The Cooldown: Week 2
The non-district slate is often a good indicator of how to calibrate expectations for teams come district play. Week two offered several new, interesting data points, some of which were perhaps at odds with what we saw in week one.
With some teams already done with non-district and others only halfway through, let’s discuss a few of those calibration-type games, hand out a player-of-the-week award and preview next weeks’ best games as well.
Willis dominates against Klein Collins
Perhaps the most interesting calibration game happened on Thursday night.
A week after beating a now 0-2 Aldine Davis squad by just a touchdown, Willis thrashed a typically consistent Klein Collins program that was seen as potentially one of the better teams in the area in the preseason. The Wildkats were dominant on both sides of the ball in the 40-7 win.
Quarterback Jack Emerson had it going all night. He finished an efficient 22-of-29 passing for 345 yards and two touchdowns. Dynamic athlete Jermaine Bishop caught both touchdown passes as part of his 5-catch, 159-yard night, and he tacked on a punt returned for a touchdown as well.
Terri Lawrence led the team in rushing with 45 yards and a touchdown on just five carries, and Daylion Robinson accounted for the other Wildkat rushing score. Willis only ran the ball 11 times total.
That result is jarring for a Klein Collins team that lost a competitive season opener against a solid College Station squad. Obviously Willis is no slouch, but I don’t think anyone expected a blowout of that proportion.
Willis is already into district play, where the Kats will be a heavy favorite against Caney Creek next week. Not to look ahead, but Willis faces The Woodlands the following week in a game I’m already looking forward to. Klein Collins also kicks off district play next week against a program who might be in a similar spot. Tomball, typically a pretty good team, is 2-0, but with close, come-from-behind wins against “okay” teams. That game may set the tone for the rest of the season for each program.
Fulshear proves it belongs in 6A
Another game where expectations have to be calibrated a little took place between Ridge Point, an established 6A power in Houston, and a team finding its legs in 6A in Fulshear. Consider the legs to be found.
Fulshear took down a really good Ridge Point squad on the road, 49-41. This game was played almost entirely on the ground. Fulshear attempted just four passes while Ridge Point attempted 13. But each team eclipsed 260 yards on the ground with Fulshear going for a whopping 561 rushing yards. The Chargers, true to their name, had two 200-yard rushers. Zane Smith ran for 211 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries, while Patrick Broadway carried 24 times for 248 yards and two scores.
For Ridge Point, quarterback Austin Carlisle was the show. He finished 6-of-13 passing, but those six completions went for 146 yards and a touchdown. Two of his seven incompletions were interceptions. Carlisle also added 199 yards and three more touchdowns on the ground. Dane Jones caught two passes for 56 yards while Robert Haynes hauled in two passes for 73 yards and Carlisle’s touchdown through the air.
Teams moving up from the 5A level to 6A can be a mixed bag, and many struggle. Fulshear, however, has a serious chance to run the table after beating state-ranked Ridge Point, which may be the toughest team the Chargers face all season. Fulshear is already up to No. 15 in the state, with only five area teams ranked ahead of them. The Chargers might be the most impressive team of the young season so far.
Marshall takes down Dallas Skyline
After Strake Jesuit traveled up to Euless to take on Trinity, Fort Bend Marshall and North Shore wrapped up the DFW-Houston regular season slate in week two with a pair of wins – giving Houston a 2-1 record over DFW in the regular season.
Like Fulshear-Ridge Point, this game was won on the ground. Marshall quarterback Kaeden Johnson finished just 6-of-18 passing for 93 yards and two interceptions, but Johnson did add 107 rushing yards and two scores in the 28-14 win. Dazjohn Taylor ran for an additional 89 yards and the Buffs’ other two touchdowns.
The Buffs’ defense was impressive, limiting Skyline to one offensive touchdown, 29 passing yards and 166 total yards in the win. While Skyline isn’t a particularly good team, this was a showdown between a 5A-Division II team in Marshall, and a 6A team in Skyline. In many cases, the talent difference between those levels is enough to where not-great 6A teams often still beat teams in 5A-II.
Now 2-0, Marshall moved up a spot in the state rankings to No. 7 after the win against Skyline. The Buffs get Crosby next week before a titanic district showdown with No. 6 Richmond Randle.
Player of the Week
My player-of-the-week award goes to a player who exemplified what it means to be a dual-threat weapon against a state-ranked opponent.
Cardae Mack, typically a running back, went for 111 yards and a touchdown on the ground against Katy in a 41-28 win. Because Atascocita starts Tory Blaylock at running back, great in his own right, Mack mostly plays at quarterback for the Eagles. So in addition to that 100+-yard rushing night, Mack added 245 yards and three more touchdowns passing to his total.
Accounting for 356 yards and four touchdowns against a state-ranked opponent on the road is POTW-worthy every time. Cardae Mack is my player-of-the-week!
What to Watch for
Tomball (2-0) at Klein Collins (0-2) – Thursday
With a weaker Thursday night slate, this game should have your attention. As I mentioned above, the winner will feel some optimism for the outlook at their remaining schedule while the loser will be facing some tough questions. Can Tomball beat a quality opponent; will it be another close game? Can Klein Collins bounce back from a drubbing and prove they’re still the top dog in 15-6A? We’re going to find out.
Cy-Fair (1-1) at Dickinson (0-2) – Friday
This is another game between two proud programs who are off to difficult starts (not to totally throw Tomball in there; they’re 2-0). Cy-Fair got boat-raced in the opener by Klein Cain before bouncing back for a shutout win against a pretty hapless Cy Park squad. Dickinson, meanwhile narrowly lost its opener to state-ranked Katy before falling 28-14 against a good C.E. King team last week. Either Cy-Fair will be 1-2 without a quality win, or Dickinson will be 0-3. One of these teams will face a difficult reality on Saturday morning.
Katy Jordan (2-0) at Katy Tompkins (1-1) – Friday
Jordan has gotten off to a blazing start – outscoring its opponents 107-20 so far. Though the competition hasn’t been great, Jordan has still displayed it is an offensive force to be reckoned with. Tompkins has played tougher comp. The Falcons beat Cy Ranch by a point before losing to an explosive Bridgeland squad 41-24 last week. This week is a chance for the Falcons to gain some redemption against an equally explosive unit at Jordan, who is favored in this game. As a district opener, this should be a good one.
Ridge Point (1-1) at Bridgeland (2-0) – Saturday
This one is officially on banger alert. Bridgeland is ranked No. 14 in the state while Ridge Point checks in at No. 19 – its lone loss to No. 15 Fulshear. We saw (and recapped) what a great game that was – now Ridge Point gets to take on the team one spot ahead of Fulshear in the state rankings. Bridgeland presents a different challenge, with a dynamic passing game opposed to Fulshear’s rushing attack. This is game-of-the-week material. I’m excited to see if Bridgeland solidifies itself as a state title contender, or if Ridge Point can bounce back and beat a similarly ranked team after a close loss last week.