The Cooldown: Week 13
First things first — Happy Thanksgiving! This holiday is truly one of the best, at least in my opinion. Wishing everyone a holiday full of food, family and football.
Let’s recap the area round, name a player-of-the-week and preview the best Black Friday (and Saturday) playoff games.
Willis survives against Tomball
Willis hasn’t had much trouble winning any game this year, except for a September thriller against The Woodlands, a fellow state ranked team. The Wildkats found themselves in a little bit of unfamiliar territory in what was a scrappy game throughout against Tomball. It came down to the final seconds, but Willis was able to advance with a 28-24 win after breaking up a pass in the end zone on the final play of the game.
Jack Emerson finished 25-of-34 passing for 283 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, and he was also the Wildkats leading rusher with 87 yards on seven carries. Jermaine Bishop caught 14 passes for 175 yards and two scores.
Bishop also made a controversial hit on Tomball quarterback Jaxyn Faldyn, who left the game on a cart. Though Bishop didn’t have bad intentions and was successful in stopping Faldyn just short of the end zone (and apologized to Faldyn on Twitter after the game), it was tough to see the Cougars’ leader on a stretcher. The good news is Faldyn is just a junior and will be back next season.
Faldyn finished 4-of-6 passing for 56 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for 36 yards as well. Brock Taylor took over at quarterback and finished 8-of-16 passing for 90 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
The Cougars largely struggled in the run game. Faldyn was the leading rusher and Oswaldo Morales ran five times for 18 yards and a touchdown. Hunter Rathke was the leading receiver with two catches for 68 yards and two touchdowns.
Willis moves on to a rematch against DeSoto in round three. Though DeSoto is still one of the best teams in the state, the Eagles aren’t quite as good this year as they were last year. DeSoto will be favored, but Willis is more likely to pull off an upset this year than it was last year. It should be a good game on Saturday night, and I’ll be providing live coverage of the game on the IHSS Houston Twitter feed.
La Porte runs past Barbers Hill
La Porte has established itself as one of the most dominant rushing teams in the area this season, and the Bulldogs used the ground game again to move on to round three.
La Porte’s rushing attack was led by players on opposite ends of the classification spectrum. Tyresse Barnes is a senior who finished with 14 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Sean Simon carried the ball 17 times for 172 yards and three scores. Between those two, it was game, set, match. No other player accounted for more than 50 yards. Junior running back Alijah Bright tacked on the other Bulldog touchdown.
The Bulldogs have now ripped off nine straight wins since an 0-3 start. They’ll face 12-0 A&M Consolidated next in what will be their toughest and most important game of the season. The two share a common opponent from the regular season in Austin Anderson. La Porte beat Anderson 42-21 while A&M Consolidated beat Anderson 56-28 – comparable results. A&M Consolidated beat Galveston Ball 10-3 in the area round to advance. This should be a good game and La Porte has a decent shot at pulling off an upset.
Jordan collects its second-ever Gold Ball
Jordan entered its third season of football in school history with one playoff appearance and no playoff wins. The Warriors lost their lone playoff game in school history to Hightower in the bi-district round last season. Now, Jordan is moving onto round three with two gold footballs to its name after a 31-10 win against Stratford.
Dominic Cangolosi was efficient, completing 14 of his 17 passes for 139 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He spread the ball around pretty evenly to four different receivers, with Landon Williams catching the lone touchdown pass as part of his four-catch, 41-yard performance. Tanner West was the leading receiver with five catches for 57 yards.
West, however, did a lot more than that. He carried the Warrior offense with 23 carries for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Though Zion Jones had just six carries, Jones and West have been one of the area’s best running back duos this season. Typically, Jones is the one leading the way, but West stepped up when his team needed him.
Jordan entered the season with a combined school record of 12-9. Now, it will last year’s state runner-up Summer Creek in round three. Summer Creek will be a big favorite in this game, but Jordan has shown the ability to score a lot of points. The Warriors scored 40+ points in five games this season. Defense is Summer Creek’s strength, so it might take a big effort for Jordan to keep up. Nevertheless, it’s been a highly successful season for Jordan.
Player of the Week
My player-of-the-week has been carrying his team all season, and done so in an under-the-radar fashion.
Strake Jesuit is 9-3 after a 1-2 start to the season with a pair of double digit losses. Now, after a 36-15 win against Heights on Saturday, the Crusaders are moving onto round three.
John Hebert racked up 251 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries. Two of his rushing touchdowns came from 80 yards and 90 yards out. He even had a touchdown pass wiped off the board thanks to a somewhat suspect ineligible man downfield penalty. I spoke to Crusaders coach Donovan Fikac after the game about what Hebert has meant to his team this season.
“Johnny Hebert, he’s special,” Fikac said. “He’s a guy that’s first to come in, last to leave; he’s in the weight room. But again, he’s quiet, the work ethic is there but he’s really selfless and he’s a workhorse. I’m proud of him, his growth and the leadership skills that he’s possessed. He gives (all the credit) to his offensive line and quarterback.”
Next up is a third round date with Kingwood in what might be one of the more evenly matched games in the area this weekend. With a win, Strake Jesuit will reach 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2019. Even with a loss, Strake Jesuit hasn’t won more than four games in a season since going 10-2 in 2019.
Hebert has helped restore a program that has spent four successive seasons with a losing record. For that and his massive performance against Heights, John Hebert is my player-of-the-week!
What to Watch for
Atascocita (11-1) vs. Fulshear (12-0) – Friday
Fulshear opened the season with a 19-12 win against Pearland on Aug. 29. That was the last time the Chargers scored less than 40 points in a game. However, the Chargers have allowed 47 and 48 points in their first two playoff games against Katy Paetow and Lamar. Atascocita has an explosive running game just like Fulshear. This one could quickly become a track meet shootout. I doubt there will be a way to know for sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if these teams set the record for most combined rushing yards in a game this season.
North Shore (12-0) vs. Katy (11-1) – Friday
Katy’s lone loss this season came back on Sept. 6 against… Atascocita, 41-24. Of course, North Shore also played Atascocita and won it with a last second touchdown, 27-23. That game could’ve done either way. That tells me Katy should be competitive here, but North Shore is still the favorite – even without the championship pedigree that make the Mustangs the favorite in every game until proven otherwise. With Atascocita getting Fulshear, both the Eagles and North Shore will face highly competitive opponents before their potential showdown in the Region III finals. North Shore and Atascocita are each favored, but it won’t be a total shock if either loses.
Bridgeland (11-1) vs. Waxahachie (9-3) – Saturday
Bridgeland has a chance to make its second-ever appearance in the regional finals with a win against Waxahachie this weekend. These two teams have four combined losses, each to teams ranked in the top 13 in the state. Bridgeland lost to No. 13 Ridge Point, while Waxahachie lost to No. 1 Duncanville, No. 6 DeSoto and No. 8 Coppell. This game should be pretty evenly matched and I’m excited to see who comes out on top.
Willis (12-0) vs. DeSoto (10-2) – Saturday
I won’t go too heavy on this preview because I did mention it above, but I think Willis has a real shot here. The Wildkats were big underdogs last season against a DeSoto team that I think had a real claim to be National Champions. That’s a mythical award of course, but several outlets still crown a high school national champion. DeSoto is still extremely talented, but they’re not as good as last year. Willis might be a little better. The Wildkats have to travel to DFW for this one, which is certainly not ideal. Either way, this game should be a good one and I’m excited to attend in person.