For three games,
Cy-Woods quarterback
Colton Huntsman had to sit and watch while his team battled in a competitive District 17-5A. The senior signal caller injured his ankle in the second game of the year and needed recovery time, but he couldn't wait to return.
Since he has, the Cy Woods offense has benefited in a big way.
For the second straight week, Huntsman - an Air Force commitment - ran what was an entertaining offensive show, this time leading the Wildcats to a 61-35 win over Cypress Creek, a team that was tied for first place in 17-5A before meeting Cy Woods on Friday.
Huntsman was 7-for-11 passing with 287 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 104 yards and two more scores in the win. He ran the offense with precision and efficiency and the Wildcats were almost impossible to stop.
"We came out ready to play," Huntsman said. "We knew it was going to be a big challenge and we just executed from the get-go."
The previous week, Huntsman threw for 409 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 123 yards and two scores.
"I'm just grateful to be back," Huntsman said.
NORTH SHORE CONTINUES TO ROLLFor the third straight week,
North Shore (Houston) faced one of the top teams in its district and came up with a win. After consecutive wins over Port Arthur Memorial and Beaumont West Brook, North Shore traveled to La Porte and picked up a dominating 37-7 road victory to remain unbeaten in District 21-5A. The Mustangs defense held La Porte to just 135 offensive yards and nine first downs in the win. Since their season opening loss to Katy, the Mustangs (7-1, 3-0 District 21-5A) have won seven straight.
SANTA FE CLIPS FRIENDSWOOD AGAINA year ago in the midst of its 6-0 start,
Santa Fe came up with a dramatic 29-28 road win in the final seconds. This season, the Indians hosted the Mustangs, but came up with similar results, holding on for a 21-20 win over the then sixth-ranked 4A squad in the state. Quarterback Garet Davidson threw for 141 yards and two touchdowns in the win while running back Joseph Walton ran for 101 yards and a score on 32 carries. The win keeps Santa Fe's (5-3, 1-3 in District 24-4A) playoff hopes alive and it's Friendswood's (8-1, 4-1) first setback of the season.
TOP TEAMS STAYING STRONGAside from Friendswood, most of the Houston-area's top ranked teams fared well. All five of the remaining undefeated teams in Class 5A -
Cinco Ranch (Katy),
Katy,
Klein Collins (Spring),
Pearland and
The Woodlands - all came out victorious. In Class 4A,
Brenham and
El Campo kept their respective records perfect. The area's No. 1 team in Class 3A,
Sealy, defeated Bellville 34-8 while No. 2 Brookshire Royal (6-2) suffered its second loss of the season, this one coming to Columbus 29-22.
YATES BASKETBALL PLAYER RULED INELIGIBLEYates forward Maurice Letcher-Ellis was ruled ineligible for varsity play for the upcoming boys basketball season by the University Interscholastic League's state executive committee on Tuesday.
The 6-8 junior forward, who spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Cypress Springs, transferred to Yates after the completion of his sophomore year at Cy Springs and has yet to suit up for the two-time defending Class 4A state champions. The District 21-4A executive committee ruled that it believed that Letcher-Ellis changed schools for athletic purposes and upon appeal, the UIL's SEC agreed with a unanimous 3-0 vote.
Student-athletes who change schools for athletic reasons are ineligible to play varsity athletics for one year. Letcher-Ellis, a Division I prospect who has offers from Arkansas-Little Rock, Detroit and Wichita State, will play on Yates' junior varsity team this season and join the varsity in 2011-12. Letcher-Ellis averaged 4.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for Cy Springs last season.
The Lions, who finished the season as the nation's No. 1-ranked team by five national high school polls, open their season on Nov. 5 against Dickinson at Delmar Fieldhouse.
TOP PERFORMERS* Clay Martin, Strake Jesuit (Houston) - The senior receiver caught six passes for 154 yards and four touchdowns in the Crusaders' 45-14 win over Morton Ranch.
* Grant Clifton, Katy - The senior linebacker recorded 13 tackles (eight solo, five assists), one sack and one fumble recovery in a 49-28 win over Memorial.
* Justin Webster, Northland Christian (Houston) - The sophomore running back had 22 carries for 206 yards and four touchdowns in the Cougars' 56-13 win over Second Baptist.
LOOKING AHEADWith just two weeks left in football's regular season, playoff implications abound in some of the top matchups:
* Lamar (Houston) vs. Madison (Houston), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Delmar Stadium: Both teams are 5-0 in District 20-5A so this becomes the de-facto district championship game.
* Clear Creek (League City) vs. Clear Springs (League City, Texas), 7 p.m. Friday at Clear Creek ISD Veterans Memorial Stadium: Clear Springs is in second place in District 24-5A while Clear Creek is in a three-way tie for third.
* Crosby at Dayton, 7 p.m. Friday, Bronco Stadium: Crosby is coming off its first district loss of the season but hopes to bounce back against current 19-4A leader Dayton, which is unbeaten in league play (5-0). Crosby won the meeting 28-0 last season and Dayton is seeking redemption.
* Humble vs. Willis, 2 p.m. Saturday, Turner Stadium: Both teams are 7-1 overall and 5-0 in District 18-4A. The winner will likely be the district champion.
* Kinkaid (Houston) vs. St. John's (Houston), 7 p.m. Friday, Rice Stadium: One of the longest running continuous rivalries in Greater Houston pits two good private schools. The winner gets a berth in the Southwest Preparatory Conference Division I championship game.
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.
