Mike Wilkes' Prediction:
There can't be a much better way to start off our road tour than experiencing the intensity and excitement that is Texas high school football. To top it all off, the Alamodome will be an unbelievable venue to watch our first game. Season openers are always tuff predictions, big games are even harder, and talent loaded teams playing against each other are even more difficult to predict. When Woodlands takes on Smithson Valley this Saturday the question may come down to defense. Woodlands returns 8 starters of a playoff savvy defense while Smithson returns just one defensive starter. Look for the Woodlands D that gave up barely over 2 TD's a game last year to make a statement against a powerful Smithson offense. I have to give Woodlands the edge in this match up.
Christopher Stonebraker's Prediction:
Some say defense wins championships; I say that this game will be won by defense, with a little help from experience. The Woodlands have an edge in both of these categories. First, they have one of the strongest secondary units in the state. Taylor Charbonnet, Taylor Skaufel, and Zach Carpenter anchor the safety positions, like Christopher Columbus anchored the Santa Maria. Next comes the experience factor, where The Woodlands return eight of their eleven starters on the defensive side of the ball compared to the one LONE man for Smithson Valley. I am not ruling SmithsonValley out completely, especially if there offense comes to play with the likes of Brian Hill, but a 6-5 quarterback by the name of Brett Parsons, and Colton McKey, the 6-8 tight end of The Woodlands, will give his defense too many problems to overcome. I am going to say the final score will be 27-17 with The Woodlands making Connor MacLeod proud of his fellow Highlanders.
