HS Football: Battle of Unbeatens Sees Wildkats Take a Road Victory Over Conroe

CONROE, TX -- The "Kinfolk Classic" ended in a lopsided victory for the Willis Wildkats (8-0), taking a 63-7 win over the hosting Conroe Tigers (6-1) at Moorhead Stadium.

Anticipation swirled inside of soldout Moorhead Stadium, as the Tigers were 13-6A’s second-leading rushing attack trying to overcome the best rush defense in the form of the Wildkats.

In an interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Willis Head Coach Trent Miller spoke on the team’s preparation during a break week and how it ultimately had little effect on the players.

“I was concerned all week not about the way we would perform in practice, but just having the entire week off and changing the kids’ schedules,” said Miller. “But we had the kids every day and they were locked in, laser-focused.”

The unwavering determination and preparation from the Wildkats had the team ready to go against one of the district’s top defenses in Conroe. But a rapid demonstration of ability from Willis put to rest any chances of the contest being close.

In three unrelenting drives, the Wildkats allowed their offense to do the talking in an unprecedented scoring barrage. Each of Willis’ first three drives saw the team reach the endzone on increasingly explosive plays. Runs from Terri Lawrence III, passes from Jack Emerson to his receivers, and receptions from Jermaine Bishop Jr. pushed the team to an immediate 21-0 lead before the end of the first quarter.

Two receiving touchdowns from Bishop Jr. were an early statement that Willis came to play, and it caught the Conroe sidelines completely flat-footed.

“When you have Jermaine Bishop Jr. out there, it makes me feel blessed,” said Miller. “I am super thankful that he plays for the Wildkats and we don’t have to have a game plan against him every week.”

Conroe’s offense was built on the team’s ability to run the ball using option plays from Christian Nunley and Drameko Green to get into open turf. But a strong surge from the Wildkat defensive line and relentless pursuit from the defensive backs left little room for the runners to work with.

A bright spot did shine through for the Tigers entering the second quarter. A successful string of runs and roll-out throws from Nunley worked inside the red zone for the most promising Conroe drive of the game up to that point.

With just one yard to breach the goal line, the Conroe coaching staff trusted Green to plow his way through, doing so on a rushing score that would be the only points scored by the Tigers for the entire game.

Willis’ runaway success on offense was too much for the Tigers to match efficiently, making each Wildkat score an increasing deficit that Conroe could not overcome.

Two more passing touchdowns from Emerson and a strip-sack that was returned for a Willis touchdown further emphasized the dominance display put on by the Wildkats. When the dust settled on the first half, Willis’ 42-7 lead was enough of a statement for both teams to seemingly call off the dogs in the second half.

Every Conroe drive in the second half was unsuccessful in moving the football. The once prominent run game was turned into a shell of its former self in the face of an unwavering dedicated effort from the Wildkat defenders.

The Wildkats had allowed just 91.4 rushing yards per game entering the night, but the collective clamp put on by the unit snuffed out every attempt at moving forward that the Tigers tried.

Special teams got involved in disrupting the Tigers’ production as well. A completely unmarked Wildkat gunner flew past all of the Conroe blockers and turned away an incoming punt. The loose ball settled in the gloves of Kendrick Evans who returned it for another Willis touchdown that pushed the lead to 56-7.

“I was thoroughly impressed with our defense tonight,” said a pleased Miller. “We made a commitment early in the week that if they’re going to beat us, they’re going to have to beat us by throwing the ball in the air.”

The early interception and blanket coverage from the Willis defensive backs gave few opportunities for the Tiger receivers to get open let alone bring in receptions.

With the Conroe in offense and punting on five of their six second-half drives, the Wildkats were free to exercise their offense and get reps to their second-unit players.

Notable contributors like Jakobe Blanks, Hayden Hood, and Tyler Andrade played out the stretch for Willis in the final 12 minutes of play. Their work against a top-flight defense continued to amaze, as they were able to punch in another score to bring the final result to 63-7 in Willis’ favor.

Stunned silence on Conroe’s side was all that needed to be said at the game’s conclusion, but unmatched excitement from Willis’ loyal fanbase emphasized their emotions perfectly.

Continued hard work has rewarded the Wildkats with another chance to finish the regular season undefeated, but two more tests lie ahead for them to overcome.

“As exciting as that was, we have to keep the main thing the main thing here with the focus on us,” emphasized Miller. “We still left a lot out there with some mental errors. We’ll work on what we can find and get it cleaned up, but we’re going in the right direction.”

Willis’ next game will be at home against the top-rushing team in 13-6A in the Oak Ridge War Eagles next Friday. Meanwhile, the Tigers will look to rebound against the Caney Creek Panthers in a road matchup next week.

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