Denton RC High School

Former Argyle kicker/linebacker/overall beast has been named the starting kicker for the Baylor Bears when they take the turf at Floyd Casey Stadium on Thursday night to open the season against Wake Forest.

You will all be able to see Parks make his college debut as a true freshman at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest. Check those listings, that might be Eastern time, but I'm pretty sure it's Central.

Good luck to Ben.

The last time Ryan won its season-opening game was 2004 when the Raiders beat the Highland Park Snots, 21-18.

That was also the last year Ryan made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Coincidence?

We'll find out. I say with a great deal of confidence that Ryan will win its opener this year - Thursday's bout with Mesquite Poteet at 7 p.m. We'll have to wait a bit to see about the first round.

The UIL doesn't have a blank playoff bracket with the new 4A Division I format. Assuming it will be like last year's Division II format, and based on Dave Campbell's Texas Football Magazine predictions, Ryan will play Saginaw in the first round.

I just spoke with a football coach who has a good knowledge of the old 5-4A teams and also Lake Dallas. I won't reveal his name here, but if you do just a little research you could easily figure out who it was.

Anyway, here's what I gathered from our conversation.

Wichita Falls is not good this year. Quarterback Ben Henderson is struggling and while he admitted it's still early, he's not impressed. On the flip side, he said Lake Dallas could be better than last season despite losing a ton of seniors. If he's right, I'll admit, I was wrong about the Falcons. They lost so much last season including perhaps the best playmaker in the area last year, Alvin Blackmon.