Looks Like Déjà Vu
Tompkins' boys defend Region III-6A cross country titles
Dennis Silva II
Oct 24, 2018, 5:00 am
Originally Appeared on Vype
It was a feeling of déjà vu for some of Katy ISD’s top cross country competitors Monday morning.
Cinco Ranch sophomore Heidi Nielson and Tompkins’ boys team defended their respective Region III-6A titles in Huntsville, with Nielson repeating as the girls champion with a time of 18-minutes, 17.1-seconds, and the Falcons boys repeating by earning 63 points to win first place in the boys team division.
Nielson, who is undefeated in races this season and has swept the district and regional championships for the second straight year, bested her time from last year’s regional meet by 27 seconds.
“It gives me confidence knowing I’ve already run these courses and know what to expect,” Nielson said. “When I come out here, I think about what I’ve accomplished and it just makes me push a little harder.”
Cinco Ranch sophomore Sophie Atkinson, who placed third, and Seven Lakes junior Molly Humes, who placed fourth, will join Nielson at the Class 6A state meet Nov. 3 in Round Rock.
The top four teams and top 10 individuals not on the four teams advance to state.
More here
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.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
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!