Convenience Big Store: Creating chaos: Standout defenders highlight our top football performers

September 18, 2023

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Talented Houston-area defenders leave their mark on Week 4 games.

It's a tough job to play defense these days.

But several Houston-area standouts proved they were up for the task last week.

Our weekly football top performers list is still littered with quarterbacks and running backs, but a handful of defenders also caught our attention while helping their teams to big victories.

Manvel got back into the win column last Friday, holding off Friendswood for a 20-17 triumph. Senior Memphis commit Jalen Charles was a huge part of that success, recording 10 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 2 ½ sacks and five quarterback hurries. The Mavericks' defense has been playing well over the past three games, allowing just 15.3 points per outing against West Brook, Angleton and Friendswood.

Senior Stanford commit Sam Mattingly was all over the field during Magnolia West's 58-0 rout against Kempner. He finished with six total tackles, two tackles for loss, an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt. The Mustangs have surrendered just 11.3 points per game this season.

Mayde Creek prevailed with a 28-7 victory against Paetow on Saturday, bouncing back from a lopsided loss against Jordan in its district opener. Senior safety Elijah Fuller was a prime-time player for the Rams in that contest, collecting eight tackles, two interceptions and a blocked field goal.

See the rest of the top performers list here.

Three weekend takeaways

Potent aerial attack: Cypress Ranch was clicking on all cylinders during a 66-41 victory against Cypress Woods last Friday. And while the primary storyline was a record-setting performance from junior quarterback Owen Cossette, the Mustangs' offense features a bevy of talented playmakers.

Ridge Point rolling: After starting the season with back-to-back losses, Ridge Point has rebounded with two consecutive victories in District 20-6A action. The biggest one came last Thursday as the Panthers outlasted state-ranked Hightower. The team has been getting contributions from new faces this year.

Spartans get a spark: Stafford will enter District 12-4A Division I action with plenty of momentum following a victory against Lamar Consolidated on Saturday. The Spartans are 3-1 for the second straight season, their only loss coming against state-ranked Bellville earlier this month.

Follow all our coverage at houstonchronicle.com/highschoolsports.

Note to coaches: Submit scores and stats on game nights by emailing hssports@houstonchronicle.com.

Jon Poorman, High School Sports Editor

jpoorman@houstonchronicle.com

Athlete of the Week

Football, volleyball and cross country produced some standout performances across the Houston area last week. Check out the nominees and vote for your favorite. The polls run through midnight Wednesday, and the winners will be recognized in Thursday's newsletter.

VOTE for Girls Athlete of the Week

VOTE for Boys Athlete of the Week

Shout out

Former Tompkins standout Jalen Milroe caught a lot of attention over the weekend, but not for his play on the field as a quarterback for Alabama. Milroe, who was benched as the Crimson Tide starter, was seen emphatically celebrating with his teammates — particularly, with one of his replacements, redshirt freshman Ty Simpson — during the team's 17-3 victory over South Florida.

Milroe was praised across social media for being an exceptional teammate. See the video here. On Monday, Alabama coach Nick Saban indicated Milroe would be the starter moving forward.

Stat of the day

7: The number of victories the Wisdom football program collected from 2012 to 2022 after coming back from discontinuation. The Generals are creeping closer to that total for this season alone, improving to 4-0 following a blowout victory against Houston Austin. Wisdom, seeking its first playoff appearance since 1979, is thriving under first-year head coach Tony Herrera.