As we near the halfway point of the season, several area teams have become pleasant surprises, exceeding the preseason expectations that were set for them by prognosticators around the area and state.
No fewer than five teams that weren't considered playoff teams have yet to lose a game this season:
Austin,
Cypress Ranch (Houston),
Galena Park,
Tomball and
Westbury (Houston). All five teams are 4-0 at this point.
The most surprising of the bunch may be Cypress Ranch, a program that’s participating in its first season of varsity football. While there was no questioning the experience and track record of the head coach, former Klein Forest and Hightower head coach Gene Johnson, the Mustangs seemingly had the deck stacked against them considering that they're a Class 4A-size school competing in Class 5A.
That hasn’t stopped them though, as they have recorded wins over Fort Bend Austin, Jersey Village, Cypress Lakes and Cypress Woods.
Tomball has been another team that has raised eyebrows. After crushing their first three opponents, the Cougars earned a landmark win over Westfield, defeating the perennial area power 37-30. It was the Cougars' first win over Westfield since 2000 and it marks their best start since 1991.
Galena Park was 1-8 a season ago, but has started fast with wins over Magnolia, Sam Rayburn, Sharpstown and C.E. King. The Yellow Jackets have a stiff test coming up against Dayton, a game that should serve as a barometer of where both teams stand.
Westbury opened district play by defeating Westside, a team that is considered a playoff contender. Austin's 3-0 win over Sterling made the Mustangs 4-0 for the first time since 2000.
SURPRISES IN CY-FAIR ISDWhile Cypress Ranch continues to impress, it seems as if the entire district has been turned upside down. Preseason district favorites
Cypress Creek (Houston) (2-2, 2-1 in District 17-5A) and
Cypress Falls (Houston) (2-2, 1-2) both have a pair of losses and aren't at the top of the district race, where they were projected. Meanwhile, Cypress Ranch,
Langham Creek (Houston) and
Cy-Fair (Cypress), all teams thought to miss the postseason, are at or near the top. Cy Ranch (4-0, 3-0) and Langham Creek (3-1, 3-0) are tied for first place and Cy-Fair (3-1, 2-1) is having its best season since 2007 after a 34-31 overtime win over Cypress Creek last week.
Pearland High's Trey Anderson.
Photo by John Godwin
For the second straight game, the
Pearland Oilers had to score in the final minute to earn a victory, and they did as they defeated Clear Springs 40-38. In a game pitting two of the Houston-area's top 10 teams at the time, the Oilers (4-0) got a 42-yard touchdown pass from
Trey Anderson to
Samuel Ukwuachu with 11 seconds left to earn the win. Clear Springs (2-2) suffered its second loss but both have come to unbeaten teams: Pearland and Cinco Ranch (4-0).
WILLIAMS BUSTS LOOSE AGAINAfter taking just four games to break the 1,000-yard barrier,
Royal (Brookshire) running back
Brandon Williams shined again. The Oklahoma verbal commit compiled 277 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries in the Falcons' 39-25 win over Sweeny last week. For the season, Williams has rushed for 1,286 yards and 16 touchdowns even though he hasn't yet reached 100 carries (he’s at 96). That’s 13.4 yards per carry if you’re scoring at home.
LATE, GREAT FINISHESCy-Fair and Cypress Creek weren't the only ones to go to overtime over the weekend.
Dawson beat previously undefeated Santa Fe 18-10 in overtime and
College Park (The Woodlands) needed the extra period to triumph over Oak Ridge 27-21.
Other exciting finishes included Sealy's 31-30 loss to
Wimberley. Both teams entered the game ranked in the state's top five in Class 3A and Sealy's failed 2-point conversion attempt with 11 seconds left was the difference. In a highly-touted Class 5A Houston-area rivalry,
Deer Park edged La Porte in the "Border Battle" 21-19 after the Deer stopped a potential game-tying 2-point conversion attempt by La Porte with fewer than two minutes left.
TOP PERFORMERSDustin Garrison, Pearland - The senior running back did a little bit of everything in Pearland’s 40-38 win over Clear Springs. Garrison carried the ball 35 times for 282 yards and two touchdowns, caught three passes for 82 yards and a score and completed a 32-yard pass.
A.J. Hilliard,
Klein Oak (Spring) - The junior linebacker was seemingly everywhere in the Panthers' 24-9 loss to Klein Collins, recording 13 tackles and three sacks.
Deandre' Washington,
Fort Bend Marshall (Missouri City) - The senior running back led the Buffaloes to a 46-38 win over Dulles on Saturday by rushing for 175 yards and five touchdowns on 22 carries. It was their first win of the season and Washington, a Texas Tech commitment, scored four of his touchdowns in the first half.
LOOKING AHEADKey games coming up in Week 5:
Dekaney (Houston) vs. Klein Collins (Spring), 4 p.m. Saturday, Klein Memorial Stadium - One of the area's top running backs, Dekaney junior
Trey Williams, squares off against one of the area’s top defensive teams. Both teams are 4-0 heading into the game.
Episcopal (Bellaire) at Kinkaid (Houston), 7 p.m. Friday, Barnhart Stadium - The area’s two best Southwest Preparatory Conference schools will meet. They met in the regular season and for the SPC Division I title last year, with Episcopal winning both times.
Cy-Ridge (Houston) vs. Cy-Fair, 7 p.m. Friday, Berry Center - Cy-Fair is off to a great start (3-1) after winning just once in the last two years and Cypress Ridge (2-2) has won two in a row. Both teams are 2-1 in District 17-5A.
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.
