HIGH SCHOOLS
Social media diss fires up Pearland; Roe powers Atascocita
What to watch for as the football season hits week 8.
Be careful what you tweet
1 Most players are careful about what they say on social media. Their supporters should use more caution, too. The Pearland Oilers turned a Twitter post into motivational “bulletin board” material for their game against Hastings last week. The tweet, “My bros finna smack Pearland,” was @DeeBoogie__’s response to a retweet by Hastings wide receiver Austin Ogunmakin (@__diamondlifee) of Texan Live’s original post promoting the matchup. “One of our coaches (had) seen it on there, and he printed it out and put it in all of our lockers, so when we walked into the locker room in seventh period,’” running back Jaelin Benefield explained. “We couldn’t let that happen. That’s disrespectful.” After rallying for a 21-14 win behind two long touchdown runs by Benefield (@2_benefield) in the second half, the Oilers celebrated by tearing up the printout on the field. Then quarterback Austin Landry (@austinlandryy) tweeted a photo of him and Benefield holding up the offensive paper while requesting silence with shushing fingers. “We were losing at half, but we were able to come back out and face that adversity, and there’s no better feeling,” Benefield said.
Roe, Roe , Roe the Eagles’ boat
2 Atascocita coach Craig Stump knows Jack Roe, his 5-11, 158-pound quarterback with long hair and a thin, burgeoning mustache, doesn’t necessarily look the part of a world-beating leader on the Texas high school football gridiron. He also understands appearances are deceiving — an understanding shared by North Shore coach Jon Kay after Roe picked apart his typically stout defense, throwing for 109 yards and rushing for touchdowns of 67, 49 and 37 yards in the Eagles’ 38-21 win at Galena Park ISD Stadium. “He’s a great high school football quarterback,” Kay said. “You could see that on film. I told that to Craig (Friday) morning. I like the way the kid play the game.
He plays it the right way, he’s using every bit of talent he’s got, and he goes out and leads his team.” The game was Roe’s third straight with at least 100 rushing yards following his one-game demotion in a 41-0 loss to Klein Collins – a night Roe said was a wake-up call for all the Eagles. “It made us prepare more mentally,” he said.
Title or bust
3 For the most part, Manvel handled Fort Bend Marshall like the state’s No. 2 Class 5A team should handle an unranked opponent, winning 56-27 at Hall Stadium. But the Mavericks also committed 13 penalties for 115 yards, including a personal foul that derailed a scoring drive and two offsides that gave Marshall first downs — causing concern for coach Kirk Martin. Those are the mistakes that end playoff runs, and Martin knows anything other than a state title is a failure. His powerful Mavs have 91 wins since 2010, but only one state final berth — and no championships. “Penalties are really killing us,” Martin said. “We’ve been able to overcome them, but there’s going to come a time when we’re not going to be able to if we don’t get them under control.”
Queen of gridiron
4 Dawson senior Claire Jeffress has it all: athletic ability, the respect of her teammates and coaches — and the adoration of her high school peers. The Eagles’ female kicker was crowned Dawson’s homecoming queen at halftime of their 51-16 win over Brazoswood, which included six extra points from Jeffress. “Just too cool — our #hocoweek queen wears shoulder pads AND shin guards AND defines ‘classy,’” tweeted Dawson tight ends coach Kevin Pool (@the_kevin_ pool). Jeffress has 15 PATs on the season, and her 27-yard field goal was the difference in a 17-14 win over Deer Park.
Jamison to Texas
5 Lamar cornerback D’Shawn Jamison made it official last week, announcing his decision to join teammate Al’Vonte Woodard, a four-star receiver, in Texas coach Tom Herman’s first full recruiting class since leaving Houston. The group, ranked second by 247Sports — behind only Ohio State — has a heavy H-Town flavor, with Angleton safety B.J. Foster, Alief Taylor WR Brennan Eagles, Heights CB Jalen Green, Westfield defensive tackle Keondre Coburn and Dekaney tight end Malcolm Epps also verbally committed.
Eagles pick 12 in win
6 New Caney remained on course for another district championship showdown with Crosby — they shared the 21-5A title last year — after a 45-15 win over Humble that featured a pair of pick-sixes. Jaylen Neal returned an interception 40 yards for a TD in the second quarter, and Sam Jones scored on a 51-yard return in the third. The Eagles (5-1, 5-0) and Cougars (6-0, 4-0) collide in Week 11.
Two move on up
7 Eighth-ranked The Woodlands (3-1) and No. 9 Klein Collins (5-0) moved up one spot apiece in this week’s Class 6A Associated Press poll. Katy (4-0), with two first-place votes, stayed at No. 3, behind Allen (6-0) and Converse Judson (60). No. 2 Manvel (5-0) and No. 7 Angleton (5-0) held firm in 5A, and Hallettsville (5-1) fell one spot in 3A.
Langham Creek vs. Cypress Ranch 7 p.m. Friday, Cy-Fair FCU Stadium
8 The Lobos and Cy-Fair are 5-0 and destined to meet in Week 11, but the Bobcats already cleared the ranch-sized hurdle still standing in front of the Lobos. The Mustangs won 49-31 last season.
North Forest vs. Yates 7 p.m. Friday, Barnett Stadium
9 The Bulldogs are 4-0 despite losing coach Mike Ferrell to Brazosport. The Lions are 5-0, and out to avenge last season’s 44-6 loss — and put Third Ward football back on the state map.
Heights vs. Lamar 1 p.m. Saturday, Delmar Stadium
10 For the second time in three years, the Bulldogs (5-0) put their perfect record on the line against seven-time defending district champ Lamar, which won 33-14 two years ago when it was 6-0.