Friday Night Overview Week 5: Class 5A has mixed start as big schools kick off the season

Photo by Jim Klenke

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Class 5A and 6A kickoff their season

We made it!

I’ll be the first one to admit that there was a nice charm to having the entire Texas high school football landscape spotlighting the smaller classifications for about a month. We try to treat each classification with the same importance, but there was a pleasure in knowing that teams like Shiner or Hamlin were getting more exposure from the masses than they may usually get at this time of the season. Here’s to hoping those smaller programs found themselves some new fans.

But I say all that to then say, it’s a welcomed sight to see the complete slate back in action.

Class 5A and 6A kicked off their season’s Friday night and let's hope things are done safely and continue as-scheduled for all classifications.

There is a different kind of appreciation for the game when you get to the very top levels of Texas high school football and that was on display down in the Houston area with 6A No. 1 Galena Park North Shore’s 38-21 win over 6A No. 8 Alvin Shadow Creek. The loss was the Sharks’ first regular season loss in their brief three-year history, but a key personal takeaway was Shadow Creek’s ability to take the Mustangs’ first few punches blow-for-blow. But North Shore aren’t the two-time reigning state champions for nothing. Eventually, Dematrius Davis proved why he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the state for four years and North Shore’s defense frustrated Kyron Drones enough to pull away in the end.

 

Class 5A's mixed bag of results

Okay so we might have to go back to the drawing board with some of our 5A rankings following Week 1. Overreaction? Maybe, but that’s how much of a mixed bag Friday night was. You had 5A DI No. 1 Denton Ryan flexing all of its top-tier playmakers in the Texas Football Days showcase against 6A No. 11 Arlington Martin and winning, 47-24. If you want to see a team littered with future collegiate talent, try to peep the Raiders at least once this season.

But then just a hours later, 5A DI No. 3 Longview and 5A DII No. 9 Red Oak lost. Even going back to Thursday night, 5A DI No. 2 Frisco Lone Star lost 34-31 North Forney in another eye-opening result. With 5A DII No. 2 Aledo on tap for next week, the Rangers are going to need a quick bounce-back. According to our rankings, North Forney winning was an upset, but something tells me this won't be the last time we talk about the Falcons in 2020.

No. 9 Red Oak’s 52-21 loss to 5A DII No. 1 Ennis was perhaps the second-most eye-opening result of the night. Not that Ennis winning was a shock, the Lions are our pick to win 5A DII for a reason, but for how convincingly they handled a Red Oak team that we have high expectations for in 2020. Quarterback Chris Parson had a solid debut for the Hawks, but by the time he got his footing, Ennis’ offense had nearly doubled Red Oak’s offensive yards output.

The most surprising statline from the big schools, was Temple’s 40-13 win over 5A DI No. 3 Longview. The Lobos are replacing a ton of talent from the class that graduated Haynes King and it looks like it’ll take a while for the new offense to get itself ironed out. After four turnovers and allowing a 30-0 run in the second-half, Longview has a week before it travels to face one of its arch-rivals in Marshall. But Temple on the other hand, might be in for a resurgent season.

Not to be forgotten down in Central Texas, 5A DI No. 8 Cedar Park beat school-district mate Austin Vandegrift, 21-7, in a game that in recent years has been a good gauge to how each team’s season will go. The Vipers won the last two matchups and went on to have stronger seasons down the line. Let’s see if the Timberwolves can keep that trend going with a successful run of their own this fall.

 

Poth's quiet dominance

I thought about talking about how 2A DI No. 1 Shiner just hammered Flatonia, a very experienced 3A drop-down 49-0 (!!!!) and look to be on a revenge tour to meet pay Refugio back for last season’s regional semifinals defeat. But then I noticed that Poth pitched already its third shutout of the season in a 54-0 win over Stockdale and have only allowed 14 points through five weeks.

They’re the only team in the Top 10 to have played five games and be unbeaten in 3A DII and looking at the rest of the district slate, I’m having trouble seeing where Poth slips.

 

Socia Media Highlights

These first two clips are just to appreciate the sheer athletic prowess of one of the best players in the state, Denton Ryan's Ja'Tavion Sanders. First, imagine watching a guy do this at wide receiver:

And then later in the game when you're already physically worn down, seeing him lineup at defensive end and do this:

 

Looking at the other Texas Football Day game inside AT&T, Temple's Tr'Darius Taylor showed off his balance and break-away speed.

Pearland's Dominic Serna has been watching Derrick Henry highlights with these stiff-arms on this 98-yard run against The Woodlands

 

I'm sorry that's how many yards for Tyler Legacy's Jamarion Miller?

Chris Parson's Hawks didn't pick up the win, but the sophomore quarterback flashed a bit of what he showed in the last few games last season for Duncanville.

 

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