War Of The Woods: The Woodlands Highlanders Bring The Thunder To The College Park Cavaliers In A Wet And Wild Friday Night

THE WOODLANDS – Rain defined this year’s rendition of the War Of The Woods. The weather was not kind to us this Friday as The Woodlands Highlanders took on the College Park Cavaliers in a game marked by multiple lightning delays and monsoon-level conditions throughout the night. Naturally, this could lead to an ugly game for both sides, but the Highlanders were not deterred, dominating throughout to win 39-7 and take control of the district. Those Highlander fans who stuck around for the entire game were treated to an unforgettable win and a story they will never forget.

The Highlanders looked unstoppable, with the Cavaliers seemingly having no answers on offense or defense. Highlander QB Kaden Copelin dominated all night, lighting up the Cavaliers' defense despite the rain and proving he can sustain his great play in big games. Along with Copelin, players like Jason Haskins and Carter Cass made big plays that gashed the Cavaliers' defense all night. The other important note is the Highlander defense, which held the Cavaliers scoreless for nearly the entire game, with the lone Cavalier score coming at the very end. It was a big-time performance for both sides of the ball, and it proves that the Highlanders are the top dogs in District 13.

1st Quarter

With all the rain over the last few days, it's no surprise this game was delayed from its 7pm kickoff. Thankfully, the lightning finally moved away, allowing the game to start much later than anticipated. Even though the lightning had moved, the rain remained, leaving the start of the game in a torrential downpour for most of the 1st quarter. That did not deter the Highlanders, who forced a punt that barely cleared the 25-yard line, setting them up nicely on their opening drive. QB Kaden Copelin was not deterred by the rain either, as he threw a 20-yard strike to WR Carter Cass in the end zone, getting the 1st TD of the night on the 2nd play of the opening drive. The extra point was then no good, as the rain made the kick harder than usual, and that theme would pop up throughout the night.

The Highlander defense then made another great stop, putting the offense back on the field. RB Jason Haskins ripped off an 82-yard run on the first play, scoring the second TD of the night and quickly putting the Highlanders in the driver's seat, 13-0. On the next Highlander drive, Cass stuck again, gaining 50+ yards on a quick pass from Copelin that saw him step out of bounds near the College Park 10-yard line. The Cavalier defense then forced a 4th down, and the Highlanders decided to go for it inside the 5-yard line. Unfortunately, lightning moved back in, forcing another long delay right at the end of the quarter. When the delay was finally over, the Highlanders came out still planning to go for it on 4th down, converting it into another TD as Copelin delivered another strike to Cass in the end zone, putting the Highlanders up 20-0 at the end of the quarter.

2nd Quarter

The 2nd quarter was thankfully drier, and the Highlanders quickly got off to a good start by forcing a turnover on downs after College Park finally got into their own territory. The Highlander offense then went on a long drive, with Haskins making a big run after the catch to set up a drive that ended in a field goal attempt. The Cavaliers then blocked the FG, bringing back the Highlanders' kicking struggles and giving them the ball deep in their own territory. The Cavaliers still couldn’t get anything going, as the Highlander defense forced another punt from inside the end zone, setting up good field position. Cass then made one of his best catches all night, tipping a pass to himself to get them into Cavalier territory, before catching another pass to get them inside the 20-yard line. That set up Copelin, who scored on a designed run, putting the Highlanders up 27-0 with only minutes left in the half.

Cavalier QB Camden Hughes then made a big mistake, throwing his 2nd interception of the night to DB Bryce Stott, who returned it into the end zone for a pick-6. The extra point was again no good, making it a brutal 33-0 game. On the next drive, Hughes fumbled, and the Highlanders recovered to set up another short field. Ultimately, the ball went right back to the Cavaliers, as Copelin had his 1st gaffe of the night, fumbling the ball right back to his opponents to end the half.

3rd & 4th Quarter

Since the game was running so late, the officials made “halftime” only 5 minutes, so we got back into the action quickly. The 2nd half was quick, too, so we’ll cover both the 3rd and 4th quarters here.

The Highlanders opened the quarter with one of the longest drives we’ve ever seen, going the length of the field before finally reaching the red zone with only 4 minutes left to play. It was almost a disaster when Copelin threw what looked like a pick in the end zone, only for it to be called back due to pass interference. WR Byrson Bourn then made a heroic play to get the Highlanders into scoring range, fighting off tacklers on a fantastic run after the catch. All that came down to another 4th-down play, where Copelin found his favorite target, Cass, in the end zone, scoring their 3rd TD of the night and putting the Highlanders up 39-0.

At the start of the 4th quarter, the rain came down even harder than it had at the beginning of the game. It was really heavy, and at one point it felt like the whole stadium could turn into a swimming pool. That led both teams to want to run the clock out and get the game over with, as the Highlanders mostly ran around with Copelin on their final drive of the evening. College Park did something similar, although they finally put together a scoring drive in the final few minutes of the game, with RB Bryce Reeves finding the end zone with under a minute left, putting the score at 39-7. With the rain blowing sideways at this point, the officials decided to end the game, giving the Highlanders a dominant 39-7 victory in the War of the Woods.

Final Thoughts:

This was a night to remember, as along with a solid win by the Highlanders, the weather provided us with one of the more unique experiences we’ve had on a Friday night. The weather was so bad that the band, cheer squads, and ROTC members all left after the mid-game lightning delay, leaving it up to the fans to provide the noise. The brave fans who stuck around were the only noise in the stadium, with the Highlander students really being the ones who stood out. Those students cheered their team on throughout the game and, by the end, were the only ones left in the stands, giving this game a unique vibe I don’t think we’ll see again.

Aside from the weather, the game was awesome for the Highlanders, who look like an elite team this year. They’ve really pulled things together after that tough loss to Bridgeland and now look like a team with a good shot at the district title this season. Kaden Copelin continued to look like one of the best QBs The Woodlands has seen in a long time, throwing some gems in this one and providing spectacular play throughout the game. Carter Cass absolutely broke out too, putting up some of the best numbers we’ve seen from him all season. Jason Haskins was solid running the ball, providing a key part of the offense we wanted to see more of coming into this matchup. The defense stood strong against a presumed strong Cavalier offense and proved they have really come together over the last couple of weeks.

For College Park, there isn’t much to say other than that this was one of the ugliest games we’ve seen from them in a long time. They couldn’t do anything on either side of the ball, which is why many of their top players, like Camden Hughes and Julian Cromartie, were barely mentioned throughout this recap. They have serious issues to address after this one if they want to have any success moving forward. Last week’s win against Willis feels like a lifetime ago after a loss like this, and it will be interesting to see what they do moving forward.

All together, this was a game we won’t soon forget, and it might be one of the most defining games of the season, even if it wasn’t the double-overtime thriller we saw last season. The Highlanders look like one of the best teams out there right now, and we can’t wait to see more of them.