The stakes could not be any higher.
The Wildkats (7-0) will face the Conroe Tigers (6-0) Friday night at Buddy Moorhead Stadium in Conroe.
Commonly called the Battle of 45, Friday’s game is against the Wildkat’s biggest rivals. Plus, both teams are undefeated so far this season. The schools are less than eight miles apart, and many of the players and fans have grown up knowing each other and waiting for a chance to prove who is the best.
Being under this amount of pressure can be hard for these boys on the team. No one knows how that can affect their mindset on and off the field.
“The pressure isn’t hard,” senior Jacorion Hatchet said. “But we have a target on our backs, and everyone’s out to get us.”
Losing star quarterback DJ Lagway who had such a big impact on the team last season makes it even more challenging to exceed everyone’s expectations. These players had to build the team back up and gain each other’s trust. They are currently undefeated making them 7-0 after defeating New Caney 69-21. The team has also won against district teams including Caney Creek 66-13, The Woodlands 45-42, Cleveland 77 and College Park 45-21.
“Keeping a straight head is key while we play all these teams who we believe are not as good as us, or on the same level as our team,” senior Mason Isbell said. “We keep pushing and being confident in ourselves, but not too confident while being under all this pressure.”
It’s good for the Wildkats to stay in a steady headspace throughout the week so they can play their best on Friday nights.
“We stay locked in and have a good week of practice,” sophomore Cayden Williams said. “We don’t think too hard about the game until it’s game time.”
This team has overcome so many different hardships. This season they carry lots of weight on their backs that others would never have to deal with.
“Around the team we have injuries and have to have others step up,” senior Jack Emerson said. “Also coming from an undefeated season last year, we came in with a lot of expectations and people had high hopes for us and were trying to step up and play to those expectations.”
The responsibility of performing at the highest level can be intense. In the end the relentless pressure keeps the boys motivated to keep pushing and doing their best. Overcoming all the negative talk makes them even stronger.
“Battling adversity has been a big obstacle,” junior Jermaine Bishop said. “Because we’ve been doing good, so people don’t really like us and pray for our downfall.”
