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Willis Wildcats vs The Woodlands Highlanders Preview
Week 10 in Texas High School Football, there are tons of great matchups in the state, especially in Houston. One of them is occurring on Thursday Night, October 26th, 2023, The Woodlands Highlanders vs The Willis Wildcats. This is going to be a big game between two great teams. Willis has been unstoppable this season, having an 8-0 record outscoring every team they have played by at least 30 points. The Woodlands didn’t have a great start this season, but since their 1st two losses, they have dominated every game they play.
The majority of Willis’ success this season is due to their quarterback #2, DJ Lagway. DJ is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation his stats in eight games are 161/209 passes completed, 2,835 passing yards, 47 total touchdowns, 6 on the ground, and 41 in the air. DJ has three main wide receivers, all of them with over 10 touchdowns: #4 Debraun Hampton, #7 Jermaine Bishop, and #11 Jalen Mickens. Jalen and Jermaine have 10 reception touchdowns, and Debraun has 11 reception touchdowns this is a result of all three of them being extremely fast, making it difficult for any defensive secondary to completely cover every receiver.
The Woodlands also has great athletes on offense, like their quarterback #7, Mabrey Matteur. Mabrey is the 2nd ranked quarterback in the city behind DJ, having 119/164 passes completed, 1,945 passing yards, 29 total touchdowns, 2 on the ground, and 27 in the air. All of the woodland’s wide receivers are dependable targets, but one of the woodland’s best receivers is junior #0 Quanell Farrakhan Jr. Quanell is fast with great jumping power, and in last week’s game against The Caney Creek Panthers, he broke The Woodlands single-season touchdown reception record with 16 touchdowns this season. With one more regular season game left and playoff games, that record will keep increasing.
I’m looking forward to watching the results of this game. I believe Willis will continue their undefeated streak, but I would not be surprised with a Woodlands’ upset.
CLICK HERE to listen to the Texas HS Football Podcast, with Taylor Arenz