The Cooldown: Three Thoughts on Week One
Cover Photo via The Old Coach / @ijvisualz_ on Twitter
Each week on Monday Morning Quarterback, we'll review some of the top storylines in the area. Week one was chalk-full of good storylines, and we'll look at the best three of those, with an eye toward week two.
1. North Shore stunned by Katy
This game was an upset that not many expected. Katy is perennially one of the top teams in the state, but North Shore brought back nearly everyone from a team who was named Maxpreps National Champions last season. USA Today had the Mustangs ranked No. 2 in their national "Super 25"
The Tigers pulled off the upset after another masterclass coaching job from legend Gary Jospeh. After amassing 222 yards and 21 points in the first half, North Shore was held to a grand total of six (!!!) yards in the second half. That may be one of the most impressive performances we see all season out of a defense.
The Katy offense had just enough to come back and pull the upset. The Tigers scored 17 unanswered points to pull the upset after an impressive performance from transfer running back Ron Hoff. It will be interesting to see how Katy follows up the win now that they are perhaps the most hyped team in Houston, which leads me to storyline No. 2...
2. Atascocita Dominates
After a thrilling win over North Shore, Katy will have to turn around and take on Atascocita in week two. The Eagles are fresh off a 69-7 pummeling of Katy Taylor, and will be hungry to get their first ever win over the Tigers.
These two met last year following Katy's 35-21 loss to North Shore, and the Tigers bounced back by beating Atascocita 31-28, albeit in a come-from-behind victory.
It is easy to assume Katy might ride the high and have a little bit of a let down in week two, but don't count on it with Joseph at the helm. There is a reason he has lost less than 30 of his 230+ career games.
Check out a small sampling of Atascocita's dominant win below. Expect Atascocita to come out motivated in our week two game of the week. Even fresh off a win against the No. 2 team in the nation, Katy could be on upset alert.
3. Dickinson routs George Ranch
The Gators got in a nice tune up against George Ranch with a 51-14 win. Again looking forward to week two, Dickinson will travel to DFW power Allen.
Many know Allen to have potentially the best atmosphere in high school sports. The Eagles have made it to at least the state semifinals in each of the last seven seasons, so fans expect dominance. In a state as talent-rich as Texas, that's no easy feat to make the final four out of 100+ schools in 6A Division I for seven years running. But believe it or not, scheduling Allen was smart on the part of coach John Snelson.
Dickinson will once again have what might be one of the toughest playoff roads in America. They could start with Pearland, followed by North Shore, Katy, the winner of Cy-Fair and Atascocita, Judson, and the winner of Allen and Duncanville at state. The Gators would-be playoff road in 2018 finished with a combined 57-2 regular season record; the two losses were to teams who had played each other on that list.
Scheduling Allen on the road in the perfect litmus test for Snelson's squad. They get the experience of playing in a tough environment against one of the top teams in the state. If they can beat Allen, watch out for the Gators come playoff time.
We'll be up in DFW to bring you live highlights and updates of this game from our Twitter account as well.