Texas High School Football Roundup for the Houston

Area

Area Playoffs

King, Manvel Take Thriller Over Bush: The battle between Fort Bend Bush’s Ronald Monroe and Manvel’s D’Eriq King was everything we hoped for and more. Monroe was absolutely dealing after his breakout performance against Clear Creek, completing 30 of his 38 passes for 495 yards and five touchdowns. The latter capped a 97-yard drive that gave the Broncos a 44-43 lead over the favored Mavericks. But King proved his mettle, throwing the game-winner to Jamond Manuel with six seconds to play. Continuing the his dual-threat tear, King ran for 298 yards, passed for 150 and accounted for all seven of Manvel’s touchdowns. The amazing part? These are two sophomore quarterbacks out there playing like they were in the back yard. We could see this again in the next couple, and here’s to hoping we do.

Crosby Loses QB, Can’t Keep Pace with Elgin: Crosby vs. Elgin. Walter vs. Simmons. The stage was set for quite a battle, but both programs lost the quarterback edition of their star sibling combos. The Wildcats’ Da’Treal Simmons was the first casualty in the second quarter, then Crosby’s Aston Walter followed soon after. Elgin’s Da’Trean Simmons picked up the slack for his brother, rushing for a ridiculous 337 yards and six touchdowns. The Cougars did not fare so well in Aston’s absence, managing just one touchdown in the second half to give Elgin a convincing 56-28 victory. Austin Walter finished his career with another impressive game, accounting for 284 yards of offense with both a rushing and receiving score. He and Aston will next see the field for Rice University, while Elgin preps for George Ranch.

Stratford Continues to Roll with Win Over Friendswood: Step 1) Take every doubt you ever had about Houston Stratford. Step 2) Hurl them out of your car window. The Spartans routed Friendswood 34-7, proving that their recent run of dominance is no fluke. They have not allowed a team to reach double-digits since late September, and have won five of their last seven by 27 or more. That’s what top area teams like Katy and Texas City have been doing to their opponents. Don’t take this to mean that the Spartans are a lock for a state title, but don’t be surprised if they make the final four.

Humble Summer Creek Stumbles Against Magnolia West: This was the shocker of the weekend. After cruising through an undefeated regular season, Humble Summer Creek was knocked off by upstart Magnolia West. The Bulldogs held a 26-12 halftime advantage, but could not get on the scoreboard in the second half as the Mustangs racked up 21 unanswered points. Kansas State-bound Aaron Sharp had a rushing touchdown, but threw two interceptions. Magnolia West was led by Chris Nicholson, who rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Quarterback Troy Logan also pitched in on the ground, running for 91 and two scores of his own despite throwing for just four yards. The Mustangs face Pearland Dawson next week.