HIGH SCHOOLS
As preseason practices begin, plenty of questions loom around the area
What to watch for as football practices begin around Houston.
Fresh finishes
For many area schools, especially the ones who surprisingly struggled last season, like Memorial (2-8 last year), Cypress Woods (2-8) and Dayton (4-6), fall camp means a fresh start, and the chance to put the previous year’s struggles behind them. For Summer Creek, it brings a second chance at a superior finish. The Bulldogs were 5-0, with a big win over Dawson, and the talk of Houston at last season’s midpoint. Maybe they’d finally arrived at the 6A level. Then they dropped their last four games, keeping them out of the playoffs for the third straight year. “Our senior class is acutely aware of that,” eighth-year coach Brian Ford said. “They’re a group that has had nothing but success in their lives. That was the first time any of them really experienced a little failure, and it stung them pretty good. So I’m very optimistic that’s not going to happen again.”
Staggered starts
Most teams open practice for the 2017 season this coming Monday. But a handful of area programs — mostly those in Class 5A and below — that didn’t go through spring football already are a week into their preparations, including Seven Lakes, Cy Lakes, Conroe, Kingwood Park, Galena Park and New Caney. Houston’s newest high schools — Cy-Fair ISD’s Bridgeland, Katy ISD’s Paetow and Klein ISD’s Cain — also made history Monday with their first football practice (their first varsity seasons are next year). The teams that skipped spring in favor of an extra week of fall camp also have an extra scrimmage before Week 1, so the Spartans — one of the few 6A teams that skipped spring ball — face Cy Lakes and Cy Springs before opening the season with Memorial on Sept. 2 at Katy ISD’s new Legacy Stadium.
Auditions underway
The teams that took advantage of those 18 extra practices in May already have a good idea of who they’ll start on opening day, but most of them still have a few holes to fill, and now’s the time to fill them. The Woodlands came out of 7-on7 with three quarterbacks — seniors Quinn Binney and Albert Johnson and junior Casey Sunseri — in the running to replace Eric Schmid, who signed with Sam Houston State. Binney was the team’s starting safety last season and Johnson and Sunseri were JV QBs. Coach Mark Schmid said they’ll likely continue to rotate through the Highlanders’ Aug. 25 scrimmage with Cy Woods — and possibly beyond.
Loading up
The rich just got richer. Manvel, already state-ranked preseason — No. 1 in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s 5A Top 40 — added standout junior running back Garrison Johnson, an early Nebraska pledge, this week after his father accepted a job in the Houston area. Johnson ran for 1,568 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore at Frenship. He’ll join Texas A&M pledge Deneric Prince in a powerful backfield as the Mavs look for a strong follow-up to last year’s 13-1 campaign.
Dominoes falling
College commitments continue to pour in for the area’s top 2018 athletes, and they have a decidedly burnt orange flavor this year after Tom Herman’s move from Houston to Texas. Westfield DT Keondre Coburn and Dekaney TE Malcolm Epps are the latest H-Town athletes bound for Austin, joining Angleton DB/RB B.J. Foster, Alief Taylor WR Brennan Eagles, Heights DB Jalen Green and Lamar WR Al’Vonte Woodard.
Searching for success
More than 30 area teams won fewer than three games last season, including Aldine, Goose Creek Memorial, Pasadena and Lamar Consolidated, which went winless. Who among them is most likely to win three or more this year? The obvious choice is Navasota, which won only two games and still made the playoffs last year. Cy Woods, Memorial and Brookshire Royal are the next-best bets.
Houston area MVP?
Greater Houston is loaded with talent, but only one player can finish 2017 as the area’s most valuable player, so who will it be? History suggests he’s probably a quarterback or tailback, so the top candidates include Manvel QB Kason Martin, Katy RB Deondrick Glass, Lamar RB Ta’Zhawn Henry and Crosby RB Craig Williams.
Kingwood Park vs. Cypress Park, Wheatley, 7 p.m., Aug. 18, (scrimmage)
The Panthers, who recently added standout wide receiver Bryson Jackson, a St. Pius X transfer, host a three-team exhibition as they look to get back on track after back-to-back losing campaigns.
North Forest vs. New Caney Porter, 10 a.m., Aug. 18, Texan Drive Stadium (scrimmage)
The Bulldogs, under new coach Clifton Terrell, are preparing to defend their undefeated district championship, and the Spartans are aiming for another big year after last season’s 7-3 breakout.
Clements at Dawson, 6 p.m., Aug. 18 (scrimmage)
Standout RB Darrius Smith, an Arizona pledge who rushed for 1,499 yards and 17 TDs a year ago, returns to lead the Eagles, who lost in the first round of the playoffs for the first time last season.