Friday Night Five: Analyzing the most interesting score lines around the state

[caption id="attachment_17701" align="alignright" width="300"]Canadian's Gabe Cook (11) runs the ball against Mason Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Matt Garnett/Special Contributor Photo by Matt Garnett[/caption] It was a wild night across the state as many teams got rolling in district play, here are a few storylines that stood out. No shortage of shockers.  On any given week, there’s always a handful of scores that catch everyone by surprise, and we had a few in Week 5. Fredericksburg topping LaGrange 41-22 is one we didn’t see coming, but credit to the Battlin’ Billies for containing that running game led by J.K. Dobbins. Sweetwater vs. Andrews was a game that seemed to have power potential, but Sweetwater ran away with it 56-34. Huge win for the Mustangs. On a less positive note, Stephenville lost 42-27 to Alvarado and drops to 2-3 on the year, despite one of those wins being over Everman. The Yellowjackets are a tough team to figure out, and it got tougher with that loss. Finally, Allen topped Flower Mound Marcus 38-28, but the game was tight going into the fourth quarter, and had it not been for a fortunate no-fumble call for Allen, things might have played out differently. That it was so close down the stretch was enough to raise eyebrows across the state as they surveyed scoreboards. Allen’s QB dilemma remains a complicated one, but the winning streak remains alive at 48 games, tying Lake Travis for the fourth-longest in state history. Cedar Park is the center of the universe. OK, that’s hyperbole, but it became clear after a couple weeks that District 25-5A was sizing up to be one of the toughest in the state. So how did the three teams in the district in and nearest Cedar Park do? They combined to beat their fellow district foes by a combined score of 155-24. Ouch. Vandegrift topped Leander 49-3, Cedar Park rolled Georgetown 47-7, and Vista Ridge cruised by Georgetown East View 59-14. Buckle up, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride northwest of Austin. Too bad we’re still a couple weeks from any of the three teams playing each other. Gives us plenty of time to find the right popcorn, and maybe see all three enter the AP Top 10. Big boosts for state hopefuls. A few teams with big-time aspirations were looking to further verify their credentials, and walked away with big wins. Waskom beat Elysian Fields 45-0, capping an early season run that shows the Wildcats found a way to reload after last year’s state title run. Cameron Yoe topped Refugio 42-27, and looks well on its way to a fourth consecutive title. Canadian beat Albany 49-0, Argyle beat Paris 31-20, and Malakoff rolled over Scurry-Rosser 73-27, all huge boosts for the winners and setbacks for the losers. And Cibolo Steele dominated Smithson Valley 42-16, compiling one of the better resumes in the state with wins over the Rangers, DeSoto and O’Connor. Big names still remaining on their schedule: Converse Judson and Clemens, who played Friday with the Rockets coming out victorious 49-35. Top both teams, and there’s no question the Knights are a favorite in 6A DII. Disappointment for contenders.  Mansfield Timberview just didn’t show up against Lancaster in a 35-21 loss, committing a massive amount of mistakes, including dozens (yes, plural) of penalties. The Wolves have been a popular pick to make a deep 5A playoff run, but District 14-5A got tougher (hello, Lake Ridge and Summit) and this was a big blow. Farther down the line, a few preseason contenders are probably doing some soul-searching. Newton lost 24-21 to Orangefield, and drops to 1-3. Kilgore topped Gladewater 35-28, dropping the Bears to 1-4. Alto blew out Tenaha 52-7, and the Tigers are 0-4 in a stunning string of results this season. At least one of these teams will right the ship and make a run that seems improbable now. Looking forward to seeing who it is. Tough start turnarounds. Already on the turnaround path are a few teams that entered the week with losing records, but won in resounding fashion this week, perking hopes for their campaigns. Galena Park North Shore beat Beaumont West Brook 45-24. DeSoto pounded Grand Prairie 60-3. Graham won 13-10 over Big Spring. Each team still has a losing record, but the darkest days of the season may already be behind them all.