Something special brewing in The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, TX (KTRK) -- There's something brewing in The Woodlands. Fresh off Friday's 24-14 district win over a good team from Atascocita, Highlanders Head Coach Mark Schmid spent a few minutes talking about what makes his 5-1 team special.

"This group is spearheaded by strong senior leadership. Great character guys that want to do the right things. Guys that played as juniors, doing a fantastic job of leading," he said.

That starts with a Highlanders defense that's one of the area's best. Coach Schmid knew early that this group had a chance to be outstanding.

"I had 10 kids that started at one point during last season. They played 13 games last year so that's a strength."

That unit has allowed a total of 41 points to fuel a five game winning streak.

We all took note when The Woodlands defense shut down Katy in a 24-7 win in early September. But I could almost feel Schmid working hard to explain that win wasn't the breakthrough that so many made it out to be.

Schmid pointed out that while he has the ultimate respect for the Tigers, The Woodlands has had previous success against Katy dating back to 2008, '09. Schmid loves the series with Katy because it's the ultimate measure of where his teams stand. He left his home field on September 11th with a clear understanding that his team can make a great run.

I asked Coach Schmid for an unsung hero on his team. He gave me 54.

"I've got 54 seniors on my team. Not everyone gets to play, but they work every day and they are proud to be part of our program," he said. "They may not be the most gifted, but they work their tails off and we've got to have those guys. They are all in. A special, special group."

I told Coach that it's obvious when we shoot their games that everyone gets along and the players feed off one another's success. He told me that big group of seniors is where that starts. And it continues with his star running back, Patrick Carr. The leading rusher in school history sets a great tone for team success, diverting media attention to his offensive line and his teammates.

And his energy dominates practice. Schmid told me, "You might not see him every minute but you will hear him at every practice."