The teams continued to trade baskets until a 5-0 run put Arlington Heights up 56-49 late in the fourth.

Seguin's Cris Boleware responded with a big 3-pointer from the baseline, then stole the inbound pass and hit a floater to pull Seguin within two.

After a quick foul, Williams hit two free throws to make it 58-54 Arlington Heights.

Erik Wright added a quick two to pull back within two and Seguin again fouled Williams, who made the first free throw but missed the second with 2.9 seconds left.

Seguin's last-second shot missed from half court.

Arlington Heights spread the scoring around. Along with Hemphill's 16 points, Harrison Wagner and Marshall Calvin added nine each, and Travis Williams and Damontre McFarland finished with eight apiece.

Wright finished with 12 points and Parrish chipped in 11 for Seguin.

Arlington Heights will play the winner of Forth Worth Southwest and Crowley in a regional semifinal.

American Airlines Center will host an all-day boys basketball playoff extravaganza Saturday, with four area-round games on the schedule.

Of the eight teams who will be in action, five were ranked in ESPN Dallas' final 4A and 5A area top 10s. Here are the matchups:

• 1 p.m.: 4A No. 2 South Oak Cliff vs. McKinney
• 3 p.m.: 5A No. 5 DeSoto vs. Rowlett
• 5 p.m.: 4A No. 8 Arlington Seguin vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights
• 7 p.m.: 5A No. 2 South Grand Prairie vs. No. 8 Plano West

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster for $25 courtside, $15 lower level and $10 upper level. Parking will be available in all American Airlines Center parking lots for $10.

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas - Breaking up wasn’t all that traumatic for the 10 Fort Worth ISD schools that constituted District 6-4A in the last alignment. It has been six years since at least 10 Fort Worth 4A schools weren’t crammed into one district.

The new District 6-4A will contain five Fort Worth ISD schools: Carter-Riverside, Dunbar, Eastern Hills, North Side and Polytechnic. They will be joined by Birdville the three Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD schools -- Saginaw, Fort Worth Boswell and Fort Worth Chisholm Trail -- to form a nine-team district.

Six Fort Worth teams will move to District 7-4A: Arlington Heights, South Hills, Southwest, Trimble Tech, Western Hills and O.D. Wyatt. They will be joined by Aledo and Granbury to form an eight-team district.

Wyatt football coach Zachary Criss is not sad to see the change.

“With nine district games, you have only one nondistrict game,’’ Criss said. “You have to be careful about scheduling because you don’t want to play somebody tough with the district opener the following week. The old district didn’t help teams get ready for the playoffs because you could go three or four weeks without real competition. That’s not good.’’

With one of his extra nondistrict games, Criss has scheduled Arlington Sam Houston, coached by older brother Anthony Criss, for Zero Week.

Anthony and Zachary say “Criss Bowl’’ does not do the game justice.

“Criss Extravaganza,’’ they say, is more like it.

Fort Worth Dunbar’s run of 35 consecutive appearances in the boys basketball playoffs came to an end last season.

One-third of the way through the marathon 18-game District 6-4A schedule, the Wildcats are in danger of missing the postseason again.

Dunbar (6-10, 3-3 in 6-4A) is looking up at five teams in the standings after Wednesday night’s 80-68 loss to 6-4A co-leader Fort Worth Trimble Tech (15-4, 6-0). The top four finishers in 6-4A advance to the playoffs.

Charles Hill, a 6-foot-2 senior shooting guard who signed a letter of intent with TCU in November, poured in 25 points to lead Trimble Tech to Wednesday‘s win.

Trimble Tech and Fort Worth Arlington Heights (11-6, 6-0) share the District 6-4A lead. Tech is ranked No. 6 in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ Class 4A state poll and Heights is No. 14.

Fort Worth O.D. Wyatt (4-2), Fort Worth Eastern Hills (4-2) and Fort Worth Southwest (4-2) also own better district records than Dunbar.

Robert Hughes Sr. led Dunbar to national prominence in his 31 seasons as coach until he retired in 2005 at age 76. He walked away as the nation’s all-time boys basketball leader in wins with 1,333. His son, Robert Jr., has had the difficult assignment of following a legend.

Dunbar, with 12 district games remaining, still has time to move into playoff position. The Wildcats meet Fort Worth Western Hills on Friday at Billingsley Field House. On Tuesday, the Wildcats face Arlington Heights.

The first of two meetings between Heights and Trimble Tech will be on Jan. 13 at Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.

Winner's bracket:

Richardson Berkner vs. Milwaukee King, 9 a.m.

Flower Mound Marcus vs. Richland, 11 a.m.

Semifinal between these winners is at 8 p.m.

DeSoto vs. Plano West, 12:30 p.m.

North Crowley vs. Little Rock Parkview, 2 p.m.

Semifinal between these winners is at 9:30 p.m.

Consolation bracket:

Coppell vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights, 8 a.m.

Hurst L.D. Bell vs. Houston Klein Forest, 3:30 p.m.

Justin Northwest vs. Garland Naaman Forest, 5:00 p.m.

Arlington Martin vs. Duncanville, 6:30 p.m.

Game 8: Little Rock Parkview 73, Hurst L.D. Bell 51.

The ESPNHS No. 42 team, Little Rock Parkview, turned out to be quite the unlucky draw for Hurst L.D. Bell in the opening round of the tournament.

Parkview's Anton Beard dropped 17 on the Raiders while Imara Ready and Emmanuel Adoyi both tallied 14 points of their own in the blowout effort.

Bell's Garrett Hammonds managed a team-high 15, hitting Bell's only two 3's of the game.

Bell moves into the consolation bracket to face Houston Klein Forest at 3:30 p.m. Thursday while Parkview will take on North Crowley Thursday at 2 p.m.

Game 7: Flower Mound Marcus 45, Justin Northwest 38.

Game 6: Milwaukee King 67, Duncanville 54.

Rufus King out of Milwaukee proved to be more than Duncanville could handle, holding a lead throughout the course of the game.

King hit six from behind the arch, aiding four players to hit the double digit point mark. Dominique Borom led King's scoring with 16 points.

Duncanville's shot selection was less than optimum and it failed to make the adjustment of penetrating for a higher percentage shot. Duncanville hit six 3-pointers, but two came when the game had been relinquished late in the fourth quarter.

Omar Sherman led Duncanville in points with 14, followed by Brian Hampton with 11. Nine Duncanville players found the scoresheet, but only three contributed more than four points.

Game 5: North Crowley 63, Houston Klein Forest 53.

North Crowley relied on its depth to outlast Klein Forest in its first-round matchup -- a trait not normally common of a Panther team.

Instead of relying on one superstar to carry the team as it has in the past, North Crowley spread its points out between eight players on it's 15 man roster.

Leading the charge was guard Calvin Ward with a game-high 18 points, followed by Taylor Luster with 10. Four other players scored more than five points in the game.

North Crowley built its lead in the first half, outscoring Klein Forest 34-22, which included an 18-point first quarter. Ward was responsible for 10 of those points in the opening frame.

Klein Forest won the battle of the second half by two points, but it wasn't nearly enough to challenge North Crowley for the lead.

Game 4: No. 33 DeSoto 77, Coppell 39.

Game 3: Richland 64, Garland Naaman Forest 58.

Junior wing Leyton Hammonds tore through the Naaman Forest defense to score 22 points and lead his team into the winners bracket of the Whataburger Tournament.

Hammonds hot hand drew the attention of the Naaman Forest defense, making him a useful decoy in Richand's press break in the second half. The majority of Richland's fourth quarter points came on fast break layups out of the break.

The game was won in the third quarter when Richland was able to double up on Naaman Forest 19-8.

Naaman Forest's Demarcus Holland led his squad in scoring with 21 points. Texas commit Price Ibeh was held in check with just 7 points in the game, the final two on a huge dunk in the fourth quarter.

Game 2: Richardson Berkner 73, Arlington Martin 60

After a hot Berkner start in the first half, including several basket-shaking dunks, Martin made a strong push in the second half, but couldn't overcome a very talented Berkner squad.

Berkner junior forward Kendal Harris led his team in scoring with 21-points, tying Martin's Myles Johnson for the game high.

Berkner dominated the glass, with the vast majority of its points coming inside the paint.

Martin football All-American Devonte Fields was the basketball team's force inside, tallying 13 points of his own.

Game 1: Plano West 70, Fort Worth Arlington Heights 60 (3OT)

It took two desperation 3's from Fort Worth Arlington Heights to push the game into overtime and then a second overtime, but Plano West capitalized on turnovers in the third extra frame to put away the Yellowjackets.

Height's Travis Williams received a dish off a rebound with seconds remaining in regulation and drilled a 3-pointer to give his team extra life in overtime. The game then seemed out of reach a gain as the clock ticked away in the first overtime period, but Hight's Marshall Calvin swished a circus shot from behind the arch to force a third overtime.

In the end, West's defense was too much for Heights to handle after three extra periods of basketball, especially when Heights only had five players put up points in the game.

West struggled through regulation to contain Heights small but elusive point guard Harrison Wagner who slashed through the lane for a game-high 31 points.

Plano West's point production was split between forwards T.J. Cline and Holt Harmon, who dominated the post game for 19 points a piece.

In the first edition of the event that would become know as the Whataburger Basketball Tournament, Fort Worth Arlington Heights was defeated by Bowie, 70-53, in the championship match.

Fifty-four tournaments later, Arlington Heights returns looking to claim a title in what has become the area’s premiere holiday showcase.

A trip to the championship game will be a tall task for any team invited to the Boys Orange Bracket of the tournament at Birdville’s W.G. Thomas Coliseum, which includes two nationally ranked and eight state ranked teams in the field of 16.

Games begin Wednesday morning and continue through the winner’s bracket championship Friday at 8:15 p.m.

ESPNHS Fab 50 No. 11 Flower Mound Marcus headlines the tournament, followed by No. 39 DeSoto.

Two of the nation's top recruits are featured on these two squads, No. 11 in 2012's Marcus Smart and No. 21 in 2013's Matt Jones. Smart has already signed with Oklahoma State and Jones has a commitment to Duke.

DeSoto has the toughest draw in Wednesday’s opening round, facing Texas Association of Basketball Coaches No. 11 team in the state, Coppell, at 2:30 p.m.

The only other opening-round game that features two ranked teams is TABC No. 16 Garland Naaman Forest and No. 9 Richland at 1 p.m.

Prince Ibeh of Naaman Forest, a Texas commit, is also on the ESPNU Top 100 for the Class of 2012 at No. 79.

Tickets can be purchased at the tournament sites for $6 on Wednesday and $7 on Thursday and Friday. All-tournament passes are also available for $17 for one venue and $28 for all venues.

Wednesday’s Opening-Round Schedule

10:00 a.m.: Plano West vs. Arlington Heights

11:30 a.m.: Arlington Martin vs. No. 12 Richardson Berkner

1:00 p.m.: No. 16 Garland Naaman Forest vs. No. 9 Richland

2:30 p.m.: No. 11 Coppell vs. No. 2 DeSoto

4:00 p.m.: Klein Forest vs. No. 6 North Crowley

5:30 p.m.: Milwaukee King vs. Duncanville

7:00 p.m.: Northwest vs. No. 1 Flower Mound Marcus

8:30 p.m.: Little Rock Parkview vs. L.D. Bell

JUSTIN, Texas -- Heartbroken after falling in the bi-district round last season, Arlington Heights' Omar Valadez vowed to do whatever it took to get that win his senior year.

Little did he know that would mean changing positions from quarterback to wide receiver halfway through the season.

“We didn’t really have a main receiver, so me going out there made key plays for us,” Valadez said. “I’ve been going out there and they’ve been throwing me the ball, and I’ve just tried to get open.”

Thanks in part to the switch, Valadez and Arlington Heights got that 4A Division 1 bi-district win over Birdville, 14-13, at Northwest ISD Stadium on Thursday night.

“I’m so pumped right now,” Valadez said. “I’m tearing up -- that’s how excited I am.”

The senior captain not only plays wide receiver, but is also on the kickoff and kick return teams and plays on defense, where he picked up a key sack in the fourth quarter.

“All he wants to do is win,” Arlington Heights coach Ged Kates said. “He’s as fine a young man as I’ve ever been around.”

It was that defensive squad that was the key to Arlington Height’s win. Heights brought linebackers and defensive backs on almost every play, sending Birdville quarterback E.A. Northey to the turf throughout the game.

UIL PLAYOFFS
STAFF PICKS Bi-district »   Area round » Region semis »   Region finals » State semis »   Finals »   Totals » STATE BRACKETS Class 5A: Div. I | Div. II Class 4A: Div. I | Div. II REGION BRACKETS 5A Division I: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 5A Division II: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 4A Division I: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 4A Division II: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2

And it took two key defensive plays, a point-after block and an interception, to seal the nail-biter for the Yellow Jackets.

Down 14-7 with a little over a minute left in the game, Birdville marched down to score on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Northey to Collin Basinger on a screen, which seemed to ensure overtime.

But Arlington Heights DE Demetrie Webb blew past his blocker on the extra-point try and dived in front of the kick, giving his team a one-point lead with a minute to play.

Arlington Heights recovered the ensuing onside kick, but fumbled the snap in the victory formation and Birdville recovered on the 50.

On the verge of field goal range with a half minute to play, Arlington Heights safety Chucky Lincoln jumped his receiver’s post route and picked off Northey’s pass to seal the win for the Yellow Jackets.

“I knew they were going to try and pass it over and I saw my guy just make a simple post,” Lincoln said. “I knew I needed to jump that route to win the game for us. It’s amazing.”

Heights then ran a successful victory formation -- after Kates adamantly reminded his team the snap count -- and hoisted a bi-district trophy for the second time in three years (and second time in 35 years).

“This is the kind of team we have. Nothing is ever easy," Kates said. "I love them, but I’m already bald and what I’ve got is gray.”

For Kates, the biggest difference he’s seen in this year’s team is that they have been battle-tested, losing twice this season. Last year’s team blew through the season undefeated and didn’t know what it was like to play in a close, playoff atmosphere game, Kates said.

Arlington Heights advances to play the winner of Granbury and Killeen in the area round of the 4A Division I playoffs. However, that game-planning can wait at least one night while Valadez and the Yellow Jackets celebrate a long-anticipated playoff win.

“Those Hawks are really good," Kates said. "I don’t know how many times we’d beat them out of 10, but we beat them once, and that’s all that matters.”

CLASS 4A DIVISION I REGION 1 PREVIEW

Overview: With much of Region I extending from the Texas panhandle down to El Paso, where teams aren’t as strong (at least according to perception), the top-tier teams are easier to pencil in later in the bracket than in other regions with more dark horse teams.

UIL PLAYOFFS
STAFF PICKS Bi-district »   Area round » Region semis »   Region finals » State semis »   Finals »   Totals » STATE BRACKETS Class 5A: Div. I | Div. II Class 4A: Div. I | Div. II REGION BRACKETS 5A Division I: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 5A Division II: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 4A Division I: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2 4A Division II: Reg. 1 | Reg. 2

With much of the west included the region, many teams play a bruising style of football that will leave their opponents more than a little sore the next day. Denton Ryan (10-0), Waco Midway (7-2) and Wolfforth Frenship (10-0) run the ball and then rely on their defenses to hold the lead. But the region has a few spread teams that could push the favorites as well. Fort Worth Southwest (9-1) is on a nine-game winning streak and can pass the ball with the best of them, as can Birdville (8-2).

Favorite: Denton Ryan. The Raiders have more FBS commits than the rest of the region combined, and most of those play on their vaunted defense. Mario Edwards is the top-ranked recruit in the nation and has two BCS-caliber linebackers behind him. Points will come at a premium against Ryan. The question, like last year, is whether Ryan's offense can give its defense a lead to protect.

Watch out for: Fort Worth Southwest. Because all nine of its victories came against other Fort Worth schools, Southwest enters the playoffs as something of an unknown. What we do know is that its offense has the ability to put up big numbers in any game, as evident by its 66-point eruption against Fort Worth Arlington Heights. Its offense alone is cause for concern for opponents.

Can’t wait to see: Birdville vs. Fort Worth Arlington Heights (7 p.m. Thursday, Justin's Northwest ISD Stadium). Birdville will get tested right off the bat against an Arlington Heights (8-2) team that finished second in District 6-4A. The last time Arlington Heights faced a team with a stellar passing game, it turned into a historic night for the opposition (Southwest). Whichever team wins this one could end up making a run.

We hope to see: Waco Midway vs. Denton Ryan. These teams played a classic defensive duel at Cowboys Stadium last year that Ryan won en route to an appearance in the state title game. With Ryan’s offense ailing and Midway picking up steam late in the year, a rematch, which would occur in the third round, might be an even better game than last year.

Talent pool (FBS recruits): Wolfforth Frenship: WR Chad Quisenberry (uncommitted); Wichita Falls Rider: DT Dylan McDorman (North Texas); Fort Worth Arlington Heights: LB Nate Guidry (uncommitted); Denton Ryan: DE Mario Edwards (Florida State), LB Alex De La Torre (Texas), LB Jordan Richmond (Texas A&M), DB Trey Mohair (UTSA), OL Jordan Williams (Missouri), DE Dominique Banks (Baylor), WR Sam Johnson (uncommitted), OL Tevin McCray (uncommitted); Waco Midway: DB Shakiel Randolph (SMU).

Fort Worth Southwest coach Lanny Trammell said there’s something about the homecoming game that brings out the best in his players.

It was certainly true Friday because a big crowd at Fort Worth’s Clark Field was treated to something special

Southwest wide receiver Robbie Rhodes tied a national record with eight touchdown catches in the Raiders’ 66-21 demonstration of air superiority over Fort Worth Arlington Heights.

Rhodes’ touchdown catches, covering 68, 20, 53, 48, 74, 32, 41 and 29 yards, equaled the mark of Earvin Johnson of Los Angeles Cathedral in 1998, according to the 2011 National High School Sports Record Book.

The state record for touchdown catches coming into the 2011 season was six, shared by three players, according to Texas Football Magazine.

But there was more.

With 394 receiving yards (on 10 catches), Rhodes surpassed the state record of 386 yards by Richardson Pearce's Blake Jumonville against Carrollton Newman Smith in 2009.

Southwest quarterback Wesley Harris broke the state record for touchdown passes in a game with nine. Nine players shared the record of eight, including Ingleside quarterback Tristen Barajas this season.

Harris, a left-hander, threw for 562 yards. Only seven quarterbacks in Texas had thrown for more yards in a game coming into the season. Harris averaged 28 yards per completion.

Arlington Heights (6-1, 5-1 in District 6-4A) came into the game with a streak of 20 consecutive district victories and a defense that allowed only two touchdowns in five district games.

“You certainly don’t expect it to happen against a defense as good as the one at Heights,’’ Trammell said. “Robbie made the comment that it was a big game and he felt like he needed to score every time. It was a focused effort from a great kid.’’

The Raiders number their receiver routes, eight for a fade and nine for a post.

“We were running a lot of eights and nines,’’ Trammell said. “But that’s our regular offense. A couple of times Wesley just threw it up and Robbie went up and got it.''

Rhodes and Harris are 6-1 juniors. Both play on the school's basketball team and were the fourth and second legs, respectively, on the 4x100-meter relay team that finished fourth at the UIL Class 4A State Track & Field Meet in May.

What we got right: The majority of the teams in the 5A poll took care of business this week, leaving the top seven unchanged. Aledo and Waxahachie remained unmoved after wins this weekend in 4A. Waxahachie has proven it belongs at the top of one of the deepest districts in the area, 15-4A, but it will be interesting to see if it has what it takes to move up any further.

What we got wrong: We can't make up our mind who is the best team in 4A. Denton Ryan and Highland Park have very comparable results through 2011, and both pass a similar eye test. However, Highland Park has proven it has depth on offense, finding players to replace standout wide receiver Dalton Stogner. Garland has flown under the radar for the majority of the season but had a big win against Rowlett this weekend, showcasing skill in all phases of the game. Fort Worth Southwest taught Fort Worth Arlington Heights a lesson it did not learn in years past -- how to lose in district play. That blowout was more than enough to give Southwest the No. 10 spot in the 4A poll.

Say hello to: 5A -- Garland, Cedar Hill; 4A --Fort Worth Southwest

Say goodbye to: 5A -- Keller Central, Hebron; 4A -- Everman

Watch out for: 5A -- Arlington Lamar; 4A -- Frisco

Tell us: How would you rank teams differently and who did we leave out?

Junior wide receiver Robbie Rhodes of Fort Worth Southwest (6-1, 6-0 in District 6-4A) tied a national record and set a state record with eight touchdown receptions in a 66-21 victory over previously unbeaten Fort Worth Arlington Heights (6-1, 5-1). Rhodes also set a state record with 394 receiving yards on only 10 catches.

The national record tied for eight TD catches was set in 2008 by Earvin Johnson of Cathedral (Los Angeles, Calif.).

Fort Worth Southwest quarterback Wesley Harris also set a state record with nine touchdown passes in the same game in which Rhodes caught eight. For the game, Harris completed 20 of 30 passes for 562 yards.

There have been at least 27 prep quarterbacks nationally who have been reported with nine touchdown passes or more in one game.

Doug Huff is the founder of the National Federation record book for football and boys basketball.

FW SOUTHWEST (5-1, 5-0 6-4A) vs. FW ARLINGTON HEIGHTS (6-0, 5-0)
7:30 p.m. Friday at Fort Worth‘s Herman Clark Stadium

When we saw them last: Robbie Rhodes ran for two touchdowns and added another as a receiver in Southwest’s 53-6 domination of Fort Worth Eastern Hills. Arlington Heights’ defense enjoyed its third shutout this season in a 37-0 whitewash of Fort Worth North Side.

2010 result: On the way to an unbeaten regular season, Heights rolled to a 37-14 victory over Southwest.

What’s at stake: The game is likely to decide the District 6-4A title and the more favorable playoff seeding that goes with it. Arlington Heights will also put its streak of 20 consecutive district wins on the line.

Key matchup: Only once this season has Arlington Heights allowed more than seven points in a game (Azle scored 16 in the season opener). Southwest quarterback Wesley Harris has thrown for 1,275 yards and 12 touchdowns and is capable of causing problems for the Yellowjackets.

Players to watch: Arlington Heights quarterback Omar Valadez threw for 2,400 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2010, and Kameron Holmes leads Heights’ ball carriers this season with 477 yards. Robbie Rhodes and Willie Robinson are the leading Southwest receivers with 21 catches each.

Prediction: Arlington Heights 27, Southwest 19.