The Cooldown: Week 5
Cover Photo courtesy of The Houston Chronicle.
The big schools kicked off their 2020 campaign last week and we had some excellent week one matchups.
North Shore took on Shadow Creek in a showdown of reigning state champions, with both ranked in the USA Today National top-25. That game might have been the best game on paper in all of America on Friday night. On Thursday night, Klein Cain and Bridgeland got into an offensive shootout and Pearland impressed in an opening night win.
North Shore Makes History
It finally happened folks – Shadow Creek has lost its first-ever regular season game; its first-ever non-state championship game. The Sharks dropped to 31-2 all-time with a 38-21 loss on Friday.
Of course, that’s nothing for Shadow Creek to frown about. North Shore is on the verge of a three-year dynasty that will be remembered with 2010’s Allen and Aledo and 2000’s Southlake Carroll as the best big-school dynasties the state has seen since the turn of the century.
Dematrius Davis kicked off his senior season with a solid performance, finishing 14-for-20 through the air for 197 yards and a score, while adding 78 yards another touchdown on the ground. Charles King hauled in four passes for 115 yards and the Mustangs’ only passing touchdown. With King opposite of Shadrach Banks, Davis at quarterback and Da’Veon Ford excelling at running back, North Shore has one of the most dangerous offenses in the country once again.
Shadow Creek struggled a little bit against a lockdown North Shore defense – but nonetheless, each team should be candidates to make it back to Arlington. I’m interested to see how the Sharks bounce back against an explosive Bridgeland squad next week as Shadow Creek continues to adjust to 6A football.
Bridgeland Wins Offensive Shootout, 49-42
Speaking of Bridgeland, a big reason why I’m intrigued to see its matchup against Shadow Creek next week is because the Bears have one of the best offenses in the area – the Sharks defense will be tested once again.
Bridgeland’s box score offers a lot to digest. Quarterback Conner Weigman dominated the game and announced his presence in the Houston area with an absolutely absurd performance. Weigman finished with 372 yards and three scores against one interception on 26-for-42 through the air. Pretty good right? Well, he was also the Bears leading rusher with 149 yards and three more scores on just 16 carries. That is just absurd.
The game was lost for Klein Cain on turnovers. First-year starter Carson Roper flashed some impressive skills, but the Hurricanes couldn’t overcome two interceptions and three lost fumbles from their junior signal caller. Otherwise, Roper finished 9-for-15 for 220 yards passing – an average of 24.4 yards-per-completion.
Cain also got outstanding performances from junior running back Jaydon Blue and junior receiver Matthew Golden. Blue finished with 234 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries while Golden caught five balls for 194 yards and a score.
While Bridgeland came out on top 49-42, I fully expect each squad to compete for a district title. Cain is loaded with talent and will have a shot against any team if it can limit turnovers. Conner Weigman is quickly becoming a need-to-know name and could lead Bridgeland farther than its ever been. I’m excited to see how each of these squads shape out this year.
Pearland Dominates on Defense
In a weekend full of dominate offensive performances, defense was the deciding factor of Pearland’s 21-3 win against The Woodlands.
Like the Bridgeland game, this one was won on turnovers. The Woodlands senior quarterback Connor Dechiro had a pretty good night, throwing for 225 yards on 32-for-43 passing – that’s a completion rate of 74.4 percent. That’s good, right? Well, maybe not when three interceptions are involved and his longest completion was just 17 yards. The numbers can be somewhat deceiving but credit the Pearland defense for making some timely plays.
Offensively they relied on Darius Hale (12 carries for 93 yards) and Dominic Serna (8 for 128 and one touchdown) in the win. No offensive performance (except for maybe Serna) really impressed in this game. These squads will both need to clean up the offensive side of the ball moving forward, while the defenses will carry confidence into week two.
Other Notable Games
- Mayde Creek impressed early, jumping out to a 24-0 lead on Conroe before a 24-14 win
- Katy Taylor looked impressive in a 37-0 win against Cy Springs
- George Ranch held on for a nice win against Crosby in a battle of two teams I think will be better-than-expected in 2020
- Similar to Mayde Creek, Tompkins raced out to a 24-0 lead on Magnolia before a Bulldogs rally fell just short – Tompkins held on for a 24-21 win
- Foster blew the doors off Lamar Consolidated, picking up a 79-7 win
- Stafford picks up big 45-14 win against Wharton
- Bay City hangs on to upset Sealy 31-30
Perhaps the most impressive thing about all these teams is the fact that they were able to perform at a high level despite an odd summer of practices. I want to give a big shout-out to all the coaches and players and staff that have worked through this odd time of life to produce quality football for us all to enjoy, as well as the fans, media and school districts that are enforcing COVID regulations to keep us safe and able to enjoy the game we love. We’re on to week two/six!