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5 BIG THINGS: Bridgeland survives, FB Marshall upset, Willis wins first playoff game since 2010
HOUSTON - If you didn't fasten your seatbelt on Friday night for the opening round of the 2021 Texas high school football playoffs, it was a wild ride.
The slate was full of great talent and match-ups across the board with some big surprises in the end. Here are my five big takeaways from the busy night.
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Barbers Hill STUNS Fort Bend Marshall
It’s game day! Bi-District playoffs vs Ft Bend Marshall! Excited to see our Eagles compete! #EFH pic.twitter.com/8eBI3F71VC
— Carl Abseck (@abseckbhfb) November 12, 2021
When Carl Abseck came over to Barbers Hill in the offseason from perennial power Cedar Park, we knew something special could happen with his magic touch. Beating undefeated Fort Bend Marshall in the opening round after going 5-5 on the year was not quite on that list. But that's what Barbers Hill did on Friday night with a 42-21 victory.
Brent Holdren was unstoppable for the Eagles, going 15 of 20 (75 percent) for 162 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. Holdren also rushed for 122 yards and two scores in the win. Garrett Hagler busted out of the backfield for 152 yards and two scores on just 29 carries. The Eagles outscored the Buffs 22-0 in the third quarter, which ended up being the difference in the end.
Fort Bend Marshall quarterback Ja'Koby Banks was held to 10 of 24 for 101 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Barbers Hill faces A&M Consolidated next week in the Class 5A Division II Area Round.
Bridgeland Survives Klein Collins
This FINISH!!! @ConnerWeigman to @andrewmaleski6 for the win!! Unbelievable with 15 seconds left ... game of the night!! #txhsfb (🎥: @hayliestmedia | @VYPEU_A) @MaxPreps @KPRC2RandyMc @HTownHSS @CyFairISD pic.twitter.com/PyFd3v8uxb
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) November 13, 2021
Bridgeland needed that Conner Weigman magic on Friday night. The Texas A&M-commit with just 15 seconds remaining in the game hit Andrew Maleski on a perfect pass in the end zone to put the Bears up a point in a 34-33 victory over Klein Collins.
The win snapped Klein Collins' six-game winning streak after an 0-4 start to the year for the Tigers. Weigman and company had to dig their way out of a multi-touchdown deficit to pull off this victory. This is a Bridgeland team that doesn't panic and that showed on Friday night when down 33-21 with just 8:18 left in the game. From that point on, Bridgeland outscored Klein Collins 13-0 to win the game.
Bridgeland takes on College Park next week. That game is set to be played at Woodforest Bank Stadium on Friday with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.
Willis notches first playoff win since 2010
WildKat Nation!!! @WillisWildkats1 defeats Dekaney for its first PLAYOFF WIN since 2010!!! The first-ever as a Class 6A program! #txhsfb (@DerekLagway @WillisSchools) pic.twitter.com/wF3CeftgrJ
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) November 13, 2021
The previous four trips to the playoffs have been a one and done for the Wildkats of Willis. And never before had they won a Class 6A playoff contest.
Well, check that box off and officially put an end to the streak. Willis defeated Dekaney on Friday 22-14, pushing them to 6-5 on the year and getting the program its first playoff win since beating Magnolia West 46-45 in 2010. This is just the sixth playoff win in program history. The Wildkats came storming back in the fourth quarter with a 13-point frame to beat Dekaney. Quarterback Derek Lagway was 4 of 13 for 75 yards and two scores, while tailback Jerrod McHenry had 107 yards and a score on just eight carries.
This unit will have to produce more than 238 yards of total offense next week when they face Tomball in the Class 6A Division II Region II Area Round. Tomball is coming off a 52-29 victory over Cy Park on Thursday night. This will be the second meeting of the year for Willis and Tomball as the two met in the season-opener back in August. Tomball won that meeting 40-27. The Wildkats haven't reached the third round of the playoffs since 1994.
Willis faces Tomball on Friday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. at Planet Ford Stadium in Spring.
Spring Roars in Second Half
TOUCHDOWN!
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) November 13, 2021
Bishop Davenport finds Wide open receiver in the end zone for the score! @bishoptheQB
6:51 left in the 3rd Quarter
Lions- 24
Highlanders- 21 pic.twitter.com/aauJfqCBif
The Woodlands held Spring down in the opening half of Friday's bi-district contest, leading 21-17 at the break. But Spring's explosive offense is something that can be held back for a bit but not forever. In the second half, Bishop Davenport, the Utah State-commit and company went to work. The Lions roared to a 35-point second half, while the defense held The Woodlands to just 14 points in an eventual 52-35 win.
Davenport finished the game 15 of 25 for 353 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for another 95 yards. Joey Fussell may of had just 61 yards on 13 carries but three of those totes ended in the endzone. Cadyn Bradley was Davenport's top target with six catches for 224 yards and three scores. The Spring offense amassed 512 total yards of offense.
The Woodlands' Mabrey Mettauer went 17 of 32 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Spring faces Klein Collins next week in the Class 6A Division I Region II Area Round on Friday, Nov. 19 at Klein Memorial Stadium with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
VYPE Postgame: Spring's Gerrod Henderson
Spring’s Gerrod Henderson Jr. dominated all night on defense pic.twitter.com/ICnqbSAKGe
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) November 13, 2021
Pearland Dawson avenges season-opening loss
How many times have we seen this script play out? A team comes back to defeat someone they lost to earlier in the season in the playoffs. A few years ago, that was North Shore beating Katy in the playoffs after losing the opener to them - North Shore went on to win a state title that year.
So, when the Clear Falls vs Pearland Dawson match-up arose in the opening round, some may have thought this would be an easy win for the Knights since they had beaten the Eagles handily, 31-7, in the opening week. But that was in August. That was a LONG time ago in the high school sports world.
Pearland Dawson didn't back down Friday night avenging that loss with a 35-31 victory, outscoring Clear Falls 14-7 in the fourth quarter to get the win. Pearland Dawson signal-caller Colin Johnson had a phenomenal night going 20 of 28 (71% completion rate) for 313 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Bryce Burgess was the main back with 24 carries for 106 yards and one score, while Ryan Guillo was Johnson's top target with 10 grabs for 171 yards and two scores. A 17.1 yards/catch mark isn't a bad stat either.
David Smith led the Clear Falls offense with 157 yards and three scores on 23 carries.
The win propels Pearland Dawson into a showdown with Summer Creek on Friday at 7 p.m. inside Humble ISD's Turner Stadium.
FULL #TXHSFB Houston Playoff Scoreboard
VYPE Postgame: Cinco Ranch RB Eric Eckstrom
.@cincofb junior RB Eric Eckstrom discusses the Cougars’ 44-0 6A-D2 bi-district playoff win over Bush tonight. Eckstrom had more than 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns to lead the Cougars. #txhsfb @KatyISDAthletic @CincoAthletics pic.twitter.com/OayjNyt1Th
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) November 13, 2021
VYPE Class 6A Helmet Stickers powered by Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine: Area (Dec. 17-19)
Welcome to a new VYPE feature for the 2020 football season - VYPE Helmet Stickers powered by Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine! Every week, VYPE will scour the stat sheets of the previous week and find the top performers.
Class 6A teams went into the second round of the playoffs and wow there were some amazing performances! See who earned VYPE Helmet Stickers this week. Here are the selections.
REVIOUS HELMET STICKER SELECTIONS
- Week 1 (Sept. 24-27)
- Week 2 (Oct. 1-3)
- Week 3 (Oct. 8-10)
- Week 4 (Oct. 15-17)
- Week 5 (Oct. 22-24)
- Week 6 (Oct. 29-31)
- Week 7 (Nov. 3-5
- Week 8 (Nov. 12-14)
- Week 9 (Nov. 19-21)
- Week 10 (Nov. 27-29)
- Week 11 (Dec. 3-5) (Dec. 3-5)
- Week 12 - Bi-District (Dec. 10-12)
Colby Huerter (@ColbyHuerter) - Katy Tompkins
💥TOUCHDOWN FALCONS💥@ColbyHuerter scoops up a fumble and takes it the distance for Tompkins, and they strike again to go up 17-7 with 6:15 left in the second quarter. @tommy_yarrish | #TXHSFB pic.twitter.com/oSmCH0IYMs
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 19, 2020
The Tompkins defensive unit came up huge against Cy-Fair last week in a 51-28 victory for the Falcons. One of the big player was Colby Huerter. The South Dakota State signee had not one but two fumble recoveries and returned both of those for a touchdown. Huerter was a part of a 21-point swing for the Falcons defense.
Jacoby Davis (@JacobyDavis5_) - North Shore
PICK SIX 🚨: Touchdown @NSNationFB Mustangs!!! @DawsonEagleFB QB Colin Johnson’s pass is knocked into the air and picked by @JacobyDavis5_ and he takes it all the way for about a 40-yard pick six. #txhsfb
— vypehouston (@vypehouston) December 18, 2020
1st - :30@NSNationFB - 14
Dawson - 0@DenvoBandz @Dematrius09 pic.twitter.com/nCglprjI8g
It was a nice swing for North Shore in momentum at the end of the first quarter last week in an eventual 38-7 win over Pearland Dawson and the spark was provided by Jacolby Davis. The 2023 prospect came up with a big play last week as he picked off the pass from Colin Johnson and took it to the house from 59 yards out. It made it 14-0 at the time and the Mustangs were off to the races after that. He is a player to watch.
Keith Jackson - Ridge Point
Touchdown Panthers
— Ryan Dunsmore (@Duns_more) December 19, 2020
Ridge Point (@RPHS_FB) 14
Jersey Village 7
| 3:00 | 2Q | #txhsfb |
A person foul penalty on a 21-yard field goal attempt keeps the Panthers drive alive. Senior RB Keith Jackson punches it in from 2 yards out. XP Good. pic.twitter.com/laWor45TfL
In a 34-21 victory over Jersey Village last week, Ridge Point running back Keith Jackson went off for the Panthers as he rushed for 170 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries. The North Texas-signee has rushed for 976 yards and 15 touchdowns this season for the Panthers and has five games of registering 100 or more yards.
Travis Sims (@sims_tjay) - Spring
Tha dip on em Drip on em Tsims ... pic.twitter.com/d1zTHbfiCi
— tjay sims (@sims_tjay) December 14, 2020
Spring is rolling into the Regional Semifinals after a 31-14 victory over Klein Oak last week. In that win, we have to acknowledge that Bishop Davenport had another big game. He passed for 416 yards. Of those, 153 yards went to Travis Sims who did that on eight catches for the Lions. Remember, Sims won a VYPE Helmet Sticker earlier this year when he caught the game-winning touchdown pass against Westfield with time expired.
Dylan Goffney (@GoffneyDylan) - Bridgeland
💥BRIDGELAND WINS💥@ConnerWeigman HITS @GoffneyDylan ACROSS THE MIDDLE AND THE BEARS WIN!!!!!@tommy_yarrish | #TXHSFB pic.twitter.com/U3OXabgeRS
— Tommy Yarrish (@tommy_yarrish) December 18, 2020
Dylan Goffney, a SMU-signee, has shown time and time again of how strong he is. Goffney showed that off in a quadruple ovvertime victory over Dekaney last week. Bridgeland won the game 47-44 and advances to the Regional Semifinals. In the win, Goffney finished with 204 yards and three touchdowns on 14 receptions for the Bears. He had the game-winning touchdown catch and run, which sent the Bridgeland faithful into a frenzy.
Richard Rodriguez (@Richard_Rod_Jr) - Tomball Memorial
Area Champions 11-0!
— Marshall Hale (@MarshallHale9) December 19, 2020
The pictures say it all! Lucky to be going to battle with such a great group of guys!!!!
On to Round 3...... pic.twitter.com/utXxqXEsqp
Richard Rodriguez has had himself a very impressive season for the undefeated Wildcats and that continued in a 49-13 victory over Oak Ridge last week. Rodriguez rushed for 250 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries. The junior has rushed for 100 or more yards in every single game this season except one. He sits at 1,755 yards and 24 touchdowns for the year heading into the Regional Semifinals.
Seth Davis (@_SethDavis21) - Katy
Mid/End Regular season 🎬 pic.twitter.com/id3iK0gNYn
— Seth_Davis2️⃣3️⃣ (@_SethDavis21) December 14, 2020
Seth Davis has emerged as a star out of the Katy backfield this season. He is a sophomore and the younger brother of senior back Jalen Davis. In a 60-7 victory over Lamar last wee, Seth rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries for the Tigers. For the season, the sophomore is the leading rusher for Katy with 1,177 yards and 13 touchdowns. His brother, Jalen, has 1,079 yards and 18 scores on the year.
Kyron Drones (@KyronDrones) - Shadow Creek
See full highlights of @CEKing_Football vs @SCSharkFootball and much more on @HTownHSS with @ToddFreed57 and powered by @vypehouston. Airing Mon. thru Wed. at 6pm, plus, Thurs. 4:30pm on @attsportsnetsw.@KyronDrones @Tr3thaakid pic.twitter.com/XGx9wbbvBO
— H-Town High School Sports (@HTownHSS) December 21, 2020
Shadow Creek QB and Baylor-signee Kyron Drones has looked really good in both of the Sharks' playoff wins. Last week in a 42-28 win over CE King, Drones finished 13 of 24 for 216 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 171 yards and a score on 13 carries. His long run of the game was a 93-yard race for the endzone, which he won. Drones and the Sharks get Katy this week.
Aanooalii Filoialii (@Aano261) - Katy Taylor
Mid Sr Season https://t.co/YfGZgplhXB
— Aanooalii Filoialii (@Aano261) October 25, 2020
Katy Taylor is into the Regional Semis for a second-straight year after a 28-13 win over Heights last week. Coming up big on defense was Aano Filoialii, who finished with a team-leading 14 tackles for the Mustangs. Ten of those tackles were solo by the senior middle linebacker. Through the first two playoff games for Katy Taylor, Filoialii has amassed 27 total tackles, hitting double digits in each outing.
David Smith - Clear Falls
Great things are achieved when a group of high character individuals come together, put selfishness aside, play for each other, and are coachable. The results are proven. Bi-District Champs! Area Champs! pic.twitter.com/49l9OtQJN1
— Clear Falls Football (@ClearFallsFB) December 19, 2020
Clear Falls is having an unbelievable run in the playoffs. Entering this season, the Knights had never won a playoff game as they were 0-2 all-time. But that has all changed, including an Area Round victory over 2018 State Runner-Up Beaumont West Brook, beating the Bruins 53-36. In that victory, running back David Smith went off for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries for the Knights. This week, Clear Falls gets Katy Taylor.
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