The Week 5 Texas high school football slate pushed many teams into district play. Several teams in Central Texas got on track after finishing with discouraging non-district records. Matchups between top district teams provided some with chances to grip early control of the standings. Let’s take a look at who shined brightest on Friday’s gridiron, and knocked perhaps their toughest conference opponent to the canvas.
Let it roll, baby, roll.
The Cedar Ridge Raiders dominated their first three opponents by a combined score of 131-10. The Raiders marched into district play against Hendrickson, a team many picked to challenge for the conference title. Hendrickson tied the game at 14 shortly before halftime, but the Raiders put up two touchdowns in each second-half frame, en route to a 42-17 victory. The Raiders look real, and have a solid chance to run the district table.
The Dripping Springs Tigers roared through their first four games, posting gaudy point totals in the process. Seguin hoped to trample their homecoming game Friday night, guided by their new head coach, former Houston Cougar assistant Travis Bush. Dripping Springs raced out to a 35-0 lead by halftime, eventually building a 56-14 late. Most impressively, Dripping Springs continued to dominate in multidimensional ways. Besides remarkable offensive numbers, the Tigers defense forced turnovers at key moments and their special teams provided a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.
Give me 40 acres, and I’ll turn this rig around.
The Round Rock Dragons closed their topsy-turvy non-district schedule with a disappointing loss to Belton last week. The 2-2 Dragons looked to recharge the troops against rival Stony Point, fresh off a surprising win against Leander. The Dragons caught fire early, burst to a 20-0 first quarter lead, and closed with a 38-17 win. Round Rock needs to maintain consistency throughout their district schedule, so keep your eyes on next week’s matchup against Pflugerville, who also may have reversed their fortunes with a dominating road win on Friday.
Vista Ridge entered their district schedule with a shocking 1-3 record for last year’s state semi-finalists. The Rangers faced a Kyle Lehman team that went winless last season, but gained momentum with two straight wins. As Lehman nudged out to a second-quarter lead, Vista Ridge’s question marks loomed larger. Vista Ridge responded with a key score at the end of the first half, and slammed the door in the second half. The Rangers’ 42-21 win provided a lift as they head toward a hungry Vandergrift squad.
Somebody take the wheel.
Not all championships get decided in the final weeks. When two of the district’s most talented teams face each other early, one grabs the wheel to control its own destiny. Cibolo Steele took advantage of such situation on Friday night.
Cibolo Steele hasn’t lost a district game since 2009, but many favored the speedy Judson Rockets to end that streak Friday night. Perhaps people based those predictions on Judson’s first-week win at Lake Travis, and Steele’s dramatic loss to the Cavaliers. Those games didn’t matter on Friday night, and Steele’s convincing 30-9 shellacking left Clemens as the only likely prospective blemish on the Knights’ 2016 schedule.
