More Central Texas games to watch: Week 8

In case you missed it, be sure to check out our breakdown of the week's top games in Central Texas with the TribFridayNight Top Five . Additionally, here are some other games worth watching.

Hillsboro (3-3, 1-0) at Glen Rose (4-2, 1-0)

Streaming: NFHS Network

Breakdown: Hillsboro coach Steve Almuete liked what he saw from his Eagles in a 62-0 melting of Venus last week to open District 4-4A Div. II action.

"We took care of business," he said. "The kids played hard, and did what we needed them to do."

Hillsboro continues to get sterling play from freshman running back Braylen Benson (435 yards, 5 TDs) in his varsity debut season. He's shifty and has a nose for the end zone. Defensively, DL Jayden McGruder (60 tackles, 4 sacks) typically requires multiple blockers, and he has some quality defenders around him in linebackers Miguel Deluna (76 tackles) and Jared Rivera (52 tackles).

The Eagles are also hopeful they'll get back WR/DB Anthony Brown back from an ankle injury this week, with Almuete saying they're likely to use him on only one side of the ball.

Glen Rose may not be playing at quite the level of its 2023 state semifinalist team, but the Tigers remain "a well-oiled machine" in Almuete's eyes.

"It doesn't matter how many they've graduated, they've got new kids ready to take their spots," he said.

The Tigers rebounded from a two-game losing streak to Robinson and Alvarado with a 45-35 district-opening win over Godley last week. They're paced by one of the most prolific, decorated quarterbacks in all of Class 3A, Canyon Evans, who has completed 70.1% of his passes for 1,514 yards, 17 touchdowns and only two interceptions this season.

Troy (5-1, 0-1) at Cameron Yoe (1-5, 1-0)

Radio/streaming:

Breakdown: After five straight wins to start the season for the Trojans and five straight losses by Cameron Yoe, both teams opened District 11-3A Div. I action with the reverse results.

Of course, the opponents had something to do with that.

Troy opened district with a tough matchup against state power Franklin. The Trojans made their share of explosive plays, but just couldn't slow down the Lions in a 56-34 shootout loss. They'll be looking for a better defensive effort against a Yoe team that is coming off a 55-point performance in a win over McGregor.

The Trojans should be able to put pressure on the Yoemen with one of the area's most dynamic, balanced offenses. Quarterback Joseph McMurtry has thrown for 1,285 yards and 17 touchdowns through the first six games, and he has a speed-dial connection with Reed Ketcham (626 yards, 8 TDs). But Tommy Brashear's team has moved the ball well on the ground, too, behind the fortuitous feet of Jayden Lucky (818 yards, 9 TDs).

It's been a tough opening season for new Cameron head coach Aaron Babino, but the Yoemen certainly picked a good time to tally their first win. It proved to be a breakout game for Yoe QB Cade Hubnik, who threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, and running back Tim Grice, who rushed for 91 yards, piled up 147 yards receiving and scored three TDs.

Troy would also be wise to kick the ball away from Cameron's Humberto Najera, the area's top kick returner with 414 yards on nine attempts, an average of 46 yards per runback.

Fort Worth Mercy Culture (1-5, 0-1) at Live Oak (5-2, 2-1)

Breakdown: There's a reason why Dallas First Baptist, last week's district opponent for Live Oak, is the defending TAPPS Division IV state champion. The Saints are loaded with talent, including two players committed to UT-San Antonio.

But Live Oak coach Matt Hurst hopes his Falcons still took some lessons from last week's 50-21 defeat.

"That's the message I gave to the guys, this was a great opportunity to play a really good team and see where we're at," Hurst said. "They were a measuring stick for where we are and how far we have to go."

Fortunately for the Falcons, they continue to make noticeable forward progress in their transition from the six-man to the 11-man ranks. Hurst praised the leadership of his seniors, saying he hasn't heard "one complaint" from that group, despite the fact that they probably would have been a sure-fire state contender had they remained in six-man.

"They're not the only ones responsible, but they've taken a big part of the ownership in making sure the transition from six to 11 has been as smooth as it's been," Hurst said.

One of those leaders is hard-running RB Tristan Wachsmann, who has been a productive chain-mover for the Falcons all season.

While Mercy Culture comes to Falcon Field with a less-than-intimidating record, Hurst said that's misleading. He noted that the Royals played a rugged nondistrict schedule, including several opponents in higher divisions. Royals junior running back Jon Anthony Lardizabal averages more than seven yards per carry on the season.

"I told the guys, don't pay attention to their record, it's going to be a challenge for us," Hurst said.

Lorena (1-5, 0-1) at Gatesville (3-3, 0-1)

Breakdown: There's a lot at stake as the Leopards travel to play the Hornets, mainly the hope of staying in the playoff hunt in District 12-4A Division II. Gatesville is playing at home for the second straight week and, therefore, finishes with two of three on the road. That makes it a particularly important game for the Hornets.

Gatesville running back Rayshon Smith is 52 yards from reaching the 1,000 mark for the season. Given his impact on the offense, the Hornets probably need him to get there and then some.

Lorena's rugged schedule has made a rebuilding cycle much tougher through the first six games. The Leopards scheduled hard in nondistrict and then might have been surprised to play a state-ranked Robinson team in the district opener last week. Robinson proved its mettle at Lorena's expense, 41-6, in Lorena.

It doesn't seem like Lorena has had much consistency on offense as the Leopards have only one player in the Central Texas top 20 in passing, rushing or receiving — WR Caleb Carrizales with 25 catches for 406 yards and a TD. But a breakout game from a QB or RB could flip the script for Lorena.

Grandview (3-3, 1-0) at Groesbeck (4-2, 0-1)

Breakdown: It's an excellent matchup of ungulates as the Zebras face the Goats in an important District 5-3A Division I contest.

Groesbeck coach Jerry Bomar pointed out the substantial youth movement in the district. His Goats have just three seniors on the roster and he counted seven for Grandview. Throw in Whitney, with its 16 sophomores on the varsity, and the young players are going to make 5-3A DI unpredictable. Last week was an indicator as the Trib's prognosticators failed to pick any of the three games correctly.

Mexia defeated Groesbeck, 41-13, and Bomar was impressed enough with the Blackcats to tag them as the district frontrunner going forward.

In order to get in the win column, Groesbeck needs its passing game, led by QB Trent Platt (1,081 passing yards, 7 TDs), to flourish.

On the flip side, Grandview got back to its prolific offensive ways in a shootout second-half victory over Whitney last week.

Bosqueville (4-3, 1-2) at Rio Vista (2-4, 0-1)

Breakdown: The Bulldogs, three games into a six-game district slate, find themselves chasing a playoff berth and desperately needing a win on the road to keep pace.

Bosqueville notched a win in a rivalry game versus Valley Mills, 14-6, last week. That's a good sign for the Bulldogs defense as The Valley rolled up 34 points against Axtell in its previous outing.

Bosqueville's remaining regular-season schedule includes games against the frontrunners as the Bulldogs host Italy next week and then finish the season at Axtell on Nov. 1.

Rio Vista enters on a three-game losing streak, though the Eagles did have close games in losses to Santo and Italy. Axtell stomped Rio Vista, 44-20, last week. However, The Eagles will have an easier time climbing back in the playoff race if they win this one as they play the current third, fourth and seventh place teams the rest of the way.

Killeen Ellison (3-3) at Waco High (2-4)

Breakdown: The bye week didn't do Waco High's offense any good, as the Lions got shut out on the road to open district play against Brenham last Friday.

They'll look to get back on track against Ellison, which gave up a season-low 19 points in its district-opening win against Belton last week.

The Lions managed just 39 total yards in their game last week. Senior running back Mason Smith had 16 yards on seven rushing attempts, both team highs, while junior Jaylen Gude led a busy defense with 10 tackles.

Despite their one-game defensive improvement, the Eagles have given up the most points per game (41.7) of any team in District 10-5A-DII. They have a two-game winning streak over Waco High, including a one-point win last season.

Axtell (7-0) at Italy (5-1)

Breakdown: Two teams expecting to be in contention for the District 7-2A-DI title square off on Friday night.

The Longhorns continued to roll last week, adding to the district-best points per game average (38.7) and pushing their regular-season winning streak to 17 games with a dominant 22-point win over Rio Vista.

Do-it-all offensive weapon Coldyn Horn and quarterback AJ Fetsch have not slowed down over the last couple of weeks and will look to keep the good vibes flowing.

The Gladiators, meanwhile, come in riding their own five-game winning streak and boasting the second-best defense in the district, having allowed 21 or fewer points in four of the last five games.

Axtell has won back-to-back games against Italy, including grinding out a one-possession win a season ago.