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Nowhere was that more evident than in unbeaten LaVega's convincing 40-13 rout of Crockett.
       
The 17-3A champions improved to 12-0 behind the inspired running of Chris and Kourtney Parr, and strong arm of versatile Pirate signal caller Danzel Wilson.
       
Chris Parr ran for 109 yards on 25 carries and a pair of scores. He also caught two passes, one a 31-yard TD strike from Wilson.
       
Kourtney Parr added 38 hard-earned rushing yards on a dozen attempts, his night highlighted by a 14-yard touchdown dash that gave the Pirates a much appreciated insurance score in the second half.
     
But the real story, other than a stingy LaVega stop unit that held Crocket (8-4) to just 120 yards total offense, might well have been Wilson.
     
The LV field general was at his best by completing six of eight tosses for 189 yards, two of which resulted in scores.
     
No. 6 LaVega next faces West Orange-Stark in 3A Division II action. Stark advanced by upending No. 1 Giddings 28-19.
     
Three of last week's Centex Cinderella teams, however, saw the clock strike midnight Friday.
     
Hamilton, coming off a dominating 43-21 2A Bi-District win over No. 1 Mart, fell 30-15 to traditional East Texas championship contender Corrigan-Camden in Huntsville.
     
The Bulldogs, who rushed for 375 yards against Mart, managed just half that total in their Area round clash with C-C. Hamilton was held to 187 yards on the ground, 56 courtesy Seth LeBlanc, easily one of the hardest runners in Central Texas.
     
Hamilton, which finished with an 8-4 season ledger, started fast Friday but faded down the stretch opposite a quick, athletic Corrigan-Camden squad that scored twice in the game's final seven minutes.
     
McGregor, which also sent a Top Ten team (Teague) packing last week, suffered a similar fate to Hamilton Friday night.
     
McGregor was defeated 35-14 by Newton, a former 3A power that moved down a year ago to the 2A ranks. To win, Newton had to overcome splendid outings from McGregor's Joe Seward and Qualin Brown.
     
Seward completed 21 of 36 passes for 247 yards and two TDs. Brown, meanwhile, ran 17 times for 72 yards and was on the receiving end of both Seward touchdown throws.
     
Hamilton's and McGregor's District rival, Crawford, earned the right to play on Friday. The Pirates (10-2) advance to Regionals thanks to a tidy 35-15 verdict over Hardin.
     
Next up for Crawford will be highly-regarded Elysian Fields, a 40-20 victor over Hughes Springs.
     
Another of the Cinderellas, West High, was knocked from the 3A bracket by tradition rich Celina, winner this past summer of the State Small School Division 7-on-7 Tournament crown. Celina, formerly a perennial 2A title threat, blanked the Trojans 41-0, bringing to an end one of the best grid seasons in recent West history.
     
Copperas Cove won handily, as anticipated, in the 4A ranks. The 'Dawgs coasted 55-7 past Dallas Samuell.
     
Bremond lived up to its preseason expectations in the Class A ranks, cruising 50-15 over Milano much touted QB Chad Burgess.
     
Friday also saw the end of Chilton's quest to repeat as a Class A State champ. The Pirates were bested 28-13 by Harper despite Xavier Shaw's stirring 56-yard touchdown hookup with wideout Steven Foster.
     
Much of Friday's drama was provided by Waco Reicher, which came from behind to edge Carrollton American Heritage 20-17 in TAPPS playoff action, and Abbott, a 36-28 winner over Strawn in a key six-man playoff matchup.
     
The fun continues Saturday with a limited slate headlined by China Spring, a week removed from its amazing Bi-District finish. The Cougars, led by the prolific pass-and-catch duo of Dustin Eskew and Mike Hicks, face Palestine-Westwood in an intriguing matinee feature.
     
In related notes:
     
     *Two former centexfootball.com high school standouts played major roles on the big time collegiate stage Friday. Marlin High-ex Material "Red" Richardson, whose name graced this website often during his Bulldog career, intercepted the pass in triple overtime that clinched Arkansas' upset win over No. 1 LSU in a nationally televised SEC game.

     *And Mart High alum Quan Cosby, the 2000 Texas 2A Player of the Year, returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown for the University of Texas in its 38-30 loss to Texas A&M, another game broadcast around the country.   

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David Letterman's Top Ten List has been drawing chuckles for years.
     
But finishing the regular season in the Top Ten had serious ramifications for several Centex grid programs bowing out of the playoffs this weekend as first round upset victims.

The Waco High Lions are among those in no joking mood after being upended 37-34 Friday in a four-overtime epic struggle at WISD Stadium.
     
With the Bi-District triumph, Ennis avenged an early season 38-20 loss to Waco High, which entered post-season ranked No. 3 in State Class 4A ranks.
     
Coach Johnny Tusa's Lions, plagued all year by the injury bug, were bitten once again as star running back Jarred Salubi was sidelined late in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.
     
This after Salubi had gained 159 yards rushing on 28 attempts, highlighted by a 53-yard touchdown jaunt that tied the score 14-14 in the third period.
     
That's how the score stood as the two clubs went into extra sessions.
     
Ennis QB Deonte McDade ultimately decided matters in the fourth OT with a brilliant 13-yard scamper up the middle, bringing his impressive rushing total to 177 yards on 29 carries.
     
WHS appeared on the verge of winning in regulation until coughing up a fumble at the Ennis 21 with under a minute left on the clock.
     
Toylon Clark, who provided yeoman work in the Waco High backfield, gave the Lions a 28-21 edge in the second overtime after blasting in from the four-yard line. Ennis responded on its ensuing possession when Lee King scored on a two-yard burst.
     
The two clubs traded field goals in the third OT. Ennis kicker Ivan Solis was on the money from 42 yards. Ernesto Guevara split the uprights on a 38-yard effort for Waco High.
     
Guevara was good again from 41 yards out in the fourth overtime, putting the hometown Lions up 34-31.
     
That set the stage for McDade's winning TD dash.
     
The game's end was so different from its start, which seemed to foretell a favorable Waco High outcome.
     
WHS was on the board in less than 10 seconds when Josh Hicks rambled into the end zone with an Ennis fumble on the first snap of the contest.
     
Ennis got up off the canvas to take a 14-7 lead at intermission, with King figuring in a pair of scores. He knotted the game at 7-7 on a 43-yard halfback pass to Michael Guinyard, then gave his team a slight halftime cushion via an 18-yard touchdown run.
     
There were no such dramatics a night earlier in Glen Rose, where Hamilton shocked No.1 Mart in 2A Bi-District action. The Bulldogs led wire-to-wire in routing MHS, which entered the clash on a 23-game winning streak, including the '06 State finale.
     
Hamilton dominated the trenches, amassing 375 yards on the ground and maintaining possession for nearly 35 minutes.
     
Truman Baize rushed for 120 yards on just three carries, one of which was a 65-yard TD scamper that got Hamilton on the board early and set the tone for the entire night.
     
Seth LeBlanc and Mason Burke each added 81 yards rushing for the victors, while Bulldog signal caller John Galindo added 55 yards through the air, 10 coming on a TD hookup with James Ratliff just before halftime.
     
The Bulldogs spoiled another fine outing by Mart quarterback Lee McClendon, who accounted for nearly all his team's offense. McClendon ran a dozen times for 130 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed 15 of 25 passes---a percentage that might've been higher still had it not been for a handful of drops on a cold night---for 147 yards.
     
In addition to the punishing Bulldog ground attack, Mart was undone by an uncharacteristic three turnovers.
     
Mart's District 22-2A rival Teague, which also entered the playoffs in the Top Ten, likewise fell Thursday, dropping a 49-35 Bi-District decision to McGregor.
     
McGregor pulled off the upset courtesy three fourth down conversions, a recovered onside kick, and stirring punt return.
     
McGregor built a 28-7 halftime margin thanks to two scores apiece by Qualin Brown and Larry Smith. Quarterback Joe Seward also played a key role, throwing two first half TD passes and later reaching paydirt on a crowd-pleasing 41-yard punt return.
     
Teague was led by bruising running back James Green, who ran 21 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
     
One Top Ten entry escaping the upset trend was 3A LaVega, which literally ran over Cameron Friday in Killeen.
     
Chris Parr paced the Pirates, igniting the LaVega scoring machine with 234 yards rushing and three touchdowns, headlining an impressive 49-20 victory.
     
The undefeated Pirates (11-0) move on to face Crockett in the Area round next Friday in Corsicana.
     
Parr's brother, Kourtney, also helped open the road to Corsicana for LaVega, running 11 times for 84 yards, more than one-quarter that total courtesy a 23-yard TD run off a reverse.
     
In all, the Pirates ground out 362 yards rushing, which controlled the clock, moved the sticks, and effectively kept Cameron's offense off the field.
     
LaVega field general Danzel Wilson extended a stellar campaign by throwing for 127 yards, most coming on a 75-yard touchdown hookup with Daxton Swanson in the final stanza.
     
Cameron gave its fans some hope late in the third period on a 62-yard flea flicker from Steven Townsend to Jamal Williams. Townsend finished a strong night going 21 of 33 for 328 yards and three scores.
     
Local sentimental favorite Midway, which crashed the playoff party with an improbable 36-22 upset of Brownwood last week, had its heart broken by Red Oak Friday in Waxahachie.
     
Red Oak bested the Panthers 35-21, taking advantage of early Midway miscues and building a three-TD bulge in the first quarter.
   
Midway fought back gamely as running back sensation John Hubert narrowed the count to 21-14 on a one-yard touchdown dive late in the third period.
   
Red Oak, absent from the playoffs since Ronald Reagan was president, countered when Tim Hooper returned a Panther fumble 44 yards for a score. Had the game been played at the NCAA or NFL level, the Hooper return likely would've been subject to review as many sideliners felt the play was dead prior to loss of possession.
     
Hubert capped a marvelous season by running 26 times for 139 yards.
     
The season also came to an abrupt end Friday for Lexington, which in September nearly upended No. 1 Mart. The Eagles were clipped in 2A Bi-District play in Hutto by Troy (9-2), which benefitted from inspired outings by Jeremy Conrad and Jordan Hays. Conrad (141) and Hays (116) combined for more than 250 yards on the ground as the Trojans prevailed in a 48-35 shootout.
     
Troy moves on to meet East Bernard, from the Wharton area, in the second round of post-season.

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Robert Griffin is no stranger to overcoming obstacles.
     
The versatile Copperas Cove quarterback is an outstanding hurdler sought after by some of the top NCAA track programs in America.

But Friday he faced perhaps his toughest barrier---the vaunted Waco High defense.

Griffin still provided some late game heroics against the No. 4 Lions, rallying Cove from a two-touchdown deficit in the waning moments to force an overtime between two Top Ten programs vying for the 16-4A crown.
       
But, in the end, it was Waco High that prevailed, claiming a 27-21 verdict in the extra session of what was centexfootball.com's Game of the Week.
       
The Lion defense held Griffin and Cove pretty much in check until the final couple minutes of regulation.
       
Ultimately, though, it was a brilliant 25-yard touchdown run by Bronshae Keon Dugas, who shed numerous would-be tacklers on his way to paydirt, that proved the difference.
       
Both WHS and Cove now look forward to the playoffs, with the Bulldawgs going the Division I route.
       
Joining the two powers in post-season will be District rival Midway, which took a most unlikely path to the playoff brackets. The Panthers upset giant-killer Brownwood, which earlier this season had defeated Cove, 36-22, behind a stirring performance from running back John Hubert.
       
Hubert victimized Brownwood for 221 yards rushing, including a sublime 41-yard scoring scamper midway through the opening stanza.
       
The Panthers (5-5 overall, 2-3 in District) also got some help Friday, receiving a playoff nod when Killeen upended Waco University 35-34 in a wild shootout.
       
There was no such drama at the top of 17-3A, where LaVega closed out a perfect regular season with a 48-7 triumph over Connally. The Pirates, behind Chris and Kourtney Parr, streaked to a 41-0 lead at the break and never looked back.
       
Chris Parr rushed 12 times for 84 yards, while Kourtney Parr found end zone twice for LaVega. Chris Ward also chipped in a pair of first half scores as the Pirates amassed more than 300 yards on the ground.
       
China Spring, meanwhile, chose a different path to the playoffs. The Cougars (9-1 overall) went airborne to defeat youthful Gatesville 30-14 in their regular season finale.
       
Cougar signal caller Dustin Eskew riddled the Gatesville secondary for 244 yards passing and four TDs---three in the first half alone to stellar wideout Mike Hicks.
       
Eskew's big night enabled him to top the 2,000 yard passing mark for a second straight season. He's sitting at 2,130 yards going into the post-season.
       
Centerville's 34-12 victory over Riesel clinched a playoff berth for the surprising Tigers, meaning traditional 22-2A power Marlin will start basketball early. The Bulldogs were upset a week ago by CHS, then fell Thursday at MISD Stadium to No. 1 and undefeated Mart 38-30 despite a valiant late comeback bid triggered by Charles Hitchens and Antonio Moore.
       
The Panthers were led against Marlin by All-State quarterback Lee McClendon, who dazzled the Waco crowd by running a dozen times for 175 yards and completing 14 of 21 passes for 221 yards.
       
That means McClendon completed 75 per cent of his passes in successive weeks against Teague and Marlin, which figured be the most stern tests Mart would face in District.
       
Speaking of Teague, the Lions wrapped up District 22-2A's Division 1 playoff entry with an easy 42-7 conquest of Leon. Power back James Green led the winners by rushing for 183 yards and four touchdowns.
       
Hamilton, which is Mart's first-round playoff foe a second straight year, joined the 2A bracket on the strength of Seth LeBlanc and John Galindo, who ran Friday for nearly 200 yards. Hamilton was also aided by McGregor, a huge (58-7) winner over Clifton.
       
Tradition rich Crawford joins McGregor and Hamilton from 21-2A in the post-season mix.
       
Salado, like Mart, enters the playoffs with an unblemished regular season ledger and sports one of the centexfootball.com coverage area's more versatile players in Leo Galvan, a standout running back who also handles placekicking chores. Salado was a 47-0 victor Friday over Rosebud-Lott.
       
The Eagles won the 25-2A crown, edging well-regarded Troy for the District title.
       
The West Trojans will enter the 3A fray on a roll, dispatching Hillsboro 49-8 for their sixth win in 10 starts.
       
Local TAPPS power Reicher was on the short end of a 28-6 decision Friday in a much anticipated heavyweight bout with Grapevine Faith. Reicher averted a shutout thanks to Ken Cluley's one-yard TD blast in the second half. Both clubs will extend their season with playoff bids.
       
In other key scores as centexfootball.com approached deadline:
       
*Bryan downed Killeen Shoemaker 49-28 and A&M Consolidated bested Harker Heights 24-7 in a pair of 13-5A contests.
       
*Robinson returns to post-season, going the D-1 route, courtesy a 48-6 spanking of Lorena.
       
*The aforementioned Crawford Pirates blitzed Bruceville-Eddy 41-7.
       
*Bremond edged Chilton 30-27 in the final seconds on a 49-yard pass-run play from LiDarral Bailey to Rickie Williams, in a pairing of storied Class A programs.
       
*High octane Bosqueville hit on all cylinders Friday with a 46-0 shutout of Covington.
       
*Axtell nipped Hubbard 26-23 and Normangee easily outdistanced Wortham 41-20.

The air force pounded the infantry Friday as Mart literally bypassed Teague in a District 22-2A grid shootout played in an intense playoff-type atmosphere at the Lions' Den.
     
MHS signal caller Lee McClendon paced the victors with a stellar night, completing 16 of 21 passes for 314 yards and three scores in a battle between two Top Ten programs that came into the game unbeaten.
     
McClendon's heroics offset Teague's outstanding rushing tandem of Justin Hudspeth (130) and James Green (125), who ground out a combined 255 yards against the Panthers.
     
The Mart triumph, coupled with Centerville's surprising 19-18 win over Marlin, clinched the District title for the defending State champion Panthers.
     
For much of the night, however, the 22-2A crown appeared to be Teague's for the taking.
     
The hosts amassed more than 300 yards total offense in the first half alone, taking a 21-14 lead at intermission.
     
It took less than four minutes for this pairing of opposites to unveil the night's dramatic script.
     
Teague took the opening kickoff and marched 79 yards for the game's first score, a drive capped by a four-yard Green TD blast. Lion placekicker Seth Watson split the uprights to put Teague on top 7-0.
   
That lead was short-lived to say the least.
   
McClendon hooked up with senior wideout D'Andre Brooks on a brilliant 56-yard touchdown bomb on Mart's first snap. Panther booter Matthew Shaeffer knotted the count at 7-7 with the conversion kick.
     
The dye was thus cast. Teague employing long, time-consuming marches while Mart answered with quick strikes.
     
McClendon and Lion quarterback Quentin Coleman traded touchdown jaunts in the second period before the Lions forged in front 21-14 courtesy a 19-yard scoring strike from Coleman to a leaping J.J. Redic just 14 seconds before the break.
     
Down a touchdown, Panther mentor Rusty Nail made some key adjustments at halftime. One was to get University of North Texas-bound wideout Kenny Barrett more involved in the Mart offense.
   
McClendon connected with Barrett on TD passes of seven and 59 yards in the second half, the latter of which proved to be the game-winner.
   
Barrett ran a nice sideline route to get open on the long score, broke a tackle, then turned upfield with sprinter speed to reach paydirt.
   
Still, much of the talk afterward was about Brooks, frequently an unsung hero who turned in the best performance of his Panther career: eight catches for 148 yards and the long early touchdown grab.
     
His work, along with that of Barrett, Armondo Jones, Arthur Truitt, and Norman Hopping, enabled McClendon to complete seven straight passes and nine of 10 attempts during one second half stretch.
     
While the much anticipated 22-2A duel was filled with drama, some 60 percent of centexfootball.com poll respondents correctly predicted the verdict beforehand in Mart High's favor.
     
An even larger majority (92 percent) was correct in forecasting the  second part of centexfootball.com's Game of the Week double feature---Waco High's 34-14 romp over 16-4A giant killer Brownwood.
     
Waco, in fact, succeeded where Teague had fallen short---with the running game.
     
The Lions were led by a superb outing from tailback Jarred Salubi, just now hitting full stride after suffering through nagging early season injuries.
     
Salubi victimized Brownwood, which earlier in the year had conquered then-No. 1 Copperas Cove, by rushing for 247 yards and four TDs. His numbers would've been still more amazing had an 81-yard scoring dash not been waved off by penalty.
     
The rout of Brownwood (6-3) was easily the best effort thus far this season by WHS, winners of eight of nine starts and a perfect 4-0 in 16-4A action.
     
The much heralded Lion stop unit effectively neutralized outstanding Brownwood quarterback Casey Pachall. Pachall managed to complete 13 of 28 passes for 192 yards, but was sacked four times and knocked out of the game early in the final stanza.
       
A far more closely played 16-4A match took place between crosstown Waco rivals University and Midway, with the Trojans scoring 21 unanswered fourth quarter points---including a 62-yard Hail Mary TD pass from Randy Price to Vencent Finley in the final minute---to forge an improbable 35-31 upset at WISD Stadium.
     
The Panthers had the game all but sewn up with just over 11 minutes remaining following a 63-yard John Hubert touchdown jaunt.
     
But it only served to set the stage for a remarkable University rally that resulted in the Trojans' first District win of the campaign.
     
At the opposite end of the spectrum Friday was LaVega, which remained unbeaten and clinched at least a share of the District 17-3A championship by downing Lorena 35-7. Pirate signal caller Danzel Wilson continued his tremendous season by completing all but three of his 13 passes and topping the 200-yard mark (204) in a nifty performance.
     
LaVega next faces Connally, which fell 37-7 Friday to China Spring. The loss squared Connally's 17-3A ledger at 2-2, while the Cougars improved to 3-1 in the loop and 8-1 overall.
     
China Spring was led by the all-round versatility of quarterback Dustin Eskew, who was 10-of-17 through the air for 217 yards and a pair of scores.
     
And that only tells part of the story. Eskew also ran 20 times for 83 yards and was on the receiving end of a 21-yard Taylor Higdon toss.
     
Higdon was returning the favor after Eskew had earlier hit him with a 21-yard TD pass. Eskew also hooked up with top target Mike Hicks in the first half on a 13-yard touchdown throw.
     
The Cougar special teams also got in on the act as kicker James French converted a 39-yard field goal attempt.
     
Connally averted the shutout when Chris Cobb, one of the true fan favorites in the centexfootball.com coverage area, hit Jerry Johnson with a 29-yard touchdown pass midway through the second period.
     
The Robinson Rockets kept pace in 17-3A, evening their District record at 2-2 by besting youthful Gatesville 31-10 behind the power running of Seth Mogavero.
       
     In other centexfootball.com scores of note:
       
*McGregor trounced Bruceville-Eddy 49-7.
       
*Buffalo defeated Leon 27-13 and Riesel downed Elkhart 40-13, both in District 22-2A.
       
*Salado solidified its Top Ten status in 2A with a 44-0 whitewash of Florence.
       
*Axtell also won in lopsided fashion, crushing Wortham 47-0.
       
*Bremond edged Normangee 48-41 in high scoring affair, while Copperas Cove manhandled Killeen 33-10.
       
*Killeen Ellison was a 27-20 victor over Killeen Shoemaker, and Mexia routed Palestine 42-17.
       
*West blanked Whitney 41-0, and Troy was a 37-9 winner over Rosebud-Lott.
 

Photo by Tom Simpson

Teague High grid fans got more than their money's worth when Friday's CentexFootball.com Game of the Week at Marlin went into overtime.
       
But the Lion Faithful almost got more than they bargained for as Teague escaped with a 28-20 triumph on Quentin Coleman's 18-yard scoring toss to Jacob Smith in the extra session.
       
The thrilling 22-2A pairing featured big time plays by big time players, including a 61-yard TD scamper by Marlin's Travis Miller, an Oklahoma State recruit.
       
Miller's Bulldog teammate, speedster Antonio Moore, also reached paydirt on a 60-yard breakaway as the hosts gamely fought back from an early 14-0 deficit at historic Legion Field.
       
But, on this night, it was Teague's turn to make some history.
       
With the OT victory over one of Central Texas' most storied high school grid programs, Teague propelled itself into a huge home matchup next Friday against defending State champion and No. 1-ranked Mart in a battle of District unbeatens.
       
It was the clever Coleman who set the tone from the get-go at Marlin, deftly marshaling the potent Lion ground game.
     
Coleman got Teague on the board first with a three-yard TD scamper. Workhorse running back James Green, who rushed for a game-best 149 yards, doubled the Teague lead to 14-0 moments later with a touchdown.
     
Teague's methodical, grind-it-out approach ultimately carried the day despite the long runs by Miller and Moore, and a fumble recovery and return for touchdown by Marlin's Olagjuan Hopkins.
     
Coleman's deft ball-handling and Green's punishing runs between the tackles set the stage for the Lion signal caller's four-yard TD flip that capped a 14-play, 69-yard Teague scoring march.
     
Still, it was Marlin's game to win in the waning moments, driving to the Lion 28. But frosh placekicker Oscar Pena's field goal attempt as time expired was short, pushing the game into an extra frame with the score tied 20-20.
     
Once again, Coleman crossed up the Bulldog stop unit with an unexpected pass---the clutch pitch to Smith.
     
The end result confirmed the forecast of 58 per cent of CentexFootball.com poll respondents who earlier in the week had predicted a Teague victory.
     
There was no such drama Friday at Mart, where the Panthers hosted Buffalo in what may well be the final game played at venerable Chambless Field. Mart plans moving home contests next fall to the school's new athletic complex on Kensington Avenue.
     
The top-rated Panthers, who face Marlin at Waco ISD Stadium the week after next, played lights out football against Buffalo---an ideal situation should the Chambless lights not glow again.
     
Mart quarterback Lee McClendon led the way in a 44-0 romp, completing 12 of 20 passes for 185 yards and a pair of scores.
     
One of McClendon's touchdown passes was a 22-yarder to University of North Texas oral commit Kenny Barrett, the hero of Mart's State title win last December when he had three TD catches in a 23-13 decision over Cisco.
     
The Panthers, who found paydirt six times, also received a 23-yard field goal Friday from sophomore placekicker Matthew Shaeffer.
     
Elsewhere in 22-2A, surprising Riesel defeated Leon 17-13 as one of the most underrated pass and catch duos in Central Texas---Braden Embry to Heston Krumnow---connected on a 51-yard touchdown hookup.
       
Perhaps the most unpredictable District in the state---17-3A---remained true to form with China Spring setting up a potential logjam in the next couple weeks with a 31-25 win over Robinson. Cougar quarterback Dustin Eskew had a hand in four scores, including a TD pass to stellar wideout Mike Hicks.
     
Powerful LaVega stayed on track with an impressive 56-6 rout of rebuilding Gatesville, which entered the '07 campaign with just one returning starter.
     
Also in 17-3A, the Connally Cadets kept pace with Friday's winners by blasting Lorena 52-12.
     
Farther east, Fairfield defeated Groesbeck 30-16 in a matchup of hard-luck 3A clubs.
     
In other scores as CentexFootball.com approached its Saturday AM deadline:
     
*Crawford bounced back to humble Hamilton 33-12.
     
*Brownwood further solidified itself as a top 4A contender with a 48-19 victory over Waco University.
     
*Normangee, one of the State's hottest Class A programs, eased past Axtell 38-7.
       
*McGregor shut out Moody 40-0 and Chilton bested Hubbard 29-7.
       
* And Waco High, No. 4 in State 4A ranks, blanked Killeen 42-0 to headline Thursday's action.

'TALK THE TALK' ABOUT WEEK 8!

Roughly halfway through the new TV season popular entertainment icon Marie Osmond, overcome by fatigue and pressure, fainted and collapsed on the stage of Dancing With The Stars.
    
Fortunately, the former teen pop star was fine.
    
But despite a game effort by Osmond and her samba partner, judges awarded the duo a barely passing grade.
    
Others on the hit show enjoyed higher marks.
    
Much the same situation is being played out midway through the Centex high school football season with just eight weeks remaining before most State grid titles are decided.
    
As October comes to a close, there have been some collapses---much like Osmond's---while other area programs seem poised to dance on toward the big prize.
    
One thing, though, is for certain. No one will simply waltz to the 16-4A crown.
    
Preseason No. 1 pick Copperas Cove stumbled against District rival Brownwood (then ranked 10th) while Waco High suffered a string of injuries in the early going but this week stands 6-1 overall and has reclaimed the No. 4 spot it held coming out of spring workouts.
    
Killeen, likewise a 16-4A power, also received votes in this week's Texas AP High School Football Poll.
    
None of this comes as a surprise to veteran Cove head coach Jack Welch, who in June envisioned a Fantastic Four look to the 16-4A loop.
    
He was especially concerned then with WHS and its stellar running back Jarred Salubi. Salubi, among the Lions' walking wounded earlier this fall, has since returned to action and in tandem with Bronshae Dugas forms one of the most potent ground attacks in the state.
    
The stretch run in 16-4A should draw the kind of attention that would make any TV producer envious.
    
There shouldn't be any lack of drama in 17-3A, either. That's where the LaVega Pirates, picked third by some forecasters going in, have delivered a flawless script.
     
LaVega, despite not having the services early of superb backs Kourtney and Chris Parr and nearly losing wideout/defensive back Justin Fuller to transfer, has bolted to a 7-0 start and sits atop the always unpredictable 17-3A standings.
    
The Pirates enter Friday's action ranked No. 7 among State 3A contenders.
    
Chris Parr, whom LaVega mentor Willie Williams calls a "home run threat," has certainly delivered in the clutch since his return.  The 5-9, 185-pound sophomore has proved both explosive and durable, able to elude defenders in the open field and take hits when running between the tackles.
    
Kourtney Parr, who like Chris is coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season, has bolstered the Modocs with a steady, workmanlike performance.
    
Junior quarterback Danzel Wilson might well be the most important weapon in the Pirate arsenal. He has shown thus far an ability to move the chains through the air and with fancy footwork on scrambles.
    
And speaking of scrambles, it's a mad scramble that appears in the making for the District 22-2A championship.
    
Defending State titleist Mart and returning playoff teams Marlin and Teague are all undefeated in District play going into the final three weeks of the regular season campaign.
     
The head-to-head matches between that trio, including a Mart-Marlin pairing in November at Waco ISD Stadium, will determine crucial postseason seeding---much as was the case a year ago.
     
Mart currently holds down the No. 1 slot in 2A, while Teague is ranked eighth, just ahead of unbeaten Salado, another major player in the Centexfootball.com coverage area.
     
Marlin, always noted for playing a difficult pre-District schedule, also received votes in the most recent State 2A polling.
     
Class A Bremond, rated No. 3 entering the season, has suffered a couple missteps but remains in the Top Ten (No. 9) and a definite championship contender thanks to a senior dominated lineup.
      
Surprising Meridian and Valley Mills, a State semifinalist last season, both out of 13-1A, have also impressed pollsters thus far.
     
The question thus remains, with so much star quality to draw from, just who will be dancing for joy come December.

Political exit pollers can only wish they were as accurate as CentexFootball.com readers.
       
Over 70 per cent of respondents predicted La Vega would defeat 17-3A rival Robinson Friday night in the website's featured Game of the Week.
     
And the result on the field was just as lopsided.
     
La Vega slammed the door on any demands for a recount with a convincing 35-0 shutout victory over the Rockets as multi-talented Chris Parr ran 16 times for 148 yards and was on the receiving end of two passes.
     
One of Parr's gains went for 59 yards and a score in the pivotal third period, when La Vega broke open what had been a closely-fought defensive struggle.
     
And, as is the case with any successful political campaign, there were plenty other reasons for the landslide.
     
Take La Vega quarterback Danzel Wilson, for instance.
     
The composed Wilson wrote yet another chapter on a season that speaks volumes for both his leadership and versatility.
       
The Pirate signal caller completed five of seven tosses for 73 yards and a score, plus ran 10 times for 67 more yards and another trip to paydirt for the victors.
       
He also served occasionally as lead blocker on Pirate head coach Willie Wilson's vaunted toss sweep.
       
Nor can Kourtney Parr's contribution be overlooked. He ground out 98 hard-earned yards on 11 attempts, one of which was a TD dash from midfield midway through the third stanza.
       
Coach Williams was likewise bolstered by outstanding line play and fine efforts from receivers Justin Fuller and Michael Bigelow.
       
Bigelow hauled in a 17-yard Wilson TD strike, while Fuller, who nearly transferred to Mart last summer, led the Pirate air corps with two grabs.
       
Speaking of Mart, the defending 2A State champs escaped Riesel Friday with a 35-7 victory that was much more competitive than the final score indicates.
       
The upset-minded Indians controlled the clock much of the first half, allowing the explosive Panthers just two series before intermission.
       
Ultimately, MHS would score on five of its six possessions as Lee McClendon ran for 169 yards and three scores and completed eight of 11 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.
       
Riesel moved the chains and the clock much of the night thanks to yeoman work by fullback Dusty Keller. Keller ran 24 times for 147 yards.
       
The Tribe converted five fourth down attempts in the first half, one being a 26-yard TD pass from Braden Embrey to Heston Krumnow.
       
While Riesel was thwarted in its upset bid, surprising Killeen wasn't.
       
Killeen edged Brownwood 25-22 Friday, just one week after BHS had shocked then-No. 1 Copperas Cove.
       
Elsewhere in 16-4A, results were a little more true to form. No. 5 Waco High eased past Midway 28-3, spoiling the much anticipated debut at WISD Stadium against his former school by Panther running back John Hubert.
       
Hubert managed 44 yards on 23 carries against a Lion stop unit once again ranked among the state's best.
       
Nor did Midway quarterback Todd Galesmann, continuing his comeback from an early season wrist injury, find much luck through the air. He finished with four completions in 13 tries, netting 42 yards.
       
The night instead belonged to Waco High's defense and the Lions' backfield tandem of Bronshae'Keon Dugas and Jarred Salubi.
       
Dugas ran for a game-best 109 yards and two TDs on 15 attempts. Salubi, who has likewise fought the injury bug, reached paydirt once and gained 81 yards on 15 carries.
       
Out in the 'burbs, China Spring was paired against Lorena in another intriguing 17-3A matchup. The Cougars, 5-1 going in, seemed on paper far superior to 1-5 Lorena.
       
But China Spring was without starting quarterback Dustin Eskew, one of the state's top passers, in the early going, as well as three other starters.
       
Even so, it was an omenous Bell that tolled for Lorena.
       
Backup Cougar quarterback Brian Bell stepped in ably for Eskew and helped deliver the knockout blow in a 23-6 China Spring victory.
       
Bell, who likely will be the next of a long line of stellar Cougar quarterbacks, was 14 of 24 through the air for 147 yards with TD passes to Mike Hicks and Reece Meador.
       
Eskew came on in the second half to fire a 51-yard scoring toss to Hicks.
       
The Cougar defense also got in on the act by recording an early safety.
       
This week's 17-3A slate got off to an early start with Connally's 49-6 win Thursday night over youthful Gatesville. The Thursday date was necessary since Connally, due to campus construction, is playing its home games at Floyd Casey Stadium. And Casey was booked early Saturday for the Baylor-Texas Big 12 clash.
       
In other area 3A games, Mexia romped past Fairfield 35-7 and Groesbeck, still reeling from its heartbreaking loss the previous week to the Blackcats, was blanked 27-0 by Adrian Peterson's alma mater, Palestine High.
       
Completing the area's grid menu as CentexFootball.com approached deadline:
       
*Copperas Cove rebounded from its upset loss to Brownwood and bested Waco University 48-21.
       
*McGregor edged Hamilton, a post-season entrant last year, 20-14.
       
*Pre-season playoff picks Marlin and Bremond both won big. Marlin shut out Buffalo 41-0 in District 22-2A play. Bremond whitewashed District foe Axtell 35-0.
       
*Teague routed Centerville 51-7 and Leon topped Elkhart 22-13 in a pair of 22-2A encounters.
       
*Clifton emerged a 13-6 winner over Crawford, heretofore a regular part of the post-season mix.
       
*Hubbard outdueled Dawson 39-26, and Waco Reicher trounced Lubbock Christian 52-0.

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