The first week of the district season is over, and the Wildcats did not come out on top. Losing 20-49 to the Klein Cain Hurricanes was undoubtedly not what the Cats wanted, but that game has passed, and another opportunity for the Cats to get their first district game has arisen. On Friday, September 30, the homecoming game for the Tomball Memorial Wildcats will take on the Klein Forest in both school’s third-ever matchup.

After the loss to Klein Cain, more students have voiced their suspicions about the team, and understandably so. The Cats did not look like they were prepared for the game as a whole. However, going forward, the team is certain that they can change that narrative. Junior center Clayton Schupp believes that as long as the team stays focused, they can beat the Eagles and the other teams they will be facing in the future. “We are facing the 2 best teams of our district back to back in these upcoming weeks,” Schupp said. “But I think we are ready for them. As long as we just keep fighting through everything and stay focused, we can take home the wins.”

Heading into this game, the Wildcats’ individual performances seem more impressive than the Eagles’, but games aren’t won by the individuals on a team, but by the team as a whole. Looking back to last week’s game, the Wildcats seemed to be disjointed and not playing to each other’s strengths. This was the main reason the team could not play their best and eventually loss to the Hurricanes. Senior defensive tackle Cole Vedder believes that the team is working together again and that is their biggest strength. “We have been together since the spring of the last school year, and we’ve been able to stick together,” Vedder stated. “Even though it has been a struggle recently, I am confident that we can get through this together.”

Once again, a handful of the student body are skeptical of the team’s potential to win, more so now because of last week. As much as everyone would hope for the team to win, that is not always a guarantee. Junior band percussionist Noah Aberkane will always root for the Cats to win, but tries to think realistically when it comes to the games.
“Obviously, I want the team to do well and win,” Aberkane said. “But knowing our team’s history and the fact that we are going against the #1 team in the district, we are definitely not the favorite in this matchup.”

This week’s matchup will be held at the new Tomball ISD stadium and is expected to be quite a show. Not only will the game be happening, but the 2022 Homecoming Queen will be announced. The Wildcats lost their homecoming game last year, will this be a repeat performance?