Oak Ridge ready for new district foe Klein Collins

THE WOODLANDS, Texas— The Oak Ridge War Eagles will travel to Buddy Moorhead Stadium Friday night to take on one of the Houston-area's premier teams, the Klein Collins Tigers. Oak Ridge, a week removed from their second loss of the early season, need a win this week to keep playoff aspirations alive in the new and competitive District 15-6A.

Last week’s district opener result between Oak Ridge and The Woodlands was a tad unexpected as the War Eagles were red hot; fresh off a 60-13 win against Alief Elsik. The Highlanders were on the verge of losing their first three games of the season for the first time since before these current senior football players were born. A big week for the Highlanders correlated in a letdown for War Eagle Nation.

Going into the second week of District 15-6A play, War Eagle head coach Dereck Rush will have to turn to his defensive leaders after giving up 52-points last Friday to The Woodlands. Senior linebacker Camden Barajas has been the staple in Rush’s defensive unit this season, making play-after-play for the War Eagles.

With senior quarterback Blaine Romero taking the majority of snaps this season, the War Eagle offense should find its identity as the season progresses. Zero points against an inspired Highlander team does not define this War Eagle squad. Talent is visible all over the Oak Ridge roster, but with new starters at several positions, it could take some time for everything to gel together.

District realignment has brought some exciting matchups to Montgomery County. With five Klein Independent School District schools joining Oak Ridge, The Woodlands, College Park, and Conroe, District 15-6A looks to be one of the most competitive districts in Houston, if not the state.

Klein Collins has had the most success recently out of all the new additions, with the Tigers falling one game short of the State Championship game back in 2016 to a Shawn Robinson-led Desoto team. Now going into 2018, the Tigers have one of their most talented teams in recent years.

Isaiah Spiller is the man to watch for Klein Collins. The All-American running back who flipped his Oklahoma commitment to Texas A&M is the reigning District 15-6A MVP, and his four touchdowns last week against Klein Forest could mean trouble for Rush’s defense.