The Cooldown: Week 12
Cover Photo courtesy of The Houston Chronicle.
Week 12 saw plenty of intriguing games as the small schools kicked off the playoffs while some big schools had district championships on the line. A handful of final scores caught my eye and I’ll recap three of those games before a brief note on the other games that stood out to me. Then, as always, we’ll look ahead to week 13 games.
Katy bounces back in a big way
Katy might’ve lost a district game for the first time in 12 years but the Tigers weren’t about to turn that into a district losing streak for the first time since… well, your guess is as good as mine.
Coming into the season, I projected Taylor to finish third in the district; that prediction will hold true. However, I thought the Mustangs had an outside shot at a district title; that they would be the ones to potentially upset Katy instead of Tompkins. The Mustangs returned 14 starters – the most in the district – from a state semifinals squad last season. That’s where I was wrong.
Like every other game, Katy got it done on the ground. Seth Davis ran the ball 14 times for 107 yards and a score while Jalen Davis went for 124 yards and a score on 17 carries. Three of Caleb Koger’s eight completions went for touchdowns as the sophomore racked up 172 yards on 8-for-18 passing. The Tigers also won the turnover battle with Bobby Taylor and Hamilton McMartin coming up with an interception each. All that led to a dominating 41-13 win.
Tompkins has all but locked up the district title but Katy is still likely to be a one-seed. If Seven Lakes beats Cinco Ranch next week, Katy will be the top seed in 6A Division II, a generally easier path than Division I.
I’m not saying this is likely to happen, but… if you squint hard enough, you can start to see another Katy-Cedar Hill showdown in Arlington for the 6A Division II state championship.
Manvel knocks off Foster for 10-5A DI title
All season long, Manvel or Foster was the question to ask when deciding a district champion in 10-5A DI and the Mavs answered emphatically.
Manvel opened up a promising 31-21 halftime lead before using a 28-point third quarter to pull away. The Mavs held Foster to just seven second-half points to come out on top 66-28.
Gabriel Larry was excellent all night for Manvel, going for 189 yards and two scores on 12-for-16 passing and another 61 yards and an additional touchdown on the ground. De’Monte Seymore thrived as well, rushing for 145 yards and two scores on just 11 carries. Jordon Vaughn topped that with 116 yards and two scores on four carries. Manvel out-rushed Foster 498-217 which turned out to be the difference in the game.
Foster got a good night on the ground from AJ Prowell, who finished with 113 yards and a score on 11 carries. Philip Amy threw for 143 yards and a touchdown on 14-for-27, but also threw three interceptions. Cody Jackson was the leading receiver, catching seven balls for 72 yards.
Manvel takes the 10-5A DI title with the big win and asserts itself as one of the top contenders to win a state championship. Manvel entered the week ranked No. 6 in the state while Foster clocked in at No. 5. A playoff showdown between the two could be imminent with the winner advancing to the state semifinals.
Bellville races past Hardin-Jefferson, into round two
There’s no time of the year better than the TXHSFB playoffs. As stated by Greg Tepper, it is (in a normal year, of course) the largest elimination round of any playoffs in any sport anywhere in the world. Bellville survived the long odds of making it to round two in Texas.
Of course, it helps when you have a guy like Richard Reese. The speedy junior went for a whopping 265 yards and six (six!!!!) touchdowns on just 12 carries. The Brahmas didn’t even need to rely on fellow talented junior Robert Briggs to get the win in this one; Briggs finished with 36 rushing yards and 55 receiving yards.
Needless to say, the Brahmas rolled 41-10 and will face Salado in round two. Salado didn’t play last week and advanced past Rusk by virtue of a forfeit, so Bellville will have the advantage of having played last week. Looking ahead, the Brahmas will be faced with the daunting task of taking on No. 1 Carthage with a win. The defending champs play Silsbee this week.
Other Notable Games
- West Brook holds on against Kingwood, 40-28
- The Woodlands sprint past Grand Oaks, 52-17
- Langham Creek out-lasts Cy Falls 56-49, in overtime
- Marshall dominates Willowridge in big rivalry game, 56-0
- Silsbee, Sealy pick up blowout wins in round one of 4A DII playoffs
- Shadow Creek tamps down Pearland, 20-6
- Clear Springs upsets Dickinson, 59-48
- Atascocita survives shootout with C.E. King, 28-24
- Another long district win-streak is over: Heights snaps Lamar’s 72-game district win streak with 22-21 win
- Seven Lakes upends Mayde Creek 38-26 to move a step closer to securing a playoff spot
- Klein Collins survives Klein 31-24 to keep itself in the 15-6A playoff race
- Magnolia takes down rival Magnolia West, 21-14
- Memorial beats Cy Creek, 17-7
- Klein Cain impresses against Klein Oak with 37-23 win
- Stafford, El Campo pick up big blowout wins to advance in playoffs
What to Watch for: Week 13
Games denoted by asterisks at the top of this list are Thursday night games; ones at the bottom are Saturday games. Here are the best games week 13 has to offer.
- *C.E. King will look to challenge North Shore as 21-6A playoff seeding takes shape
- *Heights takes on Sam Houston after coming off historic upset
- College Park and Oak Ridge battle for playoff position
- Langham Creek and Cy Park battle for final playoff spot in 16-6A
- Seven Lakes looks to clinch a playoff berth against Cinco Ranch
- Klein Oak looks to solidify playoff spot against Klein
- Katy Paetow takes on Angleton in 10-5A DI action
- Crosby looks to inch closer to a district title against Port Neches-Groves
- The top two teams in 10-5A DII matchup as Huntsville takes on Lake Creek
- 4A Division I playoff action includes Huffman-Hargrave vs Brazosport and El Campo vs Kilgore
- 4A Division II has the aforementioned Bellville-Salado and Silsbee-Carthage matchups, as well as Sealy-Center in round two action.
- *Conroe fights for its playoff life against The Woodlands
- *Cy Creek looks to bounce back against Jersey Village