Pasadena sets its sights on 3-0 start

Pasadena may be known more as a soccer school, but this fall the Eagles are building some momentum on the football field, too.

Thanks to a nail-biting 35-28 victory over Chavez last week, Pasadena is 2-0. The Eagles have a chance to improve to 3-0 with a victory over Pasadena Memorial in their District 226A opener on Friday night. They will meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m.

A win on Friday would give Pasadena its first 3-0 mark since 2011. Before that the Eagles had won three games in a season three times since 2003.

Their success this season has been thanks to a strong ground game. Running back Marwin Periera leads the way with 366 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging more than eight yards per carry.

Quarterback Valor Ojeda has been a factor with his legs, too. He has rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Ojeda also has passed for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Last week his 20-yard touchdown pass to Pablo Martinez with 38 seconds remaining provided the winning points.

Pasadena had a breakthrough against Pasadena Memorial last season when it won, 43-19. That score reversed previous scores in the series that Memorial dominated for at least the previous six seasons.

Memorial comes into Friday’s game with an 0-2 record. The Mavericks have lost to Summer Creek and Aldine Davis.

Volleyball begins district play

The state’s toughest volleyball district begins its district schedule on Friday night. The top match to watch is Friendswood versus Clear Falls. Friendswood is improved this season and appears ready to compete for a playoff berth. Clear Falls is the two-time reigning regional champion. In other Friday action, Clear Creek faces Clear Brook, Clear Springs faces Brazoswood and Clear Lake faces Dickinson.

Tuesday is a big night that should set the tone early. Clear Creek meets Clear Falls, and Clear Springs meets Clear Lake.

Friendswood volleyball surging with new coach

Last year at this time Friendswood’s volleyball team was staggering through the end of nondistrict play and trying to prepare for a rigorous district schedule that was going to knock it down for good.

The Lady Mustangs were not used to losing so much so when they hit a brick wall they were left to question a lot of things.

This time around Friendswood is not guaranteeing a district title or even a playoff berth, but at least things finally feel like they’re on the right track again.

The Lady Mustangs begin this week with an 18-9 record, which is already four more victories than they had all of last season when a youthful roster and a Class 6A debut ended a magnificent run of success.

The turnaround has helped second-year coach Kylie Kunefke breath easier.

“This year, the team chemistry is good and kids are adjusting to their roles,” Kunefke said. “Last year was a walk into the unknown. I always knew it was going to be touch, but the kids were not sure what they would face on a day in and day out basis. They’re approaching every game a little bit differently now. They see how important it is to play hard in non-district.”

Kunefke said winning six matches in the first two days of a tournament in Leander was a turning point. The Lady Mustangs played well and showed that they can be consistent. Though they lost a couple of times the next day they already had proven to themselves that this year is going to be different than last.

Last year they won only three times in district play, a total they hope to at least triple this year. Their first opportunity is Friday when they travel to Clear Falls, the two-time reigning regional champion.

Friendswood lost a tough five-setter to Clear Falls in last year’s district opener before everything fell apart in the rigorous district. Kunefke said she expects thing sto be drastically different in 2015. Winning on Friday would be a great start.

“You want to go out and win all of them, but we want to set the pace in the first game,” she said. “We want to establish where we’re going to be in the district race. We have a to-do list. This is business for us.”

Dawson, Manvel bounce back

Two playoff favorites in District 22-6A suffered losses in their season openers but rebounded for victories last week.

Dawson fell apart on offense against George Ranch two weeks ago but got it almost perfect on that side of the ball in last week’s victory over Magnolia West. Quarterback Zach Smith did not throw an interception against Magnolia West after throwing four against George Ranch. The Eagles open district play on Friday at Alvin.

Manvel played an elite team for the second week in a row and defeated North Shore, 43-40, but not without some late drama. North Shore scored a touchdown with 1 minute, 35 seconds remaining to get within one point at 4140. Rather than kicking the extra point, the Mustangs went for two points. Manvel’s Ryan Hudson intercepted the pass and returned it 95 yards for two points for the Mavericks. Manvel is off this week before beginning district play against Dobie on Sept. 17.

Dobie coach prepares for game against former Pearland team

For two decades Mike Norman played a pivotal role in Pearland’s football victories. This year the tables have turned. On Friday night Norman will do all he can to ensure the Oilers lose.

Now the head coach at Dobie, Norman has spent this week thinking about all the possible ways in which his new school could have an edge against the traditional power. Dobie squares off against Pearland in both teams’ District 22-6A opener at 7 p.m. Friday at the Rig.

“I definitely have an edge in knowing what they’re going to try to accomplish,” said Norman, whose last job was as Pearland’s offensive coordinator. “It’s still the same system I was a big part of all those years.”

Knowing what to expect and getting his new players to do execute are two separate tasks altogether. Dobie has plenty of its own problems to fix before it can worry about what Pearland may bring to the field on Friday. The Longhorns gave up 52 points in a loss to Deer Park and 34 in a loss to Clear Springs.

Last week Norman watched Pearland play against Houston Memorial. As usual when scouting, he and his coaches sat on the vistor’s side, which meant sitting with the Pearland fans.

“My first time being at the Rig on the other sideline will be emotional,” Norman said. “Pearland was a big part of my life, but now I am Dobie all the way.”