HS Football: Scoring Frenzy Pushes Cavaliers to Victory on Homecoming Night

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The College Park Cavaliers (2-2) outscored the Oak Ridge War Eagles (1-3) in an offensive showcase under the Woodforest Bank Stadium lights.

The homecoming festivities for the Cavs lightened the mood and heightened the excitement on the College Park side of the stadium. The high-octane Cavs looked to turn their excitement into positive plays against the War Eagles.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, College Park Head Coach Kyle Coats explained the team’s mentality ahead of their homecoming game.

“It’s a lot of great things for everybody who’s watching the game,” said Coats. “But we still have to play the game.”

After handling the district-leading War Eagle offense on the team’s opening drive, the Cavaliers marched down the field to get the game’s opening score.

Unfortunately for College Park, the offense would stall inside the red zone and force the team to settle for a field goal. Alec Hargis handled the task easily, and the Cavs went up 3-0 with four minutes left in the first quarter.

With the College Park defense forcing an Oak Ridge fumble on their second drive, the Cavs’ next possession would be one to try and create separation early.

Following some negative plays and a penalty, the Cavaliers seemed destined to punt the ball back to the War Eagles. Then, a well-executed play-action pass from Camden Hughes to Clint Rachal pierced the Oak Ridge defense for a long-distance touchdown and a 10-0 Cav lead.

Oak Ridge’s responding drive carried into the second quarter, but the lackluster drives prior did not affect the team’s third drive.

A couple of runs from the War Eagles softened the Cavalier defense enough for a deep shot from Drayton Urbay to James Scott to reach the endzone. The 52-yard toss broke past the College Park secondary, but an unsuccessful fake on the extra point left the War Eagles down 6-10.

Neither defense maintained their poise from the first quarter. The stops and sideline-to-sideline coverage that opened the game had rapidly evaporated under withering offensive production.

The touchdown floodgates were open, as College Park took little time getting their next score on the board. Back-to-back explosive passes peppered the War Eagle defense for chunk yards, and a 20-yard screen pass to Jordan Styles sprung for another Cav touchdown pass.

The second passing touchdown of the first half for Hughes gave College Park its largest lead of the game so far, with the 17-6 cushion keeping the team afloat.

“Offensively, we talked about all week was taking what they give us,” said Coats. “Let’s go win this thing chunk by chunk.”

Having found their stride on their last drive, Oak Ridge was far more confident in their offensive production while down 11.

Oak Ridge’s district-leading rushing attack was on full display, with Urbay and Justin Hayes gouging the Cavalier defense for huge gains. Gaps in the College Park defensive front gave swaths of the field to the War Eagle ball carriers, and Hayes took full advantage on a rushing touchdown.

The running game inched Oak Ridge closer to a tie or taking the lead, but their defense needed to make a stop first.

But the electrifying College Park offense had thoroughly figured out the War Eagle defense on their previous possessions. Another 76-yard scoring drive would reestablish the 11-point Cavalier lead, with an end-around to Styles being the score that put the team back up by two possessions.

“We had been playing close games with some really good teams,” said Coats. “So our dudes had to be our dudes. When we needed guys to step up and make the plays when we needed them to, they did.”

College Park’s score only gave the War Eagles over a minute to get their responding score in, but a quick strike was enough to get the job done. Another deep pass moved the ball inside the red zone before Urbay scrambled for Oak Ridge’s third score of the second quarter.

The five touchdowns between the two teams in the second quarter highlighted the drastic increase in offense to close the first half, and neither team wanted to slow down for the second half.

The War Eagles started the second half with possession and made mincemeat of the College Park defense on their first drive.

Urbay found a crease in the Cavalier defense in less than a minute and turned the hole into a 64-yard touchdown. The blazing speed from the War Eagle quarterback resumed the scoring frenzy while giving Oak Ridge its first lead of the night at 27-24.

Oak Ridge’s lead lasted just one possession, as the Cavs quickly responded with another efficient offensive drive.

A steady balance of passes and runs worked the short field for College Park toward the goal line. Only needing a yard, the Cavaliers trusted Hughes to get the job done by plunging ahead to reclaim the lead.

With the lead freshly in hand, the College Park defense was called upon to make a necessary stop. Oak Ridge’s offense was driving into Cavalier territory, but tackles for loss moved the War Eagles behind the chains. The negative plays forced the War Eagles to go for it on fourth down where they came up short.

“If things didn’t go our way on a play, let it go and move on to the next one,” said Coats on his team’s defensive mentality. “I think the guys did a really good job. We had some moments where we gave up big plays, but they didn’t get down on themselves.”

College Park’s first defensive stop since the first quarter fueled the team’s drive to extend the lead on offense.

Another balanced drive saw the Cavs move the ball efficiently before finding Styles for his third touchdown of the night. The score gave College Park a 38-27 lead along with confidence to a previously battered defensive unit.

The confident Cavalier defense forced another stop against the suddenly stagnant War Eagle offense. Three quick plays for Oak Ridge necessitated a punt that would hand the ball back to the red-hot College Park offense.

The Cavalier offense did not get the chance to return to the field, as the special teams unit made its mark. A short bounce on the War Eagle punt allowed Marco Beltran to build a full head of steam on his punt return to the house.

College Park’s offensive production was too much for the War Eagles to match, especially with the reawoken Cavalier defense imposing its will.

Both teams added points late in the game, but the Cavaliers created enough separation to leave with a comfortable win. The final whistle blew with College Park taking a 54-33 win to cap off homecoming night.

“I feel like a win like this recharges our goal,” said Coats. “Last week, we were in a tight game with Conroe where we feel like we kind of gave it away at the end. But we talked all offseason about November 15th and being there for the first round of the playoffs.”

College Park’s hopeful playoff run continues with the team taking on Grand Oaks next Friday, while Oak Ridge looks to rebound versus the New Caney Eagles.

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