The Pit Stop: Anthony Hill planning UT visit, Kalib Hicks steals the show

The first week of Texas high school football delivered in a big way. Austin Westlake and Lake Travis grabbed big wins to open the season. Converse Judson came away with a relatively surprising victory over DeSoto. Denton Ryan made a huge statement over Longview.

I was able to make the trip out to three different games over the weekend: Cedar Hill versus Rockwall on Friday night, Denton Ryan versus Longview on Saturday afternoon at The Star in Frisco, and McKinney versus Springdale Har-Ber (Arkansas) on Saturday evening. All three games were interesting in their own ways.

Below, I give my best performance that I watched over the weekend, as well as best game, best player, and some other notes.

This is an easy choice for me. Denton Ryan junior running back Kalib Hicks was absolutely dominant on Saturday afternoon inside the Ford Center. Longview had no answer for Hicks, unable to prevent him from moving the chains and running for big gains.

Hicks carried the ball nine times for 139 yards and a trio of touchdowns. He averaged more than 15 yards each time that he touched the ball, highlighted by a 69-yard rushing score in the second quarter that gave the Raiders the lead for good.

The junior standout earned Most Valuable Player honors thanks to his performance. It was quite the statement from the Denton Ryan standout, who holds early offers from the likes of Missouri, TCU, and Wisconsin.

McKinney’s Damon Youngblood and Cedar Hill’s Jalon Peoples are also worth mentioning. Youngblood, a Louisiana commit, was all over the field on Saturday, hauling in one touchdown and grabbing an interception in a win. Peoples, a Kansas commit, picked off Mississippi State commit Braedyn Locke two different times and impressed in the season-opener.

Both Cedar Hill-Rockwall and Denton Ryan-Longview began as very competitive games. The former was a one-point game at half, while the latter was a back-and-forth first quarter before turnovers and mistakes allowed the Raiders to break the game open in a big way.

McKinney and Springdale Har-Ber was a compelling game that went deep into the fourth quarter. The visiting team from Arkansas scored the first points of the game, with 2022 offensive lineman Jack Struebing leading the way in the trenches for the Wildcats, but the Lions responded with multiple touchdowns of their own.

2024 running back Bryan Jackson II broke free for a touchdown late. The sophomore has been offered by Baylor, Pittsburgh, and Utah. Fellow sophomore Mahki Frazier was a stud on the other side of the ball, as he flew all over the field, disrupted plays in the backfield, and even forced a fumble on Har-Ber’s final possession on a drive that the Wildcats were attempting to tie the game.

Denton Ryan linebacker Anthony Hill is a special player. The No. 30 player in the 2023 rankings makes his presence felt in a big way, regardless of where he is on the field. He flies sideline-to-sideline, makes big hits, and is the leader of a very talented Raiders defense that also features UT commit Austin Jordan.

Along with Hicks, Ryan features an impressive 1-2 punch at running back with Hill on offense next to junior quarterback Khalon Davis. Hill runs with power and physicality that makes it difficult for any defense to slow down, as the Lobos found out on Saturday.

Hill said after the game that he loves playing on offense, but that colleges won’t have to worry about him playing on that side of the ball at the next level. The Rivals100 defender is a prototypical linebacker for today’s game and is certainly a priority target for the Longhorns in next year’s cycle.

He plans to make a trip to Austin for a game this fall after visiting the Forty Acres in the summer.

Texas commit Austin Jordan was a big contributor in Ryan’s 40-7 win over Longview. Jordan played both receiver and defensive back for the Raiders on Saturday. He made a key block on one of Hicks’ rushing scores and did not allow any big plays on defense. The Lobos did not go after him very much. Jordan was a big factor in Ryan suffocating Longview’s offensive attack to just seven points and 178 total yards.

Both Cedar Hill and Denton Ryan are breaking in new quarterbacks this season. Cedric Harden has taken over the reins for the Longhorns, while Khalon Davis is the man for the Raiders. Harden accounted for three scores on Friday (two rushing). The Raiders did not ask much out of Davis – thanks to the big performance from Hicks – but both are worth monitoring in the 2023 class.

McKinney’s sophomore class is extremely exciting. Jackson and Frazier both made big impacts on Friday from their running back and linebacker position, respectively. Xavier Filsaime and Messiah Washington – who had a big touchdown in the second half – provide some firepower for the Lions’ offense.

2023 Rivals100 wideout Jalen Hale grabbed four catches for 64 yards against a tough Denton Ryan team that threw different coverages at him. Texas, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M are all recruiting the four-star pass catcher.