It had been 265 days since The Woodlands offensive lineman Alex Common hit someone with an opposing jersey, and once he finally got to do it again, “it felt really good.”

The Highlanders tangled with Cypress Woods in a scrimmage at Woodforest Bank Stadium on Friday evening, the final tuneup before they kick off the regular season.

“Today was really the first day we put the pads on and went full speed, 100 percent, to the ground, live football,” Common said. “It felt really good. It’s just good to be back.”

The Woodlands is set to get its campaign underway against Cy-Fair at 7 p.m. Friday at the Berry Center. The Bobcats, regional finalists last season, will no doubt present a stiff challenge. click here for complete story