The Humble Wildcats are in the pre-season rankings for the first time since 2004.  Humble is one of the top talent hotbeds in the state and an annual college recruiting stop as a result.  The Wildcats went 9-3 last year with a very young roster overall and they have very talented sophomore and junior classes coming up through the ranks.  Each of the past 4 years, the Wildcats have outdone their win total from the previous year, going 5-5, 6-4, 7-3, and then 9-3 last season.  It would appear that Coach Walt Beasley has the Humble program on its way back to prominence.

          Humble definitely flew under the radar last season, but featured the state's 9th best scoring defense, only allowing 13.3 points per game and holding their opposition 10.6 points below their season scoring average.  The Wildcat D played particularly well from Week 4 on, allowing less than 10 points per game in that stretch.  Humble's outstanding defense carried a very young offense last fall, but they do have some holes to fill despite a strong core of talented veterans returning.

          Senior defensive tackle Lamarc Strahan (6’4 300) anchors the Wildcats’ front.  Strahan is a returning all-district selection and the lone full-time starter back from an outstanding defensive line.  Senior DE-OL Ronnie Hodges (6’0 210) is another returning player with significant experience.  Sophomore DT Kenny Brown (6’0 265) is one to watch.  The linebacking crew will be one of the more inexperienced units on the team, but they are certainly not lacking in talent.  Sam Jardone (5’11 190) is the lone senior with varsity experience.   Junior Laquintus Dowell (5’11 190) and sophomore John Walker (6’2 200) are likely to be multi-year starters..

          The Wildcats are usually strong in the secondary and senior Brian Womack (5’11 175) leads the 2008 back four.  Womack recorded 5 interceptions in very limited action due to injury, but is fully healthy now.  Todd Lyon, another senior, is the likely starter at the other CB spot.  QB Keith Baker will also contribute as a FS and is actually being courted by D1 schools as a DB.

          With a very young group, Humble struggled to score points last year but experience at quarterback, running back, receiver and the offensive line should give the Wildcats added firepower this season.  Senior quarterback Keith Baker spearheads the attack.  Baker had a pretty good year in '07, completing 54% of his passes for just over 1,000 yards, while adding 346 yards and another 6 TD's on the ground.  With another offseason under his belt and a host of returning players around him, Baker is poised for an even better '08 season.

          Talented sophomore Donovan Young (5’11 200) takes over for graduating senior Jarret Malone.  Young was one of five Wildcat freshmen to earn varsity promotion last year and could be a household name by season's end.  Junior receiver Darius Tubbs (6’4 190) is a returning starter.  Tubbs is another in a long line of talented Humble receivers.  Senior Maurice Horton (6’1 180) is another experienced option in the passing game.  Seniors Rudy Vargas (6’0 250), Cesar Murillo (6’2 250) and Blaine Winfield (6’3 260) are returning starters on the offensive line. 

          Traditionally, Humble’s strongest teams have been built on strong defense and this group certainly fits the bill.  However, the offense is in a good position to improve this year since they have experience across the board.  This team will be a difficult match-up for anyone due to their athletic ability and their overall experience.  If the Wildcat defense can come close to duplicating last year's output and if the offense improves as expected, this Humble team has the potential to go at least three rounds deep in the playoffs.

 

2008  Team  Outlook

Pre-Season State Top 25:  21st Pre-Season Rank (Region):  6 (3) Pre-Season Rank (District):  2 (19) Returning Offensive Starters: 8 QB Keith Baker (Sr.) FB Craig Morris (Sr.) WR Darius Tubbs (Jr.) WR Allen Augustine (Sr.) WR Maurice Horton (Sr.) OL Rudy Vargas (Sr.) OL Shannon Nettles (Jr.) OL Cesar Murillo (Sr.) OL Blaine Winfield (Sr.) Returning Defensive Starters: 4 DE Ronnie Hodges (Sr.) DL LaMarc Strahan (Sr.) CB Brian Womack (Sr.) CB Todd Lyons (Sr.) All-State Players (Team): 0 Returning All-District Players: QB Keith Baker (Sr.) DL LaMarc Strahan (Sr.) Other Players to Watch: RB Donovan Young (So.) DL Kenny Brown (So.) LB Laquintus Dowell (Jr.) LB John Walker (So.) 2008 Schedule (Stadium): 8/29     @ Cy-Ridge (Berry Center)               7:30 9/5       @ Spring (George)                             7:30 9/12     Jersey Village (Turner)                     6:00 9/20     Klein (Turner)                                      7:00 9/27     @ Aldine (Thorne)                              6:00 10/3     Humble Atascocita (Turner)             7:30 10/10   @ Aldine Eisenhower (Thorne)       7:30 10/17   Kingwood (Turner)                            7:30 10/24   @ Aldine MacArthur (Thorne)          7:30 10/31   OPEN 11/7     Aldine Nimitz (Turner)                       7:30 Opponents Combined Record: 53-57 Projected 2008 Record: 8-2 Key Games (Rank): @ Cy Ridge vs. Klein @ Aldine Eisenhower Strength of Schedule (Rank): 104.00 (104th) Unit Rankings: N/A The Bottom Line: Strengths: Offensive Experience Key players back from an Top 10 Defense Talented underclassmen Weaknesses: Inexperienced at LB Off. needs to make significant improvement