Week 4 Football Outlooks

Giddings (3-0) Vs. Cameron Yoe (2-0)
Well, it’s finally time for the home opener and you could not have asked for a better matchup. It’s pretty obvious that Giddings is a quality club based on their early results and that’s not a surprise as they usually put a quality product on the field. Things didn't go well to start last week’s game in Gatesville for the Yoemen, but there was a response after the rain clouds moved out. There are not going to be many teams more negatively impacted by weather than Cameron, simply because of the spread formations and the need to keep teams guessing with a balanced attack. Though this is still a non-district contest, I believe this is the time for Cameron to make a statement about how good they can be and what can be accomplished this season. Giddings is good, and it’s going to take a complete effort to pick up a win this week. With this being the home opener, I expect the Yoemen to come out firing on all cylinders and improve to 3-0.

Josh’s Pick: Cameron Yoe by 9.

Rockdale (2-1) Vs. Hyde Park (3-0)

Rockdale’s tough non-district schedule will come to and end with another stiff test at Hyde Park. It’s somewhat tough to get a feel on how good this Hyde Park team is simply because they play primarily a private school schedule, but they are 3-0 for a reason. I did get a chance to watch the Tigers in their win last week, and their second half performance versus Lexington was impressive, as they simply dominated the down the stretch on both sides of the ball. Rockdale is still trying to figure out what they want to do on offense with rotating quarterbacks, but there is potential for this group to put up big numbers the entire year.

Josh’s Pick: Rockdale by 10.

Thorndale (2-0) Vs. Dawson (1-2)

Thorndale is looking good to begin 2018 after wins over Bremond (34-8) and Axtell (36-8). Dawson on the other hand has struggled out of the gate to a 1-2 record, which includes a loss to Axtell (50-12). Sometimes it’s not good to compare head to head games, but in this case I think it provides a little insight to how this game is going to play out. We may see some backups for the Bulldogs this week.

Josh’s pick: Thorndale by 28+

Milano (1-2) Vs. Iola (1-2)

Milano picked up their first win of the season over Bremond last week, 25-22. Next up appears to be another winnable came as the Eagles are hosting Iola, which has a win over Somerville (34-6) and losses to Normangee (26-13) and Anderson-Shiro (6-0).

Josh’s Pick: Milano by 1.

Hillsboro (2-1) Vs. Troy (2-1)

Hillsboro opened a lot of eyes in week one when they totally dominated West, 58-7. At the time it was the most shocking result in 3A football, but it remains to be seen if Hillsboro is actually

that much improved or if West is just significantly down. We will know more this week when Hillsboro travels to an improved Troy team. The Trojans got by Robinson in overtime in week three, 35-28.

Josh’s Pick: Troy by 14.

Grandview (2-1) Vs. Malakoff (2-0)
Malakoff has proven that they are top five worthy with their shalacking of Mexia in week three, 48-10. Next up on the schedule is another quality team in Grandview, which should be in the conversation for a district title in 9-3A this season. The Zebras lost to Glen Rose (52-30) to open the season but have outscored Hillsboro and Venus 102 to 0 the last two weeks. This will be another test for Malakoff, but I think they pass it with flying colors.

Josh’s Pick: Malakoff by 21.

Waco Connally (2-1) Vs. Gatesville (1-2)

Connally is looking like they are setting themselves up for a strong season. The Cadets fell to Glen Rose (42-36) in week two, but have quality wins over Palestine (42-26) and most recently China Spring (38-16). Gatesville struggled with Cameron when the rain stopped, and if there are clear skies then it could be another long night for the Hornets.

Josh’s Pick: Connally by 21.