Football: Week 10 preview

We have come to the finish line of the Texas high school football regular season. Week 10 offers some interesting encounters despite all playoff seedings having already been decided from District 14-5A.

The Woodlands Highlanders (7-2, 5-0) vs. Oak Ridge War Eagles (7-2, 3-2)

Up Next: The Woodlands High School football team looks to complete a perfect District 14-5A championship season while the Oak Ridge High School football team hopes to enter the playoffs on a winning note when the two teams meet for a 7:30 p.m. regular season finale at Woodforest Bank Stadium. Regardless of the outcome, The Woodlands and Oak Ridge enter the playoffs as the No. 1 and 2 seeds respectively in the Class 5A Division I playoffs. The Highlanders open the playoffs against either Kingwood or Klein Oak, while the War Eagles take on Westfield at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at Spring ISD’s Leonard George Stadium.

Last Week: The Highlanders defeated College Park 31-10 while the War Eagles fell 42-10 at Lufkin.

What to Watch For: How will Oak Ridge fare without sophomore starting quarterback Braden Letney, who broke his right ankle in the first quarter of last week’s game at Lufkin? Senior quarterback Jacob Norton takes the reins after a big game last week, completing 18 of 27 attempts for 193 yards and a touchdown. He will be tasked with moving the football against a Highlanders defense that hasn’t allowed a touchdown in the second half of the last six games.

Analysis: Oak Ridge is really up against it with the injury to Letney, who rushed and passed for a combined 1,300-plus yards and 18 touchdowns this season. Another big game from Norton and a rediscovery of its running game is what Oak Ridge must have to compete with a Highlanders team that is on a roll heading into the playoffs, winning six games in a row and seven of their last eight. The Woodlands has won all nine previous meetings between the two neighboring rivals.

College Park Cavaliers (4-5, 1-4) vs. Bryan Vikings (2-7, 0-5)

Up Next: The College Park High School football team closes the 2013 season when it hosts Bryan at 2 p.m. Saturday in Woodforest Bank Stadium.

Last Week: The Cavaliers fell 31-10 to The Woodlands and Bryan drew a bye week after playing The Woodlands close in a 21-14 setback.

What to Watch For: After facing A&M Consolidated, Lufkin and The Woodlands in succession, the Cavaliers offense looks to close the season with a bang against a Bryan defense that allowed a total of 108 points to the same three opponents. College Park is capable of putting up big points, having scored 48, 40 and 30 points in three of its first six games.

Analysis: A winnable game for College Park, but Bryan isn’t a pushover despite its record. The Vikings lost by just 7 points to both The Woodlands and Conroe, and just 3 points to Oak Ridge.

The Woodlands Christian Academy Warriors (6-3, 3-1) vs. Bay Area Christian Broncos (6-3, 4-0)

Up Next: The Woodlands Christian Academy football team hosts Bay Area Christian at 7 p.m. Friday with the TAPPS District 6 Division III championship on the line.

Last Week: The Warriors blanked Legacy, 28-0, and Bay Area Christian defeated Mount Carmel, 65-6.

What to Watch For: Can the Warriors handle the Broncos offense? The Warriors have shut out four of their last five opponents. The Broncos have scored 65, 62 and 58 points in three of their last five games and senior quarterback Clayton Webb has thrown for more than 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

Analysis: The Warriors are in a must-win situation and another big game from sophomore running back Luke Hudson could be the formula. Hudson needs less than 100 yards rushing to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the season.