The Willis Wildkats Look To Bounce Back On The Road Against The New Caney Eagles

WILLIS – Last week was a tough one for Willis as they fell to College Park in a game where they led at halftime. While that was a rough loss for the Wildkats, they will look to bounce back against a struggling New Caney team. Coming off a brutal 49-7 loss to Grand Oaks, New Caney hasn’t had a great season, starting out 0-5. However, they have kept some games close, as they fought hard against Oak Ridge and Conroe earlier in the season, only losing to Oak Ridge by 3 points. It will be interesting to see if they can make anything happen against this Willis team, which has shown some holes in its game and might make the game closer than expected.

New Caney Eagles: A Need For Consistency

So far this season, New Caney hasn’t been a strong team. They have yet to win a game, and although they were close against Oak Ridge, they couldn’t finish them going into the fourth quarter. Aside from that game, they have shown the ability to at least score more consistently than some of the other bottom teams in the district, only getting shut out in their game against Cypress Ranch. Their scoring is very inconsistent, leading to either a shutout or a close game. They have a couple of receivers with over 100 yards, like Brayden Logan, who currently leads the team with 198 yards. They seem to rotate quarterbacks, with both Payton Lopez and Markese Smith seeing time; Lopez has thrown for 396 yards, while Smith has 249 yards. Both have multiple touchdowns this season, so it will be interesting to see who plays more against Willis and is more effective. The defense has been poor, as they have only kept one team from scoring more than 25 points and have been blown out in most of their games. Hopefully, New Caney can make some splash plays and create big moments to keep this game somewhat competitive.

Willis Wildkats: Roll With the Punches

It has been an interesting season for Willis this year, as they’ve experienced both wins and losses in big games so far. They scored an impressive victory against The Woodlands in Week 4 but also endured tough defeats to Klein Collins and College Park. The playoffs are still within reach for this team, but a third district championship may be unlikely. However, several aspects of this team remain elite. The offense, although mostly shut down in the second half, managed to score 37 points against a College Park defense that had only allowed 55 points up to that point. This offense will still be led by Jermaine Bishop Jr., one of the most dangerous players in the state, who aims for a bounce-back game this week. Bishop is trying to reach 700 receiving yards this game, currently sitting at 692 for the season. The last game's plan to use him as a rusher was not very effective, so it's unlikely he’ll play that role again this game. Despite the loss, Jaivion Martin had a strong game with clutch catches that kept drives alive. Martin now has 374 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns on the season, and Willis will continue to involve him more as they have in recent weeks. One area needing improvement is the offensive line, as QB Lincoln Frazier was sacked multiple times last game, causing drives to stall when they needed to regain the lead. Frazier also committed two turnovers - one due to a freak strip sack and the other an ill-advised throw that highlights why he has been limited as a passer this season. Still, he aims to surpass 1500 passing yards; he currently has 1453. Despite some flaws, this team remains one of the best in the district and should not struggle against a weaker New Caney team. Look for Bishop to have another standout game and deliver some more exciting highlights.

Final Thoughts:

Like most games where a lower-tier district team challenges a playoff-caliber opponent, it usually isn’t much of a contest. It should be a solid bounce-back win for the Wildkats and help set them up for the upcoming weeks as they push toward the playoffs. For New Caney, it’s about trying to limit the damage and make something happen whenever possible. That something might only come against the backups, but sometimes you have to take wins wherever you can. To watch the live broadcast from Randall Reed Stadium, check it out here on Woodlands Online.