Marquee game
Taft vs. Holmes, 7 p.m. Friday at Gustafson Stadium: This District 29-6A opener showcases one team most anticipated would be successful from the start and one not so much. Taft advanced to the third round of the Class 6A Division I playoffs a year ago before falling to eventual state semifinalist Hays and appears to have sustain the momentum with wins in its first two games, including a 42-35 decision vs. S.A. Veterans Memorial as running back T.J. Andrews rushed for 315 yards. Holmes is 2-0 for the first time in 11 years, accomplishing the feat by edging San Marcos 35-34 as quarterback Christopher Medelez threw for two touchdowns and passed for two more.

Notable games
Central Catholic at Alamo Heights, 7 p.m. Friday: The Buttons opened the season with commanding wins over Class 5A Southwest and fellow TAPPS member Boerne Geneva and now should face a stiff test from Alamo Heights in a meeting of undefeated teams. Central Catholic, which has outscored its two opponents 75-14, is led by quarterback Sylas Gomez, who threw for 249 yards and three scores. Alamo Heights allowed 33 yards of offense last week vs. Churchill. Both teams are aiming for a 3-0 start for the first time since 2018.

McCollum at Somerset, 7 p.m. Friday: Somerset produced a defensive masterpiece last week, limiting Southside and Nebraska-bound QB Richards Torres to 239 yards en route to a 10-6 victory. McCollum, which was a combined 1-35 in the previous four seasons, has found success on the strength of a stingy defense. The Cowboys have yielded zero points and less than 200 yards combined in wins vs. South San and Austin Navarro.

New Braunfels Canyon at New Braunfels, 7 p.m. Friday: The annual Wurst Bowl features teams that go about their business with varying approach. New Braunfels (2-0) has ridden the arm of senior quarterback Aiden Baumann, who has thrown for nearly 450 yards and nine touchdowns through two contests. New Braunfels Canyon topped Clark last week for its first win as running back Cameron Bibins rushed for almost 180 yards and two scores.

Tale of the tape
El Paso Eastwood QB Andrew Martinez vs. Smithson Valley defense: A senior, Martinez has thrown for 810 yards and six touchdowns through two games, helping the Troopers (2-0) average 55 points per game. Eastwood drilled El Paso Hanks 75-27 last week. Smithson Valley (2-0) has yielded 6.5 points and 77.4 passing yards and is coming off a 28-0 shutout win over Madison.

A&M Consolidated QB Brodie Daniel vs. Judson defense: A senior committed to Tulane for baseball, Daniel is a dual-threat signal-caller who has put up some serious numbers in the first two weeks. He passed for seven touchdowns in a 68-7 win over Waco University in Week 1 and rushed for five TDs and passed for another in a 62-7 triumph over Aldine MacArthur a week ago. Daniel’s prime targets have been wide receiver Wesley Greaves and running back Keshun Thomas, who each has three receiving TDs. A&M Consolidated (2-0), No. 7 in Texas Football magazine/Associated Press Class 5A Division II rankings, averages 65 points per game and is the third straight ranked opponent for Judson, which has allowed 40 points an outing in slipping its first two games vs. DeSoto (35-28 win) and Austin Lake Travis (52-20 loss).

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Twitter: @sa_terrence1