By Tyler Tyre, Sports Editor
All games non-district
Thursday
Taylor vs. George Ranch, 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium
Last year: Taylor 16, George Ranch 0
- Taylor comes off a hard fought game where they came up just short against Cy-Woods in a back and forth battle, and will be looking to bounce back when they play George Ranch.
The Mustangs offense had a very strong day in the game, finding success both in the air and on the ground. Josh Higginbotham threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, but was plagued by two interceptions. Dante Archie was Higginbotham’s top target, he caught eight passes for 166 yards and a touchdowns, while Cyrus Reyes had 38 yards receiving and Daniel Bruns had 25 yards in the air. Archie also added 80 yards on the ground on 19 carries, scoring three rushing touchdowns. But The Mustang defense struggled, allowing 320 yards rushing and allowing 28 third quarter points in the loss.
George Ranch comes off a similarly hard fought game, as they won a 38-37 overtime matchup against Foster to open the season.
Taylor’s defense will look to improve against a team that had a balanced attack last week, with Garrett Barham throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns and the rushing attack combining for 173 yards and three touchdowns. It will be a good matchup that will test the Mustangs improvements this week and will help get Taylor ready for district play.
Morton Ranch vs. Kingwood Park, 7:30 p.m. at Turner Stadium
Last year: Morton Ranch 56, Kingwood Park 28
- Morton Ranch will also be looking for a bounce back win after narrowly falling to Eisenhower in week one of the season.
It was a defensive struggle for Morton Ranch in week one, as they battled Eisenhower throughout, losing 18-16 in a very close matchup. Offensively, the Mavericks found success on the ground. Ryan Hall was excellent for the Mavericks, rushing for 146 yards on 25 carries, averaging over five yards per carry on the day. The Mavericks will continue to work on the pass game, both Treylin Dixon and Mike Gerald got time last week and Morton will want to continue to improve through the air with district just a week away.
Kingwood Park found success last week in a win over MacArthur, with quarterback Jaxon Sims throwing for 108 yards and a touchdown and the Kingwood park defense keeping MacArthur in check offensively. The challenge this week for Morton Ranch will be to find a way to have a balanced offense against a defense that has found success early in the year. It will be a good final test before district for the Mavericks as they look to get into the win column.
Cinco Ranch vs. Klein Oak, 7:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium
Last year: Klein Oak 40, Cinco Ranch 35
- Cinco Ranch comes off an absolutely wild game in week one in which they made a huge second half comeback to beat College Park in which the Cougar offense thrived down the stretch and overcame a turnover ridden first half.
Charlie Adamoli was a huge part of the win, throwing for 378 yards and four touchdwons in the win, while the Cinco run game also thrived with Tessiah Young and Marcus Gadlin making a nice one-two punch. There are things to work on however, with the Cinco defense having allowed a number of big plays on third downs and through the air.
Klein Oak had a strong first week, beating Dekaney 24-7, the Panthers had a huge day defensively, limiting Dekaney to under 160 yards of total offense and just one touchdown, while the offenses was able to be effective as well. It will be a test for Cinco to slow down the Klein Oak offense after having trouble last week and for Cinco to continue to have a good offensive performance against a defense that has found success early in the season.
Seven Lakes vs. Klein, 7:30 p.m. at Klein Memorial
Last year: Klein 44, Seven Lakes 41
- Seven Lakes had a strong overall first game of the year against Memorial, where the teams offense and defense had very strong moments but where both can continue to improve, and they’ll have a good chance to do that against Klein.
The Spartans offense looked very strong in the game. A rushing attack of Barrett Hudson and Jake Farris combined for 253 yards and two touchdowns, while Shaan Patel had a tremendous first game at the varsity level, completing 15 of 26 passes for three touchdowns. Seven Lakes defense also had strong moments, but struggled to defend the perimeter and that led to a number of big plays from the Memorial offense.
Klein dropped its first game of the year, 21-15 to Fort Bend Marshall and will be trying to come out and prove themselves after beating Seven Lakes last year. Seven Lakes will try to showcase improvement as they gear up for district.
Friday
Jordan vs. Kingwood, 7 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium
Last year: Kingwood 17, Jordan 10
- Jordan had a strong showing against Aldine Davis last week for a season opening win. The offense was able to find success both in the air and on the ground in the win. Colin Willetts opened the season in strong fashion, completing 14 of 22 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown, while Chad Gasper and Tanner West both had strong days running the ball, with Gasper rushing for 70 yards and two touchowns and West had 54 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Andrew Marsh opened his junior season with a huge day, catching eight passes for 105 yards while Zechariah Sample had three catches for 51 yards and a score, also returning a kick 94 yards for a touchdown. On the defensive side of things, Jordan forced an interception and a fumble while only allowing 21 points in the win.
The Warriors will look to keep that going against Kingwood, a team they lost to last season. The Mustangs had a struggle last week, falling 21-0 to Clear Creek and only garnering 48 yards of total offense in the game. Kingwood’s defense didn’t allow any second half points, but first half struggles kept them from ever being in the game.
Jordan will try to show defensive improvement in the game while keeping a strong offense in the last week of non-district play.
Katy vs. Atascocita, 7:30 p.m. at Turner Stadium
Last year: Katy 35, Atascocita 28
- Katy got what it needed out of players for an important week one victory last week, but knows this week will have to be improved as they go up against fellow top 10 in the state side Atascocita.
The Tigers got big games from two key players last week, with new starting running back Romel Jordan rushing for 125 yards and a score while junior quarterback Gunner Nelson passed for 208 yards and a TD, completing nine of 11 passes on the day, with Oliver Ginn catching two passed for 93 yards to lead the Tiger receivers.
The Katy defense was strong for three quarters but had a let down in the fourth, allowing three touchdowns in the final quarter as Clear Springs was able to make a game out of things.
Atascocita meanwhile rolled past Dickinson. The Eagles won 46-21 behind a strong performance from the offense. Zion Brown at quarterback and Tory Blaylock at running back are the teams two key players, while Cameron Glenn is a force at receiver. The Atascocita defense can make plays as well. The game between these two teams was one of the best games of the year last season and this one should be the same as both will test each other’s strengths, weaknesses and depth.
Paetow vs. Cy-Ranch, 7:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium
Last year: Cy-Ranch 22, Paetow 7
- Paetow had a struggle last week against Conroe in a loss, not being able to get things going on either side of the ball.
The Panthers ended the day with only seven points while Conroe’s offense was able to have a very successful day against the Paetow defense, scoring 42 points.
The Panthers will be looking to bounce back when they play Cy-Ranch, but it will be no easy task against a strong team. Cy-Ranch may be down a big player though after Owen Cossette, the teams quarterback suffered an injury last week. Carson Littlefield will be a key person for the Panthers to stop, as he can make plays in both the run and receiving game and Cy-Ranch will be hungry after last week.
The matchup will be a good final tune-up for Paetow, as the Panthers try to come out and prove they belong and can compete before the team heads into some big district matchups.
Saturday
Tompkins vs. Bridgeland, 7 p.m. at Berry Center
Last year: Tompkins 38, Bridgeland 14
- Tompkins started off the year with a huge win, shutting out Cy-Ranch in a 31-0 effort.
The Falcons were strong in every area, and overcame injuries to still put together a strong game. Wyatt Young ran for 88 yards and passed for 26 in the game while Justin Theirheimer came in after Young reaggravated a hamstring injury to throw for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Dylan Rodriguez ran for 60 yards to lead running backs while Jhase McMillan came in to run for 27 yards and a touchdowns, also catching one pass for 43 yards and another score while Rhys Phillips had two catches for 41 yards.
Defensively the Falcons was even stronger, limiting Cy-Ranch to -28 yards rushing and 168 yards passing in the shutout and the Falcons will look to replicate that this week.
The Bears had an entertaining season opener which they won 31-30 over Cy-Fair.
Jett Lewis was huge for the team, throwing for 197 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 21 yards. Tompkins will have its hands full keeping hold of Oscar Nnanna and Mason Simmons in the pass game, as both receivers went for over 100 yards. It will be another big test for Tompkins and a needed one, as they will go up against a second straight very strong team before facing Katy next week.
Mayde Creek vs. Waller, 7:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium
Last year: Mayde Creek 30, Westside 0
- Mayde Creek had a dominant win over Westside to opened he season last week and will try to keep things going against Waller on Saturday
The Rams got big games all over the offense. Junior quarterback Cole Jensen threw for 142 yards and two touchdowns while completing 13 of 24 passes, while Tevious Mitchell ran for 125 yards and a touchdown to lead the way rushing. Mayde Creek had five receivers all over 20 yards as Jensen spread the wealth around. Mayde Creek’s defense was just as strong, only allowing one score in the win as the Rams rolled to victory.
Waller meanwhile comes off a 21-6 loss to Bryan, where they struggled to get things going on the offensive side of things. Jordan Duncan threw for 91 yards and where they had the most success was running the ball as Alex Barrs ran for 103 yards. The Mayde Creek defense will be in charge of solving that run attack as they hope to build on a strong week one and do the same on Saturday.