Road To The Playoffs: The Woodlands, Willis, and College Park All Take Care Of Business In Week 10

DISTRICT 13 – We had another fantastic week of games in District 13, and with the playoffs approaching, every team had something to prove. The College Park Cavaliers and Oak Ridge War Eagles kicked things off Thursday, with big matchups following on Friday. The Woodlands took down the Grand Oaks Grizzlies in a high-scoring affair, while the Willis Wildkats and Conroe Tigers both took care of business. Let's dive into each matchup to see how these teams performed and what stood out this week.

Oak Ridge vs. College Park: Runaway Scoring By The Cavaliers

Opening the week on Thursday, the College Park Cavaliers took on a struggling Oak Ridge War Eagles team that had posted only 2 wins on the season. The Cavaliers continued to make it tough for the War Eagles, winning 55-7 in a game that felt over after the 1st quarter.

The Cavaliers' offense was on fire, with both Julian Cromartie and Brian Snodgrass showing out in the receiving game. Cromartie finished the day with a staggering 145 yards and 2 TDs on 4 catches, serving as a key deep threat for QB Camden Hughes. Snodgrass, meanwhile, finished with 62 yards and 2 TDs, adding another TD on the ground earlier in the game. Hughes was solid throwing the ball too, completing 10 of his 15 passes for 259 total yards and 4 TDs. The ground game was solid throughout the night for the Cavs as well, with Duke Stephens taking on the bulk of the work for 76 yards and a TD.

The highlight of the night was a 15-yard scoop-and-score by Cavalier safety Major Judy early in the 1st quarter. Judy also recorded a nice interception, putting the Cavs in prime position to score on the ensuing drive. The defense was solid throughout, forcing 4 total turnovers against this Oak Ridge offense. Jordyn Grant was the standout up front, shutting down the War Eagles' offensive attempts.

Oak Ridge couldn’t do much on offense or defense, with DBs getting torched by Cromartie all night and RB Cody Cooksey unable to do anything on the ground. Cooksey entered this game as the district’s leading rusher, and the Cavaliers shut him down all night. Altogether, this was a fantastic performance by this College Park team, and they really look like a complete team heading into this final week.

The Woodlands vs Grand Oaks: Defense Optional

This was an interesting one, as Grand Oaks came into the game looking for a signature win, while The Woodlands looked to remain undefeated. It was a close start, but the Highlanders eventually pulled away in the 2nd half, leading to a high-scoring affair in which both sides put up plenty of points. In the end, the Highlanders won 68-48, securing their 6th district win of the season.

The Highlanders played one of their best offensive games of the season, putting up 68 points and producing plenty of highlight-reel moments. QB Kaden Copelin had a game, going 17/23 for 291 yards and 5 TDs, and adding a rushing touchdown for good measure. His receiving options were fantastic, with 4 different pass catchers finding the end zone. Carter Cass led the team in total catches and touchdowns, recording 7 catches for 64 yards and 2 TDs. Bryson Bourn was up there with him as well, recording 3 catches for 72 yards and 1 TD. The early star of the show was Kaden Stewart, who put up 108 yards and a TD, including one of the night's biggest plays: a long run after the catch for a score.

On the rushing side, Haskins had a quiet night, rushing for only 39 yards. This opened the door for sophomore Aldo Salinas to rush for 100 yards and a TD, putting himself on the map for the Highlanders. Alongside him, junior Max Darce had a great night, punching in 2 key TDs late in the game. This solid performance from both players shows how deep this Highlander RB room can go, and this shouldn’t be the last we hear from the pair of young RBs.

For Grand Oaks, this is a heartbreaking defeat, as it's another tough loss to an opponent they desperately want to beat. Still, the Grizzlies put up one hell of a game on offense and forced the Highlanders into an uncomfortable position early. QB Harley Adams was brilliant despite the loss, having one of his best performances of the season with 364 total yards and 5 TDs. Adams put everything he had into this game, throwing incredible passes all night and showing he is an elite QB in this district.

Catching those passes was junior WR Cam Hunt, who broke out in this game for 197 yards and 2 TDs on 11 catches. Hunt took over as the Grizzlies' top pass-catcher due to Darnell Jackson Jr.'s absence and looked like one of the best players on the field, making multiple fantastic catches and showing off incredible speed. The Grizzlies needed Hunt, too, as their usual elite ground attack was absent in this one. RB Kaden Carter had a couple of solid runs, but outside of a big TD run early on, the star RB was silent all game, despite some really good offensive line play. Overall, this was a gutsy performance by the offense, and hopefully we'll see more from Adams and Hunt as the postseason approaches.

Looking at the score, it's clear defense was an afterthought in this game. The Highlanders struggled to contain explosive plays all night, giving up the lead early due to costly errors that led to big plays. This was one of their rougher performances this season, despite the win, so hopefully they can fix it before the playoffs start. For Grand Oaks, it was tough to cover every weapon the Highlanders have, and they got gashed on multiple fronts, much like many teams have this season. Altogether, this was a fun offensive game, but both defenses need some work before the postseason arrives.

Willis Wildkats vs. Caney Creek Panthers: Taking Care Of Business

The Willis Wildkats came into this game on fire, eager to continue their recent run of success. They dominated Caney Creek on all fronts throughout the night, cruising to a 59-7 victory over the struggling Panthers. They are now primed for a showdown against Conroe next week, a game with playoff implications that could turn into an interesting Week 10 matchup.

For Willis, this was about taking care of business on their way back to the playoffs. The offense clicked all night, with QB Parker Stephenson producing one of his best performances of the season. Stephenson took over for the injured Linc Frazier 3 weeks ago and hasn’t looked back, throwing for 424 yards and 5 TDs on 80% efficiency. He spread it all over the field, with his brother, Preston Stephenson, leading the team with 8 catches for 153 yards and 2 TDs. Trey Finney was right behind him, going for 100 yards and 2 TDs on 3 catches, while DeShaun Williams made himself known with 4 catches for 77 yards.

The real highlight of this game was RB Jamarcus Williams, who had one of his best performances of the season. Williams rushed for an eye-popping 204 yards and 2 TDs, while also catching 4 passes for 84 yards and another TD. With a performance like this, Williams continues his amazing 2026 season, adding a key backfield threat teams must watch heading into this final week.

Willis is now 4-2 in district play and looks primed to take a playoff spot heading into Week 10. They’ll have to get through Conroe next week, but if they keep playing like this, they’ll be one of the best teams in the district again.

Conroe Tigers vs. Cleveland Indians: Conroe Sets Up For A Pivotal Showdown Next Week

Finally, we end with the Conroe Tigers taking on the Cleveland Indians in a game pivotal to Conroe’s playoff chances. The Tigers won this one in dominant fashion (much like the rest of this week's winners), torching Cleveland 62-14. This sets them up for a Week 11 match against Willis that could spice up the playoff race if the Tigers pull off the upset. We don’t really have any stats for this one, so unfortunately that’s where we’ll end things for this game.

Final Thoughts:

This was an exciting 2nd-to-last week of district play, despite many games turning into blowouts. The Woodlands, Willis, and College Park all look like contenders and could make some noise in the postseason. Grand Oaks lost, but could certainly go on a run in the state playoffs (if everything plays out as we expect). It’s going to be a tough call for this week’s Woodlands Church Athlete of the Week, but all around, this was another fun week of District 13 football.