With the regular season winding down, races for district championships and playoff berths are heating up. Week 8 brought a lot of impressive wins and performances across the Houston area. Here are some of the key takeaways.
Cypress Lakes makes statement
After making its first playoff appearance last season, Cypress Lakes looks poised to do it again. The Spartans have knocked off two of the preseason favorites in District 16-6A the past two weeks, beating Cypress Falls 21-18 on Oct. 10 and earning a 38-31 victory against Cy-Fair this past Friday. Cy Lakes played its first varsity season in 2010 and posted a 25-123 combined record (.169) through 2024. Last season, the second under current head coach Tyrone Carter, the Spartans finished 6-6 and ended the program's playoff drought.
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During the victory against Cy-Fair, once a state-ranked team, the Spartans rushed for 319 yards and averaged 8.4 yards per carry with six touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Marcus Smith led the way for the offense, passing for 226 yards and rushing for 128 on 11 carries with two touchdowns. Cy Lakes (5-2, 3-1) outscored Cy-Fair 12-0 in the fourth quarter and allowed just three points in the second half after trailing 28-20 at halftime.
The Spartans have three regular-season games remaining against Cypress Creek, Cypress Woods and Jersey Village. Cy Creek and Jersey Village have a combined 1-13 record, but Cy Woods (5-1, 3-1) should provide Cy Lakes with another tough test. Langham Creek (6-1, 4-0) remains alone in first place with Cy Lakes, Cy Woods and Cy Falls (6-1, 3-1) all tied for second place. If the playoffs started today, Cy Lakes would land in the Division I bracket.
Still unbeaten
With the regular-season beginning to wind down, several Houston-area teams are still undefeated in UIL action. The Class 6A group includes Katy (8-0), Deer Park (7-0), Memorial (7-0), North Shore (7-0), Pearland (7-0) and Ridge Point (7-0). Friendswood (8-0), Angleton (7-0), Randle (7-0), Montgomery (7-0) are unbeaten in Class 5A, while Columbus (7-0) remains without a blemish in Class 4A.
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Undefeated regular seasons are hard to come by, and several of these teams have tough district tests remaining on their schedules. Deer Park is one that stands out because the program most recent undefeated regular season came back in 1956 under coach Travis "Shorty" Hughes, who guided the Deer to back-to-back state titles in 1954 and 1955, according to Pigskin Prep and UIL archives. Friendswood last went undefeated in the regular season in 2001 under coach Steven Van Meter. Memorial only has one undefeated regular season since 1962, which came in 1976 under coach Les Koenning. For Montgomery, the most recent undefeated regular season came in 1989 under coach Rod Hess.
Willis QB Frazier out for season
According a post on his X account, Willis sophomore quarterback Linc Frazier is out for the season due to an injury. The 2025 All-Greater Houston Newcomer of the Year broke onto the scene as a freshman last year, passing for more than 4,000 yards and 43 touchdowns despite his lack of experience at the varsity level. His efforts in helping Willis make a regional final run earned him MaxPreps Freshman All-American honors and established him as one of the state's top young signal-callers.
During the first six games of the season, Frazier passed for 1,418 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Wildkats, who are currently 5-2 overall and 2-2 in District 13-6A. With losses against district frontrunners The Woodlands and College Park already behind them, the Wildkats are in good position to win their three remaining games against Cleveland, Caney Creek and Conroe and make a fourth straight playoff appearance.
With Frazier out, the team will turn to senior Parker Stephenson at quarterback. Stephenson put on a show during the Wildkats' 56-25 victory against Oak Ridge last week, completing 17-of-25 passes (68%) for 256 yards and five touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 126 yards and another score on just six carries.
Williams-Callis sets career highs
Randle running back Landen Williams-Callis set career highs with 364 rushing yards and seven touchdowns during the Lions' 81-14 district victory against Pasadena last week. The five-star Texas commit has did all of that damage on just 10 carries against the 2-5 Eagles, averaging 36.4 yards per attempt. Williams-Callis has rushed for 1,738 yards and 27 touchdowns this season and now has 9,232 rushing yards and 161 total touchdowns for his career. He is 14 touchdowns shy of tying former Mount Enterprise star Kaegan Ash for second place on the state's all-time list. Aledo's Johnathan Gray has the state record with 205. Williams-Callis needs 330 yards to pass Seagraves' Cory Kyle (9,561) for sixth on the state's all-time rushing list. He is averaging 248.3 rushing yards per game as a senior with three games remaining for Randle in the regular season.
Top performers
J.P. Vaclavik, QB, Tompkins: Vaclavick completed 16-of-20 passes (80%) for 382 yards and four touchdowns without an interception during the Falcons' 49-12 district win over Cinco Ranch. Carter Young had eight catches for 209 yards and two scores - including a 99-yarder - as Tompkins improved to 4-3 overall and 4-1 in District 22-6A.
Joshua Wells, QB, La Porte: Wells completed 13-of-14 passes for 275 yards and five touchdowns with one interception during the Bulldogs' 55-13 district win over Baytown Sterling. He averaged 21.2 yards per completion.
Julian Cromartie, WR, College Park: Cromartie caught nine passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns during the Cavaliers' 44-10 district win over Conroe. He averaged 24.1 yards per catch and had a long of 52 yards. Quarterback Camden Hughes passed for 399 yards and five touchdowns with one interception.
Dariyan Smith, RB, Waller: Smith rushed for 172 yards and five touchdowns during the Bulldogs' 35-9 district win over Foster. He averaged 9.1 yards per attempt and accounted for 71.9% of Waller's 239 rushing yards.
Jace Williams, QB, Langham Creek: Williams passed for 387 yards and five touchdowns during the Lobos' 59-13 district win over Cypress Ridge. He completed 18-of-20 passes (90%) and averaged 21.5 yards per completion.
Kaden Copelin, QB, The Woodlands: Copelin passed for 297 yards with five touchdowns during the Highlanders' 59-0 district win over Cleveland. He completed 13-of-17 passes and averaged 22.8 yards per completion.
Davon Smith, LB, Westfield: Smith recorded 13 tackles, including five for loss, during the Mustangs' 37-7 district win over Aldine Davis. He also had a sack, a forced fumble and an interception.
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There’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Houston high school football: Week 8 takeaways and top performers.