Humble 24 Cy Ridge 13
Spring 35 Humble 7
Humble 31 Aldine 21
Humble 41 Humble Atascocita 10
Eisenhower 49 Humble 7
Humble 28 Kingwood 21
Humble 30 Aldine Macarthur 7
Humble 28 Aldine Nimitz 7
Humble 31 Houston Chavez 26

PPG- 24.5, PAPG- 22.1, Margin- 2.4

Humble started the season well with an impressive 24-13 win over a state ranked Cy Ridge team. The Wildcats dropped a 35-7 loss to Spring the following week. Humble’s battled youth and injuries for much of the season. The Wildcat running game and overall defense have been inconsistent for much of the season.

Overall, Humble is young. There are several sophomores and even a few freshmen on the varsity roster. Humble’s leadership comes from seniors QB Keith Baker (5’11 185) and DT Lamarc Strahan (6’4 320).

Baker leads Humble’s spread offense with efficiency in the air and also an ability to make plays on the ground. Humble’s offense will be as effective as Baker is able to make it. Sophomore tailback Donovan Young (6’0 215) has added stability in the running game. Young missed most of the regular season with an injury. The Wildcats are known for producing big receivers, and this year is no exception. Junior Darius Tubbs (6’5 205) leads the team in receiving. Senior Cody Tucker (6’2 210) and Xavier Marshall (6’2 180) are primary threats in Humble’s passing game. Senior Allen Augustine (5’8 165) and junior Darryl Smith are all-purpose threats. Senior OG Blaine Winfield (6’2 260) is one of the most experienced players on the line.

Senior defensive tackle Lamarc Strahan leads the push for Humble up front. Strahan is a returning starter and a Division 1 recruit. Senior defensive end Ronnie Hodges leads the team in sacks. Junior defensive lineman Shannon Nettles lettered as a sophomore. Junior linebacker John Walker (6’2 200) and senior outside backer Todd Lyons (5’11 205) are experienced talents on the second level of the Wildcat defense. Juniors LaQuintus Dowell and Devonta Davis lead a young secondary along with talented sophomore Bryson Burris. Senior Brian Womack (5’10 175) is the most experienced player in Humble’s secondary.

Humble’s always dangerous in the return game because of their speed and nothing is changed there. Junior Walter Pinon has converted a few field goals this year and gives the Wildcats a capable leg for conversions.

I was pleased to see the Tigers take the early initiative this week with the stop on defense and then scoring first on offense. The running game was churning all afternoon. I haven’t seen the stats yet, but apparently we were pretty close to the 400 rushing yard mark. Webber and Jeffery both broke long scoring runs. Aside from a couple of plays, one being the INT of course, I thought Parker Ray played a composed game at QB. We did a nice job with play action for the most part. The receivers also made some nice catches on the sidelines. We broke out a few new plays. The reverse to Brandt went for a first down.

The defense played a very physical game and I liked that a lot. I think it is good to send a message against teams that try to throw a bunch of the underneath passes. Stratford’s rushing stats are misleading. They got over half that on one play, and it should have been called back for a clear clip that went uncalled. The officials swallowed their whistles. I think three or four flags were thrown total. I know one was a procedure penalty on us, and each team got hit with a personal foul. Our players seemed pretty agitated with something Stratford was doing. I saw multiple Katy players speaking with officials after plays to try and draw their attention to it. Coach Joseph got on them a couple times about it also. I thought the DBs did a good job of making plays on the football. Colt Atwood, Ryan Rose, Sam Holl and Zac Griffin all had good PBUs that I saw. They were running the same backside slants/posts that Cinco ran last week. They clearly plucked a few ideas off of that film, but we adjusted to it. That was the only way they gained yardage early.

Special teams was an adventure with the wind, but I thought we handled it better than they did for sure. Raul did a good job with his kick offs as he always does. We kicked off at the start of both halves. I haven’t seen a team do that on purpose before. We won the toss and deferred the option to the second half. They chose to receive to start and apparently we decided to kick again in the second half. That was interesting. I think this had to feel good to the team after last week. It’s good to be in the playoffs.

The Spartans immediately jumped into district play against Alief Taylor in their first game back on the field September 27th. Stratford won a tight game against Taylor that ultimately proved key in securing a playoff spot. The Spartans officially clinched their post-season place against Elsik two weeks ago in a 28-14 win before losing to district champions Strake Jesuit last week.

Junior quarterbacks Mark Benninger and Andrew Mitchell have taken snaps this season as the successors to Andrew Luck. Luck was a three-year starter as a quarterback and punter, so this was obviously a big unknown for the Spartans early this season. Benninger is the leading passer of the two. They are both mobile and they are used on designed quarterback runs (read option in particular).

Stratford operates from multiple sets, mostly the shotgun, and spread the field. Senior tailback Rodney Anderson emerged as an all-district player last year as a junior. Anderson has big play ability and he is also a key return man. Senior Tim Graves is similar in stature and ability to Anderson. The Spartans like to work the short passing game with their receivers and backs, and let them work for yards after the catch. Junior receivers Brett Benninger and Derwin Amboree are two of the t op receiving targets. Amboree is the smallest player on the team, but has good speed. He returns kicks as well. The offensive line starts several juniors. The Spartans aren’t huge on the offensive line. They are about average size for a spread line (players between 240-260 pounds).

The Spartans have more senior experience on defense. Senior defensive end Terrence Lloyd (6’4 230) is one of the best defensive linemen in the state. Lloyd is verbally committed to Missouri. Lloyd drew college interest after a strong junior season and was nominated for Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year in August this year. Junior LaCorey Pace and senior Corbin Harrell are two more Spartans who help plug things up front. Stratford made two 4th and short stands on defense to preserve their big win over Elsik thanks in large part to Lloyd and the defensive line.

Senior free safety Jerry Young is one of the key contributors in the secondary along with seniors Erik Odem, Cole Skinner and Roland Rodriguez. Young made two big interceptions in the game against Elsik. Senior Jonathan Baron is one of the top linebackers. This is a Stratford defense that likes to keep the field contained and make opponents work for scores. Alief Taylor, Memorial and Strake Jesuit were the only three teams to score more than 14 points on Stratford in the regular season.

Sophomore kicker Jesus Loa has been a steady force on special teams for Stratford this season. He has field goal kicking range over 40 yards. The return game is also a threat because of the quick Spartans mentioned above like Anderson, Amboree and Graves.

This is Stratford’s third trip in a row to the post-season after a 12 year run without participating in the playoffs from 1994 through 2005. The Spartans advanced to the second round in 2006 before losing by one point to Cy Falls, and advanced to the third round last year (lost to Clements).

JUST THE BASICS

Record (5-3, 4-3)
Coach- Elliot Allen (45-28 record at SHS)

Stratford 31 Aldine Macarthur 0
Stratford 31 Alief Taylor 24
Memorial 28 Stratford 10
Alief Hastings 9 Stratford 0
Stratford 28 Northbrook 13
Stratford 17 Spring Woods 0
Stratford 28 Alief Elsik 14
Strake Jesuit 21 Stratford 13

PPG- 19.8, PAPG- 13.6, Margin- 6.1

Top Players

#19 RB Rodney Anderson, 5’7 165, Sr.
#90 DE Terrence Lloyd, 6’4 230, Sr. (Missouri commit)

I don’t know the exact numbers, but Cinco Ranch must have set a record for third down conversions. Our pass coverage was exploited and that wasn’t terribly surprising based on how we looked in prior games. Cinco didn’t do anything they don’t normally do as far as the passes they ran. They’ve been throwing those post routes all year. Tyler Mack had an MVP game for Cinco. He was open any time they wanted him.

We have to play a lot smarter if we want to hang around the playoff bracket.

I thought the early fumble really hurt us. Webber didn’t secure the hand off and just dropped the ball. He didn’t get popped or anything. He just didn’t squeeze with the hands after Parker seated it. That’s obviously not the first time that has happened this season. Unfortunately, that kind of mistake tends to hang around although it really shouldn’t happen. It comes down to fundamentals. That play really killed the early momentum we generated by stopping them and then driving. It look us until the second quarter to really recover from that swing. Cinco went up 14-0 after that play. I think the game is entirely different if we go ahead and score there and seize the momentum. I won’t blame the loss on that, but that kind of play makes a big impact in a key game.

But we had several chances in the second half to take the lead. We had four opportunities to drive for a go-ahead score in regulation and go zero points. That was very frustrating.

I don’t think we can have any complaints or excuses. We had our chances and did not get it done. Full credit to Cinco for getting the win. I think they are good enough to make a deep run this year, but their problem is health. Ros and Hirtz don’t look anywhere near 100%. We did well to recover after Cinco hit us with two early scores, but again we were very wasteful in the fourth quarter. I don’t place blame on any one position. We did not get it done. They did.

The Tigers have to find a way to get themselves sorted out for the playoffs.

Cinco opened the year by taking their first ever road trip to San Antonio to play the Reagan Rattlers. Reagan plays in the vaunted 26-5A district. Cinco edged the Rattlers 21-17 in the Alamodome. Reagan (7-2, 6-1) is currently locked in a four-way tie for first place in 26-5A. The Cougars were able to add a road trip to Southlake Carroll after Hurricane Ike shook up schedules. Cinco rolled through district play until a bizarre 41-34 result against Seven Lakes in Week 9. The Cougars turned the ball over seven times, but still managed to roll up over 400 yards of total offense and 41 points. Cinco scored the winning touchdown with just over a minute left in the game. Seven Lakes led 34-33 before that score, and the Spartans also led 20-13 at halftime.

Cinco Ranch’s shotgun based offense is led by senior quarterback Shane Ros and senior running back Adam Hirtz. Ros started at cornerback as a sophomore, and then missed most of his junior year with the knee injury. Ros is a talented dual-threat who keeps defenses off balance with his athletic ability. 

Hirtz is the engine and a leading candidate for district most valuable player. Hirtz is among the area leaders in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Senior running back Brad Boudreaux flanks Ros and Hirtz when Cinco goes to their split backs shotgun formation. Boudreaux is capable of making defenses think twice about zeroing in on just Ros and Hirtz. Junior quarterback Zach Myers gives Cinco another experienced signal caller, and his presence also opens up creative options when he and Ros are on the field at the same time. Senior quarterback Matt Holub also works his way onto the field, and Cinco has a gadget package that puts all three quarterbacks in the backfield together. Senior receivers Ryan Moos, Tyler Mack and Collin Buteaux give Cinco downfield options. Moos leads the team in receptions and Mack leads in touchdown catches. Mack and Buteaux are both big targets (6’5). Cinco’s offensive line, led by senior Michael Schraub, does a good job of springing Hirtz and the Cinco runners into space. They are not an enormous line but they do execute well. There’s no way you can put up the offense they have without a good line.

The Cougar defense has held up pretty well overall. The Seven Lakes result was due to turnovers and short fields rather than the Spartans moving at will on the Cougar defense. The Southlake Carroll game was a trial by fire for the pass defense. It was an important game for Cinco to play because everyone else they’ve played is heavily geared to run. Cinco’s defensive front is led by seniors Bobby Kiesewetter and Devin Williams. Both players can be very disruptive. Junior lineman Austin Milligan is a rare non-senior contributor on this Cougar team. 

Cinco also has experience at the linebacker position in senior Andy McAteer and junior James Radcliffe. Both started last year. Junior Trevor Holt also starts. The Cougar linebackers are all similar in stature (5’10-6’0, 200 pound range). Senior cornerback Tanner Leland adds needed size in the secondary. Senior defensive back Devin Friar is another experienced player. Junior Zach Velliquette and senior strong safety Greg Kremen are two other first team contributors. 

General Impressions

Overall, this is certainly one of the more talented teams Cinco’s fielded in their young history. Shane Ros gives them an added dimension they’ve never had at the quarterback position before with his mobility. He isn’t physically imposing, but he has a very capable passing arm. Injuries have threatened to slow Ros and the Cougars down the last two seasons, but they’ve been able to hold things together enough to be 8-1 so far this year. Junior Zach Myers was thrown into the fire as a sophomore last year when Ros went down in non-district, so he’s an experienced player Cinco can call on when needed. Hirtz is a very tough runner from the backfield, and does a great job of staying alive on plays by keeping his feet moving and fighting for yardage. This is the most effective ball control offense Cinco’s ever had because of the added running dimension of the quarterbacks.

When I saw Cinco Ranch against Mayde Creek, I was impressed with the play of the senior defensive lineman Bobby Kiesewetter. He was very disruptive and made some really nice plays on the Rams’ side of the line of scrimmage. 

Cinco is well-equipped with several seniors across the board in starting positions. There isn’t a single sophomore on the varsity roster this year. Expectations were higher because of this experience, and the Cougars have lived up to the billing so far. In my opinion, this is the best chance they’ve ever had to make a deep playoff run. In the Division 1 field, I think teams like North Shore, Hightower and Pearland would be the toughest match-ups because of their tough defenses and efficient offenses.

Cinco’s chances against Katy will come down to whether or not they can limit the Tigers’ effectiveness on the ground. The Cougars were able to do this for most of the game against Katy in 2006, but the Tigers eventually opened things with the passing game. Cinco has never scored more than 14 points against Katy, and that is something they’ll have to change in order to have a strong chance. However, this is the most well-prepared team Cinco’s fielded against Katy in my opinion. I think the road trips to San Antonio and Southlake were key steps in the development of this Cinco team and the program in general. 

The Cougars have been very competitive with Katy at the sub-varsity levels in recent seasons. We’ll see if that translates to varsity this season or if the Tigers make it nine in a row.

SCHEDULE:

• Cinco Ranch 21 SA Reagan 17
• Cinco Ranch 34 Cy Springs 15
• Cinco Ranch 42 Mayde Creek 14
• Cinco Ranch 35 The Woodlands College Park 23
• Southlake Carroll 42 Cinco Ranch 24
• Cinco Ranch 35 Taylor 0 *
• Cinco Ranch 56 Morton Ranch 14 *
• Cinco Ranch 56 Mayde Creek 17 *
• Cinco Ranch 41 Seven Lakes 34 *

JUST THE BASICS:

Record (8-1, 4-0)
Coach- Don Clayton (9th season)
PPG- 38.2, PAPG- 19.6, Margin- 18.6

Overall, it was a nice business as usual game from the Tigers. That was good to see because this has been a crazy weekend of football. The game started well with the defense forcing a three and out. We took the punt and went into the end zone on a short field. Mayde Creek’s punting game was pretty bad. They only got off one decent punt all night from that Reno 911 dual punter formation.

The defense held Mayde Creek to 3rd and long from deep in their own territory on the next drive, but MC completed a long pass. Mayde Creek’s receiver made a once in a lifetime catch. There wasn’t much we could do about that. The coverage was there. I think Mayde Creek was on their own five yard line when they completed that pass. We got flagged for a pass interference later in the drive on a clear takedown by our corner. Still on the same drive, we make a nice stick on a short pass route and the ball comes out.

The refs whistle the play dead as our players are picking up the ball to take it down the field for six. Somehow, they ruled the MC receiver down. He was not close to being down when the ball came out, nor did he establish any kind of forward progress. He caught the ball with his back to the coverage. If ruling is a completed pass, which it was, then there is no way that’s not a fumble…or so I thought. Anyway, Mayde Creek ended up only getting 3 points from the drive. It ate the first quarter clock.

In the first half, we had 3 or 4 possessions total on offense. Parker Ray and Kyle Hirschfelder hooked up for a nice score right before the half. It was the same corner route we scored on with Hershey against Seven Lakes. Katy went in up 27-3 at the break. Caleb Chandler got another pick six by covering the flat on one of many dink routes Mayde Creek tried to throw. They were using the same game plan Seven Lakes and Taylor tried passing wise.

We came out in the second half and scored easily in the first drive. We stopped them and scored again to put the final points on the board. The last five minutes of the 3rd quarter and all of the fourth quarter were cruise control. Colt Atwood and the defense kept Mayde Creek on 3 points. Atwood made a nice pick in the end zone and the defense came up with a good stop inside the 10 to keep the Rams from getting a mercy score. They were trying awfully hard to get one.

It was nice to see the 59 guys get their rings at halftime. Aundre Dean was also in attendance. He has a banged up ankle and will probably be redshirted as a result, so he could come home for a little visit it looks like. He was doing some coaching on the sidelines.

Taylor passed a lot more than I thought they would, and I wonder if the team was prepared to see that. Taylor nickel and dimed their way downfield in the first half similar to Seven Lakes the week before. Only this week the defense didn’t manage to tighten up until Taylor was in the red zone. We were fortunate to not be down two scores or more at halftime. Against a really good offense, we would have been in my opinion. We have some clear holes in pass coverage that a strong passing team would thoroughly exploit in my opinion. The most glaring issue I see is that we’re blowing zone assignments. Of course, you can’t have corners playing off with no safety or LB help in the middle. You also can’t have corners play off and not react when the ball goes up. The defense has to coordinate itself more effectively or they will be exploited by better offenses.

I also give Taylor credit for starting the game they way they did. They got an early boost thanks to a roughing the punter penalty. The defense held Taylor to three and out, but roughed the punter to extend their drive. They ended up taking up half the first quarter with the rest of that drive. The Tiger offense ended the first half with three possessions I believe. We broke some nice long runs to generate points and go into halftime with a fortunate lead.

The first half of the third quarter was extremely good. Katy scored in two plays from 60 or so yards out on a pass to Roberson followed by a long run by Will Jeffery. Jeffery got himself into a lot of seams, and ended the night with well over 100 yards. It’s good to see him step up. Jeffery and the other backs just need to keep trusting their blockers and not get impatient with the moves/cutback attempts. The Hawgs are opening big lanes.

Caleb Chandler got the defense into the game with a pick six on Taylor’s first possession of the second half, and that basically ended Taylor’s night. They were totally deflated with those two quick scores.

The running game worked well again tonight for the offense. The lowlight on offense, as it has been for much of the season so far, is the fumble bug. We had trouble with a couple kicks too. We are putting way too many balls on the ground. We are recovering a lot of them, but that will absolutely get a team beat at some point if it isn’t eliminated.

I was glad to see Webber and Dirty 30 get in the end zone for the last two scores.

Overall, it was certainly a mixed bag, and it was discouraging to see such a flat start. I guess it might have been set up with a short week after Homecoming, but you never want to take steps back at this stage. The team did well to recover, but they’ve got to start putting four quarters of solid fundamental football together in order to beat good teams. It starts with Mayde Creek next week. The team has proven it has the ability to be productive, but they’ve got to play smarter in order to realize their full potential.

The first quarter started sluggish. By half, the Tigers put the game beyond doubt up 42-7. I think everyone got to play in the fourth. The Tigers took a couple knees inside the Seven Lakes 10 yard line late and then ran an fullback dive on 4th and long to avoid breaking 60.

Junior tailback Will Jeffery got the bulk of the carries after Vernon Jeffries left the game early with what looked like a knock to his lower arm somewhere. He ended up getting a few carries in the third, so apparently he was OK. Mr. Jeffery took advantage and I think he had over 200 yards rushing or very close to it. It was a career night for #4. Seven Lakes’ defense couldn’t cope with him once the OL got into the game. It took most of the first quarter for the offense to really get going. Parker Ray hit a really nice playaction to junior TE Zach Swanson for a big gainer in the 2nd quarter. He also hit Taylor Brandt and Kyle Hirschfelder for nice, long scoring passes. He got Hershey on a beautifully thrown corner route. Ray and Jeffery did have exchange issues and one of them led to a turnover. I will have to look at film and see if it was the QB-RB botching or if the snap just came out bad. All things considered, it was very encouraging to see the offense run like it did despite two RBs being out. Webber didn’t play and Vernon played very sparingly because of the knock he picked up early in the game. Will Jeffery took the bulk of the carries and Dustin Wilson finished it off in the fourth.

Defensively, Seven Lakes came out passing which wasn’t a surprise. They were mainly working the underneath dink routes and managed to convert some first downs on us with those kind of passes. It was like Chinese water torture for a little bit. Junior safety Ryan Rose ended the night with two good interceptions. The secondary also got beat on some plays. They do a better job with the deep balls when they get their head around and find the ball. We gave up a TD pass and a PI penalty because the secondary didn’t find the ball, and instead tried to play the receiver. That usually doesn’t work out. The defense did a good job of making Seven Lakes one dimensional. Their running game didn’t do much at all. They only had one really good rushing play (20+ yards) the entire night that I saw.

Senior LB Cody Oswald #39) laid a vicious hit on special teams coverage that had our section going nuts. It is the best hit I’ve seen this year. BAM!

Overall, the Tigers obviously did well to win by 40 and there are things they’ll be able to learn on film. There were some unforced execution gaffes on offense with the exchanges, and the defense will work on long ball defending techniques I’m sure. This was a quality win for a team that keeps progressing. We have a quick turnaround for Taylor on Thursday night.

* District

Seven Lakes 51  FB Dulles 14
Morton Ranch 21  Seven Lakes 20 (non-district)
Seven Lakes 24  Baytown Lee 20
Conroe 31  Seven Lakes 7
Mayde Creek 35  Seven Lakes 28*

PPG 26.0, PAPG 24.2

Seven Lakes moved up from Class 4A in this year’s realignment.  The Spartans played in one of the toughest 4A districts in the state last year, featuring state champions Lamar Consolidated, and went 1-9 overall.  The first program win came against Richmond Foster (35-27).  Seven Lakes went 0-10 in 2006 (inaugural varsity season). 

Coach O’Keefe was Hightower’s first coach when it started varsity play in 2000, so he has previous experience as far as building a program is concerned.  He led Hightower to consecutive playoff appearances in their first years as a program. 

Expectations were elevated going into this season because the Spartans returned experienced skill talent.  Senior DB-WR Anthony Kendrick is one of the state’s most gifted athletes.  Kendrick is committed to the University of Kentucky.  Kendrick uses his 6’4, 200+ pound frame to overmatch defenders.  His previous experience as a basketball player has clearly helped his hand-eye coordination, and also ability to go up and make catches in traffic.

Senior quarterback Dalton Livingston (6’1) started as a junior last year.  Livingston has 11 touchdown passes to three interceptions so far this season.  In addition to Kendrick, Livingston has two other talented receivers at his disposal in junior Christian Duda (6’1) and senior Steven McCormack (5’10).  McCormack is also the Spartans’ kicker.  Senior Domonique Harris and junior Ellix Rome are the primary running threats.  Harris has been out injured since the Baytown Lee game, and Rome has picked up those carries along with Livingston.  Harris is the team’s leading rusher.  The Spartans have size on the offensive line led by senior all-district starter OT Devin Shaw (6’5 315).

Scott Joseph, previously at Houston Westbury and Hightower, is Seven Lakes’ defensive coordinator.  Former Katy team captain (2000) and state champion Jeff Joseph is the Spartans’ secondary coach.  Senior inside linebacker Zach Voss is the most experienced player for the Spartans on this side of the ball.

Overall, the Spartans are currently having the best season in their young history.  Seven Lakes still has a shot making the playoffs for the first time ever, but their chances took a hit against Mayde Creek.  Creek was one of the teams they needed to beat in order to have a good chance at securing a spot, but they are not eliminated yet.  The Spartans have an experienced coaching staff, and are enjoying their most competitive season to date thanks to fielding the most experienced group of players they’ve had so far.

For those who weren’t there, Morton’s returner dropped the opening kick and picked it up. Once he had it back, they bunched up trying to run the quail return on us and we tackled them for a safety!

Then, the first offensive drive we came out in the jumbo package and did nothing but run to the end zone. The final play went into the end zone from a yard or two out and the back wasn’t even touched. We just pounded them all game long. Parker and the receivers/fullbacks/TEs did much better on third down conversions tonight. We missed a couple deep balls on very slightly overthrown balls, but we know we can hit those.

The defense struggled with containment early and Mitchell gashed us play after play. We also gave up a couple penalties we shouldn’t have that helped extend their drives. The offense did a great job controlling the ball, scoring points and keeping them off the field. Kick coverage also struggled mightily tonight. They were running through some huge gaps in our coverage.

We came out in the second half and had a great opening drive to take back all the momentum. On the ensuing kick off, Raul was trying to pooch but I think he mishit it. It worked out for us because we ended up recovering it like an onside. Maybe he did it on purpose, I don’t know but it looked like he hit it too heavy. Their QB Mitchell got banged up on that play, but I think they only got a few possessions in the second half anyway. It didn’t matter the way we were moving the ball. Roberson displayed great balance on a few runs and Will Jeffery hit the afterburners on his TD run up the sideline. That’s what he can do. Webber ran very well on his drives and Vernon also got into the game after he recovered from a big hit he took early. Vernon ran really well overall.

And how about Raul on the field goals? He smoked those kicks.

1-0!