Carr driving Highlanders into postseason

THE WOODLANDS, Texas- There are several reasons to go and watch the Houston area’s third-ranked Woodlands Highlanders play a football game.

But the biggest reason might be tailback Patrick Carr.

Or is that the smallest?

Carr, who stands only 5-foot-8 and weighs around 185 pounds, rushed for 143 yards on 21 carries to lead the Highlanders to a much-easier-than-expected 33-6 victory over the Oak Ridge War Eagles last Friday night at Woodforest Stadium.

The win moved the Highlanders to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in District 16-6A play, one game ahead of Atascocita (3-1) and a game-and-a-half up on Oak Ridge (6-3 overall and 3-2 in the league).

“This was a big win for us,’’ said Carr, who also had a 57- yard touchdown run called back during the game. “We made an adjustment at halftime (leading 10-0). We wanted to come out and be more aggressive and get after it.’’

The Highlanders, behind the dazzling runs of Carr, took the second-half kickoff and marched 70 yards to all-but-seal their seventh straight win. Carr, who scored three touchdowns on the night, will eclipse the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the third straight season. He is probably the best running back The Woodlands has had since Daniel Lasco roamed the backfield some four years ago.

Lasco now is the starting tailback for California. He set a Bears’ record with a 92-yard touchdown reception earlier in the season.

“It’s not just me,’’ said a modest Carr, who runs a 4.4 40 and has been recruited by dozens of Division I schools. “Our offensive line does a great job. Our quarterbacks do a great job. And our receivers block downfield.’’

Carr has not announced where he will go to college, but he said he has narrowed his choices to TCU and the University of Arkansas.

TCU, which set a Big 12 record by scoring 82 points against Texas Tech on Saturday, is ranked among the top 10 teams in the country. The Horned Frogs only loss was a 61- 58 setback against Baylor.

Arkansas sports the biggest offensive line in the country. The Hogs average 6-foot-5, 328 pounds per man across the front line.

“It sure would be fun to run behind those big guys,’’ Carr said with a laugh. “I think they would have a hard time finding me. That is to my advantage.’’

But he didn’t rule out TCU.

“I will make my decision when the time is right,’’ Carr said. “TCU has a great football program. I think both schools would be a good fit for me.’’

The Woodlands will finish the season against Summer Creek on Friday night and Kingwood next Saturday. It needs to win one game to clinch at least a share of the district title and both to win the outright crown.

“If all of us just come out and do our jobs, we are going to be hard to stop,’’ Carr said. “If we have a little adversity along the way, we just have to push through it. If we get a touchdown called back, we just have to come back and do it again.’’

Carr has been fortunate to play this season almost injury free. He suffered with nagging injuries much of his junior year, but The Woodlands still advanced to the third round of the Region II-5A playoffs.

How far can this team go?

“I think we are peaking at the right time,’’ Carr said. “Hopefully, that will bode well for us in the playoffs.’’