Langham runs to regional final; sets up 17-6A rematch with Cy-Fair
Regional Finals Rematch
Thomas Bingham
04 December 2017
Originally appeared on Vype.com.
The run game was a big part of the Lobos’ start, as well as their continued success. It started with Chris Herron’s 40-yard scamper on the opening drive, which set up his first of two touchdown passes before the second quarter. The first connection found Devin Lawrence on a 4th-and-10 pass, and the other was a 51-yard bomb to Golden Eke.
The Lobos continued to run, and finished the first half with 182 rushing yards on 16 carries. That included two scores by Corien Azema, and one by Herron and Chris Mehn.
Another good sign for the Lobos, going into next week’s rematch with 17-6A foe Cy-Fair, is the way their defense played in the first half. The unit shutout Kingwood, had two blocked punts courtesy of Tucker, and allowed 80 yards.
Even though the game was out of hand heading to the second half, Kingwood kept fighting, like it had in the months since Hurricane Harvey. The displaced Mustangs, who’ve been attending Summer Creek since the storm, also overcame an 0-3 start to play December football for the first time in 27 years.
Their ability to not give up resulted in a second half they can hang their hats on. They gave up an early 60-yard scamper to Tucker, but scored on back-to-back drives in the third quarter. It started with Matt Slayton’s 40-yard scoring connection to Nolan Powell, and continued with Connal Fisher’s 27-yard field goal. Slayton wrapped up the afternoon with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Trey Gould in the fourth.
“The second half was another opportunity to show who we are at Kingwood,” said Mustang head coach Barry Campbell. “That’s tough, determined, hard-working kids that are going to play hard no matter what, do the best they can, and have something to be proud of when everything’s said and done.”
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Isaac Paredes has been a steady force in the middle of the Astros’ order, but a tweaked hamstring suffered during Thursday’s win over the White Sox may force Houston to recalibrate, again.
If Paredes misses time, the most logical shuffle would see Jose Altuve sliding back to second base, with Mauricio Dubón stepping in at third. It’s a reasonable patch. But internally, there’s also some intrigue around whether Cam Smith—currently thriving in right field—could slide back to his original position on the infield. The idea isn’t without merit; Smith is the club’s best offensive option at third in Paredes’ absence. But defensively, it’s hard to justify moving him right now. Smith made several standout plays in the Chicago series, reinforcing just how important his glove has become to the Astros’ outfield defense. One thing is for sure, the Astros can't afford to play both Dubon and Brendon Rodgers in the infield regularly. The offense would take a huge hit.
Timing, however, might be on Houston’s side. The next stretch of games features the Twins, Athletics, and Angels—three teams the Astros can beat even while navigating lineup instability. It helps that Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker are showing signs of life at the plate. Diaz, in particular, has been red-hot, posting an OPS north of 1.200 over the past week. Walker is batting over .300 during that same span, giving the Astros enough firepower to survive short-term turbulence.
Elsewhere, the outfield presents its own set of choices. Jacob Melton has shown enough in the field to warrant a serious look as Chas McCormick’s replacement when he returns from injury. He’s still searching for consistency at the plate, batting under .200 in his first 10 big league games. But his arm and left-handed bat give manager Joe Espada a little more lineup flexibility—especially with Yordan Alvarez still out and the offense skewing right-handed.
For now, the Astros have room to adjust. But if Paredes ends up missing significant time, they’ll need more than just a few temporary solutions to keep their momentum going.
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