Shark Attack
New Shadow Creek having hoops success
Ashton Jeanlewis
Jan 26, 2018, 11:45 am
Originally appeared on Vype.com
It’s not often a new high school is born. A chance to build school spirit and create a culture is rare.
In Alvin ISD, that rare opportunity has come along and its name is the Shadow Creek Sharks – a school just nine miles away from the powerhouse, now-rival Manvel High School.
Shadow Creek has long been rumored to be a school that could not only rival but also surpass the athletic excellence in every sport that Manvel has garnered. Granted, the football teams’ first varsity season is just around the corner in late 2017, the basketball team has made some major waves early in the season.
Shadow Creek boy’s basketball finished its inaugural varsity season 3-9 in district play just a year ago. Ironically, you could say they were in a shark tank of 23-5A last season with four of the state’s Top 25 teams in Elkins, Texas City, Manvel and state finalist Marshall Buffs.
For a team with no varsity experience or established culture, it’s safe to say it was an uphill battle. Even Tyron Henry, Shadow Creek senior guard, would agree.
“Last year, we were a young team that just got thrown in the fire and wasn’t ready. It was a tough year,” Henry said. “Now, we have learned from the little things from last year, which can help us win games.”
With only three district wins in 2017, the playoffs weren’t in the cards for the young Sharks, but last season gave signs of the things to come.
A 53-50 win over rival and state- ranked Manvel for the first time in any sport was a great consolation prize for a rough first season.
Shadow Creek started the 2017- 2018 season with a bang, running through some of the best teams in not only the city, but also the state. They defeated Manvel and Marshall – last year’s regional finalist in Region 3 of the UIL Playoffs.
With 10 wins already this season, the Sharks have set the foundation for their best varsity season yet.
According to Henry, he and his teammates don’t expect to just start the season hot, but have bigger goals in mind.
“We expect to keep doing what we’re doing and keep winning games to make it to the playoffs,” Henry said.
The Sharks are ready for the weekly battle inside 23-5A, and are not led by one prolific player, but as a unit.
The ability of skilled guards Elijah Brand and Henry, add the range of Akin Newton and combine the experiences of last year’s inaugural season, District 23-5A could turn into shark bait.
This article appears in the January Issue of VYPE Magazine. Pick up your copy at any one of our locations today!
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
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Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!