A season marked by explosive plays and exciting victories. A season marked by tragedy and loss. A season full of inspiration and hope.

The Texas High Tigers, despite a rough start to the season, are riding high as winners of five straight heading in the postseason. They begin their playoff march in 5A Division 1 in the bi-district round against the defending state champion Highland Park Scots (9-1 overall, 6-0 district) at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Saturday.

The Tigers (7-3, 5-1) opened the season with three hard-fought defeats coupled by the sudden death of senior Leonard Parks. With him in mind, the offense has been rejuvenated in recent weeks averaging nearly 44 points per game with a more balanced attack.

“Each of these five wins has seen us improve in all aspects of the game,” head coach Gerry Stanford said. “Getting better each week and building confidence will be key to a postseason run.”

Much emphasis in the recent success has been placed on the confidence of the team and lots of practice in order to enhance their overall performance.

“Just normal practice has been critical for the upcoming playoff game,” senior Tevailance Hunt said. “We come out everyday working hard taking practice day by day and get ready for the playoffs knowing that we need to come out with our heads on strong.”

The Tigers will not have it easy to start their playoff run, however, as their opponent just so happens to be fresh off of a state title. Highland Park has continued their dominance this season as district champions despite many new faces.

“Every team is different, and every year is different, but the strength of our team has been our senior leadership.” Scots coach Randy Allen said. “We lost a lot of experience on defense from last year, but getting our opponents at their best has allowed for new starters to gain confidence.”

The Scots have high hopes for the postseason, but Allen still is preparing his team for tough matchup against the Tigers.

“We respect the great coaching job of Coach Stanford and his staff,” Allen said, “and we see an improving Texas High team with lots of talent and speed.”

Both teams have each had their spurts of greatness as kings of friday night lights. These two Texas high school football powerhouses share high aspirations that will either come to fruition or bite the dust this weekend.