War Of The Woods 2026: The Woodlands Highlanders and College Park Cavaliers Face Off In A Classic Backyard Brawl

THE WOODLANDS – Every year, both The Woodlands Highlanders and the College Park Cavaliers meet at Woodforest Bank Stadium for one of Houston’s fiercest rivalries, The Battle of the Woods. Last season, the Cavaliers beat the Highlanders in a double-overtime thriller that might have been the best game of the 2025 season. For this season’s battle, both teams are coming in hot and ready to do whatever it takes to win.

The Woodlands has been on a tear over the last 3 weeks, scoring at an unprecedented rate and posting staggering offensive and defensive stats. They want revenge for that 21-point comeback that the Cavaliers put on them, and they look fully capable of doing it.

For College Park, they finally found their footing last week, beating a very good Willis team soundly and silencing any doubt that those 2 losses on their record affected their play in the district. This time around, they’re hoping to not fall behind early, and instead do what they did last season, but quicker and more effectively.

On paper, this matchup promises plenty of fireworks, and hopefully it lives up to the hype, as the winner could very well be the district champ by season's end.

The Woodlands Highlanders: Showing Signs Of A Contender?

In the last couple of weeks, the Woodlands Highlanders have been on a roll. After a tough season-opening loss to Bridgeland, the Highlanders have been putting up tons of points, scoring a combined 120 points in their last 2 games. Even with a softer schedule, these point totals are impressive, especially since the Highlanders have allowed only 13 points in those games. Altogether, it forms a team that looks ready to take on any challenge and could do some damage when the schedule gets hard again.

Offense

Impact Players:

• #15 QB Kaden Copelin
• #1 WR Bryson Bourn
• #0 WR Carter Cass
• #4 RB Jason Haskins
• #60 OL Micah Matlock

A big part of this team’s recent success is the offensive firepower they bring to every game. QB Kaden Copelin has been excellent throughout the season, throwing for a district-leading 16 TDs in just 4 games and not throwing a single interception. Statistically, the QB has racked up 988 yards through the air at an 80% completion rate and added 131 yards on the ground. Copelin’s play has opened up this passing attack, and with so many weapons in both the WR and RB rooms, this offense is looking scary with him at the helm.

Speaking of those WR options, multiple receivers have made big impacts so far for the Highlanders. In this deep WR room, two wideouts have carved out roles as Copelin’s top guys, Bryson Bourn and Carter Cass. Bourn has been having a fantastic 2026 season, putting up 255 yards on 15 catches and recording 3 TDs. His average yards per game sits at a district-high 63.8, making him a player who can explode on any given catch. Cass, on the other hand, leads the team in catches, racking up 20 catches for 198 yards and 5 TDs. His elite speed has lent itself nicely to this Highlander offense, as he can be used all over the field and is always primed for big gains on sweeps and endarounds. Along with Bourn and Cass, other guys have been making an impact, such as Kaiden Stewart, Harry Miller, and Colton Weddel. Stewart is seeing his role expand with every game, recording 144 yards on 7 catches and scoring 2 TDs. His speed matches up nicely with Bourn and Cass, forming a trio that combines for one of the fastest in the district. Miller and Weddel also contribute plenty, with Miller seeing an expanded role and recording 124 yards on 6 catches, while Weddel has put up 119 yards on 5 catches. With so many options, it’s no surprise this offense has been explosive in the passing game and able to put up so many points.

Even with the passing game thriving, the rushing attack remains very strong, capable of pounding the rock when necessary. RB Jason Haskins has been solid as the lead back in this offense, putting up 172 yards on 38 carries and scoring 3 TDs. His effectiveness should only improve as the season goes on, as tougher teams might force the Highlanders to run the ball if the passing offense goes cold. Many of the guys behind Haskins haven’t gotten as many touches, but there is depth, with players like Max Darce and Aldo Salinas getting reps in later, blowout games. As mentioned earlier, Copelin is also a force on the ground, providing a solid threat if passing lanes aren't open. It might not be as potent as the passing attack, but this rushing attack has been solid so far and should contribute moving forward.

Defense

Impact Players:

• #11 DE Magnus Herndon
• #8 OLB Vinny Lewis
• #23 DB Bryce Stott
• #20 DB Nico Chavez

On the defensive side of the ball, the Highlanders have steadily improved over the last few games, allowing only 13 points in the last 2 games. Even if those games were against inferior competition such as Humble or Caney Creek, it's still a good sign that this defense is at least capable of making plays when given the chance. It has also given this young core more time together to learn to work off one another. Leading the charge is senior team captain Magnus Herndon, who has performed well over the last few weeks and is an anchor on the defensive front. Behind him, like Vinny Lewis, Nate Beagle, and Max Mitchell, form a solid LB unit that has only gotten better since the Bridgeland loss. In the secondary, Nico Chavez, Joey Bolander, and Bryce Stott provide critical support against the pass and do not allow anything to get past them in the open field. This Highlander defense has performed well, but they have yet to be truly tested since the Bridgeland and Klein Oak games. Those games showed the ugly side of this defensive unit, and hopefully they can take what they learned in the easier games and apply it against the Cavaliers, as they are going to need some answers for this elite offense on Friday.

The College Park Cavaliers: Clawing Their Way Back In

The season started rough for the College Park Cavaliers, as they ran into tough roadblocks during the non-district slate. With 2 losses on their record heading into district play, many assumed they might not have what it takes this year, but that could not have been further from the truth. The Cavaliers entered their district opener against the Willis Wildkats as “underdogs” but quickly stamped out any doubt by winning 63-28 on the road. Now the Cavaliers are back in the driver’s seat and look like the team we knew last season, dominating on both sides of the ball. They are now heavy district title favorites, and this game could all but wrap up that conversation in only the 2nd game of the district season.

Offense

Impact Players:

• #12 QB Camden Hughes
• #11 WR Julian Cromartie
• #0 RB Duke Stephens
• #23 RB Antonio Booker

Many of these offensive weapons are familiar faces from last year's district title team, and many are finally getting going. As we’ve always said about College Park, the engine of this offense is QB Camden Hughes. Without him, this offense dies. Hughes was injured in the Cy-Fair game, causing him to miss the CE King game entirely, which led to one of the worst beatdowns the Cavaliers have had in a while. With Hughes back to full strength, though, this offense is once again terrifying, and Willis had the opportunity to feel that last week. In the 3 games he’s played, Hughes has thrown for 436 yards and 7 TDs with no interceptions, though at a less-than-stellar 46% completion rate. Many of those yards came in last week’s game, as many of Hughes’ deep balls resulted in huge TDs that put the Wildkats away quickly. If he hits throws like that again, Hughes might just carve up this Highlander defense much like he did in the 2nd half of last year’s game.

Part of Hughes’ big game last week was WR Julian Cromartie, who looked like a superstar in the district opener. The Clemson commit finally got to show off his elite speed and separation, scoring 3 TDs against a Willis defense that couldn’t keep up. In total, Cromartie has put up 398 yards on 16 catches, scoring 6 TDs so far and averaging 24.9 yards per catch. He’ll be the main threat to watch, and it will be hard for the Highlanders to bracket him and keep him out of the game. When Cromartie isn’t being targeted, guys like Brian Snodgrass and Nik Ensminger have been excellent 2nd options. Snodgrass hasn’t seen many catches, since he was busy filling in at QB, but his bruising style should be something to watch for. Ensminger has been an emerging target over the weeks, and with 7 catches for 61 yards and a TD, his role might be on the upswing.

The rushing attack has just as much juice as the passing game, with two running backs who define this team on the ground. The duo of Duke Stephens and Antonio Booker has been excellent so far this season, and when they get good looks, they can make any team pay with their legs. Stephens currently leads the team in rushing with 466 yards, 4 TDs, and an average of 116.5 yards per game. His combination of speed and agility always makes him a threat to bounce the ball outside, and if he gets to the sideline, he's almost always gone. Booker is right behind him in yards, rushing for 354 yards, 4 TDs, and averaging 88.5 yards per game. Booker is a change of pace from Stephens, preferring to bulldoze his way through defenders and relying on his size and momentum to dice up defenses. Both these RBs have been excellent rushers, but a lack of pass-catching is a part of both players' games that is missing this year. That’s more due to the game plan and play calling rather than ability, but still, it’s something we want to see more of going forward. On the ground, though, both Stephens and Booker will make defenses pay, and if the Highlander aren’t on their A-game, they could end this game before it even starts.

Defense

Impact Players:

• #98 DE RJ Wyms
• #99 DT Jordyn Grant
• #15 LB Lucas Richard
• #21 DB James Cabarrus

On defense, this team struggled against the stronger opponents on their schedule. They let up tons of critical plays against Cy-Fair and got mopped up by CE King, but they put that all behind them last week against Willis. The defense took a big step back toward how they looked last season, and if they play like this moving forward, they could end up as one of the best units in the district. On the defensive line, RJ Wyms and Jordyn Grant anchor a strong unit that dominated at the line of scrimmage in last week’s game. Behind them are LBs like Lucas Richard and Brandon Claybaugh, who have both proven to be vital pieces on this defense. Tackling was very questionable throughout the early stages of the season, but this unit has learned from its mistakes and improved dramatically in both tackling and assignments. In the secondary, DBs like James Cabarrus and Jordan White have improved significantly since the losses and were lockdown in the district opener. This DB room isn’t afraid to hit, and they bring a fire to the defensive unit that is needed to stay hot on that side of the ball. It will be interesting to see their approach against this Highlander team, as they have not faced a QB quite like Copelin yet this season and could be challenged on the pass again. Still, this defense has more proof of concept than many other defenses in the district, so if we learned anything from last week, it’s that they just might be up for the task in Friday’s game.

Final Thoughts:

This game is going to be fun. It’s a classic rivalry that’s in an amazing spot right now, with both teams very competitive in recent years. While we don’t think it’s going to be a crazy double-overtime, comeback win every time, this season’s game promises to be a strong contender for best game of the season. The Highlanders are hungry to prove themselves in a big game and show off all they’ve learned since that loss to Bridgeland. Kaden Copelin will be a huge part of that, so make sure to watch out for him.

The Cavaliers come into this on the back of one of the best wins in district play so far and are also ready to prove those first few weeks were just flukes. They have elite talent on both sides of the ball, and Julian Cromartie will be the main player to watch when the Cavaliers get the ball.

Hopefully, this game turns out to be a good one, as it very well could decide the district title. The winner here could very well go undefeated in district play if everything goes right. It's called the Battle of the Woods for a reason, and there's no doubt it's going to be fierce this Friday night.