Texas High School Football Games of the Weekend: Sept. 19-21

There’s no better time of the year in Texas than high school football season, with great matchups abound every weekend. Already this fall we’ve seen a number of epic finishes, major upsets and standout early performances.

Week 4 should be no different, with some of the Lone Star State’s top teams facing off — a few against in-state opponents and others taking on out of-state foes.

Below are the key matchups to watch this weekend:

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

CLICK HERE to watch your high school’s games on NFHS Network now!

Top high school football games in Texas

#14 Highland Park vs. Cherry Creek (Colo.) – Friday, Sept. 20
The Scots have established themselves as one of the state’s premier programs this year, rolling to a 3-0 start behind wins over Rockwall-Heath (34-21), Lovejoy (24-17) and Jesuit (43-20). They’ll get potentially their most challenging matchup of the early season this weekend when they host Colorado’s No. 1 team, Cherry Creek. The Bruins feature a handful of Division I and Power 4 commitments, and are coming off a 42-7 rout of their arch rival, Regis Jesuit.

#17 College Station @ #23 A&M Consolidated – Friday, Sept. 20
Few rivalries out there are as heated as the one between these two programs, which are separated by just three miles in College Station. Both enter the game undefeated after three early-season wins apiece, with each looking to take home their first top-25 win of the season. College Station won last year’s showdown in a 49-42 thriller en route to an 11-2 season. Consolidated will be looking to return the favor en route to another deep playoff run.

#21 Texas High @ Fayetteville (Ark.) – Friday, Sept. 20
The Tigers have been one of the state’s biggest rankings movers after putting up 140 points combined in their first three contests — wins over Tyler Legacy, Liberty Christian, and Heritage. But they’ll get an awfully tough one this weekend with Arkansas’s No. 4 team rolling into town. The Bulldogs routed in-state foe Cabot 48-13 to open the season before knocking off one of Oklahoma’s top teams, Broken Arrow, over the weekend.

Ruston (La.) @ #22 Longview – Friday, Sept. 20
The Lobos are coming off a heartbreaking 45-44 loss to South Oak Cliff on Friday night. Longview held a double-digit advantage at one point, leading 27-14 in in the second quarter. But the Golden Bears proved why they’re one of the state premier programs in recent memory by pulling off the come-from-behind win. Now they’ll welcome Louisiana’s No. 1 team for what should be another terrific matchup. The Bearcats will enter Friday night fresh off a 49-10 rout of Cabot (Ark.) and are the defending Division I Non-Select state champions from The Boot.

#10 Westlake @ #24 Steele – Friday, Sept. 20
The Chaps took their first loss of the season on Friday night to No. 4 Atascocita, breaking a 44-game regular season winning streak dating back to 2018. Cibolo Steele, meanwhile, comes in 3-0 after putting up 49, 62 and 56 points in each of its first three games of the season. The Knights’ roster is dotted with Division I talent, but there’s no bigger piece to the puzzle than 2026 four-star running back and Oklahoma commit Jonathan Hatton Jr. After running for more than 1,200 yards and 21 touchdowns as a sophomore, he’s already off to another hot start in 2024.