Friday Night Five: Refugio's reckoning tour continues

Screen Shot 2015-12-05 at 12.12.00 AMThere weren’t any major upsets on Friday night, but that doesn’t mean the results weren’t noteworthy. Here are a few that caught our eye. Refugio gets revenge. Shiner knocked off the Bobcats 30-19 earlier this year, and it wound up winning the district crown. The Comanches have a commanding defense, and it tightened up even more in the rematch, but this is a Refugio team that suddenly seems like it’s on a mission after a regular season plagued by inconsistency. The eye-opening performance was the absolute blowout of Mason in the area round with a 42-7 win, and this was the encore. The Bobcats won 17-14, and had to make big defensive plays down the stretch to lock it up. A collision course seems to have been set with Canadian in the 2A DI title game, and what a collision it would be. George Ranch pulls away from Temple. If you’re looking for the most surprising score line of the night, this was it. Not because George Ranch wasn’t expected to win, but because both teams seemed to have an even shot. The Longhorns pulled away midway through the first half, and they never really relinquished that cushion en route to a 59-46 victory at the Berry Center over a pretty salty defensive team. Perhaps the most interesting part of the result is that the winner always had to be considered a strong title contender, and after showing off the offensive arsenal and keep a potent offense in its own right at arm’s length, George Ranch looks the part. Cameron Yoe holds off Teague. Teague looked like it was going to derail the Yoemen’s quest for a fourth straight state title, but nothing seems to phase or bury or defeat Cameron Yoe. A 28-21 win has Yoe two wins from joining select company, and the only question remaining is whether the Yoemen can just keep fighting off challengers, or if they’ve spent their last bit of magic. Cedar Park struggles with Calallen. This may have been one of the biggest surprises of the night. Sure, it ended with the Timberwolves securing a 35-14 victory, but it was just 14-7 entering the fourth quarter. It certainly seems harsh to question a team’s decisive victory (and take nothing away from a Calallen program that’s always game for the fight in the playoffs), but it’s just odd to see Cedar Park look vulnerable in any way. Remember, this is a team that entered the game with an average margin of victory of 36, one that has not met much of a challenge along the way in 2015. Is there any reason to suddenly doubt Cedar Park? Nah. But maybe this takes the Timberwolves from the runaway favorite to maybe just the favorite. Vista Ridge finishes the job against Vandegrift.  Speaking of teams making history, Vista Ridge is entering uncharted territory as a program. The Rangers lost 63-55 to the Vipers during the regular season, but got the one that matters in a 24-17 state quarterfinal win, and now head to the school’s first state semifinal. The task now gets tougher against  George Ranch team that has – as previously mentioned – emerged as a force in the 5A DI bracket.