The Creek Rose To The Challenge Again!

Summer Creek Bulldogs Headed to Texas 6A Division 2 Football State Championship

Tamir Shaw, Editor-in-Chief, Sports Editor

December 10, 2023

Summer Creek Bulldogs Headed to the State Championship after defeating Cibolo Steele (38-14)

It is no easy feat to make it to the Texas 6A Division 2 State Championship in Football. Summer Creek rose to the challenge and will head to the state championship next week at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Bulldogs represented Humble ISD on Saturday, December 9th, at Baylor University’s McLane Stadium, defeating Cibolo Steele 38-14.

The Summer Creek Bulldogs dominated again today in the semi-finals in Waco, as they have in every playoff and regular season game this year. Their season highlights included their first school football victory against Atascocita High School and a strong showing in their regular season game against North Shore.

“No caption needed … the sign says it all!” (Joshua Koch, Humble ISD)

Summer Creek has only been around since 2009. Their motto, “the creek is rising,” has held strong for this reasonably new high school to Humble ISD. They have had exceptional programs from volleyball, track & field, basketball, and now a football team that has been unstoppable this year. Coming from one of the older high schools in Humble ISD, Kingwood, it has been interesting to watch Summer Creek start from scratch with no history of how things should be done. This has led Summer Creek to set the bar high and be innovative in trying new things in their programs. That has been and continues to be Summer Creek’s story in Humble ISD. The “Creek is Rising.”

This season, the Bulldogs came out at each game and played consistently, whether they were playing Kingwood or Humble in district games or how they played higher ranked tanked teams with Atascocita, North Shore, and C.E. King. Summer Creek showed up every time, ready to dominate and win, leaving everything on the field. The Bulldogs similarly walked into their playoff games, shutting out teams each weekend. While I did not get to travel to watch them at the state Semi-finals, I was able to livestream the game to see their story play out in a well-executed team win for the Bulldogs.

Blake Thomas, QB. (Jonathan Frey | Humble ISD)

Summer Creek started and ended the game playing as every minute was a potential opportunity to score. In their first possession, QB Blake Thomas connects a pass with running back Lloyd Avant for a TD in the first quarter. Blake Thomas continues that momentum by scoring a TD (14-0), Lloyd Avant runs another TD for the Bulldogs (21-0), and kicker Bryan Mays executed a field goal before heading to half-time.

Bulldog Defense. (Jonathan Frey | Humble ISD)

The Bulldog defense did not disappoint with a strong showing, holding Cibolo Steele to one touchdown in the first half of the game. The Bulldog defense stopped Steele from scoring every time. While the defense alone does not win football games, the Bulldog defense provided good field positions for their offense to start their drive to the goal and keep the same momentum going throughout the game.

Summer Creek came out after half-time to continue to control the game in the third quarter, not taking the lead they had for granted. Lloyd Avant and Blake Thomas scored with significant TD runs in the third quarter. Steele was able to sneak in a second TD with minutes left in the game, closing out the score at 38-14.

Congratulations to Coach Harrison, the Bulldogs coaching staff, and a talented and hard-working group of players! They will be the first football team in Humble ISD history to make it to a state championship. The Bulldogs will face a formidable opponent with DeSoto Eagles, the defending state champions, who are also nationally ranked. The DeSoto Eagles played a challenging and close game, defeating Southlake Carroll in the semi-finals this week (45-38).

The DeSoto Eagles, who are only about 25 miles from AT&T Stadium, will have a home team advantage for this game with a solid fan base to support their team and the maturity of being returning champs at the state platform. Summer Creek will have to do what they have done all season: play consistently, take nothing for granted, and come out playing as every minute counts. District 21-6a could have two potential winners with North Shore and Summer Creek next week at the Texas 6A Division 1 and 2 state championship.