It was a magical season for the Pearland Oilers in 2006 as they won the Class 5A Region III Division I championship for only the second time in school history while also advancing to the 5A Division I state semifinals.
When the regular season came to an end, the Oilers advanced to the playoffs for the seventh straight year and defeated Fort Bend Dulles 47-22 in the opening round.
Then came Pearland's nemesis in North Shore in the second round at Reliant Stadium. After the Mustangs opened up a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter -- it appeared that North Shore was headed toward a rout reminescent of last season's 52-21 first round loss to the 'Stangs.
That's when the Pearland players began chanting, "We Believe, We Believe!" The Oilers scored twice in the first half for a 14-14 tie at intermission with the latter score coming on a sensational 95-yard run by quarterback Sam Proctor. Fozzy Whittaker scored in the third quarter and the defense did the rest with a shutout over the final three quarters as Nick Saenz intercepted a pass in the Pearland endzone late in the fourth quarter to seal the remarkable victory sending the Oilers to face Cinco Ranch.
The "We Believe" slogan became the rallying cry as the Oilers knocked off Cinco Ranch 34-31 in overtime. Pearland used a two-minute drill at the end of the game against Cy-Fair to pull out a miraculous 16-15 win as Proctor hooked up with Reid Wendell for a 14-yard scoring pass that will become known as "The Catch" in Pearland football history.
Pearland faced Austin Westlake in the state semifinals and final rally came up short 35-32 to end the season with a 12-3 mark -- the second best record in Pearland history.
But head coach Tony Heath, who begins his 11th season at the helm, knows that the 2007 team has a lot of questions that must be answered during non-district play.
The defense has the early edge as the season has begun. With seven starters returning on a unit that helped the Oilers make a deep run in the playoffs last year, defensive coordinator Mark Kanipes has some quick, fast, and hard-hitting players that know how to punish a ball carrier with tremendous gang tackling.
The defense is led by University of Houston pledge and All-Greater Houston DB Nick Saenz (6-1, 180, 4.5) and UTEP pledge DE Bernard Obi (6-3, 225). Saenz pulled in eight interceptions last season with most of them coming at crucial times that allowed the Oilers to win the game - particularly against La Marque during the regular season and North Shore in the playoffs.
Junior DB Jarrad Stewart (107 tackles, 2 INTs) hits as hard as anyone on the team as he is teamed with DB Chris Landry, DB Charles Landry, and DB Matt Sanders. Add LB Gary Robertson, DT Dantrayal Smith, DE Bruce Honore and DE Mario Turner to the mix and Pearland has as good of a defensive unit as they have ever put on the field.
Offensively, the Oilers will need to develop after losing the centerpiece on that side of the ball with the graduation of center Steven Kenney (Texas State), quarterback Sam Proctor (OU), and All-State running back Fozzy Whittaker (Texas).
The offensive line is strong with converted tackle Brian Thomas (6-4, 270) moving over the ball. The Texas A&M pledge will anchor the front five and protect junior quarterback Sam Allen (6-1, 190) who is in his first year at the varsity level.
Junior running back Kasey Carrier (5-11, 170) has the speed and agility to pick up where Whittaker left off after gaining 600 yards on 84 carries for seven TDs last season in a limited role.
Add All-District tight end Kevin Davis (6-4, 220), Ian Musslewhite, and David Maciel in the trenches and the offense should develop just fine.
Junior wide receiver Kevin Miller returns after leading the Oilers last season with 29 catches for 333 yards and one TD.
As is usually the case, coach Heath will see players who will step up during the course of the season in their drive to the league crown and deep run in the playoffs.
Brazoswood Buccaneers
Brazoswood went from worst to first in 2006. Picked to finish last in the pre-season league standings, head coach Dean DeAtley saw his team finish with a 5-1 district mark to win the league title while Pearland, Ball High, and Clear Creek rounded out the four teams that made the post-season from 24-5A. The Bucs finished the season at 11-2 and return five offensive and four defensive starters in 2007.
Players to watch: RB Jobes Walker (5-11, 200, 4.6), OT Joh Arthur (6-3, 265), FS Travis Lundy (5-9, 175, 4.6), RB Kendell Brown (5-10, 175, 4.5), and sophomore OT Chris Grishby (6-4, 285).
Walker will be the featured running back after gaining 1,393 yards on 253 carries for 17 TDs. Linebacker Andre Van Leeuwen leads the defense after racking up 139 tackles last year.
Ball High Tornadoes
Galveston Ball head coach Ron Holmes is excited about this season after seeing his players work hard during the off-season. There are seven offensive and seven defensive starters returning from a team that was 7-4 last year and 4-2 in district.
All-District Defensive MVP Michael Littleton (6-1, 180, 4.5) will spearhead the defense after swiping five passes last season.
Players to watch: QB Andre Patino (5-11, 180, 4.5), TB Eddie Brown (5-8, 170, 4.5), TB Kevin Matthews (5-9, 175, 4.5), and DE Milton Sampson (6-2, 215). Patino had a stellar season last year throwing for 1,400 yards and 10 TDs, but also tossed 15 INTs. Brown had 95 carries for 550 yards and eight TDs.
Clear Lake Falcons
Head coach Troy Aduddell will welcome three offensive and nine defensive starters from a 2006 team that finished 6-4 overall and 2-4 in district to miss the post-season after advancing to the 5A state semifinals in 2005.
But Aduddell believes that the Falcons have the talent to return to the post-season as FB Michael Grant (5-9, 190, 4.5) and QB Drew Decker (6-1, 180) return to lead the offense. Grant had 1,100 yards rushing last season while Decker (155 carries for 743 yards and 10TDs) was the mastermind of the wishbone offense.
Players to watch: OL Scott Fritz (6-2, 240), FS Cody Worthen (5-10, 190, 4.5), DE Nick Adams (6-3, 245), DT Stephen Barrera (6-5, 265), and DE Cody Rmmick (6-3, 205. 4.7).
Adams lead the defense with 60 tackles and four sacks last year. Barrera had 42 stops and two sacks. Rmmick had 51 tackles and three sacks while CB Jake Runte had a pair of INTs.
Clear Creek Wildcats
Head coach Darrell Warden begins his third year with the Wildcats. Clear Creek returns five offensive and seven defensive starters including Warden's son, Neal, who begins his senior year as a three-year starter at quarterback. Warden completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,993 yards while completing 181-of-290 attempts with 16 TDs and 11 INTs.
Players to watch: OT Taylor Johnson (6-4, 260), DE Derek McGahee (6-5, 230), DE Paul Vaughn (6-2, 210), and DB Marcus Davis (6-0, 180, 4.5)
Linebacker Leonard Bradley leads the defense with 60 tackles while McGahee had 40 stops and three sacks last year. DB Davis had 57 tackles and two INTs in the secondary.
Clear Brook Wolverines
Clear Brook has a new head coach as Paul Lanier, who was the head coach at Ball High and most recently, offensive coordinator at Clear Lake, takes over for the departed Edward Arledge. The Wolverines return four offensive and eight defensive starters for a team that was 3-7 overall and 2-4 in district in 2006.
Lanier is known for running the wishbone offense and the Wolverines will have a more aggressive ground attack and overall team discipline that has been lacking in past years.
Players to watch: DE Chad Bimage (6-3, 230), FB Cornell Bacxter (5-9, 210), OL Brandon Humphrey (6-0, 275), LB Robbie Hoskins (6-1, 225), CB Erwin Burrell (5-9, 160), DE Jordan Norfleet (6-3, 230), QB Lane Berry (5-9, 165), FB/LB Brandon Ellison (6-1, 190).
Baxter led the Wolverines in rushing last season and finished fifth among the district leaders with 858 yards on 120 totes for 11 TDs.
Alvin Yellowjackets
Alvin has a new head coach in Jeff Dungen after former head coach Mike Bass decided to become the athletic director at Alvin ISD. The Jackets finished with a 2-8 mark in 2006 and 1-5 in the league standings. Dungen has five offensive and three defensive starters returning for 2007.
The top offensive player is RB Ashton Jefferson who had 551 yards rushing and nine TDs as a sophomore. WR Jeremy Allen (5-11, 165. 4.5) had 15 catches for 322 yards. RB Vincent Wydemyer (5-8, 160, 4.6) also returns after rushing for 365 yards on 68 carries for two TDs.
Players to watch: LB Jonathan Price (5-11, 205, 4.6), OL Brian Bates (6-0, 265), OL Nick Rhodes (5-11, 240).
The Jackets have always been known as a hard-working blue collar team. The real test will see how much the team is hurt this season with the absence of players that went to the new Manvel HS.