Fox Sports Southwest will broadcast football doubleheader at AT&T Stadium
After much anticipation, the opening weekend for Class 6A and 5A football teams will have some fireworks in Arlington. Fox Sports Southwest will televise a doubleheader from AT&T Stadium on Sept. 25. Arlington Martin and Denton Ryan will kick off at 4 p.m. followed by Longview and Temple at 8 p.m.
The UIL delayed the start of the regular season in the state’s two largest classifications because of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced schools to make changes to their schedules.
Eight games will be played during Week 1 in Arlington with five games at Globe Life Park, including three on Sept. 26.
Game 1 on Sept. 25 at AT&T Stadium will feature some of the best players in the country when Martin takes on Ryan, which finished last season as Class 6A Division 1 state runner-up.
Ryan went 15-1 after losing to Alvin Shadow Creek, but return 11 starters, including the second- and third-ranked athletes in the nation among the Class of 2021 in 5-star Ja’Tavion Sanders (Texas commit) and 4-star Billy Bowman Jr. (Texas). Other commits include 3-star quarterback Seth Henigan (Memphis), 3-star D.J. Arkansas (Rice) and 3-star Ty Marsh (Houston). Junior cornerback Austin Jordan is a 4-star recruit.
Martin comes off an 11-2 season with a trip to the third round, losing to Duncanville. The Warriors also return 11 starters, including 4-star linebacker Morice Blackwell (Texas), who is ranked as the No. 9 Fort Worth area player this season. Joining Blackwell is 3-star QB Zach Mundell (Army), 4-star junior Ernest Cooper IV, the No. 6 strong-side defensive end in the nation among the Class of 2022 by 247Sports, 3-star Placide Djungu-Sungu (Duke) and 3-star Trevell Johnson.
The nightcap will see 2018 Class 6A Division 2 state champ Longview (11-1 record last season) and Temple (8-3). The two teams, who are meeting for the seventh time, have posted a combined record of 132-30 (81.4 winning percentage) since the 2014 season.
Every Friday this fall, which started in Week 1 for schools in 4A and below (Aug. 28), Fox Sports Southwest will air five hours of high school football coverage — three hours of highlights and a two-hour postgame show with Ric Renner, Craig Way and Greg Tepper.
