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Texas High School Football: Five Houston-area Games To Watch For Week 3

Deer Park running back Trace Yates rushed for more than 100 yards last week. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)

Week 3 of the high school football season features several intriguing matchups across the Houston area, including a pair of unbeaten teams meeting in Humble and two ranked programs squaring off in a battle of state powers. Atascocita looks to hand Dickinson its third consecutive loss, while Summer Creek faces a major test against No. 3 North Crowley. Cypress Falls and Fort Bend Travis also put undefeated records on the line, and Langham Creek and Grand Oaks meet in a matchup that could provide an early look at both teams' playoff potential.

Deer Park (2-0) at Kingwood (2-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday, Turner Stadium

What to know: The Stacy Williams era is off to a strong start at Kingwood as the Mustangs are 2-0 for the first time since 2024. The team's new head coach, who came over from The Woodlands, began the year with a 35-6 victory against Clear Creek and followed that with a 42-31 win over Clear Falls. One of Kingwood's biggest strengths has been the play of senior quarterback Landon Hinson, who already holds the program records for career touchdown passes and passing yards. Hinson was lights-out against Clear Falls last week, setting another program record with six touchdown passes. The senior signal-caller has a talented target in fellow senior Kye Wehby, who has 336 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns through two games. This will be the final tuneup for Kingwood before it opens District 17-6A action against C.E. King on Sept. 18.

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Deer Park has been dominant to start the season as well, with a 35-0 win over Dawson and a 41-17 victory against a La Porte team that was ranked in the top 10 in Class 5A Division I to begin the year. According to the Galveston Daily News, Deer Park piled up 527 yards of total offense, including 429 rushing. Junior Trace Yates and senior Zach Zuniga both rushed for more than 100 yards in that contest. This will also be the final non-district test for the Deer, who open District 18-6A action against Clear Brook on Sept. 17. This is the first meeting between these teams since 2006.

Poorman's prediction: Kingwood 28, Deer Park 21

Langham Creek (2-0) at Grand Oaks (1-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday, Woodforest Bank Stadium

What to know: Langham Creek is 2-0 for the third consecutive season and will look to gain even more momentum in its final non-district matchup. The Lobos took care of business with a 40-21 victory against Paetow in their opener and rolled to a 48-7 win over Stratford last week. Langham Creek, which missed the playoffs last season, held Stratford to just 143 yards of total offense in that contest while averaging 11.6 yards per play on the other side of the ball. Senior quarterback Jace Williams has been playing at a high level through two games and completed 18 of 21 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns against Stratford.

After pulling out a 38-35 victory against Klein Oak in its opener, Grand Oaks took a 35-17 loss against Montgomery last week. The Grizzlies, who made the playoffs for the first time in program history last season, surrendered 308 rushing yards in that contest and will look to have a better showing in their final non-district game. This is the first meeting between these programs and could show us a lot about each team's chances of being a postseason contender.

Poorman's prediction: Langham Creek 27, Grand Oaks 20

Cypress Falls (2-0) at Travis (2-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday, Mercer Stadium

What to know: Cypress Falls has started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2023, collecting a 36-3 win over Strake Jesuit and a 32-14 victory against New Caney. The Golden Eagles are averaging 224 rushing yards per game and 7.6 yards per carry through two outings, with junior three-star running back Deron Simpson leading the way. Simpson is averaging 121.5 rushing yards per game and has scored three touchdowns. This will be the last non-district game for Cy Falls before it opens District 16-6A action in a big matchup against Cy-Fair on Sept. 24.

Travis, meanwhile, has started 2-0 for the second consecutive season as the Tigers usher in a new era under first-year head coach Kendrick Crumedy. Travis beat Foster 43-21 in its opener before rolling to a 45-20 win over Fort Bend Marshall last time out. Sophomore running back T.J. Dorough is making a huge impact for the Tigers early on, rushing for 284 yards and four touchdowns through two games. Travis, a perennial playoff team, will open District 21-6A action against Clements, also currently 2-0, on Sept. 19. This will be the first meeting between Cy Falls and Travis since the Golden Eagles claimed a 20-13 victory in 2021.

Poorman's prediction: Cy Falls 31, Travis 24

Atascocita (1-1) at Dickinson (0-2)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday, Vitanza Stadium

What to know: Dickinson and Atascocita opened the season ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Class 6A state rankings, and both have since dropped after losing games against some elite opponents. Dickinson, now completely out of the rankings, is 0-2 after suffering a three-point loss to No. 8 Ridge Point and falling 42-24 at home against No. 7 Katy last week. The Gators started last season with 13 consecutive wins. Katy had four interceptions in that game, including three by David Olotu-Judah. Dickinson has not started a season 0-3 since 2012.

Atascocita, meanwhile, comes in at No. 21 in the rankings this week. The Eagles lost 28-17 against Katy in their opener, but they rebounded last week with a 38-23 victory against Cibolo Steele. Atascocita rushed for 302 yards in that contest, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt. Three-star Houston commit Tavon Bolden led the charge for the defense with nine tackles and an interception.

This game will be a rematch of the first round of the 2025 Class 6A Division I playoffs. Dickinson won that game 51-47 in a contest that included more than 1,000 yards of offense. Atascocita holds the advantage in the series 6-1 since 2017, with five of those matchups coming in the playoffs.

Poorman's prediction: Atascocita 33, Dickinson 30

Summer Creek (1-1) at North Crowley (2-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday, Crowley ISD Stadium

What to know: Summer Creek came into the season at No. 5 in the Class 6A state rankings, but after losing 24-14 against Shadow Creek in its opener, the Bulldogs began to plummet. Now ranked No. 17, the team rebounded with a 36-6 win over Strake Jesuit last week, but the biggest challenge of the non-district schedule awaits this Friday.

No. 3 North Crowley, a 2024 state champion, has outscored its first two opponents, traditional powers Aledo and Southlake Carroll, by a combined score of 66-10. The Panthers piled up 426 yards of offense and created five takeaways on defense as they dispatched Carroll 40-10 last week. G'Yrell Smith, a three-star North Texas commit, rushed for 96 yards and four touchdowns on just 11 carries in that matchup, per the Dallas Morning News.

After throwing two interceptions in the season opener, Summer Creek quarterback and three-star North Carolina commit Noah Spinks rebounded nicely against Strake Jesuit, throwing four touchdown passes. Four-star Texas Tech commit Benn Easter Jr. got back on track as well with a pair of touchdown catches.

Poorman's prediction: North Crowley 24, Summer Creek 21