2018 Battle on the Border Preview Saturday Games
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
The wait is over for the Seventh Annual Battle on the Border event set to kickoff this weekend at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. This year will feature 12 team from six different states including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi. All six games will feature some of the best high school recruits in the country and fans from all 12 teams are looking forward to this great event.
*Click link for Battle on the Border previewed games for Thursday and Friday
Saturday, September 8
11:00 am Booker T. Washington Hornets (OK) vs. Horn Lake Eagles (MS)
Booker T. Washington, located in Tulsa, makes their third straight appearance at the Battle on the Border after winning the Class 6A-II State Championship in 2017. So far in 2018, the Hornets are 1-1 after losing to North Little Rock to open the season then beating Bishop Kelley 24-14 last week.
The Hornets are led on defense five-star senior safety Daxton Hill who has offers from colleges all over the country. Another star in the secondary is senior cornerback Demarco Jones who is committed to Oklahoma State. Players to watch on the offensive side ball include junior wide Javian Hester who has offers from Ohio State, Arkansas, and Oklahoma State, senior running back Thomas Grayson, and athlete Mahcel Johnson.
In 2017, Horn Lake finished 9-3 and advanced to the second round of the 6A playoffs before losing to Starkville. In 2018, the Eagles have started 2-0 while outscoring their opponents 103-18. Their star on the defense is five-star senior linebacker Nakobe Dean who is the best recruit in the state and one of the best linebacker recruits in the nation. Another playmaker is senior linebacker Micheal Campbell who is committed to UAB. On offense, three-star seniors to watch include athlete Raydarious Jones, running back Tyler Grim, and wide receiver Tony Washington.
3:00 pm Bentonville Tigers (AR) vs Aledo Bearcats (TX)
In a matchup between two powerhouse programs making their Battle on the Border debut, Bentonville will take on Aledo. The Tigers advanced all the way to the state championship game but lost to North Little Rock 44-37 finishing 2017 with a 10-3 record. Unfortunately, Bentonville is off to 0-2 start to 2018.
Bentonville is led on defense by senior safety Donte Jones who ranked as a three-star recruit and senior safety Ben Sellers who had 11 tackles last week. The Tigers offense is led by senior quarterback Easton Hughes and senior wide receiver and return man Harrison Campbell. Both are garnering interest from colleges around the country.
Aledo comes into Shreveport winners of 32 out of their last 33 games. The only loss in 33 games came in the last game of the 2017 5A Texas Division II state championship game against College Station. The Bearcats are led on offense by junior quarterback Jake Bishop who threw for 136 and two touchdowns and junior running back Jase McClellan who ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns last week. Sophomore wide receiver Gary Earle is a young playmaker to watch as he caught eight passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win. The Bearcats defense is led by two TCU commits, defensive end Colt Ellison and linebacker Wyatt Harris, both are rated as three-star recruits.
7:00 pm Bishop Dunne Falcons vs C.E. Byrd Yellow Jackets
The finale in the 2018 Battle on the Border will feature Bishop Dunne out of Dallas against C.E. Byrd from Shreveport. The Falcons are making their second trip in Shreveport in two weeks as they came into town beating Evangel Christian Academy 23-14 to open 2018. Bishop Dunne finished 2017 with a 5-6 record.
The Falcons are led on offense by senior quarterback Matt Yelverton who threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns against Evangel. Two other playmakers include senior wide receivers Jabari Khepera and Andrew Armstron. Bishop Dunne’s defense is led in the secondary most notably by safety Brian Williams (Texas A&M) and cornerback Logan Wilson. Up front, senior defensive end Gabe Matous is the man who disrupts plays in opposing backfield.
C.E. Byrd won their season opener 35-8 by controlling Calvary Baptist Academy. The star of the win was senior fullback Charlie Barham who ran for 230 yards and four touchdowns. Other Yellow Jackets to watch on offense include junior quarterback Cameron Felt and senior running back Lawson Jackson. The Purple Swarm defense is led in the box by senior defensive lineman Henry Lott who 2.5 sacks in 2017 and linebacker Chondrick Loften who 29 total tackles including five for a loss last year. Senior safety Avaunte Steward is the playmaker in the secondary. Steward had 34 total tackles including three for a loss and two sacks in his junior campaign.
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Photo credit: Irish Sports Daily; Horn Lake (MS) Linebacker Nakobe Dean