Perfect! Highlanders in regional finals
Schmid throws 3 scoring passes, adds 3 TD runs for 13-0 squad
WACO— Big plays were the name of the game for The Woodlands on Saturday night as the Highlanders advanced to the regional finals for the first time since 2011 with a 52-31 victory over Austin Bowie at Baylor’s McLane Stadium.
The Woodlands (13-0) has 13 wins for the second time in school history, joining the 2003 team that advanced to the state championship game and finished 14-1.
“It’s huge,” The Woodlands coach Mark Schmid said. “We were (in the regional finals) in 2011 and got beat by (Dallas) Skyline. The last time we won a regional title was in 2003, so I’m hoping we can go back to those 2003 days and win ourselves a regional championship.”
The Highlanders will return to McLane Stadium to play Round Rock (10-3) in the Division I Region II-6A finals at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Dragons defeated Coppell 49-45 on Saturday at Waco ISD Stadium.
The Woodlands won its previous playoff matchup with Round Rock 24-23 in 2013, blocking a last-minute field-goal attempt.
“I haven’t had a chance to see them on video yet,” Schmid said, “but they’re playing in the fourth round, so everybody that’s still in is still good. We’re going to do a great job of preparing this week.”
The Highlanders jumped to a 21-3 lead in the first half against Bowie, thanks to three scoring plays of 30 or more yards. Senior quarterback Eric Schmid threw touchdown passes of 75 and 43 yards to Dylan Casey and Kesean Carter, respectively, and added a 30-yard scoring run of his own.
“It was awesome to watch the kids come out like they did,” Mark Schmid said. “We made some big plays, put the ball in the end zone, and we kind of set the stage for the offense to do that all night long. We were only stopped one time, and that was right before the half.”
Eric Schmid finished 13-for-19 for 273 yards and three TDs passing. He also rushed for 189 yards and three scores. The interception he threw — to Bowie’s Josh Smythe-Macauley in the end zone as time ran out in the first half — was just his second of the year in 234 passes.
After trailing 21-10 at the break, Bowie (12-2) did its best to hang around in the second half. Quarterback Wade Smith threw touchdown passes to Elijah Higgins, Caden Donahue and Aizayah Santiago in the final two quarters, but every time the Bulldogs scored, the Highlanders answered.
Eric Schmid countered with a 13-yard TD pass to Casey and reached pay dirt on runs of 40 and 17 yards. Connor Klapesky added a 38-yard jaunt to help keep the Bulldogs at bay.
Shane Sirdashney and Ethan Bonner each had an interception for The Woodlands’ defense.
“This is what our whole goal was from the start — to be 13-0, 14-0, 15-0, 16-0,” Eric Schmid said. “This is what we’ve worked for since we were in seventh grade.”