The Woodlands Highlanders ground game KO’s Mequite Horn Jaguars in playoff opener

THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS – In a hard-fought playoff opener during which both teams lost key cogs of their offense, The Woodlands High School Highlanders improved to 11-0 with a 41-21 triumph over the Mesquite Horn Jaguars on Friday night at Woodforest Bank Stadium.

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The Highlanders path to a state championship doesn’t get any easier next week. They advance to face Garland Sachse at 7:30 p.m., Friday, at Waco ISD Stadium. The Mustangs, also 11-0, defeated Skyline 34-13.

The Woodlands entered their first-round game with a well-deserved reputation for a punishing passing attack, so it came as no surprise that Mesquite stacked their defense to try to shut down that aerial assault. The Highlanders saw an opportunity to let their ground game do the talking, and running backs Jordan Talford and Carlos Ramos absolutely feasted on the Jaguars.

Talford gained 70 yards and scored a touchdown before leaving the game early in the second quarter with a sprained MCL. Ramos stepped right in for his teammate and became the workhorse the Highlanders needed behind a dominant effort from the offensive line. Ramos, the Player of the Game, carried the ball 26 times for 161 yards.

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“When Jordan tweaked his knee, Carlos had to carry the load and did an outstanding job finding the seams and making big first-down runs,” said Highlander coach Mark Schmid. “You can’t predict when your opportunity is going to come, but you have to be ready, and Carlos was ready.”

Overall, the Highlanders ran for 362 yards and dominating time of possession with 30 minutes compared to just 18 for the Jaguars. Quarterback Eric Schmid had 200 yards of total offense, running for a touchdown and throwing for three more. He completed only three passes in the second half, but two were for scores to give his team an insurmountable lead.

“We knew their offense was very explosive, and we felt if we could run the football and grind the clock, we could control a lot,” said Coach Schmid. “Our offensive line did a great job.”

The Jaguars used their no-huddle offense to make an emphatic statement on the game’s opening drive. It took them just three plays and 59 seconds to go ahead 7-0. Wide receiver Katrell Blakely delivered the big blow, running a quick out to catch a short pass from star quarterback Chris Robison and then breaking free down the left sideline for 57-yard touchdown.

Unrattled, the Highlanders responded with a patient and perfectly executed 10-play, 75-yard march that spun more than four minutes off the clock. The Highlanders called Talford’s number six times, and on that final handoff he found a hole through the left side and sped away from his pursuers for a 30-yard touchdown.

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On the next drive the Jaguars lost Robison for the game when he re-aggravated a shoulder injury that has bothered him all season. Jermaine Givens stepped in and delivered a courageous effort both running and throwing the football, but Mesquite just couldn’t keep pace with The Woodlands offense.

The Highlanders took the lead for the first time and for good on a gutsy fourth-and-six gamble in the first quarter. Schmid hit Chris Stewart for a 28-yard touchdown. Stewart had three catches for 95 yards, including a 45-yard score in the second half.

They made it 21-7 early in the second quarter when Kesean Carter raced across the goal line on a 17-yard run just a few plays after Talford went down.

The Jaguars showed some grit on their next possession, a 12-play drive that culminated with Givens running it in on a 5-yard keeper. The extra point made it 21-14, but the Highlanders rattled off 20 unanswered points to put the game away.

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