Houston high school football: Takeaways and top performers from Week 11

Montgomery running back Keldrid Ben helped the Bears finish the regular season 10-0. (Courtesy of Montgomery Football) The final week of the Houston high school football regular season brought plenty of excitment and big performances. Here are some of the key takeaways and top performers as dozens of local teams turn their attention to the playoffs.Northbrook earns first playoff berthSpring Branch ISD's Northbrook High School was first established in 1973, and the football played in inaugural season just one year later. In the first 52 seasons of action, the Raiders never made the UIL playoffs.But that all changed Thursday night at Tully Stadium as Northbrook secured its first postseason berth with a 35-0 victory against Sam Houston. The Raiders (6-4, 5-3 in District 10-5A Division I) took the fourth and final spot behind Madison, Milby and Waltrip and will compete in the bi-district round of the playoffs later this week.Northbrook also secured its first winning season since 1993 with the triumph. From 1994-2025, the program posted a 46-271 record (.145 winning percentage) with eight winless seasons. When current head coach Demond Stafford took over the program in 2024, his teams went 2-8 and 1-9 before breaking through this season.Reaching the playoffs looked like a possibility after Northbrook started the season 4-1. But after losses to the top three teams in their district, the Raiders needed a win against Sam Houston in the finale to clinch its spot. Northbrook responded by rushing for 280 yards in the victory, averaging 11.7 yards per attempt. Guillermo Macias led the way for the Raiders with 90 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries. Andy Navarro added 72 yards and a touchdown on two carries, and Rafael Grijalva had both a rushing and receiving touchdown.Unbeaten teams make historyFor the second time since 2021, the Montgomery Bears have completed an undefeated regular season. Coach Grant Cooper and company took care of business with a 38-35 victory against Huntsville on Thursday, securing the outright District 9-5A Division II championship. Sophomore kicker Julian Stirrett booted the game-winning field goal for the Bears (10-0, 7-0), who clinched the program's sixth unbeaten regular season, according to Pigskin Prep.Four-star Oklahoma commit Keldrid Ben rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries for Montgomery, and Josh Warren added 88 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Both enter the playoffs over 1,000 yards.Looking around the Houston area, only a handful of teams across all classifications will enter the playoffs without a blemish on their records. Randle (10-0, 8-0) defeated Friendswood 31-14 to secure its third straight undefeated regular season. The Lions have won 35 consecutive regular-season games dating back to 2023.Katy (10-0, 8-0) secured the program's 19th undefeated regular season and first since 2010. The Tigers have accomplished that feat 13 times under current head coach Gary Joseph, who is now just four wins from reaching 300 for his career. Katy rolled to a 56-14 win over Mayde Creek on Friday, scoring 35 points in the second quarter.Ridge Point (10-0, 7-0) defeated Hightower 26-14 in the District 21-6A championship game on Friday to secure its second consecutive undefeated regular season and fourth in program history. The Panthers also captured their seventh straight district championship and extended their district winning streak to 51 games.Senior quarterback Brody Bartee led the way for Ridge Point against Hightower, completing 24-of-35 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. The Florida Atlantic commit also rushed for a touchdown and has nearly 2,300 yards passing with 27 touchdowns this season, despite missing three games.Memorial (10-0, 8-0) had perhaps the most significant breakthrough of the undefeated bunch as the Mustangs beat Alief Elsik 50-7 on Saturday night to secure its second straight outright district title. It marked the first unbeaten regular season for the program since 1976. In two years under head coach Brooks Haack, Memorial is 20-2 and has posted back-to-back double-digit win seasons for just the second time in program history (1976-77).Riegler goes out with a bangCy-Fair senior Sean Riegler has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the Houston area over the past two seasons, and he finished his career out with another impressive performance on Thursday night.Riegler completed 16-of-22 passes (72.7%) for 303 yards and four touchdowns without an interception during the Bobcats' 56-10 victory against Cypress Ridge. Despite their quarterback's best efforts, Cy-Fair (6-4) had already been eliminated from playoff contention entering the game and has missed the cut for the first time since 2009.The Bobcats averaged 43.1 points per game and entered the final week of the regular season as the No. 1 offense in District 16-6A at 429.8 yards per game. With Riegler leading the way, Cy-Fair scored 30-plus in nine of 10 games. Riegler finished his season with 3,033 passing yards and 36 touchdowns against four interceptions. He finished his career with 5,901 passing yards and 65 touchdowns against 13 interceptions while completing 64.9% of his passes.Top performersParker Stephenson, QB, Willis: Stephenson finished out the regular season with a huge performance as the Wildkats beat Conroe 63-37. The senior completed 23-of-36 passes (66.6%) for 426 yards and six touchdowns. But he also rushed for another 149 yards and a touchdown on six carries, bringing his total yardage to 575. Since taking over as the starter after a season-ending injury to Linc Frazier, Stephenson has passed for 1,420 yards and 21 touchdowns. Three of his touchdown passes against Conroe went to his brother, Preston Stephenson, who had 150 yards.Derek Berg, QB, Cinco Ranch: The Cougars have missed the playoffs this season, but the program appears to be situated well for the future with the emergence of Berg at the quarterback position. The freshman signal-caller completed 27-of-34 passes (79.4%) for 296 yards and five touchdowns as Cinco Ranch finished it season with a 62-17 victory against Seven Lakes. Another freshman, Jaden Hodges, rushed for 211 yards and three scores.Deuce Walker, QB, La Marque: Walker was nearly perfect during the Cougars' 68-6 victory against Katy's Harmony School of Innovation. The senior completed 11-of-13 passes (84.6%) for 201 yards and five touchdowns. Walker finished the regular season with 2,479 passing yards and 27 touchdowns with just four interceptions.Andres Von Der Meden, K, Tomball: Von Der Meden had the most impressive kicking performance in the Houston area this season - and perhaps even the state - on Friday night as Tomball clinched the No. 1 seed for the Class 6A Division II playoffs out of District 15-6A with a 33-7 victory over Magnolia. The senior Texas A&M commit connected on 4-of-5 field goal attempts, hitting from 44, 42, 48 and 45 yards, respectively. His only miss of the night came on a 51-yard try. Von Der Meden finished the regular season 13-for-14 on field goals with a long of 53.Samuel Weary, LB, Manvel: Weary made several impact plays for the Mavericks during their 31-10 victory against Dawson on Friday. The senior UTEP commit recorded 10 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. He enters the playoffs among the District 19-6A leaders with 91 total tackles, eight tackles for loss 18 quarterback hurries.Leo Tamez, LB, Pasadena:While Pasadena came up short with a 49-42 loss to South Houston to close out the season, Tamez was making plays all over the field. He finished with 15 tackles, a sack, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a blocked extra point. Tamez finished his senior season with 92 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, four forced fumbles and seven blocked kicks.SubscribeThere’s more to Houston with the Chronicle. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at Houston high school football: Takeaways and top performers from Week 11.