TWHS dominates Ike 42-3
By: Aaron Shock , Courier/Villager Staff 08/29/2004
On a day that most teams look to simply make it through the game with as few mistakes as possible, The Woodlands High School football team took advantage as the Highlanders down No. 8 state-ranked Aldine Eisenhower 42-3 at Reliant Stadium on Saturday.

New TWHS head coach Mark Schmid reached up his sleeve and into his bag of tricks to pull off the most razzle-dazzle Highlander fans have seen in years.

A fake punt, halfback pass and a good mix of run and pass kept Aldine Eisenhower's defense off balance for most of the game. With just more than two minutes left in the fist quarter, Eisenhower started a drive from the Highlander 1-yard line. The Eagles had the momentum after recovering a Cameron Montgomery fumble and had gone 75 yards on four plays. The Highlander defense was reeling when it broke through the line to force Eagle quarterback Freddie Brown to fumble as he moved out of the packet to his right. Linebacker Brad Peek picked up the ball and headed to the house. The home crowed exploded in excitement as the momentum swung.

"The defense played really big today; I don't know how many gang tackles I saw out there," Schmid said. "When those guys are doing a great job it makes it so much easier on the offense. That was the swing of the game, when we returned the fumble for a touchdown it loosened everyone up."

"Our offense is very young and the push that our defense gave with that touchdown just set up our offense to do a lot of good things," said Highlander linebacker AJ Montalvo, who pressured Brown into throwing a late interception. "We really set the tone and let them know that we are behind them."

The touchdown loosened the Highlanders up and took the pressure off of the young offense. The Woodlands regained the ball early in the second quarter and wide receiver Kyle Drabek took over from there. Coming into the season The Woodlands had question marks out-wide, which were answered by Drabek and his three second quarter touchdowns. The junior was everyone's favorite target as he hauled in touchdown passes from junior quarterback Austin Hutson, Montgomery and quarterback Greg Meinzer.

The second touchdown came with 7:23 remaining in the half. The Highlanders tackled Eagle punter Elvis Ortiz and took over at the Eisenhower 33. A one-yard-loss and two incompleate passes later The Woodlands faced fourth and 11. Looking to give his team a chance to seize the game, Schmid lined the Highlanders up in a bunch formation with three wide receives on the left side. Cameron received the pitch from Meinzer as Drabek released inside and then towards the left corner of the field. Montgomery's pass was on target and the scoreboard lit up 20-0.

"We wanted to have a chance on offense with all of our young kids," Schmid said. "We wanted to make sure and give them a chance to be successful and catch somebody by surprise and it worked out."

The trick-play was more than enough for Drabek and the Highlanders to seal the victory, three minutes later The Woodlands began twisting the dagger when Meinzer hit Drabek with a perfect strike for a 30-yerd touchdown. The Highlanders led the eighth ranked Eagles 28-0 at halftime and scratched out anther 14 points the second half on the back of Montgomery, who rushed for a 100 yards on the day.

The Woodlands snatched away any idea of an Eisenhower comeback taking the opening drive of the second half 82 yards on 14 plays, eating seven minutes off the clock. Montgomery pounded away 10 times on the drive and capped it off with a three yard score.

It was Schmid's first win as the Highlander Head coach and he was congratulated by each one of his players after the game. As the final seconds ticked off, senior offensive lineman Tom Grubin hugged his head coach before the water bucket took its toll.

"Our kids stepped up in a big way today and I am proud of them," Schmid said. "Before the game we talked about how last year was last year and now we have to create our own way; what ever happens is what we are responsible for."

The Highlanders will take this week off before playing at North Shore on Sept. 10 in a rematch of last year's state championship game.


©Houston Community Newspapers Online 2004




Aug. 29, 2004, 1:58AM

Drabek, Drabek, Drabek and a W

Three quick TDs for The Woodlands lead way to win over Eisenhower

By MOISEKAPENDA BOWER
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

If The Woodlands is to overcome the graduation of perhaps the most talented collection of skill position players in program history, the stability provided by the three returning starters on the offensive line will be responsible.

On Saturday two of the three -- center Dean Adylette and tight end Kyle Anderson -- showed their experience.

By controlling the line of scrimmage against the talented front of No. 6 Eisenhower, the fourth-ranked Highlanders allowed the newcomers on offense the opportunity to excel and blasted Eisenhower 42-3 in the second game of a doubleheader at Reliant Stadium.

"We had a few plays that we should have made, but other than that we did awesome," Adylette said. "They (the Eagles) are one of the fastest defenses we'll see."

A trio of quick-strike, second-quarter scoring drives by the Highlanders rendered the second half anticlimactic. The Woodlands racked up 306 yards of offense by the intermission, with receiver Kyle Drabek hauling in three TD passes on successive possessions.

By the time quarterback Greg Meinzer completed his first pass, the Highlanders already held a comfortable 21-0 lead. They dominated so thoroughly that the two early turnovers they committed in Eisenhower territory were of no consequence.

"These guys made some great plays and they dropped some balls, too," said The Woodlands coach Mark Schmid, fresh off an ice bath celebrating his first coaching victory. "That's just a lack of experience. But those kids that played JV stepped up.

"You're disappointed in (the turnovers), but you can't fault the effort. They gave it their all out there and I'm very, very pleased."

The avalanche began when backup quarterback Austin Hutson, in for his first series, lofted a perfect pass over Eagles cornerback Joseph Nervis to Drabek, who was streaking down the near sideline.

Drabek made the grab, shed Nervis and darted 80 yards to the end zone for 13-0 lead. When Eisenhower failed to get off a punt on its next series, the Highlanders took advantage of the short field in completing a 54-second scoring drive.

On fourth-and-12 from the Eisenhower 35, tailback Cameron Montgomery took the pitch from Meinzer and connected with Drabek for a touchdown on the halfback pass. Meinzer and Ben Melear hooked up for the two-point conversion and a three-touchdown lead. Meinzer and Drabek connected for a 30-yard TD three minutes later to push the lead to 28-0. The Highlanders covered 171 yards in 2:42 on those three drives.

The Woodlands showed off its versatility on the opening possession of the second half, as Montgomery notched 10 carries, including a one-yard scoring plunge, on a 14-play, 70-yard drive.

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