Thursday night's must-see Texas high school football games

[caption id="attachment_23982" align="alignright" width="350"] The Woodlands QB Eric Schmid (Photo by Diana Porter)[/caption] The Thursday night slate isn’t as loaded in Week 2, but there are still plenty of games to watch around the state before the majority of games take place Friday. Here are a few that warrant attention. Spring at The Woodlands Two future Class 6A playoff teams square up in Week 2. The Woodlands beat Cy-Fair by three points in Week 1, while Spring also enters the contest with a 1-0 record after knocking off Clear Falls, 32-7. The Woodlands ranked No. 17 on our preseason Class 6A Top 40. Spring was on the outside looking in, predicted to finish third in District 16-6A behind Spring Westfield and Aldine Eisenhower. Spring wants to run the football. The Lions completed two passes in last week’s win, but rushed 49 times for 487 yards and five touchdowns. Jacobe Finley accounted for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Quarterback Eric Spencer Jr. scored three times on the ground, racking up 150 yards on 15 carries. The Woodlands beat Cy-Fair despite running fewer plays, possessing the ball for only 20 minutes and gaining fewer first downs. The good news going into the matchup with Spring is that The Woodlands' defense struggled more against the passing attack. Cy-Fair only managed 2.9 yards per rush. Defensive lineman Michael Purcell is the anchor of the defense and a key to stop Spring’s rushing attack. Plano West at Garland Sachse This is more about watching talent. Sachse is home to two four-star 2018 recruits in quarterback Jalen Mayden and wide receiver Drue Jackson. The senior class at Sachse isn’t lacking with the likes of Riko Jeffers and Tony Krasniqi. It took a lot of offense and 14 points in the fourth quarter to eventually win in overtime over Byron Nelson in Week 1. Mayden scored four touchdowns – two through the air and one on the ground – while Jackson notched more than 100 yards receiving. Both players are highly recruited juniors and worth the price of admission on a Thursday. Hutto at Bryan Rudder Both teams enter 1-0. This might be the best Thursday game around Central Texas. The Hippos started the season with a 59-28 victory over Bryan. A nine-team 19-5A means this is the last non-district game for head coach Steve Van Meter and Hutto. The Hippos have talent, but are in the process of gaining experience at the varsity level. Defensive end Ondario Robinson is one of the best in the state. Rudder started the season with a victory over Del Valle. A playoff berth isn’t out of the question for head coach Wil Compton. The Rangers returned 14 starters and the culture is really starting to change after a few offseasons with Compton at the helm. Rudder and Hutto used to be district rivals. Mart at West Kolaches and football sounds like a solid Thursday. You can get both in West tonight. Mart, one of the best Class 2A teams in the state, goes up a classification to face West. West returned 14 starters from a 2015 playoff team. The strengths are at linebacker and with quarterback Romeo Hernandez. Mart is as athletic as Class 2A teams get inside of Texas. Defensive tackle Tyree Williams bolsters an already formidable defense, as he returns from injury this year. Running back Tyrek Horne is capable of a 1,500+ rushing season.

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