A former Texas high school football player pleaded guilty last month to charges he sexually assaulted a former cheerleader, who was kicked off her high school's squad before the player's trial because she refused to cheer for her assaulter.

The strange, twisted tail unfolded in Silsbee, Texas, and when cobbled together from a variety of sources -- including the Associated Press, Beaumont Enterprise and KFDM.com -- it portrays a sad series of events in which a teen was attacked and then lost the sport she loved.

The episode began in 2008, when an unidentified 16-year-old varsity cheerleader at Silsbee High School claimed she was raped at an off-campus party by three members of the Silsbee football team. The victim immediately called police after the incident and was transported to a nearby hospital, where she was administered a rape kit. Of the three men allegedly involved, then 17-year-old Rakheem Bolton and 18-year-old Christian Rountree were charged with second-degree felony sexual

As the season heads toward state playoffs across the nation, big district foes got last shots at heated faceoffs against hated rivals. And how did all those highlighted games from the Weekend Watch shake out? See for yourself below, then see how those results shook up the latest RivalsHigh 100.

• No. 52 West Jones (Miss.) 40, Wayne County 14: The annual rivalry between West Jones and Wayne County is one the most pitched battles in Mississippi, so it was a shock when ranked West Jones rolled up a 40-14 rout on Friday, despite the Mustangs' clearly superior talent. West Jones got out to a dominant start and never looked back, essentially limiting Wayne County to a pair of big plays in a one-sided statement win.

• No. 26 St. Edward (Ohio) 31, Moeller (Ohio) 7: It was enough for Cleveland-area St. Edward to make traditional Ohio power and Catholic brethren Archbishop Moeller travel all the way up from the southern edge of the state to be systematically dismantled, they also did it with

Nothing beats a nice, tropical Friday night under bright lights for high school football fans, right? Not if you're a high school football fan on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, where all games now have to be played on Saturday because of a very surprising culprit: A tiny bird.

According to the Associated Press, all high school football games on the island of Kauai originally scheduled for Friday nights had to be moved to Saturday afternoons this year, following massive death totals for young Newell's shearwater seabirds, which allegedly confused stadium lights for the moon. That confusion would often lead the birds to become disoriented and fall from the sky, making them easy prey for Hawaiian domesticated cats on the ground.

"When they hit the ground, it's usually very hard for them to take off," Hawaii wildlife program manager Scott Fretz told the AP. "They need a breeze or they need a place to launch from. They're just sitting ducks for the cats that are all over the place."

The

Jordin Sparks is an "American Idol." Her father, Phillippi Sparks, started at cornerback for the NFL's Giants in the 1990s. Amazingly, it's possible that neither of them will go down as the most talented member of the Sparks family. That's because the younger Sparks' sibling, 17-year-old P.J., is in the middle of a breakout senior football season that could land him a spot at a Pac-10 school, and all the high-wattage hype that comes with being a West Coast collegiate running back.

To be fair, P.J. -- the letters stand for Phillippi Jr. -- has a long ways to go. Still, the senior back has led Mountain Ridge (Ariz.) High to an impressive 5-2 start entering its Oct. 22 homecoming game, largely based on his 97 yards-per-game rushing and 10 touchdowns. Of those 10, more than one have come on explosive breakaways from midfield, stats borne out by his 7.4 yards-per-rush average.

Those stats got better on Friday, with Sparks' 79-yard touchdown run in the second half helping Mountain Ridge

A group of high school football officials in Washington state were trying to support breast cancer research while working this week's games, so they made a pledge to donate all game checks to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Then, to top off the charitable gesture, they announced they would all use pink whistles during the games. Now there's a chance those whistles could cost the refs a chance to work state playoff games.

According to KING 5 News -- with thanks for the news report above -- and the Associated Press, officials who are part of the Pacific Northwest Football Officials Association who worked games on Thursday night were informed by the chair of the Washington Officials Association that they could face a two-game suspension for using pink whistles. The playoff ban is possible because the colored whistles violate the uniform protocol for state high school officials. Those uniforms allegedly

Less than two months ago, Jeffersonville (Ind.) High School didn't have enough runners to field a boys cross country team. With precious little time to find new recruits, Jeffersonville coach Mark Felix needed a miracle. He got something even better: An enthusiastic Rwandan novice in search of something to smooth the transition from his home country.

According to Matt Koesters of the Jeffersonville (Ind.) Evening News and Tribune, Felix was introduced to Jeffersonville freshman Leonard Kwitonda by Amy Austin, the school's girls cross country coach and a physical education teacher. Austin saw Kwitonda in a handful of different athletic activities in her class and asked him if he had ever run competitively.

It turns out Kwitonda was new to running, but he was hardly new to competition. An emigrant to the U.S. granted asylum because of Rwanda's ever perilous security, Kwitonda first visited the U.S. with the Rwandan National Junior Basketball team. With an uncle living in Jeffersonville,

Hidden touchdown highlights may be our bread and butter, but that doesn't mean we here at Prep Rally don't appreciate a miraculous soccer goal on occasion. Of course, that doesn't mean we aren't going to keep bringing you impressive touchdowns and great plays on the gridiron, either. With that in mind, here's this week's melange of hidden highlights.

• James Quick, Trinity (Kent.) vs. Seneca (Kent.): Told you we'd still showcase great touchdowns. Something tells us this clip, which was the standalone highlight from a 63-14 stomping Trinity put on Louisville Seneca, will be just the first of a handful of great touchdowns we'll see from Quick, who is only a sophomore. Here's some equally terrifying news for other Kentucky football programs: The quarterback who got him the ball -- Travis Wright -- is also just a sophomore.

• Bo Davis, McKinney Boyd (Texas) vs. Naaman Forest (Texas): We can't speak to any certainty of this (after all, we weren't at the game), but limited highlights seem

Sometimes, a team can show just how big it is by remaining gracious in a loss. Last Friday, the coach of an Indiana high school took that adage to an extreme by allowing one of the classiest touchdowns you'll ever see to be scored on his own team.

Last Friday, undefeated Jasper (Ind.) High School was routing Mount Vernon (Ind.) High, 42-21 in the fourth quarter. The scoreline wasn't a huge surprise. The game had gone nearly according to plan for Jasper, which had even found a way to work in the team's most beloved player, senior Zach Beckman. Beckman, a student with Down Syndrome who served as the Jasper team manager for three years, was allowed to be a part of the team during his senior season. His work ethic and Jasper's dominance helped earn Beckman a spot in a handful of plays as a wide receiver on the end of the field away from where a run was headed.

Then, something magical happened. Mount Vernon coach Paul Maier (whose wife is a special