As the smallest school in District 11-4A, Argyle wouldn't be the intuitive pick as a favorite for the district title.
Yet, with a core group of experienced players bolstered by a few crucial additions this season, the Eagles have cemented themselves as the district's early frontrunner.
Argyle (14-0, 3-0) raced through its nondistrict schedule with 11 straight wins, but played most of those games against smaller schools. After its 5-3 win over Ryan on Tuesday, though, there's little doubt that the Eagles are perfectly capable of competing against higher-caliber competition.
Argyle beat the Raiders, considered one of the favorites to compete for a district title, after falling behind 2-0 early on but rallying behind two goals apiece by freshman Ian Sadler and Mats Wolthius.
"We gave them a little trouble," Ryan head coach Bob Lamon said. "I think that was the first time that had happened to them all year. Because of their past success and the obvious talent of a lot of their players, I think they had the confidence to come back and get in the game. Obviously I was disappointed to come out on the wrong end, but it was a great game."
Perhaps the most talented player on Argyle's roster is one of its youngest. Sadler has developed into one of the district's most dynamic players in his first year and is leading the Eagles in scoring while spearheading its torrid start.
Perhaps even more important, though, is the team's chemistry. A good portion of Argyle's roster has been playing together for at least the past three seasons - a factor that Lamon said cannot be understated.
"The core of their team has been together for several years now," Lamon said. "That's very important. They've got a lot to build on - almost more than other teams in our district have. You add in a few newcomers, and it's not a surprise that they're doing so well."
Ryan prepares for unknown
While Ryan is plenty familiar with most of 11-4A, the most recent realignment did throw a few unfamiliar faces into the mix. Now, it's time for the Raid-ers to get to know the new neighbors.
Ryan is slated to play back-to-back games against Trophy Club Byron Nelson and Keller Timber Creek - the two newest additions to the district brought in following Guyer's jump up to Class 5A.
The Raiders will face Timber Creek today and are set to take on Byron Nelson on Tuesday.
"I still haven't found out a whole lot about them," Ryan girls coach Raiford Malone said. "It's going to be one of those under-fire type deals where we're going to go out there and find out about them firsthand."
That could make for an interesting stretch. Both the Ryan girls (10-2-1, 2-0) and boys (7-7, 1-1) entered the season expecting to compete for district championships. The girls, along with undefeated district rival Bird-ville, still appear to have the inside track, but the two new schools bring a level of mystery to the first half of district play.
Both teams have one district loss on the season to Birdville, but only lost by one goal apiece.
Guyer boys off to solid start in 5A
Bigger schools? Tougher teams? No problem, so far.
After moving up to Class 5A in the offseason, the Guyer boys are off to a strong start in District 7-5A and appear to be in prime contention to compete for a playoff spot.
The Wildcats (5-3-3, 2-1) opened district play with wins in two of their first three games. They beat Justin Northwest in a 4-0 blowout and topped a scrappy Keller Central squad 1-0 at home. Strangely enough, though, Guyer's one loss may be even more impressive.
The Wildcats narrowly lost in a 1-0 defeat to one-loss Coppell on Monday, sending a strong message that it is able to compete some of the state's best competition. Coppell has built a reputation as one of the state's better soccer programs, and entered the season ranked No. 4 in 5A by the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches.
Guyer will look for its third district win tonight against a struggling Saginaw team before facing a perennial playoff team in Keller on Tuesday.
Guyer girls trying to adapt
District play at the 5A level has proven to be more of a challenge for the Guyer girls, who have yet to win a game in their inaugural 7-5A campaign after starting the season undefeated through nondistrict play.
The Lady Wildcats (7-2-3, 0-2-1) are stuck in the middle of an incredibly competitive district that includes one of the state's best teams in Coppell and perennial powerhouse Southlake Carroll. So far, Guyer has suffered losses to Justin Northwest and Coppell while tying Keller Central.
Guyer will look to earn its first district win tonight when it takes on Saginaw, which is also winless in district play.
Denton boys, girls trying to find groove
Both the Denton boys and girls are now trying to get back on track during the most crucial stretch of the season.
The boys (2-7-1, 1-1) struggled to open the season with just one win in their first eight games, but seem to have, at least momentarily, turned things around after shutting out Lake Dallas 1-0 in its district opener on a goal by Roberto Gutierrez. In their next game, though, the Broncos turned around and lost 3-0 to crosstown rival Ryan.
Things won't get much easier over the next week, either. Next up for Denton is a tilt with Birdville today, followed by a trip to face unbeaten Argyle.
The girls, meanwhile, seemed to be going strong despite a preseason injury to sole returning senior Mikala Farmer. They won six of their first eight games and, at first glance, seemed to be one of the dark-horse candidates to compete for a district title.
Since then, though, things have been going downhill. Denton (6-4, 0-2) lost its district opener to Lake Dallas and was shut out by Ryan in a 5-0 blowout. Next up, the Lady Broncos will have to find a way to hand Birdville its first loss of the year.
MARSHALL MOORE can be reached at 940-566-6869. His e-mail address is mmoore@dentonrc.com .
