There’s no shame in losing to the No. 2-ranked team in the country, but despite that fact, The Woodlands is eager to get back to the grind this fall and prove it belongs in the same breath as a team like the Allen Eagles.

The Highlanders, who finished 10-3 and won the District 14-5A title last season with a 6-0 mark, saw their campaign come to a close with a 56-21 regional playoff loss to Allen, the eventual Class 5A Division I state champion.

“That was a tough loss,” senior running back Patrick Carr said. “It’s motivation every day because you know what you have to work at. It’s motivation because of the way we lost. It was just bad.”

It was the worst postseason loss in The Woodlands’ history, but it also has the returning players determined to come back even stronger this year. That’s what they’re counting as they enter an altered gauntlet of teams in the new District 16-6A. click here for complete story