A Night To Remember: College Park Takes Down The Woodlands In A Double Overtime Thriller To Remain Undefeated

THE WOODLANDS – When we think about the reasons we love football, it's games like this that come to mind. Tight contests and thrilling moments define these games, fueling our passion for the sport and making us lifelong fans. The War of the Woods was one of those games. An absolute classic from start to finish, where both teams left everything they had on the field. This game had it all—dazzling plays, heart-pounding moments, and a comeback for the ages. Both teams put on a show for the sold-out crowd at Woodforest Bank Stadium, but only one could come out on top. College Park snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against The Woodlands, keeping their historic undefeated season alive, and they just might be one of the best teams in Texas. Buckle in folks, this is going to be a long one.

College Park Cavaliers: Never Back Down, Never Give Up

This game truly defines what College Park is as a team. It's a real testament to how much they have improved since last year and the work they have put in to get to this point. Coach Kyle Coats mentioned last week that his players are disciplined and determined, and they proved it in this game. At one point, College Park was down 21-0, with their backs against the wall, but they rallied, took back the lead, and secured a huge win in double overtime. The first half was tough to say the least. The offense struggled against a tough Highlander defense, and to make things worse, they had two major turnovers, both leading to scores for The Woodlands. One turnover was a hasty pitch from QB Camden Hughes, and the other was a botched kickoff deep in their own territory. Hughes faced more difficulties throughout the first half, scrambling for most of the time just to make plays. However, he improved towards the end of the half, finally getting College Park on the board with a 10-yard touchdown pass to WR Julian Cromartie in the final moments of the second quarter. Despite the score, the defense played well early on, even though having to deal with constant short fields isn’t ideal. The real story of the game happened in the second half. Just like in their win over Willis, College Park was able to dig deep and adjust to try and win. The defense made a key play on The Woodlands’ first drive when DB Jonah Dinh intercepted Jack Daulton and returned the ball all the way to The Woodlands’ 20-yard line. This moment sparked momentum for College Park. RB Duke Stephens made two incredible plays, including a one-handed catch to get into scoring range and then running it in himself, reducing the deficit to just 7 points. The defense then made a crucial stop to give the ball back in good field position, though this was followed by a blocked field goal from Beckett Cocke. The offense was unfazed, and on the next drive, Hughes connected with Jordan Styles for a big gain, then with Cromartie again for his second touchdown of the night, tying the game in dramatic fashion. To start the fourth quarter, the defense almost made a big play again, as it looked like they had a pick-six, but it was called back due to a roughing the passer penalty. The next few drives turned into defensive battles until Hughes linked up with Cromartie for another big gain, moving into Woodlands territory. RB Antonio Booker then helped move the team into the red zone, but disaster struck when a low snap from Hughes nearly resulted in a loss of yards. However, both Booker and Hughes worked together to get into a decent field goal range, and Cocke scored from the 26-yard line to give College Park their first lead of the game. The following drive was intense, with College Park giving up a lot of yards and letting The Woodlands drive into their territory, eventually setting up a field goal with just 8 seconds remaining. That tie was almost broken by a botched onside kick, which College Park failed to recover, but luckily, the 50-yard field goal attempt was missed, sending the game into rare overtime. Texas UIL overtime rules are similar to NCAA rules, where both teams get a chance to score starting from the 25-yard line, and the process continues until one team wins. For more details, check out the Texas UIL rules here. College Park started their overtime possession on the 25, and after a gutsy run from Stephens reversing field, Booker secured a first down. Cromartie then made an incredible catch in the end zone, giving College Park a 31-24 lead. The defense allowed a touchdown to The Woodlands afterward, sending the game to double overtime. In that period, the defense stepped up, stopping The Woodlands' offense, which resulted in a missed field goal. College Park then took over, and it was Booker who finished it with a walk-off touchdown run, sealing the 37-31 victory for the Cavaliers. While the game was thrilling and had one of the best endings we’ve seen, College Park struggled with penalties all night. False starts and defensive penalties killed big plays and promising drives, and maybe this game could have been a little less stressful if those penalties hadn't happened. Overall, it was an incredible performance from College Park tonight, showing that they are never out of it and will keep fighting even when the odds are stacked against them.

The Woodlands Highlanders: Absolute Heartbreaker

A loss to College Park is a rare occurrence for the Highlanders, as this is only the third time they've lost to the Cavaliers. This one stings a little more, however, because, as mentioned before, they were at one point up 21-0 and in the driver's seat of the game. This is still a game The Woodlands can be proud of, as the defense managed to contain the elite College Park offense to just 24 points during regulation and made key stops. QB Jack Daulton played a great game, looking better than ever throwing the ball. Even though he threw an interception, Daulton was slinging it, with several beautiful deep passes, and he could have had more yards and touchdowns if not for some costly drops by his receivers. To start with the positives, the first half went about as well as it possibly could have for The Woodlands. A fumble recovered by the defense led to a scoring drive where all the offensive pieces clicked. Daulton connected with WR Jamieson Gavin on a huge pass that set up a Daulton run for the first score of the night. He continued to strike on their next drive, hitting WR Carter Cass with a nice throw, followed by another deep pass to Eli Lancaster, who was stopped just short of the end zone. Daulton scored again, increasing the lead and showing College Park they were there to play. A kickoff was fumbled by College Park and recovered by The Woodlands, setting up a short field. Daulton kept it going, throwing a strike to Lancaster again, who found the end zone, putting The Woodlands up 21-0. The defense then forced a couple of punts but ultimately allowed a score before halftime. The second half, however, was the opposite; the offense came out slower and couldn't score a touchdown all half. There was a notable play where Lancaster threw a pass to Daulton, who took it to the 30-yard line in College Park territory, but it was called back due to an unsportsmanlike penalty on Lancaster that nullified the play. Luckily, Daulton picked back up in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, hitting Caycen Bartolazzi for a good gain, then connecting with Cass again to move into the red zone. The offense stalled from there, but they managed a field goal to tie the game with 8 seconds remaining. What followed almost won the game for the Highlanders: an onside kick that bounced off a College Park player’s leg and into The Woodlands’ hands at the College Park 33-yard line. With 2 seconds left, The Woodlands attempted a 50-yard field goal to win it, and although Luke Crudgington had the leg, the ball sailed wide of the posts, sending the game into overtime. In overtime, The Woodlands received the ball after College Park scored, needing a touchdown to keep the game alive. Daulton delivered, throwing a pass to Cass in the end zone, who caught it to force double overtime. The Woodlands was then stopped on their first possession, giving up a walk-off touchdown and losing the game. Overall, it was a good game for the Highlanders in many ways; they played with all they had and gave it everything to try and secure the win. Yet, they fell short of the big victory, and one has to wonder if they had continued with their first-half approach, whether they could’ve put the game away early. Conservative play calling and costly mistakes didn’t help, and it’s hoped they can correct these issues before their possible playoff run later in the year.

Final Thoughts:

Man, that was a long one, but once again, this is one of those games where many details influence the outcome. It was a fantastic contest from start to finish, one both teams will remember for a long time. For College Park, this means their undefeated streak remains intact and it nearly guarantees a district title game if they can finish strong. Many of their players stepped up in this match. Camden Hughes had another great performance, Julian Cromartie scored 3 Touchdowns and made some of his best catches of the year, and the running back duo of Antonio Booker and Duke Stephens played exceptionally well. The defense still looked outstanding, as always, with Marco Beltran and his team delivering big hits and crucial stops. The Woodlands will be reeling from this loss for a while, as it was right there in their grasp, but all they can do now is move on and try to finish the season strong. Jack Daulton, despite the costly interception, had one of the most impressive passing days we’ve seen from him, and WRs Carter Cass and Eli Lancaster made significant contributions in the receiving game. Overall, this was a game for the ages and lived up to the hype in every way. If you have the time, check out the live broadcast here on Woodlands Online,it truly is a great watch.