It's that time of year: Football preview week 1

The first week of the high school football season, officially known as Week 0, kicks off Friday with an interesting matchup between local private school teams.

The Woodlands Christian Academy Warriors vs. John Cooper Dragons

Next Up: The Dragons, playing in their second varsity season in school history, get to face the cross-town rival Warriors at Dragon Stadium at 7:00pm Friday, as each team is looking for win number one.

2013 Season: The Warriors went 7-5 overall last year, and 3-2 in district. They fell to Brazos Christian from Bryan, Texas 38-22 in the area playoffs. John Cooper went 3-4 in it’s inaugural season, winning three of it’s last five, including a 41-0 over Village to end it’s season.

What to Watch For: Turnover Margin. An emerging cross-town rivalry is developing and the same question can be asked of both teams, who can keep the turnovers and mistakes to a minimum? As the opening game for both teams, the play will be up-and-down, and the team that can limit it’s mistakes in most football games usually come out on top.

Analysis: The first game of the year is always one where the teams try to feel each other out. Last year, the Warriors ran for 218.5 yds/game, led by standout sophomore Luke Hudson, who garnered 1242 yards on 148 carries (8.39 per carry) to go along with 14 touchdowns. As a junior, Hudson will be sure to test the Dragon front seven as he looks for holes to exploit. Last year was the Dragons first playing football, and they didn’t have any seniors on the team, so they will be returning their players, and the chemistry should be strong. If the defense can slow Hudson down, anything can happen.



College Park Cavaliers vs. Pearland Oilers

Next Up: The 2014 season for College Park kicks off Friday against stiff competition: state runner-up Pearland. The game kicks off Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Woodforest Bank Stadium. The game will be On-Demand at WoodlandsOnline.com/sports, so feel free to watch the game after it’s completion.

2013 Season: The Cavaliers went 5-5 last year, including a strong start to the season winning their first three contests. They also ended the season on a high note, besting Bryan 20-17. The Oilers went 14-2, scoring 38 or more points in their first 12 games of the season. They fell to Allen at AT&T stadium to finish their campaign in 2013.

What to Watch For: The development of new Cavalier starting quarterback Robert Ferguson. His first game starting at quarterback for College Park will be a tough assignment, but if Ferguson can play within the system and limit mistakes, while utilizing three-year starter and two-time all-district Offensive Tackle Ben Shepard (6-4, 250) to his advantage, the Cavaliers will have an opportunity to be in a close contest late.

Analysis: The Oilers rushed for 2828 total yards and passed for 2100 in 2013, so they were a balanced team. If the Cavaliers can take away either the run or the pass, they may have a chance at the win. For the Cavaliers, it’s about the defense. In six games last year, they held opponents to 21 points or less. 3-year starter Roosevelt Henderson will anchor the defensive line in an attempt to slow down the Oiler attack.



Oak Ridge War Eagles vs. Morton Ranch (Katy)

Next Up: The War Eagles raise the curtain on the 2014 home schedule as they entertain the Morton Ranch Mavericks at 6 p.m. Saturday at Woodforest Bank Stadium. The game will be broadcast LIVE at WoodlandsOnline.com and then put On-Demand so you can re-watch over the weekend.

2013 Season: Both teams went 7-4 in their 2013 seasons, with Morton Ranch owning a 4-3 district record and Oak Ridge having a 3-3 record. The War Eagles fell to Westfield in the area playoffs, while Morton Ranch fell to Lamar.

What to Watch For: The return to health of Oak Ridge Quarterback Braden Letney. The now junior played in the first nine games at the helm for Oak Ridge, starting the season 7-0 before getting dinged. After the injury, the team struggled to regain it’s chemistry. Letney led the team in passing with 616 yards and 5 TDs and was first in rushing through the first nine games 722 yards and 13 TDs, so if he has regained his 2013 form the War Eagles could be a dangerous team to play.

Analysis: Morton Ranch won its last four games before the playoff defeat, meanwhile Oak Ridge struggled to end the year. While 2014 is a new season with a new team, which momentum will carry over? Oak Ridge returns 17 starters (eight on offense, nine on defense) including Letney as well as top rusher Kwame Etwi (711 yards, 12 rush TD’s as a junior), so the offense should be ready to go. The mantra for most early games is the defense is ahead of the offense because it takes more time for an offense to gel, so if the War Eagles defense, lead by defensive back Llewellyn Jones, can slow the Mavericks offense, this game has all the makings of a tight finish.



The Woodlands Highlanders at Cy-Fair Bobcats

Next Up: The Highlanders will kick off their 2014 campaign on the road at the Berry Center against the Cy-Fair Bobcats on Friday at 7:00pm

2013 Season: The Highlanders went 10-3 and were 6-0 in district on it’s way to the 14-5A crown. While moving up to 16-6A will be a challenge, the Highlanders will look to improve on it’s finish in the third round of the playoffs last year, falling to Allen. Cy Fair was also powerful in 2013, going 12-2 and 8-1 district. They lost in the fourth round of the playoffs to eventual state runner-ups Pearland, 10-3.

What to Watch For: The depth of the defenses. The Woodlands returns seven starters on the defensive side of the ball, including outside linebacker Corey Sanders (43 tackles, three sacks), safety Geoffrey Keating (107 tackles, two interceptions), and safety Antoine Winfield Jr, (son of former Viking Antonie Winfield) who had 80 tackles and two interceptions in 2013. For Cy Fair, they return five starters on defense, including run stopper defensive lineman Ross Donelly (6-2, 300lbs) who will be tasked with slowing down stud Woodlands running back Patrick Carr. Last year, Cy-Fair held 11 opponents to 14 points or less in their contests, and will look to repeat that feat Friday night.

Analysis: With quarterback Chris Andritsos moving on from football to focus on his baseball career, quarterback Matt Bonaguidi will need to step up to keep the Highlander offense humming. Helping keep the pressure to a minimum for Bonaguidi will be third-year running back Patrick Carr, who stands 267 yards shy of breaking the all-time Highlander rushing record held by Daniel Lasco with 3,901 yards. It’s the immovable object (Cy-Fair defensive line) vs. the unstoppable force (The Woodlands rush attack) in this one, with the victor of that battle going the spoils.