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Wildcats’ year ends in loss
  
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By CARMEN COLUNGA
Splendora’s football team was unable to clinch its third straight district championship in 2008.
After a 51-14 loss to Cleveland Nov. 7, the undefeated champions of District 22-3A, Splendora wrapped up its season with a 4-4 record, a fourth place finish and no postseason berth.
“I thought the kids came out focused [against Cleveland],” Wildcats head coach Chris Nelson said. “Our passing game faired better against them than I had thought we would. It allowed us to open up the running game and get use the balance to our advantage.”
After a tight first quarter, the Wildcats slacked off a bit for about six minutes, Nelson said. As a result, Cleveland’s offense exploded, scoring four quick touchdowns.
In the second half, the Wildcats rebounded, but their effort was not enough to overcome the 30-point halftime deficit.
The game placed Splendora one game behind the third place team Huffman.
Although they felt a bump in the road this year, their 4-4 overall record is an indication that, even with a young inexperienced team, they can make things happen.
“Before the season started, we knew we were going to be extremely young and we needed kids to perform at the level they might have not been ready to perform at,” Nelson said.
“Our goal was to still get in the playoffs, but we knew great things had to happen. Throughout the season, we showed glimpses, but in the end, we weren’t at that level.”
Finishing at .500 is proof that the program is going in the right direction, Nelson said, but some aspects of the program are looked at to change.
“We need to make some changes to our offseason program so we can put some added emphasis on areas,” Nelson said.
“We can’t do a whole on speed, but we can work on our agility. We can get in the weight room more that way we’re stronger than the opponents we’ll face.”
The Wildcats’ coaching staff plans to wrap up this season in the upcoming week then focus on preparing for next task: the upcoming season, where they will be in a better position because of the added experience.
district 22-3a standings
District standings
After a 51-14 loss to Cleveland Nov. 7, the undefeated champions of District 22-3A, Splendora wrapped up its season with a 4-4 record, a fourth place finish and no postseason berth.
“I thought the kids came out focused [against Cleveland],” Wildcats head coach Chris Nelson said. “Our passing game faired better against them than I had thought we would. It allowed us to open up the running game and get use the balance to our advantage.”
After a tight first quarter, the Wildcats slacked off a bit for about six minutes, Nelson said. As a result, Cleveland’s offense exploded, scoring four quick touchdowns.
In the second half, the Wildcats rebounded, but their effort was not enough to overcome the 30-point halftime deficit.
The game placed Splendora one game behind the third place team Huffman.
Although they felt a bump in the road this year, their 4-4 overall record is an indication that, even with a young inexperienced team, they can make things happen.
“Before the season started, we knew we were going to be extremely young and we needed kids to perform at the level they might have not been ready to perform at,” Nelson said.
“Our goal was to still get in the playoffs, but we knew great things had to happen. Throughout the season, we showed glimpses, but in the end, we weren’t at that level.”
Finishing at .500 is proof that the program is going in the right direction, Nelson said, but some aspects of the program are looked at to change.
“We need to make some changes to our offseason program so we can put some added emphasis on areas,” Nelson said.
“We can’t do a whole on speed, but we can work on our agility. We can get in the weight room more that way we’re stronger than the opponents we’ll face.”
The Wildcats’ coaching staff plans to wrap up this season in the upcoming week then focus on preparing for next task: the upcoming season, where they will be in a better position because of the added experience.
district 22-3a standings
District standings
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