The War Eagles of Conroe’s Oak Ridge High flew out to a 4-3 start and 2-1 mark in District 12-6A before hitting the gauntlet.
Oak Ridge ended the season with playoff bound The Woodlands, Lufkin and Beaumont West Brook — not a small task for any team. The loss at West Brook was a 21-14 overtime affair.
Oak Ridge, despite having a young team, finished with a 4-6 record for the second-straight year, missing the playoffs once again. The War Eagles outscored its opponents on average prior to the final three-game stretch.
Even after getting outscored by 57 points in those three games, Oak Ridge averaged 21.5 points a game while allowing 23.8 for the season.
The War Eagles may have what it takes to end a two-year playoff drought in 2017.
Key Losses
RB Jimmie Moore, WR Kyle Townsend, S Grant Stuard
Townsend led Oak Ridge in receptions (43), receiving yards (451) and touchdown catches (5). Stuard was a first-team all-district selection who led the team in tackles.
Key Returners
QB Bishop Durst, WR Tanner Lacy, OL Tyler Johnson
Bishop Durst and Reinard Britz split the duties at quarterback last year as juniors.
Though Durst had a slightly better stat line, the pair of signal callers combined for 1,214 passing yards and 14 touchdowns.
Tanner Lacy returns as a senior and will be part of a solid receiving corps along with junior Darrius Jelks. They combined for 500 receiving yards and six touchdowns last year.
Johnson (6-3, 280) was an all-district selection last season as a sophomore. On defense, the War Eagles return a plethora of talent in lineman Joseph Ossai, linebackers Brennan Young and Malachi Cramm and sophomore lineman Darius Richmond.
The Verdict
If the War Eagles can throw the ball well this year and not make so many turnovers, then they have a chance to get back to the playoffs. It might be quarterback shuffle once again until one gets settled in, and whoever takes over, they’ve got two good receivers in Lacy and Jelks.
The defense returns a lot of talent, meaning this year’s Oak Ridge squad will have good balance on both sides of the ball.
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