The Cooldown: Week 6
The second week of big school football brought some surprises. Some of Houston’s top teams were upset, while others impressed. Overall, we’re getting a clearer picture of how some district races might shake out based on early season performance. Check out some game recaps and a preview of this weeks’ games below.
Atascocita falls in DFW
Atascocita went into Friday hoping to do something no team has done since 2011: Beat the Allen Eagles in the regular season. It didn’t go well, and Atascocita fell the way of each of Allen’s last 76 regular season opponents. Allen has yet to lose a game in Eagle Stadium, constructed in 2012.
The Eagles were dominated from start to finish. After driving right down the field on its first drive, Atascocita stalled out in red zone, ultimately turning the ball over on downs. Allen scored a few plays later and never looked back, holding a double digit lead for most of the night.
The difference in the game was quarterback play. Allen quarterback General Booty finished with 260 yards and three scores through the air with just one incompletion. Gavin Session out-gained Booty in terms of yards, but with far less efficiency. Session finished with 330 passing yards on 28-of-50, and added 168 rushing yards.
The trip to DFW, although it was a blowout loss, is a good one for the Eagles. Allen could potentially be a state championship contender, and it served as a good measuring stick game. Atascocita has some work to do, but rust should be expected in the first game of the season after an offseason like no other. They could very well be in the hunt late in the playoffs once again.
Bridgeland Continues Hot Start
After a 27-21 loss on Friday night, Shadow Creek has now lost twice as many games in 2020 as it had in previous school history.
Despite that, the Sharks are far from panic mode as they adjust to life in 6A. The losses came to the No. 1 team in the state and a blazing hot Bridgeland squad. The Sharks also played without senior quarterback Kyron Drones on Friday, who was held out on a precautionary basis due to a mild injury.
Sophomore Duke Butler stepped in and had a decent night, throwing for 171 yards and three touchdowns on 14-of-29. Butler didn’t get much help from his running game as the Sharks finished with less than 70 yards on the ground.
It was a similar story for Bridgeland, with the Bears finishing with just 82 rushing yards; only 30 of those coming from lead back Mason Culton. Quarterback Conner Weigman more than made up for it in the passing game, slinging the ball to the tune of 386 yards and four scores against two interceptions.
The Bears should shoot up the state rankings this week as they prepare for their district opener against Langham Creek this weekend. As for Shadow Creek, they’ll look to bounce back on the road against Alief Taylor. While the 0-2 start isn’t anything to panic about yet, the Sharks need a big win this weekend.
North Shore Survives in a Great Game
If North Shore can make it back to state, nobody will be able to say they haven’t been tested.
After a week one win against defending 5A Division I champion Shadow Creek, North Shore took on a Klein Collins squad that hasn’t lost its district in a half decade.
Collins got it done on the ground as always, with Jonathan Lewis rushing for 124 yards on 20 carries. The quarterbacks combined to finish 7-of-10 for 87 yards, with quarterback Colby Powers adding two touchdowns on the ground. Powers was injured in the third quarter and gave way to sophomore Justin Castillo, who filled in nicely.
Dematrius Davis impressed for North Shore once again. After Collins went up 16-7 in the second quarter, Davis rallied the Mustangs to a halftime lead, capped for by a 52-yard touchdown pass to Shadrach Banks. Then in the fourth, Davis led North Shore down the field before scoring a 13-yard rushing touchdown that put the Mustangs in front permanently.
Klein Collins will get a non-district showdown with George Ranch next week while North Shore takes on class 5A powerhouse Manvel in two weeks after a bye.
Other Notable Week 5 Games
Klein Cain continued to impress against Cy Creek, Dickinson picked up a big win in our game of the week, Manvel blew out an experienced Crosby squad, and Hightower’s rally fell short against Westfield. Check out the highlights of all those games on our Twitter channel, @ihss_houston.
Also, BIG shoutout to Pasadena Rayburn. The Texans picked up their first win since 2016, snapping a 29-game losing streak, with a 7-6 victory against Milby. I predicted Rayburn to pick up at least one win this season, and now the Texans will have some momentum to build on for the rest of the season. Having a four-year starter at quarterback certainly helps – Brayan Aguirre is in the win column, how does it feel young man!
Week 6 Look-Ahead
The Thursday night schedule features a handful of intriguing games, but isn’t quite as deep as the past two Thursday’s. I’ll be looking forward to a balanced matchup between Oak Ridge and Humble, a big district game between Cy Springs and Cy Park, a test for Pasadena Dobie against Fort Bend Bush, Mayde Creek with a chance to start 3-0 against Dulles, and another evenly matched game between Memorial and Jersey Village.
Friday offers plenty of good options. Conroe bounced back for a huge 42-7 win after a week one loss; they’ll take on a good Summer Creek squad. Pearland vs Strake Jesuit is going to be an awesome district showdown, as will be Spring vs. Spring DeKaney. After a tough loss, Atascocita will look to bounce back against Klein Oak. In 4A, Bellville will look to continue its run as one of the most dominant teams in the state against Wharton.
But of all the options, perhaps the game I’ll be most excited for is Ridge Point vs C.E. King. The Panthers fell to Dickinson 38-21 last week and need to bounce back with a strong showing before district play. Meanwhile, C.E. King is off to an impressive 2-0 start with a blowout win against Cy Falls and a 13-point drubbing of Strake Jesuit. King is one of my favorite dark-horse teams in the area this season, and I bet this matchup will live up to the hype.