TWCA completes first 10-0 season in school history with victory over Legacy Prep

MAGNOLIA, TEX -- Jerry Bradshaw was the head football coach at The Woodlands Christian Academy when the Warriors played 6-man football.

He was the head coach when the team made the transition to the more conventional 11-man game.

And he was there on Friday night to witness the Warriors' first-ever 10-0 season.

"We have seen this coming for a long time now,'' said Bradshaw, who is now the assistant head coach to Nate Sanford. "This is a very special group of boys. We have a lot of talented athletes on this team.''

The Warriors, who are ranked No. 1 in the state in TAPPS 4A Division III and No. 9 in the Houston area of Class 4A teams and lower, completed the school's first-ever undefeated regular season with an easy 47-8 victory over the never-say-die Legacy Prep Lions on Friday night at Legacy Prep School. The Warriors burst out to a 23-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and 37-0 advantage at halftime before Sanford elected to clear the bench in the second half.

Legacy only dressed 17 players, but refused to give up the entire game. The Lions continually moved the ball between the 20s, but four costly interceptions hurt their chances of making it a contest. Quarterback Travis May completed 8-of-16 passes for 70 yards and ran in the 2-point conversion after Ben Bargainer scored on a 17-yard run late in the game to keep the Lions from getting shut out. Bargainer finished the game with 45 yards rushing.

For TWCA, Luke Hudson rushed for 127 yards and a 6-yard touchdown, Derek Sanford returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown and scored on a 39-yard reverse, Matt Muschenheim scored on runs of 6 and 15 yards and Jack Bento hit Sebastian Martinez with a picture-perfect 35-yard fade pattern into the right corner of the end zone to top off a terrific regular season. Seth Condit also added a 2-yard touchdown run in the second half as the Warriors now are set to head into the playoffs.

"We are 10-0 now,'' Bradshaw said, "but next week, everybody is 0-0."

"There are a lot of good teams,'' Bradshaw added, "Bay Area Christian is 9-1 and Brazos Christian is very good. But I think we have just as good a chance as any of them. We just have to come out and play our game.''

Bradshaw said Coach Sanford has done a great job with the team.

"We started playing 7-on-7 early and it has all just carried over from there,'' Bradshaw said. "This is a special group. We have a lot of hard workers who have really bought into everything we have been teaching them. They are good kids.''

Bradshaw said senior Derek Sanford, who could start for almost any 5A public school, has a couple of colleges looking at him. He can play wide receiver and free safety. He is also an excellent punt and kick returner.

"We have a few more skill position players who could have a chance to walk on and play at a few places,'' Bradshaw said. "But after that, we are like a lot of private schools. We just have good kids who like to play hard. They aren't afraid to put it all on the line.''

Bento also, is a very poised quarterback. He has terrific pocket presences and throws a great deep ball. The only time he gets into trouble is when he tries to make the spectacular play out of a busted play. He guided the Warriors to a 39-29 victory over Bay Area Christian, and a 48-34 win over Bryan St. Joe's, the two closest games the Warriors have had this season.

Hudson could also start for most public schools. He finished the season with 1,570 yards rushing and could be the key to how far the Warriors advance in the playoffs. TWCA scored more than 50 points five times and more than 70 points twice during the 2014 campaign.

The Lions, meanwhile, are losing only three seniors off this year's team in wide receiver Logan Teal, back Gabe Locke and lineman Matt Wenstrom.

Travis May, his brother, receiver Jared May, wide receiver Landon Davis, who caught two passes for 44 yards, and defensive backs Malik May, who came up with a one-handed interception at his own 5-yard line, and Brennan Cone, who also had a pick, will be five key returners for Legacy next season. Look for a much improved team record next year.