Jermaine Bishop Jr. Dazzles as Willis Wins a Key Game Against The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Jermaine Bishop Jr.; that’s the story of this game. This Friday, two of the strongest teams in the district faced off for a showdown at Yates Stadium, and it did not disappoint. What looked like a back-and-forth battle through the first three quarters was ultimately decided by the Wildkats in the final 12 minutes of the game, led by Bishop, who seemingly did it all for Willis. With a 42-30 win, Willis appears to be in firm control of the district, spoiling The Woodlands' hopes at a district title. This incredible game lived up to the hype and sets the tone for the district moving forward.

The Willis Wildkats: One Man Army

Willis came into this game riding high after an impressive win against the Caney Creek Panthers, and they carried that offensive momentum throughout the game. The star of this game was obviously Jermaine Bishop Jr., who seemed to play every position on the field. Unlike the last game, where he threw for 240 yards, Bishop ran the ball over 20 times for 258 yards and an incredible 4 touchdowns. Bishop wasn’t just getting handoffs; he lined up in the slot to catch jet sweeps and even took many direct snaps out of a Wildcat formation, all of which tore apart The Woodlands defense. To make this night even crazier, Bishop also threw a touchdown pass, connecting with Jaivion Martin for a 21-yard score in the final seconds of the second quarter. On top of that, Bishop lined up as punter and had some impressive kicks, plus a great run on a fake punt that earned Willis a first down on a fourth-and-25. All of this doesn’t even include his numerous snaps on defense, meaning Bishop barely, if ever, left the field for the Wildkats. The bottom line is, there’s a reason he’s ranked as one of the top recruits coming out of high school this year, and he proved why during this game. Besides Bishop, Willis looked better overall; the defense was getting to the quarterback, and besides Bishop, Jaivion Martin made some nice catches and runs throughout the game. One notable aspect of the defense was their ability to recover two fumbles, with one being a scoop and score that sealed the game in the fourth quarter. They were able to cover receivers mostly, other than one botched touchdown that was left wide open, and were able to effectively stop the run to get the ball back to the offense. Lincoln Frazier didn’t do much in this game, and when he did throw, he wasn’t very effective. He is only a freshman, so he still has time to learn, but there was a reason Bishop ran the ball instead of catching it tonight. As a team, this unit looked much improved from the start of the season, and this win is a solid addition to their resume.

The Woodlands Highlanders: Key Mistakes and Big Plays Take a Toll

Despite the loss, The Woodlands didn’t look bad at all in this game. In fact, this game could’ve been much closer if it weren’t for some mistakes in crucial moments and poor play calling at times. Take, for example, the scoop and score fumble mentioned earlier. The Highlanders had been marching down the field after falling behind 28-25 in the 4th quarter, and after getting into the red zone, the ball literally slips right out of QB Jack Daulton’s hand for a fumble. What should have been a commanding drive turned into a disaster that almost sealed The Woodlands’ fate. However, Daulton played well, throwing very accurately and having 3 passing touchdowns, all to different receivers. His receivers, Eli Lancaster, Jamieson Gavin, and Colton Weddel, all made great catches, with Lancaster's really standing out as Daulton connected with him deep on a beautiful go route. Colton Weddel also had a great touchdown to keep the game close in the 3rd quarter but was mostly quiet the rest of the night. Watching this game, Weddel was open frequently over the middle, but Daulton either missed him or didn’t even look his way. Getting Weddel involved more might’ve been helpful for the Highlanders. One notable moment was the injury to RB Cody Jordan in the first half, which forced backup Jason Haskins into the game. Jordan had already scored in the first half before leaving, making it a tough loss for the Highlanders. Haskins played well in his place, getting some solid runs, including one that put the Highlanders in the red zone before it was fumbled by Daulton. The offense was overall decent through the air, but struggles with the run game hurt them the most. Defensively, The Woodlands had no one who could keep up with Bishop. He tore through this defense, and no matter where he lined up, they couldn’t seem to stop him. One thing they did well was defend the pass, and they didn’t let Frazier get anything through the air (though Bishop could throw on them). DB Caycen Bartolazzi was excellent in coverage, keeping the Willis wideouts in check and coming up with a nice interception returned to Willis’s 27-yard line. When Bishop lined up as a receiver, DB Jabaric Sullivan did a good job locking him down and preventing big plays. They also managed to block a field goal in the first quarter, which set them up with good offensive field position. Overall, when Bishop wasn’t running all over the place, the defense did a good job containing everyone else. They tackled Bishop quite a bit but allowed too many big plays and couldn’t stop Willis’s powerful offense.

Final Thoughts:

This was a fantastic game from both Willis and The Woodlands, and they gave it their all. In the end, Bishop proved why he was the best player on the field and single-handedly took over for The Woodlands. This is a statement win for the Wildkats and gives them a strong chance to win their third district title in a row. Bishop and Willis will look to continue their district dominance against a struggling Cleveland team next week. After that, they will take on a College Park team that should give them just as tough of a fight as The Woodlands did. For The Woodlands, this is a tough loss to accept, as they no longer control their own destiny in the title race and lost a key player in Cody Jordan. While they played well, getting exploited by one player playing six positions (QB, RB, WR, P, FS, KR) isn’t what you want to see. The play calling on offense wasn’t always there, and the defense struggled with tackling, making this game a disaster waiting to happen. They will need to bounce back next week when they host Caney Creek at home, then travel to Cleveland the following week. To watch highlights of the game, check them out here on Woodlands Online. For the full game stream that was live on Woodlands Online check it out here, and game photos can be found here. Our interview of Coach Trent Miller after the game can be found here.

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