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Tuesday, September 30, 1997

La Marque still No. 1 in 4A despite loss

By JAIME ARON AP Sports Writer

DALLAS (AP) - There's certainly no shame in being three points worse than Class 5A's top-ranked Tyler John Tyler. When that team is from Class 4A, such a loss is considered quite an accomplishment.

Voters in The Associated Press high school football poll took all that into consideration and kept La Marque atop 4A in the ranking released Monday despite a 35-32 loss last Friday night.

Never before has a No. 1 team lost and held onto the top spot. That's just another first to come from the first game between No. 1 teams from different classes.

While La Marque's non-movement is the highlight of this week's poll, there was plenty of movement in 5A and 2A as newcomers took over the eighth through 10th spots in both classes.

Lufkin, Beaumont West Brook and San Antonio Churchill moved into the 5A poll, replacing Fort Bend Dulles, Converse Judson and North Mesquite.

The seasonlong merry-go-round in the 2A rankings continued with defending champion Iraan falling out along with Rosebud-Lott and Stamford. Garrison, Stanton, Lexington and Quanah took their place.

The 4A, 3A and 1A lists barely changed.

That's not usually the case when a ranked team loses, even if it is to a ranked team from a bigger class.

In the only other such game this year, Burkeville dropped from No. 7 out of the 1A poll after losing 55-0 to 2A No. 5 Alto.

La Marque proved to be the exception because of its exceptional play against John Tyler. The three-point margin of victory was John Tyler's smallest of the year (the closest had been 11) and the 32 points for La Marque were nine more than JT had allowed in its other three games combined.

The performance convinced 15 of the 20 voters from around the state to keep La Marque at No. 1. The Cougars had 19 first-place votes last week.

Second-ranked Denison, which has lost to La Marque in 4A title games the last two years, received four first-place votes and No. 3 Sweetwater was No. 1 on one ballot.

John Tyler actually lost one of its first-place votes, going from 16 to 15 but still holding a comfortable lead over No. 2 Austin Westlake.

JT will be challenged several more times this season. The Lions are in District 12-5A with No. 3 Longview and No. 8 Lufkin and district teams are a cumulative 21-3 this season.Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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