The Houston Westside Wolves trudged through district with a winning record, and they made the playoffs with an overall losing record. That’s been the norm for the last three seasons.
Westside began the season with losses at Brenham, Port Arthur Memorial, Fort Bend Bush and at home against Angleton — and none of them were even close. The Wolves routed Westbury and won three more district games, but dropped a pair to Lamar and Heights.
Westside won its final two games of the regular season and ran into a Cy Ridge buzzsaw in the first round of the playoffs.
The Wolves lose a lot of players in a big senior class, but they return playmakers, especially on offense as the quarterback, running back and an all-district lineman return.
Key Losses
RB Da’General Bellard, DL Payton Turner, OL Darren Porche
Bellard was the leading rusher last year for the Wolves, and Porche helped pave the way along with fellow first-team all-district lineman Omar Whitmore. Payton Turner was the only Wolves player to make first-team defense in 18-6A.
Key Returners
RB A’Darrius Parks, OL Diego Macias, LB Damon Gibson, QB Dave Nelson
Parks was an all-district selection after running for 6.1 yards per carry. Nelson led the team in passing with 15 touchdowns and Macias was an all-district performer. Gibson is listed at 6-1, 215, which provides good size and speed for closing down the perimeter and giving fits to opposing offenses.
The Verdict
Westside has the talent to make another run to the playoffs, that’s for sure. Will they have what it takes to bring the Wolves another winning record? That’s something that’s been missing the last few years.
The duo of Parks and Nelson will give the Wolves some punch on offense, and the defense will need to get good, and do it quickly.
The non-district begins with the same three teams — Brenham, PA Memorial and FB Bush. But this year those games are at home instead of the road. A good outing against a Brenham team that’s losing seniors could set the tone for the year.
The Wolves also get Lamar at home in 2017, and should Westside take care of business and improve to the midway point, then this could be one heck of a showdown.
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