For La Marque football, patience yields progress

The work is far from over but the start shows signs of progress. Progress that La Marque coach Darrell Jordan knew would be made - if everyone was patient enough for it. But rarely is patience a virtue when you're coaching at a traditional powerhouse program.

The La Marque Cougars are one of several teams in the area off to an unbeaten start but theirs may be one of the most meaningful considering what they've been through and where they're trying to go. When Jordan took over in 2008, just two seasons removed from the Cougars' last state championship, the program wasn't in the lofty state in which it was in the 1990s and early 2000s, when the Cougars were piling up title trophies.

When Hurricane Ike swept through the Galveston and Greater Houston areas early in Jordan's first season, La Marque, which is just miles from Galveston, was one of the schools most impacted by the storm. The Cougars were already off to an uncharacteristic 0-2 start before the storm hit and the season became a struggle.

But in that season, Jordan made a key decision to insert a pair of freshmen into the starting lineup - quarterback Emanuell Williams and running back Tim Wright - and it's paying dividends now. The Cougars are 3-0 heading into District 24-4A play and have the look of a playoff team after winning their first three games by at least 20 points with the juniors leading the way.



"Right now, it looks like I made a good decision putting those guys in the firing line," said Jordan, who is in his third season at La Marque. "Now they have all this experience that they've developed and they've played like veterans."

The last two seasons have seen the Cougars endure their fair share of struggles, remaining competitive but missing the playoffs both years. Now, Williams (314 passing yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions) and Wright (688 rushing yards, eight touchdowns) are leading La Marque to what could turn out to be a season of redemption.

State championship trophies may not yet be around the corner, but the Cougars are definitely headed in the right direction.

KATY ROLLS AGAIN
With a little inspiration from a returning teammate and a strong on-field effort, the Katy Tigers once again turned a highly-anticipated battle into a lopsided contest.

In a battle of top-10 Class 5A teams, the Tigers pounced on West Brook (Beaumont) 45-21 on Saturday at Beaumont ISD's Carrol A. "Butch" Thomas Educational Support Center.

The Bruins came into the game ranked as the state's No. 6 team and are an experienced bunch, with 19 starters back from a team that went to the third round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs last season. While they looked up to the task of competing with No. 2 Katy early on, things quickly fell apart.



Turnovers plus a shoulder injury to starting quarterback Bruce Reyes - which kept him out for the entire second half and most of the second quarter - equated a game-long struggle. Five first-half turnovers helped the Tigers jump out to a 35-7 lead.

And Katy defensive end Nick Narcisse, who was diagnosed with a rare form of throat cancer in February, made his return to the field since his diagnosis. Narcisse, who was declared free of cancer and cleared to work out on Aug. 10, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in the win.

CYPRESS CREEK WINS KEY DISTRICT BATTLE
Though they lost their star running back before the season, the Cypress Creek (Houston) Cougars have proven they still have what it takes to be a contender.

The Cougars won a key District 17-5A contest with Cypress Falls 35-22, giving them a leg up on a team that figures to be the next-best contender for the district title. In the win, quarterback Chuckie Keeton threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 95 and two more scores. Defensively, cornerback Darrus Harper impressed, blanketing Cypress Falls receiver Dean Johnson in the second half and coming up with an interception.

The Cougars have been without running back Jermichael Selders, a West Virgina commitment, who is out with a torn ACL. Junior running back Devan Demas has filled in admirably, rushing for 320 yards and five touchdowns thus far.

STANDING OUT
As teams enter district play, two football districts have stood head and shoulders above the rest so far in Greater Houston: District 13-5A and District 24-4A. Those have the best records in non-district play in the area in their respective classifications.

Dekaney (Houston), Klein, Klein Collins (Spring), Tomball and Westfield (Houston) are all 3-0 and the district as a whole is 20-4 thus far. District 24-4A has four unbeaten teams: La Marque (3-0), Friendswood (4-0), Manvel (4-0) and Santa Fe (4-0) and the district is a combined 21-6 this season.



DISTRICT PLAY STARTS
One district (17-5A, consisting of the Cy-Fair ISD schools) has already started district play but the majority of Class 5A and Class 4A teams in the Houston area will begin district play this week. Those teams in seven- and eight-team districts will get it started this week, leaving just those in districts of six teams or smaller who are still playing non-district games.

TOP PERFORMERS
* Brandon Williams, Royal (Brookshire): The Oklahoma commitment exploded for 340 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries in a 32-14 win over Hempstead. In four games, Williams has rushed for 1,009 yards.

* Joseph Walton, Santa Fe: The senior running back, who was District 24-4A's leading rusher last season, had 17 carries for 330 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-0 win over St. Thomas.

* Tim Wright, La Marque: The junior running back had 20 carries for 244 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-0 win over Brazosport. This season, Wright is averaging more than 12 yards per carry.

LOOKING AHEAD
Key games coming up in Week 4:

Chavez (Houston) vs. Lamar (Houston), 7 p.m. Thursday at Delmar Stadium - This game came down to the wire last season - a 27-21 Lamar win - and Chavez has yet to beat Lamar in its history. They appear to be the top two contenders for the District 20-5A title, so this game could eventually decide a lot.



La Porte at Deer Park, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Abshier Stadium - The UIL's biennial realignment separated these teams into different districts for the first time in years, so their annual heated rivalry - which is one of the best in the area - no longer carries district or playoff implications. But don't think that doesn't mean it still won't be a hotly contested battle.

Pearland vs. Clear Springs (League City), 6 p.m. Saturday at CCISD Veteran’s Memorial Stadium - These two teams could very well be the best in District 24-5A. Pearland is undefeated thus far and Clear Springs' only loss came to a state-ranked Cinco Ranch squad, so there are big stakes at hand for this one. Plus, they're two of the top 15 teams in the area.

RECRUITING NEWS
Ball (Galveston) guard Terran Petteway verbally committed to Texas Tech on Saturday. Petteway is one of the Houston-area's top wings, coming off a junior season in which he earned District 24-4A offensive most valuable player honors after leading the Tornadoes to a district basketball championship. He took an official visit on Saturday and committed while he was in Lubbock.

SAM'S MIDWEEK MUSINGS
The biggest story of the weekend throughout the state of Texas was the sudden death of West Orange-Stark (Orange) quarterback Reggie Garrett.

Late Friday night, news began to travel out of West Orange and across the state that Garrett, a Division I prospect, had collapsed on the sideline after throwing a touchdown pass in the first half of a 27-6 win over Jasper. Garrett later died at a local hospital. While the cause of death is currently unknown, I think it's safe to say that we do know this - such a tragic event puts things in perspective.

I love what I do and I'm sure several other prep sports reporters around the state feel the same way. It's a labor of love. Our readers, the fans, they love high school football as well. We put so much emphasis on the sport here in Texas, to go with the whole "Friday Night Lights" mentality. But when something like that happens under those Friday night lights, it definitely causes you to step back and realize that it is just a game. It's something that brings us great joy (and sometimes stress) but in the end, it's fun.



I didn't know Garrett and didn't cover West Orange-Stark's football team because they are a little bit outside of the Greater Houston area. But the impact could still be felt here and throughout the state and we were all deeply saddened by the news of his passing. Our condolences go out to those in West Orange who are mourning Garrett's loss and trying to cope with this tragedy.

Sam Khan Jr. is a reporter who covers Greater Houston area high school sports for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach him at sam.khan@chron.com or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/skhanjr. You can also join him, Jenny Dial and other writers from around the state in a weekly high school football chat at noon on Wednesdays at www.chron.com/hs.