Five Big Things in #txhsfb: 08/29/16 by Chris Doelle

It's 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. And yes, I know another site recently added their "5 things" but as with just about everything cool surrounding "the greatest sport in the greatest state" ™ we did it here first and best!

Well opening weekend is finished and oh, what a weekend it was. Here are some things that stood out for me...

1. Yes, Westlake is that Good - Yes, while the rest of the Texas high school football world is all spun up about Austin Westlake beating Katy, it came as no surprise to us at Lone Star Gridiron. In a rare show of complete agreement, everyone on our staff picked Austin Westlake (while nobody else in the state did.)

It isn't because we think Austin Westlake is guaranteed to be the state champion and that Katy's run is over. It is because Austin Westlake is expected by us to be in that game (we are the only ones that picked them #1) and that Katy uses pre-district games to learn about their roster depth. Gary Joseph has never put as much stock into winning pre-district as he puts into figuring out the absolute best players to use in each situation once district play starts. That is why his teams are so dominant. He sees the big picture and plans for seasons at a time in addition to game-to-game.

Don't write Katy off. They will be there and likely will have a rematch in the playoffs against Westlake.

2. La Grange – The loss of J.K. Dobbins on the very first play in their game against Liberty Hill was doubly depressing when you realize the game itself was canceled because of weather. While, this doesn't appear to be as bad as last years injury, there is still major cause for concern for the Leopards if he is unable to go by district play.

In this 100th anniversary of La Grange football, a Dobbins-less team would be a bitter pill to swallow.

3. Craziness Abounds – While it is nice to have some things that you can always count on (Refugio, Gilmer, Allen etc.) it is in the world of upsets that we get the most excited. It is those games that nobody saw coming that create the most buzz and frankly, the reason why we love this sport so much.

Austin Lake Travis (the team a lot of folks picked #1) lost to Converse Judson. No, we can't say we saw it coming but the question now is "what does it mean?" Read Big Thing #4 to find out.

In what was probably one of the best offensive battle of the weekend (certainly Thursday) Gilmer outpaced Texarkana Liberty-Eylau unveiling the "Legend of Poppy Brown" along the way. Aaron Brown threw for 6 TDs and ran in another in the come from behind win, but the big story is that in his very first varsity football game, he surpassed G.J. Kinne's single game team record for yardage in a game.

Yes, it is a great story and yes, it is going to be fun to watch. Rest assured though, Gilmer is a solid team top to bottom and Brown was the recipient of amazing play by his receivers, line and running backs. This was a team record.

John Stephen Jones... remember the name. Yes the Dallas Highland Park QB is the grandson of Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones. He threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-21 victory over Rockwall. Expect the media spotlight around this kid to be pretty bright.

Cedar Hill drops a classic out-of-state trap game. The problem with the out-of-state games is that there is really no upside to a Texas team taking one of these matchups. If Cedar Hill had won, nobody would be talking about it. When a Texas team loses, it is big news.

After the game, Gorman quarterback Tate Martell caught a bunch of flack when he sent out a tweet mocking the state.

"TEXAS WHO?" Martell tweeted.

Later in the evening, Martell tweeted out his "updated United States map," which placed Nevada over Texas.

Yes, Bishop Gorman won the game and did it in convincing fashion, but what does that really tell you? It tells you that for the Gaels it was the Super Bowl and they prepared accordingly. This is a super-team that "potentially" recruits and gives excessive tuition assistance to players from all over the nation and people are surprised when they get a win? Seriously.

Cedar Hill will be fine. Texas high school football will be fine. And both will be better than any privately funded superteam - be it Bishop Gorman Catholic or IMG Academy.

Bishop Gorman, Nev. 44, Cedar Hill 14

4. The First Games are Almost Meaningless - With the exception of the districts that are so packed they play district games all year, these games really have no meaning. They are nothing more than high-end scrimmages. I have said for years that if a highly ranked team loses a game in the first two weeks I don't penalize them in my rankings. Highly ranked teams use these game for exactly what they are... a chance to test your readiness in game conditions. Some teams are still tweaking their playbook and almost every single team that played this weekend has not settled on their final starters even.

These games tell you who is ready to play and who is playing mistake free football. If the mistakes continue by week three, it tells you a lot more about a team.

Yes, those teams with winning streaks will argue their meaning but really those are just number for the fans, writers and statisticians.

5. Thor: Knock it Off - I was frustrated to sit through a 2 hour lightning delay Friday night in Georgetown. Finally, the game got underway and Hays Consolidated went on the beat Georgetown East View. We came close to leaving because the storm cell causing the delay simple wasn't moving. As it turns out, that storm caused a boatload of lightning delays and even a few cancellations across the state.

I get it that even the God of Thunder knows Texas high school football is "the greatest sport in the greatest state" ™ but Thor, can you just hang back and watch on TV? Or at least don't start tossing lightning bolts around when you get excited!

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Brownsboro vs. Canton, ppd. to Aug. 27.
Carthage vs. Gladewater, ccd.
Center Point vs. Marble Falls Faith, ccd.
Fort Worth Eastern Hills vs. Dallas Pinkston, ppd. to Aug. 27.
La Grange vs. Liberty Hill, ccd.
Leander vs. Killeen Ellison, ppd. to Aug. 27.
Longview Trinity vs. Fruitvale, ccd
Mount Vernon vs. Caddo Mills, ccd.
New Caney Porter vs. Lumberton, ccd.
Paris vs. Terrell, ppd. to Aug. 27.
Pflugerville Hendrickson vs. Smithson Valley, ccd.
Sanderson vs. Fort Hancock, ppd. to Oct. 28.