Bridgeland Brought The Fireworks Early And Staved Off The Woodlands Late

SHENANDOAH, TX — The Woodlands executed a nearly flawless game plan in the second half against Bridgeland, but the Highlanders struggled to get the key play late to push them over the top.

Bridgeland’s high-flying offense scored just seven points after halftime, but the 19th-ranked Bears’ defense rose to the occasion late in the fourth quarter to hold on for a 39-35 victory in a Class 6A non-district football game Friday at Woodforest Bank Stadium.

Bridgeland stonewalled Highlanders quarterback Mabrey Mettauer for no gain on fourth-and-2 from the Bears’ 19-yard line with just over 5 minutes left in the game. After having to punt with 3 minutes remaining, Bridgeland’s defense again stood up as Mettauer’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete. One first down later, the Bears (3-0) emerged with their unblemished record intact.

“It was easy to lose your confidence if you’re a defensive player during the night because it seemed like everything bad kept happening,” Bridgeland head coach David Raffield said. “When it mattered the most, they rose up, they made the play, and they’re better for it today. That was huge.”

With Bridgeland leading 32-21 after what amounted to a track meet in the first half, The Woodlands (2-1) slowed the tempo in the second half, keeping Bridgeland senior quarterback and Texas A&M commit Conner Weigman and a bevy of speedy receivers off the field. The plan worked, as the Highlanders outscored the Bears 14-7 in the second half, limiting them to just over 100 yards, and had multiple chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

It took a little luck for The Woodlands to get it going in the second half as the Highlanders appeared headed for a three-and-out on its first drive facing a fourth-and-18 from their own 35.

A botched snap looked like it could spell disaster, but punter Nick Sims picked the ball up and noticed every Bridgeland defender running downfield to cover a punt that hadn’t been booted. Sims smartly tucked the ball and sprinted for a 27-yard gain and a first down. The Woodlands punched the ball in seven plays later on a 1-yard sneak from Mettauer to cut the lead to 32-28 with 5:21 left in the third quarter.

Weigman found Andrew Maleski for a 12-yard touchdown pass through a tight window on fourth down to push the lead back to 39-28 late in the third quarter, but the Highlanders came back with a 10-play, 70-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown run from Mettauer early in the fourth quarter.

The Woodlands senior linebacker and Texas A&M commit Martrell Harris forced and recovered a fumble on Bridgeland’s next possession, but the ensuing drive ended in the turnover on downs in the red zone.

“We got stops, but we didn’t really do a great job of finishing drives,” The Woodlands head coach Jim Rapp said. “We have to do that. That’s the part where we have to grow up.”

Weigman and the Bears racked up 565 yards, with 448 yards coming in the first half. Weigman accounted for all five of Bridgeland’s touchdowns, throwing four and catching another on a trick play. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 447 yards and added another 105 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Jonathan Nelson led the Bears with nine catches for 147 yards, and Maleski had four catches for 105 yards with three going for touchdowns.

“We stuck to our game plan, and we executed really well,” Weigman said. “As far as the second half goes, I feel like they wanted to keep it out of our hands, so they slowed down the pace a little bit, and we weren’t able to be on the field as much.

“We lost a lot of seniors and starters from last year, so we’ve had to come together. It’s huge, going 3-0 into district.”

Senior running back JoBarre Reed had 22 carries for 155 yards to lead a ground attack for The Woodlands that gained 301 yards on 46 carries.

Mettauer completed 12 of 19 passes for 172 yards and accounted for four touchdowns -- two rushing and two passing. Patrick Rabel had 65 receiving yards, and Parker McGill added 60 on three catches each.

Points flew on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Weigman got it started with a 67-yard touchdown pass to Maleski barely 20 seconds into the game. The Woodlands responded with a four-play, 56-yard drive capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass from Mabrey Mettauer to Parker McGill with 9:52 left in the quarter.

Bridgeland took the lead for good on the next series, when Weigman kickstarted a 93-yard drive with a 68-yard pass to Savion Williams. Five plays later, Weigman found Maleski again for a 9-yard touchdown pass, giving Bridgeland a 14-7 lead with 7:52 left in the first quarter.

Bridgeland extended the lead with a 24-yard field goal from Fisher Pratt before The Woodlands cut it to 17-14 on the next drive when senior running back JoBarre Reed broke a tackle and dragged another defender into the end zone for a 42-yard touchdown run with four seconds left in the first.

The Bears didn’t even wait until the second quarter to strike back as Weigman found sophomore Oscar Nnanna for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the quarter to make it 24-14.

The Highlanders added a touchdown in the middle of the second quarter, with Mettauer capping a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 9-yard scoring toss to Jacoby Mitchell.

Bridgeland’s final score of the first half came on a wild sequence with just under six minutes left in the second quarter. Facing third-and-goal from the 2, the Bears ran a double reverse pass, with Nelson finding Weigman for a 2-yard touchdown, and it got crazier from there.

The snap on the point after attempt went over holder Nicholas Cordova’s head, seemingly leaving the Bears up 30-21, but Cordova recovered the ball, scrambled to avoid several tacklers and unleashed an off balance throw about 20 yards down field to Chase Witthaus, who caught it for a two-point conversion and 32-21 lead.

Bridgeland begins District 16-6A play against Langham Creek on Sept. 24 following an open week, and The Woodlands wraps up its tough non-district slate next week with a road game against second-ranked Katy.