The Cooldown: Week 4
This edition of The Cooldown is going to be unlike any previous edition in this blog’s six seasons of existence. I believe, for the first time, I’ll be recapping a game from three different classifications — 6A, 5A and 4A — and naming two POTW’s from the same team.
Week four is a popular bye week throughout the state, but it still had some great games around the area. Let’s dive in.
Cy Springs keeps rolling
Cy Springs continued its impressive start to the season with a big 31-16 win against Cy Ranch. Looking at the way the district sets up, I think this make Cy Springs a favorite to land a spot in the top two of the standings come season’s end.
Quarterback Jared Hagger finished 17-of-33 passing for 250 yards, a touchdown and an interception. It wasn’t his most efficient game, but it was explosive. His completions went for an average of more than 14 yards.
Known commodity Paris Melvin Jr. again showed how versatile he is. Melvin Jr. ran for 150 yards and three touchdowns on just 23 carries, and also hauled in 161 yards and another score on eight receptions.
Cy Ranch wasn’t very explosive in the passing game, but the rushing attack was a different story. Peyton Thomas ripped off 122 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Cy Ranch drops to 2-2 (0-1) but I think the Mustangs still have a good shot at a playoff spot. Cy Springs, meanwhile, could be playing a de-facto district championship game in week six against Bridgeland, following a bye week. I think the Bears and the Panthers are the two best teams in the district. Langham Creek and Cy Woods are each 3-0, but have yet to play a district game. Those two along with Cy Ranch will likely be competing for the final two playoff spots.
Shadow Creek picks up an impressive win
Shadow Creek has bounced back with a vengeance following a blowout loss on opening night. The Sharks didn’t score against Summer Creek, but have since scored at least 34 in every game, including a 43-20 win against Manvel last week.
What many expected from Shadow Creek with Hightower transfer Joseph Stewart Jr. running the show at quarterback has finally started to take form. Stewart Jr. finished an efficient 12-of-17 passing for 296 yards and four touchdowns. Chris Stewart caught five of those passes for 132 yards and two scores, while Jacorey Watson caught three passes for 60 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Neither team tan the ball particularly well, though Shadow Creek did tally two rushing touchdowns with George Kirkland and Triston Willis. The Sharks were also able to pull away by winning the turnover battle, picking off Manvel quarterback Cam Renfro twice.
Renfro was otherwise efficient, completing 24 of his 32 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 37 yards and another touchdown. He spread the ball around, with nine different receivers catching a pass.
Both teams should make the playoffs in an otherwise weak district. This game might’ve been the de-facto district championship game, though Pearland might have something to say about that. Those three are the best teams in the district. Dawson has struggled on defense this year, but the Eagles still figure to fit into the final spot with wins over other playoff hopefuls Pasadena Memorial and Dobie.
Bay City wins a thriller over Sealy
It took overtime to decide a winner between Bay City and Sealy in what was one of the best games in the state last week. After Bay City scored first in overtime, Sealy matched the score and decided to go for a two-point conversion instead of kicking a PAT to send the game to a second overtime. The Black Cats stuffed Sealy’s two-point attempt to win it, 35-34.
For Bay City, Alex Estrada finished 13-of-24 passing for 224 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Not terribly efficient, but definitely explosive. Jada Andrews was the leading rusher, tallying 76 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Johnson hauled in three catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns, while Xylan Williams had three catches for 74 yards and the other Estrada touchdown pass.
Even in the loss, Kane Killough might’ve been the player-of-the-game. The Tigers quarterback finished 16-of-27 passing for 144 yards and three touchdowns, and he added 21 carries for 173 yards and another touchdown. Add in Romeo Castillo’s 19 carries for 141 yards and a score, and Sealy dominated on the ground. Elijah Sanders caught nine of Killough’s passes for 75 yards and all three touchdown passes.
Bay City (3-1) is favored in a game against Brazosport before starting district play against Floresville. El Campo is the favorite to win district 15-4AI, but Bay City will absolutely be a factor. Sealy (3-1) is in a similar position. The Tigers are favored in a game against Needville next week before opening district play against Bellville, the favorites by far to win the district. However, Sealy is in good position to make the playoffs in district 11-4AII.
Player of the Week
This weeks’ POTW is plural. That’s rare for this blog, especially with both players being from the same team. I just simply couldn’t decide.
Willis and The Woodlands played the game of the year so far, at least for the Houston area, with Willis coming out on top 45-42. The Wildkats offensive attack largely relied on two players. Jack Emerson finished 24-of-32 for 451 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, and he was also the leading rusher with 47 yards. Jermaine Bishop was the only receiver over 100 yards, and he finished with nine receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns.
Those two dominated in what might as well have been the district championship game. Anything can happen, but Willis (No. 16) and The Woodlands (No. 17) are state ranked and the rest of 13-6A doesn’t seem to pose many challenges.
For that, Jack Emerson and Jermaine Bishop are my players-of-the-week!
What to Watch for
C.E. King (2-1) at Atascocita (3-0) – Thursday
Atascocita enters this game No. 8 in the state, facing a C.E. King team that has been good in recent years and piled up losses to state ranked teams (Atascocita included) in district play. C.E. King suffered an opening night 6-point loss to Spring Westfield, but has since beat a good Dickinson squad and shutout Spring Dekaney. Atascocita should win this game, but it could get interesting and at minimum, it will be a solid test before the Eagles have to face No. 2 North Shore later in the season.
Tomball Memorial (1-2, 0-1) at Klein Cain (3-1, 1-1) – Thursday
As is tradition, 15-6A is a mess and we’ve only made it two weeks into district play. Klein Cain was upset by Klein Oak last week, 33-32. Klein Oak was boat-raced 60-21 by Magnolia the week before, who barely escaped with a 38-33 win against Tomball Memorial last week. Klein Cain should be the favorite in this game, but who even knows anymore. I love it.
Pearland (3-1, 2-0) at Manvel (1-3, 1-1) – Friday
Pearland has bounced back nicely with three straight shutout wins after an opening night loss to now No. 11 Fulshear. At 1-3, Manvel is in the danger zone a little bit. This is a top-heavy district so Manvel will still likely make the playoffs even with a 1-4 start. The Mavs drew the two best teams in the district right off the bat. It will be interesting to see if they can keep it close. Manvel does have the talent to do it.
La Porte (0-3) at Friendswood (1-2) – Friday
Usually, a game between teams that own a combined record of 1-5 is pretty bad football. This game is an exception. It surprised me that La Porte and Friendswood have these respective records, but look at the schedules and you’ll start nodding your head. La Porte has a narrow loss to 6A Deer Park, a narrow loss to 6A Kingwood and a two touchdown loss to defending state champion Port Neches-Groves. Friendswood’s losses are to Fort Bend Marshall and Galveston Ball, each team littered with Power 4 recruits. The loser of this one won’t feel good about adding another loss, but make no mistake – these teams are good. And this should be a great game. I expect both teams to make the playoffs.