SHENANDOAH, Texas — Fans showed up in droves for The Woodlands High School home opener at Woodforest Bank Stadium and they left happy as the Highlanders bounced back from a season-opening loss to Katy and dominated Richmond George Ranch High School 52-12 with an attack led by KeSean Carter.
The Texas Tech wide receiver commit finished with five touchdowns and 313 all-purpose yards.
Slow first half for both
The Highlanders and Longhorns exchanged touchdowns to start the game, with George Ranch missing the extra point. It was a largely defensive battle early, with both teams failing to score again until a 48-yard Carter catch led to a field goal earned the game’s first points for The Woodlands.
Then, with two seconds left before halftime, George Ranch lined up to kick a field goal that was blocked and returned by Carter for his second touchdown to put the Highlanders up 17-6 to go into the half. Until that point, George Ranch had held up well, stopping several Highlanders’ drives — including forcing a fumble on fourth and inches while The Woodlands were in the red zone.
The KeSean Carter show continues
Photo via The Woodlands Online
Following a two-touchdown first half, Carter opened the Highlanders first drive of the third quarter with two long catches for 61 combined yards and a touchdown. George Ranch muffed the ensuing kickoff giving The Woodlands the ball back at the Longhorns’ one-yard line. Carter had his fourth touchdown of the night, this one, a short one-yard catch.
George Ranch finally put a scoring drive together headed by a 33-yard Joshua Whitmore catch, followed by an 18-yard touchdown catch for Whitmore. Before George Ranch could steal any momentum, Carter returned the following kickoff for a 75-yard touchdown. The Woodlands had their second turnover the night early in the fourth, an interception by George Ranch’s Matthew Burger. The Highlanders put their foot right back on the gas scoring two more touchdowns and as if there was any doubt, put the finishing touches on a tremendous win.
Final Thoughts
Photo by Timothy Verghese, TexasHSFootball.com
Carter may be a name to remember the rest of the season, as he showed flashes of a truly electric playmaker with breakaway speed that makes himself dangerous anywhere on the field. I had foreseen this to be a trap game for The Woodlands, but they showed up and proved themselves. The defense is great as a unit, though they let up a couple big plays, notably a 55-yard Jay’Ren Miller rush and two 33-yard catches for Joshua Whitmore. This is a team that should win their division once again, and if they play as well as they did tonight expect an undefeated district record.
For George Ranch, the defense stood their ground early but collapsed as the game progressed. Once The Woodlands started scoring, it did not stop. Offensively, they forced the Highlanders to work hard all game. Special teams hurt them, specifically two missed PATs and a couple shanked punts. In order to have a successful district record, the team as a whole will need to execute better.
Editor’s Note: TexasHSFootball has partnered with Digital Texas and Woodlands Online for coverage of Conroe ISD schools. For full coverage of The Woodlands Highlanders, visit Woodlands Online’s Highlanders Media Page.
Feature Photo by Timothy Verghese, TexasHSFootball.com
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