Friday Night Five: East Texas sure does know how to party

[caption id="attachment_25744" align="alignright" width="350"]Photo by Mark Martin Nacogdoches DB Josh Thompson (Photo by Mark Martin)[/caption] DeSoto stole all the headlines, and we'll devote plenty of time and copy to the Eagles' impressive 33-18 performance against Cedar Hill (and the rising 6A title expectations that came with it) in the coming hours and days. Steele also nabbed a signature win down in San Antonio with a controlling 30-9 victory over Converse Judson. But if those big games were all you saw, you missed a whole lot of madness around the state. Game of the night: Gilmer 56, Nacogdoches 52 We included this one in our top games to watch this weekend, and perhaps more than just about any of the rest, it certainly lived up to its billing, and then some. Remember, for a moment, that Nacogdoches is the largest school in 17-5A, and Gilmer is a 4A-DII team with a little more than a third the enrollment as the Dragons. Now, take into account Nacogdoches' season so far, which includes a 48-21 win over Kilgore, a 24-17 win over Tyler Lee and a 35-14 win over Hallsville. This is a very good group of Dragons. And Gilmer went toe-to-toe the whole way anyway. So if you're thinking the Buckeyes' loss to Carthage last week was some sort of sign that they're not up for the fight in the 4A DII title race, you're crazy. Quarterback Aaron "Poppy" Brown was at it again, accounting for seven touchdowns, and you get the feeling as long as he and his offensive teammates are clicking, they'll be hard to out-duel, in spite of the team's defensive flaws. The Dragons, meanwhile, won't like dropping any result to a school in a lower division, but they showed they're always going to be up for the fight. Besides, every team in 17-5A has shown flaws thus far, and a team ready to battle through whatever will come out better for it when the district standings are final. It sure seems like we're going to hear more from this group. Team on the riseArp 27, Waskom 7 The Tigers opened the season with a 24-14 loss to Tatum. Since then, they've reeled off wins against Hughes Springs, Alto, Shelbyville and now the Wildcats. They might have something cooking. Keep an eye out. *Bonus: Clyde 29, Coleman 22 I don't know many people who thought the Bulldogs would pull this one off. Now, they're sitting 4-0 with wins over very good programs in Coleman and Eastland. Team in the holeHitchcock 22, Shiner 20 Nah, I'm just messing with you. Look, I am sure Steven Cerny would prefer his Shiner team not roll into district play with two non-district losses, including the game right before the slate starts. But both were losses to 3A DI teams, two divisions bigger. No one wants losses on the schedule, but the Comanches will be ready for a brutal district schedule. Five big-time resultsHarlingen 23, Harlingen South 16 The Cardinals weren't quite ready to give up bragging rights to the Hawks, handing them their first loss of the season and holding the edge in the rivalry. It helps that they have Leo Tienda back healthy. He's pretty freaking good. Dickinson 21, Friendswood 16 The biggest game in the Houston area saw a reloaded Gator team continue its surprisingly strong run after losing a lot of talent from last year's team. Cisco 34, Albany 7 We expected the Loboes to win this based on being two full divisions bigger, and we expect both teams to do very well in the playoffs. But it's worth noting this snapped a 44-game home winning streak for the Lions. Historic night out West. Liberty Hill 41, Austin Anderson 18 The Panthers, a 4A DI team, pummeled the Trojans, a 6A team, to the tune of 418 rushing yards. Geronimo Navarro 14, Refugio 6 This was a fascinating clash that we could have seen going a lot of ways. In any case, both teams got a good test against programs that will make them better the rest of the way. Eye-grabbing scoreline of the nightVan Horn 18, Seagraves 17 No, seriously! Van Horn entered the game 1-3, and walked out with a win over a Seagraves bunch that's been among the state's best for a few years now, and entered the game 4-0. I don't think it's time to declare anything either way for the teams, but it's definitely a result few could have seen coming.