Rivals Recap: Dallas

It was a big weekend for big scoring in Dallas, Texas Kennedale topped Dallas Carter 70-27 on Thursday night and Wylie East bested McKinney North 72-43 on Friday night There were big plays on offense, big players on defense and a couple of big performances at running back

I was impressed with

The bar is set high for Rivals100 prospects, but Kennedale (Texas) Rivals100 linebacker Baron Browning had no problems living up to the expectations He showed explosion, change of direction and instincts He was able to cover down field He blew up plays in the backfield Browning's play was not perfect, but he made plays all over the field His motor was on from the first whistle to the final horn There is no doubt he is one athletically gifted prospect, and he showed his wide ranging abilities on Thursday

It was a tough night for McKinney North's defense, but there was a lot to like about new Texas A&M commitment Justin Madubuike He is listed at strongside defensive end but played inside at defensive tackle for McKinney North He was a force to be dealt with, and even when Wylie East assigned two and three guys to help he often broke free His explosion at the snap of the ball really jumped out He came off the ball low and quick and he immediately put the Wylie East offensive linemen on their heels It took multiple blockers to slow him down and even that did not often work It also says a lot that he never let up even with his team down He was a disruptive force all night long and it was easy to see that the Aggies got themselves another playmaker in the trenches

Pushing Wylie East to victory was 2017 Rivals250 running back Eno Benjamin He had two 70-yard touchdown runs in the first half and finished with 265 yards and five touchdowns on 27 carries He also added a two-point conversion and two receptions for 11 yards Benjamin showed a lot in the performance He ran away from the defense on a few occasions, but he also ran with toughness and balance He showed off a Braxton Miller-like spin move and it was not uncommon to see him pinball and push his way for extra yardage He has an aggressive style and it was on display whether he lined up at running back or quarterback on Friday night

Benjamin was not the only running back to break loose for a big weekend Kennedale 2016 running back Quadraiz Wadley has been running wild in 2015, and Thursday night he was once again running free He carried the ball 24 times for 380 yards and six touchdowns He took the second play of the game 64 yards for a touchdown, and he added touchdown runs of two, 72, 27, 44 and two yards Wadley has had a long road to the running back position He spent his time behind Juwan Washington last year, and it looked like he might be the next Kennedale quarterback before he found his home at running back for the 2015 season At 6-foot-1, 180-pounds he has an upright running style He hit the hole with a nice burst and he ran away from defenders all night long

I was surprised by

Watching a return man hit a seam and find his way through a defense is one of the most exciting things to see on the football field It is also not the most common occurence Thursday night Dallas Carter's return game was instant offense In the first quarter Dallas Carter's Bernard Goodwater returned the first of three Carter kickoff returns for touchdowns Goodwater went 95 yards on his way to the endzone On the next Carter kickoff return Marquis Borner caught the ball in the endzone, ran it out and cleared the Kennedale kickoff team by the time he was across the 50 Borner added an 88-yard return in the fourth quarter Carter's special teams made it look easy, and teams will likely stay away from both return men in the future In addition to Borner's two kickoff returns for touchdowns, he also had a 14-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter

There were some strong defensive performers but this was the weekend of offense Every now and then a team will reach the 70-point mark but this weekend both games featured a 70-point winner Only one other team in the Dallas-area reached the 70-point mark over the weekend It's just not a common occurence, and it is a mark neither Kennedale nor Wylie East had reached in the 2015 season It is not a surprise that the offenses had big nights, but it is surprising both reached the point totals they reached

Kennedale linebacker Baron BrowningClick Other notesHere to view this Link is committed to BaylorClick Other notesHere to view this Link and attended the Bears' game with Lamar He also took two recent visits to TCUClick Other notesHere to view this Link and he plans to attend the Texas A&MClick Other notesHere to view this Link/ArkansasClick Other notesHere to view this Link game He continues to receive considerable interest from Ole MissClick Other notesHere to view this Link and UCLAClick Other notesHere to view this Link and he plans to visit Oxford when the Rebels host LSU He does not know when he will return to Baylor for his next visit

Eno BenjaminClick Here to view this Link plans to attend the Texas A&M/Arkansas game today and he currently has MiamiClick Here to view this Link, IowaClick Here to view this Link and KansasClick Here to view this Link at the top of his list He attended the TCU/SMU game last week with Baron Browning

Kennedale 2017 defensive end Stephone JacksonClick .Here to view this Link. (6-4, 215) is receiving interest from Oregon StateClick .Here to view this Link., Kansas StateClick .Here to view this Link., IowaClick .Here to view this Link., Iowa StateClick .Here to view this Link. and Texas TechClick .Here to view this Link.. He does not have any visit plans at this time, but he did mention Texas Tech as a possibility.