Highlanders upset by Round Rock McNeil
By: Glen Killian, Courier Correspondent11/21/2004
WACO - The Woodlands Highlanders headed into Saturday afternoon's second round playoff matchup against Round Rock McNeil with several things to accomplish.

First, they needed to dispatch a Maverick football squad playing in the second round for the first time in their school's history. They also sought to build upon the momentum of last week's solid opening round victory over Bryan, and lastly needed to play well in order to prepare for a possible rematch in third round with Tyler Lee, a team the Highlanders defeated in triple overtime in Texas Stadium last November.

But the upstart McNeil squad proved to be the better team in this contest, handing The Woodlands a 27-14 season-ending defeat at Waco ISD Stadium. The loss sends the Highlanders into the offseason much earlier than expected, with a final record of 8-4.

The Woodlands scored the first time they touched the ball, taking the opening kickoff and methodically moving downfield. That drive featured running back Cameron Montgomery netting two first downs, and was kept alive when a pass from quarterback Greg Meinzer bounced off the hands of wide receiver Kyle Drabek and was nabbed just before the ball hit the turf by wide receiver Eric Paul. Then with 8:52 on the clock in the first quarter, Montgomery bounced into the end zone from the three yard line, and when Jacob Gibbons booted the extra point TWHS was quickly up 7-0.

The Highlanders dodged a bullet on the first Maverick drive, as McNeil was quickly moving downfield and looked as if they would score. But when Highlander defenders Blake Hinton and A.J. Montalvo teamed up to drop Mav running back Camron Rogers for a loss of six, McNeil tried a 40-yard field goal. The kick was wide right, and The Woodlands seemed in control.

But the Mavericks quickly got the ball back, and were not to be denied the second time they had a scoring chance. A halfback pass caught the Highlander defense napping, netting a 27-yard gain and putting the ball at The Woodlands 21. Two plays later Rogers ran in for the five yard score, and with the first quarter winding down the game was now tied at 7.

The Highlander offense again sputtered on the next drive, and when it was time to punt Drabek delivered. He booted the ball on a short kick, dropping the pigskin on the McNeil 1 yard line where it promptly bounced out of bounds.
The Highlander defense held, forcing a Mav punt a few plays later that gave TWHS the ball back at the McNeil 35. However, McNeil again refused to play like a team who just last week notched the school's first ever playoff win, shutting down Montgomery and company and preventing the Highlanders from going anywhere. A Gibbons field goal attempt from 30 yards out was no good, and the Mavericks would quickly strike.

McNeil set out on an 80-yard drive, despite two brutal defensive hits by Montalvo. They worked the ball downfield primarily through the running of Rogers, and then with the ball on the 13, they went to the air as quarterback Jadrien Parker hit Jake Lebens on a crossing pattern for McNeil's second score of the day. But the PAT was wide, and when the teams went to the locker rooms at the half, the Mavericks were up 13-7.

The Highlanders again dodged a bullet when the third period opened, as McNeil was at it again with another long drive. Jon Merrick dropped Rogers for a loss early in the drive, and then Ryan Graham and Montalvo each had nice defensive plays that forced McNeil to try another field goal. This one was a 19-yard attempt, and it too was no good as the score remained 13-7 in favor of the Mavericks.

The Highlanders turned the ball over on downs at the end of their first drive of the second half, but got fortunate when Mav QB Parker fumbled the snap on the very next play. The pile of Highlander defenders wound up on the ball, and four plays later the Highlanders were back on top. Taking over on the McNeil 36, Meinzer eventually lofted a 32-yard TD strike along the right sideline to Paul, who rambled in to the end zone to get The Woodlands back on top 14-13.

Hoping to preserve their lead, the Highlander defense dug in. Montalvo again came up big with a sack for a loss, and that play was followed by another sack by Preston Benditz that set up a third-and-30. A McNeil punt then followed, but when the Highlanders got the ball back things took a turn for the worse.

Working from deep in their own territory Montgomery got the Highlanders out of a hole with a nifty 10-yard run, but he fumbled the ball on the next play to give the Mavericks a chance to pull ahead. It took them just three plays, as Rogers ran it in from the 3. McNeil converted the two-point conversion, and with on 7:46 left on the clock in the game The Woodlands was down 21-14.

Needing points as quickly as possible, Meinzer took over, but the Maverick defense simply would not let the Highlanders move. Handoffs to Montgomery resulted in little movement, and Meinzer found his receivers well-covered each time he tried to get them the ball. A punt soon followed, and The Woodlands would not get the ball back again.

McNeil set out on a time-consuming drive, and despite a sack for a loss by Wayne Hrozek, the Mavericks controlled the clock while moving the ball to the end zone. As the seconds wound away, Parker ran the ball in from the 4 as the game ended, and the Highlanders headed home on the short end of a 27-14 defeat.

"You really have to give credit to McNeil", Highlander head coach Mark Schmid after the game. "They played a great game both offensively and defensively. And I really think those fourth quarter plays swung the momentum in their favor."

The Highlanders will now set their sights on the 2005 campaign, hoping to return again to the playoffs for the eleventh year in a row.


 ©Houston Community Newspapers Online 2004




Nov. 20, 2004, 11:35PM

Round Rock McNeil tops Woodlands

Highlanders done in by errors in fourth quarter

By SARAH HORNADAY
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

WACO - "Surprise" summed up the feelings of The Woodlands Highlanders on Saturday at Waco ISD Stadium.

The Highlanders were surprised their offense didn't move efficiently. They were surprised with the different formations Round Rock McNeil's offense showed.

And let's not forget last year's Class 5A Division I state finalists were surprised their season was over after a 27-14 loss in the Region II-5A semifinals.

"Everything caught us by surprise and it was hard to get back up," said The Woodlands senior defensive lineman Jon Merrick, whose fumble recovery set up the Highlanders' second touchdown. "We didn't underestimate (Round Rock McNeil), but they definitely came out differently than they've shown."

McNeil (7-5), which has only two playoff wins in seven playoff games, advances to play Tyler Lee, 34-6 winners over Richardson Berkner, in next week's state quarterfinals. McNeil started the season 1-4 and has now won six of its last seven games.

McNeil held The Woodlands (8-4) to a season-low 176 offensive yards. The Highlanders' 80 rushing yards was also a season low and the 96 passing yards were the third lowest of the season.

"Everything we did didn't seem to work," senior quarterback Greg Meinzer said. "We usually do good moving the ball. I don't think we've played that physical a secondary all year."

Despite the numbers, The Woodlands wasn't out of the game until mistakes killed its comeback hopes in the fourth quarter.

The Highlanders had the ball only seven plays after Eric Paul's 32-yard touchdown reception gave The Woodlands a 14-13 lead with 1:37 left in the third quarter.

The Highlanders got the ball back four plays later, but fielded a punt at their three and started the possession on their seven. Three plays later, The Woodlands fumbled to hand McNeil the ball.

Despite time for another drive, nothing went right for the Highlanders the rest of the game. The offense was three plays and out including the only sack of Meinzer.

On defense, The Woodlands gave the Mavericks 19 yards and two first downs on three penalties in the 44-yard drive. McNeil quarterback Jadrien Parker scored on a bootleg from four yards out on the game's final play.

"For every time there was a good play a penalty backed us up," Merrick said.

McNeil led 13-7 at the half. After trading touchdowns in the first quarter, McNeil dominated in the second quarter. The Mavericks held The Woodlands to 17 offensive yards on 11 plays; McNeil had 80 yards on 13 plays.

McNeil took its first lead of the game with a 13-yard reception by Jake Lebens. The 87-yard drive was highlighted by big passing plays including a 19-yard reception by Lebens to start the drive and a 20- yard reception on third-and-10 by Dustin Andrews.



Playoff roundup: McNeil beats The Woodlands

By Chuck Licata

AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Sunday, November 21, 2004

WACO - McNeil running back Camron Rogers said he was "speechless" after the Mavericks' 27-14 upset of The Woodlands in a Class 5A, Division I regional football semifinal.

The Woodlands' defense probably was stunned, too, after the 5-foot-5-inch, 152-pound Rogers ripped through the Highlanders for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries Saturday afternoon at Waco ISD Stadium.

With the victory, McNeil (7-5) moves on to next week's Region II final against Tyler Lee.

"I thought last week's win over Bowie (the first playoff triumph in McNeil's history) was pretty great, but this one was even better," said Rogers, who scored on a pair of 5-yard runs. "I told our offensive line that if they did their usual great job of blocking, that I'd hold up my end."

Rogers scored his second touchdown at the 7:48 mark of the fourth quarter. McNeil quarterback Jay Parker followed it by hitting Jake Lebens for a two-point conversion to give the Mavericks a 21-14 lead.

McNeil's defense, which held the Highlanders to just 178 total yards, then made a big stand, including a sack by Matt Williams that sent The Woodlands back its 6-yard line. After a 39-yard punt, McNeil took over at The Woodlands 43 with 5:56 to play.

Helped by two crucial third-down penalties by The Woodlands, McNeil was able to hold the ball and drive to the 4. Parker then scored on a sweep around the left end as the clock ran out, punctuating the Mavericks' surprising victory.

The Woodlands (8-4) came into the contest averaging 35 points and 402 yards of total offense. The Highlanders' senior running back, Cameron Montgomery, had rushed for 1,248 yards and 22 touchdowns. But McNeil held Montgomery, who is headed to Texas A&M, to just 88 yards on 24 carries. Quarterback Greg Meinzer, who had passed for 1,815 yards and 16 scores, managed just six completions in 15 attempts for 97 yards.

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