The College Park Cavaliers Shutout the Conroe Tigers in District Opener

THE WOODLANDS -- The College Park Cavaliers and Conroe Tigers faced off for their first district game of the season Thursday at Woodforest Bank Stadium. What started as a defensive fight early on turned into a one-sided contest that saw College Park earn their first win in district play.

1^st Quarter: Defensive Battle and Punts Galore

The game started with College Park receiving the opening kickoff, which was returned to their own 29-yard line, setting up the first drive of the game. After converting a tough third down, QB Camden Hughes was almost sacked by the swarming Conroe defense, but his pass to WR Brian Snodgrass was unfortunately dropped, forcing a punt. Conroe got the ball and completed a nice pass from QB Cameron Nunley, and even though a roughing the passer penalty gave Conroe good field position, they were forced to punt after a failed run by RB Alex Spence Myers. College Park then looked like they were driving down the field with a nice reverse play to WR Jordan Styles, but it was called back due to a holding penalty. A nice pass from Hughes intended for WR Julian Cromartie was broken up by Conroe, forcing yet another punt. Conroe then went three-and-out on their following drive after DL RJ Wyms sacked Nunley. College Park drove down the field with passes from Hughes until a big tackle for a loss ended in another punt to close the quarter. So far, the outlook of this game seemed to be a defensive battle, as both D-Lines were blowing right past the opposing O-Lines. Conroe couldn’t get its run game going with Spence Myers, and College Park’s QB Hughes never seemed to have a clean pocket to throw from.

2^nd Quarter: Huge Plays Put College Park on the Board

At the start of the second quarter, Conroe was once again stopped by the College Park defense and punted after a three-and-out. The punt was downed at the 50-yard line, giving College Park good field position. Hughes quickly capitalized, connecting with Snodgrass in the flat for a 25-yard gain, their biggest of the night. The Cavaliers then faced a fourth and long, but called a trick play that worked perfectly. A reverse to Styles was executed, and then Styles threw to Hughes, who ran ahead to convert the fourth down and reach the red zone. Hughes then scored by leaping over his linemen on the 1-yard line, giving College Park a 7-0 lead. Conroe's next drive stalled as their run game was stuffed, and Wyms sacked Nunley again on third down, forcing another punt. On the punt, College Park’s Marco Beltran caught the ball at his own 30-yard line and returned it all the way for a touchdown after reversing field and eluding several Conroe defenders. This electrifying play by Beltran put College Park up 14-0 and swung the momentum in their favor. Nunley was then sacked again, this time by LB Bryce Cooper, and College Park's defense made another impressive stand to force a punt. College Park received the ball with about 2:40 remaining and drove down the field, relying on accurate passes from Hughes to Snodgrass and Stephens. Snodgrass then advanced them into the red zone before scoring himself on an impressive throw from Hughes, putting the Cavaliers up 21-0. Conroe attempted to move down the field in the final moments, but College Park’s James Cabarrus ultimately intercepted Nunley in the closing seconds of the half to end the drive.

3^rd Quarter: College Park’s Defense Continues to Dominate

At the start of the half, Conroe received the kick, but once again, Spence Myers is stopped, forcing yet another punt. College Park then continued their momentum from the first half as Hughes throws a great pass to Stephens, who takes it 50 yards into Conroe territory. Hughes then made one of the best plays of the night, evading a sack after nearly being tripped up, then firing a pass across his body just before being hit again, connecting with Snodgrass in the back of the end zone for another touchdown. College Park now holds a commanding 28-0 lead, and Conroe struggles to do anything against a Cavalier defense that is dominating every play. Conroe finally completes a nice pass from Nunley to WR Elijah Harris, putting them in College Park territory, but on the next play, Nunley is intercepted again. This time, DB Jordan White makes the turnover, keeping Conroe's offense stuck. Conroe’s defense finally responds, stopping College Park on a fourth-down play and forcing a turnover on downs. Once again, Beltran makes his presence felt by sacking Spence Myers on a safety blitz, setting up a third and long that Conroe cannot convert. College Park gets the ball back, but another reverse to Styles falls short of the first down, resulting in a punt. Conroe’s offensive line is struggling, resembling a revolving door, as DTs Jordyn Grant and Lucas Richard each record a sack, leading to another Conroe punt. The quarter ends with College Park gaining good field position after a poor punt from Conroe. College Park appears poised to win this game, needing just one more score to seal the victory.

4^th Quarter: The Shutout is Completed

As the final quarter begins, College Park capitalizes on their great field position as Hughes throws another excellent pass to Styles, getting them into the red zone. Snodgrass then catches another pass from Hughes to score his third touchdown of the night, giving College Park a staggering 35-0 lead. Conroe then fields a new quarterback, Jackson Reagan, who proceeds to complete his first pass to Harris for a solid gain. However, College Park adjusts quickly, swarming Reagan on third down, with defenders Bryce Cooper and Jonah Dinh combining for a sack to force another punt. If you’ve been keeping track, Conroe has only punted tonight, aside from the two interceptions from Nunley. On the following College Park drive, Hughes again throws some nice passes, but on one screen, Snodgrass fumbles, and Conroe recovers in their own territory. Bryce Cooper then records another sack on third down, forcing the Tigers to punt once more, unable to capitalize on the turnover. The rest of the game is played with College Park’s backups, such as QB Rodrigo Bravo, and although they have to punt, Conroe doesn't do anything on the final drive as Reagan is sacked one last time by Isaiah Ogoli, ending the game. College Park completes the shutout, preventing Conroe’s offense from scoring tonight, and wins 35-0.

Final Thoughts

College Park looked incredible in this game. Achieving a shutout is tough against a strong team like Conroe, and the Cavalier defense really stepped up tonight. Players like Marco Beltran, Camden Hughes, and Brian Snodgrass make College Park a formidable team and will be exciting to watch moving forward. As for Conroe, all you can do is come back next week and try again since they were unable to score all night, with players like Alex Spence Myers and Cameron Nunley unable to make any impact. College Park will face Oak Ridge next week to keep their momentum going. Conroe will play New Caney, aiming to improve on this tough loss and get back into district contention. To watch the highlights from this game check them out on Woodlands Online. For the full live broadcast, see it here provided by our Woodlands Online Crew.