On Friday, Oct. 18, the Falcons are set to host the Knights of Episcopal High School in a rematch of the 2023 SPC championship game, where the Falcons were defeated 35-25.
The creator of the social media site “Texas Private School Football” on X, formerly Twitter, named the match the game of the week, as the 6-1 Falcons stand in first place in the SPC and the Knights, with a record of 4-2, are in second place.
Both teams feature elite playmakers and future D1 talents. The Falcons feature sophomore running back Wayne Shanks and senior wide receiver Jordan Manuel, and the Knights have senior running back Brandon Thomas and senior safety Carson Fowler.
The two teams carry plenty of momentum coming into the contest. The Knights had two early losses, then rebounded, winning their first two SPC games and defeating a good St. John’s team, 48-45. Similarly, after a week-one loss to back-to-back 3A state champions Gunter High School, the Falcons have ripped off six-in-a-row wins, including a 42-7 victory against Episcopal School of Dallas last week.
“It was good to go out and dominate a quality football team in ESD. The win provided confidence going into the huge rivalry week against Episcopal,” said senior quarterback David Capobianco.
This is a game Falcon players have been waiting for the whole offseason. The sting of losing to Episcopal twice last season was hard, and the Falcons are looking forward to taking back their throne in the SPC.
“The loss last year has stuck with me throughout the year and motivated me to work harder for this season,” said junior wide receiver Alexander Donnelly.
The keys to this game for Kinkaid will be getting after Episcopal’s young quarterback Brody Bartee, a sophomore who stepped into the role after an injury to the Knights’ senior quarterback Tyler Bloomgren. Facing a sophomore quarterback and an inexperienced offensive line, The Falcons expect to get a lot of pressure on Bartee early and make things uncomfortable for the young signal-caller.
“We have a great defense and a great D-line. If we play how we have played all season, we will get a lot of pressure and dominate up front,” junior defensive lineman Henry McFaul.
![Freshman quarterback Jordan Young scans for a wide receiver to make a play Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, during the third quarter in their game against Episcopal High School. Playing through rain, the Falcons’ game ended in a 14-6 loss in the final minutes of the fourth quarter of their second-ever game. Young states the loss “hurt, but now the team [and him] have to buckle down at practice so [they] can get the results [they] want in game.”](https://thefalcon.kinkaid.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-23-at-9.57.55 AM-1200x899.png)
