Eagles gain momentum in playoff rise
Atascocita coach Craig Stump was in a good mood after surviving Klein Collins’ comeback bid for a 3227 playoff win.
The victory sent them to this week’s area round against Cedar Ridge.
Stump didn’t immediately know details on that matchup – only how he wanted to arrive.
“We’re getting charter busses, with gold seats and everything, from out athletic director,” Stump said with a smile, speaking loudly enough for any nearby Humble ISD administrators to overhear.
Atascocita (10-1) faces Cedar Ridge (10-1), which beat Austin Bowie 47-17, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Round Rock ISD’s Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in the Class 6A Division II Region II bracket.
It fell in the first round last year – something that was on the players’ minds last week.
“This feels good, knowing last year we lost in the first round to Spring,” wide receiver Coye Fairman said.
“We’ve been working very hard (to get back).”
No one worked harder than Fairman, who supplied three first-half touchdowns, fueling the Eagles’ fast start.
“Coye’s gotten over 900 yards and 14 touchdowns, so you can’t forget about him,” Stump said.
The Eagles led 18-0 midsecond quarter and 25-7 at halftime, giving them the cushion they needed after halftime.
Justin Pratt scored on Collins’ first three possessions in the third quarter, cutting the Eagles’ lead to five, 32-27, heading into the fourth, and the Tigers had a chance to win with 30 seconds remaining.
Then Demarius Brooks came up with the play of the game.
The junior defensive lineman sacked Nate Edmonds on fourth-and-5, sending the Eagles to the area playoffs.
“(That play) ended the game, so it’s about as big as it gets,” Stump said. Area teams fall
Atascocita is the only area team still alive in the playoffs.
Kingwood hung with Westfield early but eventually fell 35-14 in the 6A Division II, and New Caney stumbled 42-28 against Nederland in its first playoff appearance in 12 years in 5A Division I.
Huffman Hargrave lost 62-26 to Kilgore in 4A Division I. Dragon girls split
The John Cooper School girls soccer team split a pair of matches last week, bouncing back from an eye-opening 4-0 loss to St. Agnes with a 6-0 win over Northland Christian last Thursday.
“(Last) Tuesday’s 4-0 loss against St. Agnes was actually a win for us as a team,” coach Amber Clevenger said in a release.
“This game exposed our weaknesses and allowed me to see what we need to focus on as a team, so that we are able to be competitive when it comes to conference play. It was also a win because I was able to get all 22 of my players on the field so everyone got playing time and experience.”
The real win came two days later, with Rilee Schumann notching two goals against Northland Christian.
Clevenger noted Isabel Sands and Jessica Young turned in outstanding performances.
“It is great to see girls step up early in the season and produce for the team,” she said.