Texans draft watch: Who Houston needs to win on Sunday

With the Houston Texans closing in on the top overall pick and potentially another top-10 selection, football fans in the Bayou City will be closely monitoring the NFL draft order over the next two weekends.

Houston sits a half-game behind the Chicago Bears in the standings at 2-12-1, and thus has a narrow edge to land at the top of the board. The Texans' second first-round pick—acquired from the Cleveland Browns in the Deshaun Watson trade last offseason—is currently positioned at No. 11, but could move up or down several spots depending on what unfolds during the final two weeks of the regular season.

So, who should Texans fans be pulling for during Sunday's slate of games? We'll dive into that in just a moment. But first, here's a look at the NFL draft order for the top 18 picks as of Saturday (via Tankathon.com).

1. Houston Texans
2. Chicago Bears
3 Seattle Seahawks (via Denver Broncos)
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Indianapolis Colts
6. Atlanta Falcons
7. Detroit Lions (via Los Angeles Rams)
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Las Vegas Raiders
10. Philadelphia Eagles (via New Orleans Saints)
...

Montgomery County Sports: Year in Review 2022

We’ve reached the end of 2022 and it was a great one for Montgomery County sports.

At the very top, we saw perfection in the Lake Creek softball team as it won the University Interscholastic League Class 5A state championship in June. The Lions were recognized as national champions after the 41-0 campaign.

Many other high school teams brought pride to their communities with displays of athleticism and sportsmanship. Athletes who have moved on beyond the borders of Montgomery County have also done things in the athletic world to make their hometown proud.

Let’s take a moment to recognize some of the best moments, milestones and memories made this past year.

Jan. 5: Magnolia alum Michael Woods II announces intention to enter NFL draft.

Jan. 13: Jason Glenn is hired to lead Willis athletics and fine arts programs.

Jan. 14: Grand Oaks boys basketball coach Mike Day celebrates 500th career coaching win.

Jan. 18: Longtime Montgomery boys basketball coach Don Johnson notches 400th career win.

Jan. 21: Dale Reed, head coach for The Woodlands boys basketball for 17 seasons, wins his 400th career game.

Jan. 25: Dougald McDougald is hired as the first head football coach and campus athletic coordinator at New Caney ISD’s new West Fork High School.

Jan. 26: The Woodlands alum Antoine Winfield Jr. is selected to first Pro Bowl for Tampa Bay.

Feb. 1: College Park boys wrestling wins fourth straight district title.

Feb. 3: Caney Creek, New Caney officially joins Class 6A on realignment day.

Feb. 5: The Woodlands boys and girls swimming dominate Region IV meet.

Feb. 5: Caney Creek wrestling sweeps district championships.

Feb. 11: Legacy Prep wins TAPPS swim state title.

Feb. 19: Caney Creek’s Joshua Thomas wins first individual state wrestling title in program history

Feb. 19: Trio of College Park girls win state wrestling gold, team takes second; Jacob Smith wins gold for boys team.

Feb. 19: The Woodlands girls (second place) and boys (third place) shine at UIL state swim meet.

Feb. 22: Conroe’s Ra’Niyah Lewis beats the buzzer on a 3, team advances to regional tournament

Feb. 22: New Caney boys basketball wins first-ever playoff game.

Feb. 25: Conroe girls basketball falls at first regional tournament since 2007.

March 4: Calvary Baptist boys, TWCA boys fall at TAPPS state basketball semifinals.

March 5: Legacy Prep girls drop to Lubbock Christian in TAPPS 4A basketball championship.

March 22: Deana Eubanks is introduced as Splendora ISD athletic director.

March 23: The Woodlands boys win district golf title

March 25: Grand Oaks boys soccer takes first playoff win.

March 28: Porter boys basketball coach Tobin Reid, who coached 42 seasons in Texas, retires.

March 29: Montgomery golf programs sweep district titles

March 31: Trent Miller is named new Willis head football coach.

April 4: After 19 years leading the football program, Montgomery head coach John Bolfing retires.

April 9: Magnolia girls soccer advances to state for first time since 2013.

April 9: The Woodlands boys soccer ends 12-year drought by reaching state.

April 14: Frisco Wakeland defeats Magnolia in Class 5A state soccer semifinal.

April 14: Grand Oaks girls; New Caney boys track wins first district title, respectively.

April 15: Lake Travis tops The Woodlands in Class 6A boys state soccer semifinal.

April 19: Montgomery boys golf wins region title, Lake Creek qualifies for state for first time.

April 21: Montgomery and Lake Creek girls (for the first time) golf qualify for state out of Region III-5A.

April 21: The Woodlands golf program sweeps region championships while College Park also qualifies for state.

April 22: District 13-6A softball championship split by four teams as regular season ends.

April 26: The Woodlands, College Park compete at state tennis.

April 29: New Caney baseball ends 11-year  playoff drought.

April 30: Magnolia alum Michael Woods II drafted by the Cleveland Browns.

May 2: John Cooper wins SPC boys tennis title.

May 6: Lake Creek junior pitcher Ava Brown reaches 500th career strikeout.

May 10: At boys UIL golf state tourney, The Woodlands finishes second (6A) and Montgomery fourth (5A).

May 10: At the TAPPS state golf tournament, The Woodlands Christian Academy wins back-to-back titles.

May 12: Montgomery announces promotion of Grant Cooper to head football coach.

May 14: Woodlands Youth Rugby wins trio of state titles.

May 14: Grand Oaks’ Jaela Auguste, The Woodlands’ Mitchell Blakeslee lead county at UIL state track and field meet.

May 17: Four girls golf teams from county finish out at state tournament.

May 26: Lake Creek softball sweeps Santa Fe to earn first trip to state in Class 5A.

June 1: Willis grad Makenzie Parker heads to College World Series with Texas softball.

June 2: Lake Creek baseball falls to Friendswood to conclude first appearance in region championship

June 3: Lake Creek softball advances to state championship on 8-2 win over Rock Hill.

June 4: Lake Creek softball makes history with a state title win over Georgetown.

June 7: The Woodlands alum Tripp Piperi wins second career NCAA championship in shot put.

June 16: Oklahoma’s John Spikerman, a Lake Creek baseball alum, contributes to College World Series appearance. 

July 9: Grand Oaks girls basketball coach Shiakiea Carter is inducted into the Grambling State hall of fame.

July 18: Willis alum Brandon Birdsell selected by Chicago Cubs in fifth round of MLB Draft.

July 23: Chris Feris is introduced as Conroe ISD athletic director after Danny Long retires.

July 25: The Woodlands’ Danny Amendola announces retirement after 13 seasons and two Super Bowls in the NFL.

Aug. 8: Water Polo makes its debut as the UIL's newest sanctioned team sport.

Aug. 20: Conroe volleyball earns No. 1 state ranking after second tournament win.

Aug. 28: Porter pitcher Zane Adams plays in Perfect Game All-American Classic.

Aug. 30: Former Oak Ridge linebacker Grant Stuard is traded from Tampa Bay to Indianapolis.

Sept. 13: After being traded to Miami earlier in the summer, Magnolia grad Jordan Groshans gets MLB call-up from the Marlins.

Sept. 26: Grand Oaks’ first football coach Mike Jackson announces retirement.

Oct. 12: Staucie Lees becomes Grand Oaks’ first cross country district champion. The Woodlands sweeps 13-6A titles.

Oct. 13: Lake Creek boys cross country wins first district title.

Oct. 19: The Woodlands grad Jameson Taillon pitches for the Yankees in ALCS game at Houston.

Oct. 21: The Woodlands team tennis advances to state final four for third straight year.

Oct. 22: The Woodlands volleyball coach Terri Wade earns career win No. 500.

Oct. 24: The Woodlands boys cross country wins region title.

Oct. 26: In UIL state semifinals, The Woodlands team tennis falls to Houston Memorial.

Oct. 29: New Caney football clinches share of district championship in first season in Class 6A.

Oct. 31: Conroe volleyball wins first playoff match since 1996.

Nov. 4: Lake Creek football wins first district title in program history over Brenham.

Nov. 4-5: Runners from The Woodlands, Lake Creek, Magnolia lead the way at state meet.

Nov. 5: John Cooper repeats as SPC Class 3A football champions after defeating Trinity Valley.

Nov. 11: Lake Creek tops Texas City for first football playoff win ever. 

Nov. 12: Lake Creek sweeps district foe Brenham to advance to first volleyball state tournament.

Nov. 12: The Woodlands avenges last year’s loss to Bridgeland, advances to state volleyball tournament for first time since 2017.

Nov. 17: Paul Goldschmidt, a The Woodlands alum, wins NL MVP award after big season in St. Louis.

Nov. 18: Eventual state champs Colleyville Heritage eliminates Lake Creek volleyball in Class 5A semifinals.

Nov. 18: Dripping Springs, which went on to win state, eliminates The Woodlands volleyball in Class 6A semifinals.

Nov. 25: Lake Creek’s playoff run in Class 5A (Div. II) football ends against Fort Bend Marshall.

Nov. 26: The Woodlands football drops to eventual state champion Duncanville in Class 6A (Div. I) regional semifinal.

Dec. 7: Willis five-star junior quarterback DJ Lagway commits to Florida.

Dec. 13: Grand Oaks has a new football coach as Foster’s Shaun McDowell is hired.

Dec. 16: Magnolia West alum John Matocha, quarterback for Colorado School of Mines, wins NCAA Division II Harlon Hill Award. 

Dec. 21: Four-star New Caney teammates Kedrick Reescano (Ole Miss) and CJ Blocker (Utah) sign national letters of intent.

Dec. 24: The Woodlands four-star QB Mabrey Mettauer commits to Wisconsin.