Who are the two quarterbacks battling to start for Texas football powerhouse DeSoto?

A quarterback battle at DeSoto?

There is a quarterback battle at DeSoto, one of the top programs in Texas football and the nation.

In last week’s release of the USA TODAY Sports Preseason Super 25, DeSoto was fourth nationally.

Last year, DeSoto was led by quarterback D.J. Bailey who is now with Sam Houston football. Bailey threw for over 3,600 yards with 44 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Following a 15-0 season, DeSoto finished fourth in the final USA TODAY Sports Super 25 football rankings.

According to Greg Riddle of the Dallas Morning News, one of the top prep reporters in the nation, there is a quarterback battle between two incoming transfers to DeSoto. Senior quarterback Kelden Ryan and junior Legend Howell are duking it out to take over for one of the top programs in the nation.

 

Ryan is a transfer from All Saints Episcopal (Fort Worth, Texas) who is committed to Virginia Tech over offers from Arkansas, Boston College, Colorado Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Missouri, SMU, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt among others.

As for Howell, he transfers from Bishop Lynch (Dallas, Texas) following a season where he threw for 1,692 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. Howell was a bright spot on a Bishop Lynch team that went 3-9 last year.

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East St. Louis takes on Atascocita: How to watch the top high school football matchup

A must-see Saturday matchup on the NFHS Network!

It’s one of the best teams in Illinois taking on one of the best in Texas on Saturday as East St. Louis heads to the Lone Star State to battle Atascocita.

Both teams are trending upward in the national rankings, with the outcome of this game certainly weighing heavily on next week’s Super 25 release.

For the Eagles, it’s a chance to showcase a talented Texas bunch coming off an impressive win against perennial in-state juggernaut Katy, the first in the school’s history. Led by senior quarterback Zion Brown, the offense showcases a decently balanced attack, with speedy LSU commit Jelani Watkins out wide and sophomore Cardae Mack keeping the defense honest in the backfield.

For the Flyers, it’s another tough test for a program that is used to facing the best of out-of-state competition. Last week, the team had an impressive bounce-back win against Baltimore, Md. behemoth St. Frances, which brought East St. Louis to 1-1 on the year.

The first loss, however, still looms — a tough defeat to Mount Carmel (Chicago, Illinois) that left many scratching their heads … 20 penalties? Yikes!

But the team is back on the right track, led by senior dual-threat quarterback Robert Battle and complemented by a tough defense that only allowed the Panthers to score 7 points.

The final word: While the Friday night lights get most of the headlines in Texas, this Saturday afternoon game (Sept. 9, 2023) is certainly set to play out like a blockbuster.

High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.

Watch: Atascocita vs. East St. Louis 

(USA TODAY Network)

The collaboration with over 40 high school state athletic/activities associations and PlayOn! Sports allows fans to live-stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are: 27 different regular season and postseason sports, plus other high school activities that highlight the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools.

(Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)

Note: We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY HSS operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Excessive heat in Houston, other Texas areas delaying kickoffs for high school football games

Several high schools are delaying their kickoffs until later in the evening to avoid the heat.

Football season has begun, but evidently, mother nature hasn’t gotten the memo. Extreme heat and dangerous weather events have been battering practically every region of the United States this summer, and it’s continued into the third week of August. This week alone, there have been hurricanes in California as well as Texas, plus wildfire smoke in the Pacific Northwest and dangerous heat index conditions in many locations.

The south has been hit particularly hard, especially by the excessive heat. In Texas, several high schools are delaying their kickoffs until later in the evening to avoid the heat, per Michael Shapiro at the Houston Chronicle.

(PAUL BRICK/CONTRIBUTED)

“Houston ISD Athletics announced Monday a slate of updated game times for the first week of the high school football season, which will begin with games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Most games have been moved to 8 p.m. or later, which should mitigate the impact of likely triple-digit temperatures in the area. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Athletics also announced later start times, with varsity games moved to 7:30 p.m.”

The latest forecast for Houston this weekend projects highs of 106, 103 and 105 degrees on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, respectively.

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