It is Friday night and the bright lights of Woodforest Stadium shine bright above the  football team. The stadium is filled with 4,000 screaming fans, cheerleaders waving their pom-poms high in the air, the band playing the fight song, and the football team playing their hearts out on the field. 

Football season has officially begun and the team is ready for a strong and productive season that paves the path to the playoffs come November. Based on their rigorous practice schedule, upperclassmen leaders, and coaching staff, the season is slated to be a successful one for the team.

“Our goals as a team this year is to be district champions, make the playoffs, then make a run in the playoffs,”defensive back Brooks Halsey said. The team has begun the year off right with setting high standards for this season and working extremely hard each day at practice to accomplish their goal of being district champions.

Coach Lonnie Madison returns to his 3rd year as head coach and has his goals for this season set just as high as his players, but he also realizes that the team will face many challenges this fall with strong district competitors. Among the teams competing for the same 15-6A district title include top teams-The Woodlands, Klein Oak, and Klein. Last year, the team made an incredible comeback improving its season record to 6-4 and falling just one game short to being in the playoffs. 

“The challenge is that we don’t want to become complacent and satisfied with the improvement we showed last year,” Coach Madison said. “We recognize this is a new team and we have a lot of new players on varsity this year.” The team has already been practicing multiple hours each week-training during 5th period, after school, in the weight room, watching films to prepare for the opposing teams, and that does not even include their rigorous offseason and summer workouts. They are doing everything they can individually and as a team to increase playoff odds and make each other stronger players. 

The 2019-2020 team consists of five veteran offense starters, eight veteran defense starters, and a total of 29 lettermen. Helping lead the team to a winning season are senior college commits, Offensive Lineman, Josh Bankhead (Commited to Texas A&M) and Offensive Tackle, Nathan Heidecker (Commited to Louisiana Monroe). 

“Our seniors are a great group of young men that work hard and really lead our young players by example on how to practice each week,” Coach Madison said. The underclassmen are already training for their leadership roles in the future by being coached by varsity coaches so that when they reach the varsity level, they are prepared for the expectations and how to lead their teammates. 

Not only is the football team training for the 2019 season, but they are preparing for the future as well. 

“CP Football prepares me for the future by learning to have each other’s back, working hard, and being each other’s keeper,” running back QuaJon Charles said.

Under Coach Madison’s guidance, each player’s support of one another, and a loud and proud student body, the Cavaliers are looking forward to a successful season and building towards the future of the TWCP football program. Come out to Woodforest Stadium on Friday nights this fall and help cheer for the Cavs. 

“We will need to work each day at practice and be ready to play our best football against each opponent this season to make the playoffs,”Coach Madison said.