The Box Score: Armani Winfield, Johntay Cook star in week five

We are getting near the halfway point of the Texas high school football season. As expected, several Texas Longhorns commits and targets are making big impacts on Friday nights. Steve Sarkisian and other members of the Texas staff have recently made stops at different games during the month of September, including to watch Jamarion Miller versus Allen and a heavyweight matchup between DeSoto and Duncanville.

Injuries and opt-outs have been a big theme of the early stages of the 2021 season. Texas quarterback pledge Maalik Murphy is sidelined with a clavicle injury that does not require surgery. Linebacker commit Trevell Johnson had season-ending surgery on his hip. 4-star UT target Brenen Thompson is dealing with an injury that has him out of action.

As far as opt-outs go, Texas running back commit Jaydon Blue decided to not suit up for his senior season at Klein Cain before the season began. Now, major Texas 5-star wide receiver target Evan Stewart has also chose to shut his season down. Stewart announced those intentions on Tuesday.

Additionally, multiple schools had their bye week in week five. Jamarion Miller and Tyler Legacy were off, as were Neto Umeozulu, DJ Hicks, and Allen. Harold Perkins was off too, and he made the trip to Austin on Saturday for the game – his second visit to Texas in as many weeks.

Longhorns wide receiver pledge Armani Winfield continues to star on the gridiron since making his season debut a few weeks ago. Winfield totaled two touchdowns in Lewisville’s 68-24 win over Plano West on Friday. One went for 16 yards, while the second went for 62.

Denton Guyer remained perfect on the season after beating McKinney 44-26 on Friday. Texas has offered Guyer defensive backs Peyton Bowen and Ryan Yaites. The former returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, while the latter locked down his side of the field in the win. Quarterback Jackson Arnold threw a pair of touchdowns and rushed for another. McKinney running back Bryan Jackson II rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns.

At a different Denton school, Ryan continues to impress. The Raiders defeated Frisco Wakeland 27-3 last Thursday in a game in which Steve Sarkisian (and Lincoln Riley) watched.

Texas commit Austin Jordan was credited with a tackle, while 2023 four-star Texas target Anthony Hill made 13 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, and carried the rock a handful of times. Hill is a major priority for the Longhorns in next year’s recruiting cycle, and it is very easy to see why.

Out in Vegas, Longhorns commit Anthony Jones and Liberty beat Faith Lutheran (NV) 37-7 in dominant fashion. Jones grabbed one catch for 16 yards while adding eight tackles on the defensive side of the ball.

Zac Swanson made four tackles, including two TFLs, in Brophy College Prep’s 20-7 win over Notre Dame Prep. Swanson’s defense held their opponent to just 36 yards rushing the victory.

In Mississippi, Aaron Bryant and Southaven cruised to a 41-16 win to kickoff district play. Bryant and the Chargers defense shutout Center Hill (MS) in the first half, as they held a 41-0 advantage at the half.

The Class of 2023 has some real star-power that Texas is after. Arch Manning totaled five touchdowns in Isidore Newman’s (LA) win last Friday. Manning has the entire country after him, and the Longhorns are considered to be one of the top contenders for the 5-star.

2023 running back Rueben Owens put together a monster performance in a dominant El Campo win. Owens, a former Texas commit who the Longhorns are still hard after, rushed for 342 yards and four touchdowns. Like Manning, Owens has most of the country recruiting him.

Wide receiver Johntay Cook had another monster game for DeSoto. The 2023 four-star receiver hauled in five receptions for 80 yards and four touchdowns. All but one of his receptions went for six in DeSoto’s 56-26 win over Mansfield.

Arlington Martin 2023 defensive back Javien Toviano had a strong game for Arlington Martin on Friday. The four-star prospect plays both ways for the Warriors. He recorded a 2-point conversion and forced a fumble. He plans to release a top-5 at the end of the season.