The Willis Wildkats will challenge the Tomball Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Willis sitting on five straight victories and Tomball on three.
Willis is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 23-20 win over Westfield. Given the Wildkats' advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 141st, while the Mustangs are ranked 513th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Willis got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Lincoln Frazier out in front who threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
Willis didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Westfield to a completion percentage of just 42.1%. The Wildkats hasn't an opponent to post a completion percentage of 0.63 or higher in five consecutive contests.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 11 points in total. All came from Alec Hargis: he went 3-for-3 kicking field goals for nine points, and 2-for-2 kicking extra points for an additional two.
Meanwhile, Tomball didn't have too much trouble with Waller on Friday as they won 56-42.
Tomball's win came from a few key players Willis will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jaxyn Faldyn, who threw for 192 yards and four TDs while completing 73.3% of his passes, and also rushed for 80 yards and one score on only nine carries. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in passer rating (154.9). Another rusher making a difference was Ian Thomas, who rushed for 167 yards and a pair of touchdowns while picking up 9.3 yards per carry.
Tomball's defensive line made their presence known, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Tobi Adeuti, Dawson Siegert, and Braeden Schneider, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Willis' win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Tomball, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 9-2.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Willis has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 277.2 passing yards per game. Tomball, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 190.3 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Willis didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Tomball when the teams last played back in November of 2024, but they still walked away with a 28-24 win. Do the Wildkats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
