Football magazine predicts Highland Park will overthrow champion Heath Hawks

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine’s 2009 edition is out and predicting that Highland Park will overthrow defending District 10-4A champion Rockwall-Heath this year and win the District crown.  

It ranks the Scots as the state’s no. 7 team in the Class 4A poll, after an 11-2 season last year.

Longview is ranked No. 1, followed by Denton Guyer, Cibolo Steele, Denison, Austin Lake Travis, Everman, Waco Midway, Aledo and Dallas Carter.

Texas Football also predicted Rockwall-Heath, Pearce, and Rockwall would be the other three playoff teams from the District.

The magazine, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, previews football from high school to college to the pros in the Lone Star State.

The Scots are ranked No. 3 in the coaches’ state poll with Lake Travis No. 1 and Longview No. 2.

Eight Rockwall-Heath football players sign to play at Division 1 colleges

On national signing day yesterday, eight Rockwall-Heath football players from the Hawks’ Class 4A Division 10 Championship team signed letters of intent to play football next year at Division 1 colleges.

Award-winning running back Kendial “Showtime” Lawrence committed two weeks ago to play at the University of Missouri, over offers from SMU, Louisville and Iowa State.

Linebacker Austin Moss, the son of coach Mickey Moss, committed last year and will play at Arkansas.

Linebacker Ryan Mosby will attend the University of Kentucky.

Quarterback Drew Hollingshead and linebacker George Bamfo agreed to play at the University of Houston.

Running back/wide receiver Everett Gilbert, defensive back Darius Jones and offensive tackle David Abercrombie committed to Montana State University.

Rockwall-Heath demolishes Carrollton Turner Friday night, 53-0

Hawk running back Kendial Lawrence

(Click on photo to enlarge; double-click if photo is too large)

Kendial Lawerence ran for 112 yards and four touchdowns in just the first quarter Friday night as Rockwall-Heath (9-0, 6-0) jumped out to a 37-0 lead on its way to demolishing Carrollton R.L. Turner (1-8, 0-6) in a District 10-4A game at Carrollton Standridge Stadium.

Lawerence carried the ball just seven times before sitting out the last three quarters. He now has 30 touchdowns for the season, and is the leading scorer in District 10-4A.

The Heath defense, led by linebackers Austin Moss and Ryan Mosby, allowed just 33 total rushing yards and 24 passing yards to Turner’s offense, plus only two first downs.

For game photos, more sports scores and stories, visit the Sports page at www.rockwallrocks.com

Rockwall-Heath moves up to 4th in Class 4A-District 10 Area football rankings

After rallying to beat Richardson Pearce Friday night, 55-49, the Rockwall Heath Hawks (8-0) moved from fifth to fourth place in the Dallas Morning News Class 4A-District 10 Area football rankings.

Rockwall-Heath is averaging 41 points and 464.8 yards against District 10-4A opponents.

Royse City stayed in 12th place, after barely losing to top-ranked Highland Park, 48-45.

The rankings are:

Rk. Team W-L Pts Pvs.
1. Highland Park 8-0 120 1
2. Everman 8-0 114 2
3. Carter 8-0 108 4
4. Rockwall-Heath 8-0 102 5
5. Ennis 7-1 92 3
6. Lincoln 3-4* 84 7
7. Waxahachie 6-2 83 8
8. Lake Dallas 6-2 82 6
9. Denton Ryan 6-2 73 9
10. FW Dunbar 7-1 66 10
11. Forney 7-1 56 11
12. Royse City 5-3 52 12
13. Denton Guyer 6-2 48 13
14. The Colony 6-2 35 17
15. West Mesquite 5-4 34 NR
T16. South Oak Cliff 5-3 22 14
T16. Lancaster 4-4 22 15
18. Birdville 6-2 19 NR
19. FW Southwest 5-3 12 20
20. McKinney 4-4 11 NR

*Lincoln forfeited four games for using an ineligible player.
Dropped out: No. 16 Corsicana, No. 18 Frisco Centennial, No. 19 Pinkston

For more sports scores, stories and photos, visit the Sports page at www.rockwallrocks.com

Four long TD plays help undefeated Rockwall-Heath to easily beat Newman-Smith, 27-3

Four long touchdown plays of 90, 65, 48 and 70 yards helped undefeated Rockwall-Heath (6-0,3-0) to easily win its Homecoming game and beat Carrollton’s Newman-Smith, 27-3, last night in District 10-4A action at Rockwall’s Wilkerson-Sanders Stadium.

The Dallas Morning News fifth-ranked, Class 4A Hawks’ Darius Jones took the opening kickoff 90 yards for Heath’s first TD.

In the second quarter, wide receiver Everitt Gilbert scored his first TD of the night on a 65-yard catch-and-run pass play from quarterback Drew Hollingshead.

Kendial Lawrence, who rushed for 144 yards on 10 carries, ran 48 yards for another score in the third quarter.

Then Everitt Gilbert scored again in the fourth quarter on a 70-yard burst. For the night, he rushed for 99 yards on just three carries.

Newman-Smith could only manage a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter by Philip Ichter.

For the Hawks, Hollingshead completed 10 of 11 passes for 103 yards. Gilbert led receivers in yardage gained with 76 yards on three receptions. Daniel Kemp caught four passes for 59 yards. Matthew Agnew caught four passes for 58 yards.

For more Rockwall County sports scores, stories, schedules and photos, visit our Sports page at:
http://www.rockwallrocks.com/sports.html.</p>

Rockwall-Heath runs over Arlington Seguin, 24-8

Last week’s Dallas Morning News Offensive Player of the Week Kendial Lawrence rushed for 135 yards on 23 attempts and two touchdowns to lead Rockwall-Heath past Arlington Seguin 24-8 in non-district action Friday night in Arlington.

Lawrence scored on runs of 6 and 12 yards to help the Hawks improve to 2-0. Arlington Seguin fell to 0-3.

In the hard-fought first half, RHHS only scored on Brad Lowes 31-yard field goal, and held on for a 3-0 lead. But during the second half, the Hawks came alive, when senior quarterback Drew Hollingshead (12-20, 183 yards) completed a 10-yard TD pass to Armando Villa. Lawrence then scored twice, and Lowes added extra points on all three TDs.

The game was plagued with mistakes by both teams. RHHS fumbled seven times, but only lost one. They were also penalized 13 times for 127 yards. Arlington Seguin was penalized 14 times for 155 yards.

Rockwall-Heath opens season by running over Sherman, 43-27

Rockwall-Heath’s highly-touted running back Kendial Lawrence ran for 190 yards and scored five touchdowns, including a 97-yard kickoff return, to lead the Hawks (1-0) past Sherman (1-1), 43-27, at Rockwall’s Wilkerson-Sanders stadium Sept. 5.

In the second quarter alone, Lawrence scored four touchdowns, on runs of 76, 20 and 4 yards, plus his return.

By the end of the third quarter, the Hawks held a 43-14 lead.

Hawks’ Quarterback Drew Hollingshead also threw for one touchdown, a 63 yard pass to Matt Bielski. He completed eight of thirteen passes for 133 yards.

Sherman’s running back Wayman James ran for 110 yards and scored twice.  Zac Whitfield also ran back a  kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown.

RHHS plays their first away game of the season Sept. 12, at 7:30 pm, at Arlington Seguin, which lost its opening game to Wylie Sept. 5, 52-13.