North Shore shows its swagger in Texas

The North Shore (Houston) Mustangs have carried a motto throughout this season, which originated during spring practice.

The Mustangs' season has been about "Bringing back the swagger," to the program - restoring the feeling that permeated the perennial state power before last season saw it have its worst season in a decade.

After a season-opening loss to Katy, the words may have rung hollow to outsiders, but now, they’re beginning to carry some substance after the Mustangs won their sixth straight game, defeating state-ranked West Brook (Beaumont) 35-12 on Friday at Galena Park ISD Stadium.

In two consecutive weeks, the Mustangs (6-1, 2-0 District 21-5A) have beaten teams - West Brook and Port Arthur Memorial - that beat them last season, eventually knocking them off their perch atop District 21-5A and ending a nine-year district championship run.

“We wanted both of them,” North Shore coach David Aymond said. "It was a statement type game and I think we succeeded in doing that (making a statement).”

To continue to lend credence to their new-found swagger, the Mustangs will have to follow it up with another victory over La Porte (6-1, 2-0 District 21-5A), another team that is undefeated in district play. But with some hard hitting, a dominant run game and solid special teams, the Mustangs showed shades of their old selves and could be on track for a big bounce-back campaign.

KLEIN COLLINS DOES IT AGAIN
For three straight weeks, the Klein Collins (Spring) Tigers have faced an undefeated team and each time, they’ve sent their opponent home with a loss. Their latest victim was district rival Klein, as the Tigers dispatched the Bearkats 38-13. The Tigers (7-0, 4-0 District 13-5A) remain unbeaten and are creeping closer to the state’s top 10.

BRENHAM HOLDS OFF MONTGOMERY
Last season, Montgomery was one of few teams to play Brenham close and the Bears did again this year. But the Cubs eventually proved why they’re the Region III-4A favorite by pulling out a 31-26 home win over Montgomery. The Cubs (7-0, 4-0 District 18-4A) are the No. 2 team in the state and remain unbeaten.

LAST-SECOND MIRACLE FOR TOMBALL
Some outsiders wondered whether the Tomball Cougars might have trouble recovering from the 42-0 homecoming loss they suffered at the hands of Klein Collins, giving the Cougars their first loss of the season in what has been a surprise year. They answered that question by pulling out a 28-27 win over Dekaney, another playoff contender in District 13-5A. Tomball (6-1, 3-1) trailed by eight points late, scored a touchdown with less than a minute to go and failed the game-tying two-point conversion. But kicker Dillon Duarte helped the Cougars convert an onside kick then kicked a game-winning 40-yard field goal as time expired for the one-point win. This offset a 304 rushing yard, three touchdown night by Dekaney junior running back Trey Williams.

PEARLAND STILL PERFECT
In what was billed as a clash between two high-powered offenses, Pearland pulled out a 35-28 win over Clear Creek to remain undefeated (7-0) and atop District 24-5A. Running back Dustin Garrison had 31 carries for 208 yards and four touchdowns in the win.

TOP PERFORMERS
* Colton Huntsman, Cy-Woods (Cypress): The senior quarterback was 11 of 14 passing for 409 yards and five touchdowns and had nine carries for 123 yards and two more touchdowns in a 55-27 win over Langham Creek.

* Pete Maetzold, Friendswood: The senior quarterback was 19 of 30 passing for 256 yards and two touchdowns and had 21 carries for 107 yards rushing and four touchdowns in a 41-37 win over Manvel.

* Reggie Bryant, North Shore: The senior running back had 12 carries for 191 yards and two touchdowns in the Mustangs' 35-12 win over Beaumont West Brook.

LOOKING AHEAD
Plenty more good matchups to continue a strong month in Greater Houston. Among the best matchups:

* North Shore at La Porte, 7 p.m. Friday, Bulldog Stadium: The two top teams in District 21-5A meet.

* Cypress Creek (Houston) vs. Cypress Woods, 7 p.m. Friday, Pridgeon Stadium: Cypress Creek is tied for first in the district while Cypress Woods is tied for third and recently regained the services of starting quarterback Colton Huntsman.

* Texas City vs. Manvel, 7 p.m. Friday, Alvin Memorial Stadium: Two teams in the thick of the District 24-4A playoff chase.

* Lamar (Houston) vs. Bellaire, 1 p.m. Saturday, Delmar Stadium: Both teams are 4-0 in District 20-5A; Bellaire is one of the area’s surprise teams.

* Alief Taylor (Houston) vs. Eisenhower (Houston, Texas), 6 p.m. Saturday, Thorne Stadium: Both teams are tied for the lead in District 18-5A.

RECRUITING NEWS
Fort Bend Dulles (Sugar Land) guard D'Angelo Harrison verbally committed to St. John’s. Harrison, who was the District 23-5A most valuable player last season, averaged 20.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and shot 49 percent from the field last season. He chose St. John’s over his other finalists, Baylor, Marquette and Oklahoma State ... Cypress Creek quarterback Chuckie Keeton has switched his verbal commitment from Air Force to Utah State. Keeton originally committed to Air Force over the summer but made the switch over the weekend. He has more than 2,000 combined passing and rushing yards so far this season for the Cougars.

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.