Five Big Things: 08/26/14 by Chris Doelle

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: August 26, 2014

Texas high school football breaking news

Its that time again… time for my Five BIG Things! These are the things that stood out for me recently as it relates to Texas high school football. As usual, they are not listed in order of importance – just as they come to me.

1. All the coaches on twitter! - How cool is it that so many Texas high school football coaches are on twitter? I think it is a sign that they are "getting it." This is a subject that is near and dear to me as I have seen so much good and bad come from social media as it relates to student-athletes. I am so glad to see these coaches stay with the kids and not turn a blind eye to the real influences and real interactions our student-athletes have in social media. Is your coach on twitter? What do you think about it? Sign in and comment below - while you're at it, post his twitter handle.

2. Cool Name Games – Mike and I have been doing this #txhsfb thing for decades and one of the things we love is a game with a cool name - we speak about them every season in our podcast, we post stories about them when they come up... we just love this stuff. Finally though, we have put together a list of all the Cool Name Games in Texas high school football. Sure, I would bet that we are missing a few... but we have the page started and need your help to fill in the gaps.

My favorite has to be the Battle of the Cattle featuring the Amarillo Caprock Longhorns vs Hereford Whitefaces, but there are so many great ones out there. What is your team's name game? Which one is your favorite?

3. The Return of Celina! – Yes, we have Celina as our #1 team in Class 4A DII and we have them winning an 8th state title (or 9th if you count the 1974 tie as a win) in our preseason championship predictions. There is just something about a Celina team winning games that feels comfortable. Yes, I have the DVD Power, Passion & Glory and interviewed the creator Ken Heckmann back in 2006. (Actually I have a few copies of it on VHS! Yikes, I am old. ) If you still have a VCR and you'd like a copy in VHS, leave a comment here or I'm going to toss them out.

Is the Bill Elliott era of Celina football the third leg of the G.A. Moore/Butch Ford stool? It is a bit early to suggest that, but I do know I like when Celina wins games. Coach Elliott's son Nathan Elliott is set for a great senior year as QB and that is usually a great combination when a talented QB is the son of a talented Head Coach. Look for some sparks this year from the Bobcats!

4. Week Zero is HERE!! - I am always excited about the opening week of football but there is something about this one that seems bigger... seems bolder... seems more exciting! Allen taking on Denton Guyer in the Tom Landry Classic! Lufkin taking on Longview! Dallas South Oak Cliff battling Cedar Hill! Southlake Carroll going against Austin Westlake! Brenham vs Houston Lamar! Mart vs Goldthwaite! The Gucci Bowl! Cibolo Steele vs San Antonio Madison! That is just a fraction of the amazing games that will literally kick off the 2014 season.

5. Randy Rodgers is here for another season! - For the third year in a row we will be bringing you the Randy Rodgers show. Starting in Week One, Randy and I will take a look at the top performances across the state, break down the important kids you need to be paying attention to in recruiting, and looking ahead to some of the great upcoming games each week. Randy will bring his boots on the ground expertise as he meets one on one with these talented recruits, talks with their coaches and shares it all with Lone Star Gridiron's readers and listeners.

by Chris Doelle