GAMES
RANKINGS
Fulshear fell to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in District 10-5A, DII on Thursday, but still found reason for optimism in a tough loss to Montgomery.
Codutti, Fulshear find optimism in loss to Montgomery
ROSENBERG—When Fulshear's first-year head coach Nick Codutti watched film from last year of his new team during the spring, he saw a team that would often wilt under pressure or adversity. He saw a team that lacked fight.
So, while the Chargers fell 52-32 to Montgomery on Thursday evening at Traylor Stadium, Codutti was still optimistic. Mad, yes. Frustrated, sure. But encouraged.
"It was lack of execution," Codutti said. "We got down (21-3) early and we lose the game by 20 points. That's what it boils down to. Once you get past that, I thought our kids played really well. Our kids need to understand that we need to execute and do our jobs. We can't take a quarter to get going.
"That's a good football team, a well-coached football team. They're more athletic than a lot of people thought. I was proud of how the kids fought. They played their tails off."
Codutti then doubled down with a tweet he sent not long after the game.
"Tonight did not go our way, but let me tell you something.
I love these kids, we have fighters, we have kids who love each other.
We have coaches who love these kids-
I'm proud to be a CHARGER.
#WeAreFu1shear"
Fulshear (4-2, 1-1 District 10-5A, Division II) trailed Montgomery (5-0, 1-0) 21-3 not even four minutes into the second quarter. But the Chargers never hung their heads. They kept pushing and pushing, and some of that effort was rewarded.
Fulshear, which trailed by just nine points with 7:47 left in the third quarter, outgained Montgomery 433-411 in total yards and won the turnover battle, 2-1.
"It shows that even though we were down, we just never gave up," said junior quarterback Parker Williams, who completed 14 of 25 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns to Gavin Waits and rushed for 173 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. "It gives us that confidence in that we can play with a team like that and score against a team like that."
A typically stout and physical Fulshear defense struggled, as the Chargers had absolutely no answer for Montgomery senior running back Jalen Washington, who ran rampant for 294 yards and five touchdowns on 25 carries.
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound Washington scored on runs of 66, 3, 13, 70 and 59 yards, respectively.
"The kid had a great game," Codutti said. "The offensive line blocked well for him. He runs really hard. (Montgomery coach) Coach (John) Bolfing told me he had the game of his life. The kid's breaking tackles, running his feet for 20 yards. It is what it is."
Codutti praised the Bears' coaching. Montgomery got Fulshear out of proper defensive alignment early and often for big plays, and the Bears forced the Chargers to tackle in space.
"It didn't end well for us," Codutti said.
Fulshear players and coaches kept reverting to the lackluster first quarter that ultimately doomed any hopes of a win. As they head into a bye week, it is a point of emphasis.
"We have to start off better," Williams said. "It's happened multiple games, and this time it finally hurt us. It's trusting the game-plan. I started second-guessing myself the first drive, and I just need to do a better job sticking to the game-plan. That's going to be my focus."
EXTRA POINTS
>> JAMES IMPRESSES: Senior receiver Natrell James, a transfer from New Orleans who left because of Hurricane Ida, made his debut for Fulshear. The 6-foot, 170-pounder caught six passes for 30 yards and was dynamic in the return game. "I thought he had a great game," Codutti said. "When he got the ball in his hands, he did a really good job." James has only been on campus for 18 days. "He's an athlete," Codutti said. "We need to do a better job getting him in space. We had some plays designed to get him the ball pretty quick. Between (junior) Gavin (Waits) and (junior) Jax (Medica), those are two great outside receivers. He's going to complement them well."
>> WAITS EXCELS: Speaking of Waits, Codutti could not laud the play of his 6-foot-4, 210-pound pass-catcher enough. Waits had four catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns. They were Waits' first touchdown catches of the season. "Gavin had a fantastic game," Codutti said. "He looked like a man-child out there."
>> CHARGED UP FOR TAKEAWAYS: Fulshear had two more takeaways Thursday, with an interception by senior Ashton Bates and a fumble recovery by senior Cade Carter. The Chargers are now an impressive plus-13 in turnover differential, with 18 takeaways to five giveaways.
VYPE Class 5A Helmet Stickers powered by Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine: Bi-District (Dec. 10-12)
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 5A teams went into the first week of the 2020 playoffs and wow there were some amazing performances! See who earned VYPE Helmet Stickers this week. Here are the selections.
PREVIOUS 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. 27-28)
- Week 11 (Dec. 3-5)
Deniquez Dunn (@DeniquezDunn2) - Crosby
Crosby QB/RB/DB @DeniquezDunn2
— QB Elite Training (@TrainingQb) December 11, 2020
Is a SPECIAL player with unbelievable talent https://t.co/d6T418TeDh #hudl
It was a dominating 66-0 victory for Crosby over Willowridge last week in the opening round of the playoffs. Deniquez Dunn led the Cougars at quarterback as he went 8 of 13 for 202 yards and two scores. Dunn also rushed for another 48 yards and a score. Three total touchdowns is a nice performance by Dunn. This week, they get undefeated Texas High School.
Brent Holdren - Barbers Hill
Barbers Hill rolled past Galena Park last week winning its playoff opener 51-14. The Eagles were led by quarterback Brent Holdren who went 11 of 17 for 187 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Jalen Washington - Montgomery
Jalen Washington ran wild in a big win over Whitehouse last week. Montgomery won the game 38-31 to advance in the playoffs - slated to face Fort Bend Marshall this week - and Washington had three of the scores. The junior back had 200 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries for the Bears in the win.
Tyree Scranton (@Yeah_Tyree) - Manvel
Another stud from the loaded Manvel Mavericks who has floated under the radar.. ‘22 LB Tyree Scranton has 55 tackles in 5 games including 15 last night against Hightower.. Scranton has stepped up in a big way this year.. pic.twitter.com/Y6tuW5A0EL
— Joey Allender III (@JoeyAllender) November 6, 2020
Tyree Scranton had a solid outing against Beaumont United in a 63-0 victory last week. Scranton finished with seven tackles, three of those solo. He also finished with an interception.
Xavier Smallwood (@xavier25zay) - Foster
Touchdown Falcons!
— Ryan Dunsmore (@Duns_more) December 11, 2020
Foster (@FosterFootball) 28
Goose Creek Memorial 0
| 5:24 | 2Q | #txhsfb |
Senior Xavier Smallwood (@xavier25zay) scores his second touchdown of the night with a one-yard run. XP good. pic.twitter.com/rnkPJoDWz0
In a big win for Foster last week, Falcons' running back Xavier Smallwood had a big night. Smallwood busted loose for 100 yards and two scores on just six carries in the 49-7 victory. Smallwood and the Falcons take on an undefeated Cedar Park team this week in the Area Round.
CJ Dumas (@cjdumas2022) - Katy Paetow
On to 2nd Rd of Playoffs....check out my game highlights vs Baytown Lee. 8-11 141 yds 3 TDshttps://t.co/NGCjjD6kJf
— C.J. Dumas (@cjdumas2022) December 13, 2020
In a 70-18 win over Baytown Lee, CJ Dumas Jr. had a solid game at quarterback. Dumas finished 8 of 12 for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Dumas for the season has passed for 1,106 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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