Official site of Tribune News serving Tomball, Magnolia and Waller

A valiant second-half effort by the Magnolia Bulldogs excited the MHS Homecoming crowd Sept. 28, but fell short as the Huntsville Hornets escaped with a 29-15 victory.

Down 22-0 after the first half, the Bulldogs (1-3, 0-2 in 18-4A) fought back within seven early in the fourth quarter before Huntsville (3-2, 2-1) sealed the deal with about six minutes left in the game.

The visitors opened the second half with a 60-yard drive to the Dogs’ 12-yard-line when, on first down, Hornets’ junior quarterback Malik Brown fumbled to the 1-yard-line and Magnolia recovered.  Four plays later, the locals found paydirt when junior tailback Greg Solomon scampered 16 yards for a touchdown.  A two-point conversion from junior quarterback Noah McGowan to senior wide receiver Jordan Turnbow made it 22-8 with 7:50 remaining in the quarter.

Solomon’s score was preceded by a crucial 67-yard catch on third-and-nine from McGowan to Turnbow to the Hornets’ 31.  A personal foul on Huntsville moved the ball to the 16, setting up Solomon’s touchdown run.

“Down 22-0, our guys could have quit,” said Magnolia Head Coach Andy Sexton.  “We keep trying, and one day we’re going to get over this mountaintop.”

The Dog defense held their guests scoreless in the third quarter, then began the final stanza with a 10-play, 50-yard drive for another six points. The drive was helped by a pass interference call against the Hornets on third-and-12 from the Hornets’ 40.  After a holding call on the ‘Dogs, McGowan connected with junior wideout Marquis Robinson for 15 yards, Turnbow ran for 11 yards to the Huntsville 12, then junior running back Shyerome Harris took a snap and dashed into the endzone with 10:23 remaining.  Junior Woodman Nigh’s PAT made it 22-15 Hornets.

The daring comeback in Magnolia Stadium was quelled on the visitors’ next possession when the Hornets drove 76 yards in nine plays to extend the margin to 29-15.  Senior Ricky Bennett, one of three speedy Huntsville weapons, scooted around right end five yards to dim the ‘Dogs’ hopes at the 6:03 mark.

The good guys hurried through one more drive following a touchback, but stalled on downs inside the Hornets’ 30.  Huntsville then ran out the clock, moving the ball 60 yards against a warring-but-worn Magnolia defense, before taking a knee at the ‘Dogs’ 10-yard-line.

“We’re a young group of guys,” Sexton said.  “If this team plays like they did in the second half, we’re gonna win some games.”

Magnolia might have been tied later in this contest, but missed a touchdown by one yard on the last play of the first half.  McGowan scrambled out of the backfield from the Huntsville 44 and raced down the left sideline before being forced out of bounds just short of the goal line.  McGowan finished 11 of 21 for 154 yards passing, and rushed for more than 80 yards.

Magnolia ran up 329 yards of total offense with no turnovers on the night to 422 yards for Huntsville.  Hornets’ sophomore tailback Morie Evans contributed 134 yards on just three carries (including a 68-yard TD run), senior running back James Burns added 55 yards on just nine totes as Huntsville ran for more than 270 yards.  Oddly, the Bulldogs had 19 first down to 17 for the visitors.

The Bulldogs traveled to play Caney Creek Oct. 5 and face cross-town rival Magnolia West Friday, Oct. 12.

In a season of heartbreaking finishes and close losses, it just figured that the fifth annual Magnolia Bowl would be decided by the slimmest of margins.

Despite an amazing fourth quarter comeback by the Magnolia Bulldogs, the Magnolia West Mustangs (4-3, 3-2 in District 18-4A) held on for a 21-20 win Oct. 12.  The cross-town rivals were locked in a 7-7 tie until midway through the final stanza, when the fireworks began for the large crowd at MHS Stadium.

"What do you expect from a rivalry game," said West Coach Shawn Bell.  "Both sides did a great job." 

The Mustangs triumph was their fourth straight in the short history of the series.  Magnolia (1-5, 0-4) won the first meeting in 2008.

West struck on their first possession of the game after Solomon fumbled on the Bulldogs first play of the game.  The Mustangs moved 30 yards in seven plays, scoring on a 7-yard run by junior tailback Brady Bynum at the 8:27 mark.  Senior Andrew Struthers' PAT made it 7-0.

Magnolia was forced to punt on their second possession, then West drove 31 yards to the 50-yard-line before an illegal substitution penalty on fourth-and-inches forced their own punt.  The 'Dogs then rolled 60 yards in eight plays, capping the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run by Harris at the 9:24 mark of the second quarter.  That drive was aided by a 19-yard completion from Edwards to Turnbow on second-and-long from the West 24 just before Harris's score.

West began another march from their own 31 and moved 37 yards into Magnolia territory.  Two 15-yard pitch-and-catch plays from Logan to junior receiver Justin Smith loomed large, but on first-and-10 from the 'Dogs 32, Logan was intercepted near the endzone by junior Devane Mitchell.

After one more possession by each squad, the 'Dogs concluded the first half by moving to the Mustangs' 22 in two plays, with Turnbow gaining 35 yards on a reverse with 30 seconds left in the half.  After a false start and three incomplete passes, Edwards was intercepted on fourth-and-15 by West's Jeremy Jordan near the goal line.

West completed a 17-play, 97-yard drive with 6:45 left in the game, when junior quarterback Troy Logan found Tyler Ray on a third-and-goal at the Bulldog 8-yard-line.  Logan zipped a pass to Ray at the 1-yard line and the burly sophomore fullback crossed into the left side of the endzone for the Mustangs' first lead since early in the contest.

After the ensuing kickoff, Magnolia junior tailback Greg Solomon lost his second fumble of the night, this one recovered by Ray at the 'Dogs 11.  Two plays later, Ray rumbled to paydirt from eight yards out, and West was up 21-7 with 5:53 left.

But starting from their own 26, the Bulldogs picked up 18 yards on three carries by junior all-purpose back Shyerome Harris.  Then senior quarterback Damian Edwards, making his first career start in place of the injured Noah McGowan, hit senior wide receiver Jordan Turnbow in stride down the middle of the field for 56 yards and a touchdown.  Junior placekicker Woodman Nigh's PAT made it 21-14 West with 4:05 remaining.

West then moved to the Bulldogs' 45, before quick-kicking on fourth-and-7 to the 'Dogs 15.  Edwards, in rapid succession, found Turnbow for 35 yards, then junior receiver Marquis Robinson for 27 yards to the Mustangs'  23.  The second pass was tipped and almost intercepted by West defensive back Zeke Bronson.

It was an improbable comeback after a light night for the Bulldogs offensively. 

"I just kept playing," Edwards said.

On the next play, Harris took a handoff over right tackle, cut back to the left and dashed 23 yards for the TD.  A high snap made Nigh's PAT no good, but an offsides penalty on West gave the 'Dogs a second try.  This time, Magnolia Coach Andy Sexton elected to try a two-point conversion, but Harris was stopped near the goal line.  It remained 21-20 West, which ran out the clock after the 'Dogs attempted recovery of an onsides kick.

"Our holder lost his helmet (on the first PAT) and by rule had to leave the field", Sexton said. "So we almost we had to go for two."

"I'm just glad our guys found a way to win," Bell said following the game. "It's a win, and that's all that counts."

Two of West's three losses this season have been by a combined total of 12 points (versus Stratford and Montgomery), while four of the Bulldogs' five losses have been by a combined 19 points. 

Total offense for the two squads was nearly as close as the score, with the Bulldogs compiling 303 yards to the Mustangs' 297.  West had 20 first downs to 14 for Magnolia.  Edwards was 8 of 16 (with the one interception) for 176 yards through the air, four of those going to Turnbow for 51 yards, while Logan finished 11 of 21 (with one interception) for 133 yards, five caught by senior Trevor Buckley for 71 yards.  The Mustangs ran for 164 yards, and the Bulldogs 127, with Harris gaining 85 yards on 15 carries, including his two touchdowns.

The Mustangs hosted Huntsville Oct. 19, while Magnolia travels to Waller.

After a 0-3 start in district play, the Waller Bulldogs headed into their contest against Bryan Rudder with a chip on their shoulder.

After a Rudder turnover to open the game, the Bulldogs quickly mounted a drive, topped off by quarterback Rhett Loewe's five-yard run for the score. Denny Garcia tacked on the extra point to go up 7-0.

After a Bulldog field goal on their next possession, Waller forced a three-and-out from the Ranger offense. The Bulldogs proceeded to march downfield, scoring on Colten Frisby's one-yard run to go up 17-0.

The defense held up and forced another punt by the Rangers. A booming punt took Race Mellman all the way back to his own 19-yard line as he caught the ball. After breaking a couple of tackles, a wall of blockers were set up for Mellman to get behind and he promptly raced down the sideline for an 81-yard return for a score.

A  Rudder score cut the lead to 23 -7, with just under two minutes to play in the half. The Bulldogs quickly answered the score with one of their own. Chris Wilkerson and Cole Geigley were opening up some nice running lanes while Colten Frisby ran for a 35-yard gain and Josh Cunningham powered his way for 26 more.  Loewe punched it in from there to cap the scoring for the first half with 28 seconds left and the score 30-7.

Rudder scored again with 1:03 left in the third quarter and Waller's Joeseth McDade scored twice in the fourth quarter, on runs of three and 17 yards respectively, to complete the scoring and a final score of 44-1, in favor of Waller.

The Waller Bulldogs hosted the Magnolia Bulldogs on Oct. 19, for Homecoming. Results were not available at press time.

Tomball             56
Spring Woods    0   
The Cougars rolled for their third straight win, blanking Spring Woods 56-0 Oct. 18.

Tomball running back Xavier Powell opened up the scoring with a 52-yard touchdown run and the Cougars never looked back. They raced to a 42-0 halftime lead before letting the backups play much of the second half.

Powell ended the night with 153 yards on just seven rushes and two scores.

Demetri Scott added 163 yards on the ground, while only running the ball three times. He also had two scores. Scott added 48 yards receiving and another touchdown to close out his dominant night.

The Cougars improved to 3-4 on the season and 3-1 in District 22-4A.

Tomball hosts Ft. Bend Ridge Point Oct. 26 in their homecoming contest.

Tomball Memorial   36
Spring Woods          33
The Tomball Memorial Wildcats grabbed their first varsity win in school history Oct. 12, defeating Spring Woods 36-33.

The Wildcats had a balanced offensive attack, with 253 yards rushing and 264 yards through the air. Running back Payton logan paced the rushing attack with two touchdown runs, while quarterback Jordan Peterson was 14-21 passing for 264 yards and two touchdown tosses.

The win gave Tomball Memorial its first win in history, improving to 1-5 overall and 1-2 in District 22-4A.

The Wildcats traveled to Ft. Bend Marshall Oct. 19. Results were not available at press time.

The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs have clinched their third straight district championship, after getting their 14^th straight sweep of the season, defeating Bryan Rudder 25-19, 25-9, 25-9 in straight sets. The win improved the Lady Bulldogs overall record to 31-10 and 14-0 in District 18-4A.

The Waller Bulldogs hosted Magnolia Oct. 19 in the annual Battle of the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs from Waller came out on top 31-21 in an important district battle.

Magnolia scored first as Damian Edwards found Jordan Turnbow from 27 yards out with a  little more than four minutes left in the first quarter.

Waller returned the favor and started a drive to get the ball down to the 1-yard line, before the end of the first quarter. After switching ends of the field, Rhett Loewe took the ball over the right side of the line to score. The extra point was good and the score was tied at 7-7.

Waller struck again with 5:20 left in the half on a well-executed throw and catch from Loewe to Christian Sowell for a 14-7 lead.

The defense played hard and kept Magnolia in check on the next possession and got the ball back to the offense with a little over three minutes to play. After a couple of plays, Joeseth McDade got the ball and broke free to score from 55 yards out with about a minute to play. The extra point was good and Waller claimed a 21-7 lead going into the locker room.

Magnolia came out in the third quarter and sustained a long drive that concluded with a 5-yard pass and score cutting their deficit to 21- 14.

Waller quickly answered with a drive that fell short of the goaline but came away with a Garcia 40-yard field goal to widen the margin to ten.

McDade then scored on a 23-yard run with 10:36 left in the game to go up 31-14.

Magnolia showed some fight, as they scored on their next possession for the final 31-21 margin.

Tomball Memorial    10
Ft. Bend Marshall    56
Tomball Memorial's rough introduction into the varsity world continued Oct. 19, just a week after earning their first victory in school history. The Wildcats fell to District 22-4A and undefeated Ft. Bend Marshall by a score of 56-10.

Tomball Memorial fell behind 28-7 in the first quarter, while Marshall never looked back.

Jordan Peterson led the Wildcat offense, going 5-11 passing for 72 yards and a 16-yard touchdown toss to running back Josh Williams.
Williams added 40 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Tomball Memorial traveled to Northbrook Oct. 25. The Wildcats fell 37-10. Stats were not available as of press time. The loss dropped Tomball Memorial to 1-7 on the year.

The Tomball Lady Cougar volleyball team pose for a photo after winning their bi-district playoff game against Houston Milby, by a score of 25-13, 25-11 and 25-6 recently. Tomball advanced to the area round, taking on Santa Fe over the weekend. Results were not available as of press time. The Lady Cougars won another district championship this season, this time capturing the District 22-4A title.

The Waller High School Lady Bulldogs Varsity Volleyball Team clenched a 4A state playoff spot by placing second to Magnolia in District 18-4A. The team competed against Pflugerville Connally in their bi-district contest Oct. 30 and advanced to the next round, winning 26-24, 26-24 and 28-26. The Lady Bulldogs took on Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill in the area round over the weekend. Results were not available as of press time.

Three touchdowns within a four-minute span of the third quarter propelled the Tomball Cougars to a 52-42 win over Fort Bend Ridge Point Oct. 26, at Tomball Stadium and secured the locals a spot in the Texas UIL 4A playoffs.  The victory was Tomball's fourth straight after opening the season 0-4.

"Our kids played really hard and practiced really hard all week, and decided to bring it to this game," said Cougar head coach Danny Ramsey.

Leading 24-22, midway through the third quarter, a closely-fought contest turned one sided,as Tomball scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions.

The two teams traded scores in the first half, the visitors striking first at the 10:05 mark of the first quarter.  A 7-play, 71-yard drive was capped on a hitch pattern from sophomore quarter Jesse Crebbe to senior wideout Mark Roman, who dashed 24 yards for a touchdown.

Tomball responded with a 7-play drive of their own, with tailback Xavier Powell scoring on a 43-yard run to make it 7-7 after Brown's first PAT of the night.  On their next possession, the Cougars moved 50 yards to the Panthers' 20 before settling for a 30-yard field goal by Brown at the 3:12 mark.  That drive was keyed by Reynolds' 31-yard keeper off a zone read on a third-and-four from the Cougars' 36 yard line.

Ridge Point tied the game with a field goal to start the second quarter, but the Cougars were forced to punt on their next possession.  The Panthers then marched 81 yards in 12 plays, with senior wide receiver E.J. Ewah scoring from 20 yards out on a sweep left with 5:13 remaining in the half.  A two-point conversion failed, which eventually provided the Cougars with their one-point halftime margin.

Sophomore fullback Percy Alford rumbled into the Panthers' end zone from 18 yards out to cap a 10-play, 80-yard drive on the Cougars' next possession, and Brown's PAT made it 17-16.  With just over two minutes left in the half, Ridge Point moved 30 yards to the Tomball 35 before Krebbe's deep pass down the right sideline was intercepted by Cougar defensive back Tyler King.

After halftime, Tomball went 62 yards in eight plays, scoring on Powell's 5-yard sweep at the 9:39 mark.  Brown's PAT made it 24-16.  The Panthers countered with a 9-play, 65-yard drive, and junior tailback Je'Marcus Johnson found paydirt from five yards out.  But another two-point try was unsuccessful, maintaining the Cougars' lead at 24-22.  Tomball then started the game-deciding run, which consumed most of the third quarter.

The Cougars scored on a 67-yard pass from senior quarterback Drew Reynolds to junior wide receiver Weston Shattuck.  After a three-and-out and 5-yard punt by Ridge Point (4-4, 3-2), the Cougars moved 42 yards in three plays to make it 38-22.  That touchdown came on a 30-yard scamper by senior tailback Dmitri Scott, who bounced off several tacklers before rambling to the end zone.

The ensuing onside kick by senior placekicker Chadd Brown was recovered by senior Jeff Cantwell at the Panthers' 42.  Two plays and a 15-yard facemask penalty later, Reynolds found senior tight end Kendall Browning over the middle for 12 yards and a touchdown to increase the Cougars' lead to 45-22 after Brown's sixth PAT of the night.
Ridge Point scored two TD's in the fourth quarter to make it interesting, but Powell scored from 48 yards out on a jet sweep left to make it 52-35 with 49 seconds left in the game.  The Panthers would respond in kind with 32 seconds left to conclude the scoring.

"They're a very athletic team and very well coached," Ramsey said following the point fest.  "We go up three scores, that was a big deal. Even to go up two scores was a big deal, but to do it so fast in the third was probably the turning point with regards to confidence on our offense."

The two teams were nearly even in total offense, Tomball finishing with 512 yards to Ridge Point's 509.  The Cougars racked up 362 yards rushing on 49 attempts, led by Powell's 183 yards on 25 carries.  Reynolds pitched in 88 yards on 9 totes, and Scott added 57 yards on six carries.

"Their defense was pretty good," Powell said.  "They stopped me in the backfield a couple of times, but overall I just did my thing."

The Panthers ran for 288 yards on 48 attempts, including a 100-yard-plus night from Johnson (27 carries, 140 yards) and junior fullback Josh Burrell (101 yards on 13 tries)
Reynolds finished 8 of 15 for 150 yards passing, with four of those completions  to senior wideout Mason Dillard for 56 yards.  Krebbe totalled 221 yards passing (13 of 24), and Roman had five catches for 100 yards.

The Cougars and Panthers were also close in first downs (24 to 26) and time of possession (23:48 to 23:40).  Both teams had two turnovers.

The Cougars (4-4, 4-1 in 18-4A) traveled to Tully Stadium on Nov. 3 to challenge the Stratford (Spring Branch) Spartans for a second place finish in district play. Tomball fell to Stratford, falling to third place in the district. The Cougars will take on Tomball Memorial Nov. 9 at Tomball ISD Stadium.

An expectant tense atmosphere transformed into a non-event Nov. 3 when the Stratford Spartans pounded the playoff-bound Tomball Cougars, 51-23 at Spring Branch ISD's Tully Stadium.

As key college showdowns (Texas/Texas Tech, Notre Dame/Pitt, Oregon/USC) played out across the country, Coach Danny Ramsey's Redcats were stalked and stymied by a big, physical, veteran-coached squad on a postseason path of their own.  The dominating effort clinched second place for the Spartans (7-2, 5-2) in District 22-4A play.  Tomball (4-5, 4-2) will be the third seed from the district.

"They did a great job with schemes that shouldn't have given us trouble," Ramsey said.  "Our kids just blinked, that's all it was."

Stratford stormed to an insurmountable 42-0 lead by the end of the first half, and was essentially assured of victory when they went up 21-0 at the beginning of the second quarter.  Freshman tailback Rakeem Boyd ignited the Spartans' rout with more than 100 yards rushing and one touchdown in the first quarter.

The Spartans found the end zone after drives of 74, 57, 80, and 52 yards to start the game.  And when senior quarterback Travis Hanes connected with junior tight end Jack Brice for a 61-yard catch-and-run with 5:02 left in the first half, the fat lady was already in full song.  After a four-and-out by the Cougars, Boyd took four carries to put the contest out of reach with 1:58 left in the half.

The Cougars, meanwhile, managed only one first down by halftime and had only 48 yards of offense to nearly 350 for the home team, when the school bands began to play what should have been postgame entertainment.

"We didn't bring any game in the first half," Ramsey said.  "We weren't here to play."

Tomball outscored the Spartans 23-9 in the second half as Stratford played many of their reserves and the Cougar defense stopped the Spartans on downs for the first and only time of the evening during their last possession of the game.

The Cougars scored on drives of 74, 75, and 59 yards in the second half to preserve a degree of offensive integrity, but the outcome had long since been decided.

"I could make a lot of excuses," Ramsey said. "The bottom line is, we just didn't play well." 

Tomball and Tomball Memorial, which surprised Ft. Bend Willowridge 30-27 on Nov. 2, began their new rivalry series on Friday, Nov. 9.  The Cougars defeated Tomball Memorial 49-6 and will take on Houston Reagan at Tomball ISD Stadium Thursday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. Look for game recaps of both contests in the next issue of the Tribune.

Magnolia Bulldogs    20
Willis                              6
The Magnolia Bulldogs secured their second win of the season, defeating Willis 20-6 Nov. 2 in a District 18-4A showdown.

The Bulldogs were paced by Sheyrome Harris, who ran 25 times for 144 yards and a touchdown.

Harris put the Bulldogs up late in the second half, on a 1-yard touchdown run with a little more than two minutes to play. The Woodman Nigh extra-point made in 7-0, in favor of Magnolia.

The Bulldogs added to their lead early in the third quarter, as Matt Hebert caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from Darrian Edwards. The extra-point was missed, keeping the Bulldog lead at 13-0.

Willis drove down the field and scored, cutting the lead to 13-7, but Magnolia answered on their next drive.

The drive, which extended into the first few seconds of the fourth quarter, was capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run from Noah McGowan, sealing the Bulldogs (2-7, 1-6 in district play) win.

The Bulldogs hosted Montgomery Nov. 9, in the final football contest of the season. Results were not available as of press time.

TB Memorial Wildcats     30
Ft. Bend Willowridge      27
The Tomball Memorial Wildcats squeaked out their second win in school history in dramatic fashion, scoring on a last second field goal by Christian Jugg to win 30-27 over Ft. Bend Willowridge Nov. 2.

The Wildcats raced to a big lead, before a small meltdown led to a deficit by the start of the fourth quarter.

Running back Josh Williams opened the scoring for Tomball Memorial, with a 3-yard touchdown rush in the first quarter. Williams followed that with a 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.

Brandon Shoemaker then intercepted a Willowridge pass and returned it 72 yards for the score, putting Tomball Memorial up 21-0.

Willowridge began their comeback with a 73-yard kickoff return. They added three more scores in a row to take a 27-21 lead, headed into the final period.

Williams scored his third touchdown of the night, giving the Wildcats the chance to take the lead on the extra-point. Jugg's kick was blocked, however, keeping the score tied at 27.

After stopping Willow-ridge on their last possession of the game, Tomball Memorial began a wild final drive to get them inside the red zone with a few seconds remaining.
Jugg kicked the game winner from 21 yards out as time expired, giving the Wildcats an amazing come-from-behind victory.

Williams led the Wildcats with 258 yard rushing on an amazing 46 carries.

The win improved Tomball Memorial to 2-7 on the season and 2-4 in District 22-4A. The Wildcats played in-town rival Tomball Nov. 9. They fell 49-6 to their crosstown rivals. A full game recap will be in the next issue.