Conroe coach Cedric Hardeman had received some celebratory Gatorade cooler baths before.
But nothing quite like the one he was doused with Friday night. This one was special.
As the Conroe High School band trumpeted echoes of the school’s fight song “Tiger Boogie” into the black November sky, the long and agonizing wait for the Tigers’ faithful fanbase was finally over.
Hardeman’s team had just secured the program’s first playoff victory in more than two decades, steamrolling Aldine Davis for a 34-7 triumph in a Class 6A Division I bi-district matchup at W.W. Thorne Stadium. Conroe’s last postseason victory came in 1999 when the Tigers beat Cy-Fair in the opening round under former coach Bobby Etheredge.
“It’s been a long journey,” said Hardeman, who took over the program in 2018 and ended an eight-year playoff drought for the Tigers in 2021. “I’ve got a tremendous coaching staff and a tremendous support team with administration. You can’t skip steps, man, and we haven’t. It’s a great group of kids. … For these kids and this community, it means a lot, and I’m just happy to be part of it and bring that to them.”
Conroe (9-2) is enjoying its most successful season in a long time. The Tigers haven’t won this many games since that 1999 team. Conroe hasn’t reached double-digit victories since 1985 during the back end of the program’s heyday. The Tigers will have a chance to do that in the area round next week. Conroe will face off against No. 17 state-ranked Bridgeland (10-1), which defeated Klein Oak 24-17 on Friday night.
Conroe’s two losses this season came against No. 14 Willis and No. 15 The Woodlands, talented District 13-6A foes that improved to 11-0 and 10-1, respectively, this week with playoff victories of their own. Facing teams of that caliber prepared the Tigers for what they might eventually see in the postseason.
“We’ve just got to keep trusting the process and keep making it about us,” said senior quarterback Christian Nunley, who had a bleeding finger on his right hand following his three-touchdown performance. “All the games we’ve lost, we didn’t do our part, and we didn’t make it about us. We tried to play their game. As long as we play our game, just like tonight, we won’t have any issues going to state.”
Hardeman’s teams have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. But each year, Conroe was sent packing in the first round by perennial powerhouse Westfield. With Westfield dropping in attendance at the last UIL realignment and moving down to the Division II bracket this season, the Tigers finally drew a different opponent. They had little trouble against Davis, setting the tone early and rolling from there.
Nunley was slinging the ball around the field.
The defense was dominating at the line of scrimmage.
And star running back Dramekco “Chunky” Green was doing … well … typical Dramekco Green things.
The Tigers held a commanding 24-0 advantage at halftime, but they didn’t take their foot off the gas.
On the first play of the third quarter, Green ripped off a 57-yard touchdown run to put the game even more out of reach. The SMU commit was a tornado of stiff arms and cutbacks as he trudged his way to the end zone.
Green has been an X-factor for the Tigers. The three-star recruit finished Friday’s game with 134 yards on 15 carries, and he’s got nearly 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns for the season.
Nunley described him simply as “a ball player” and said he’s the most important piece of the Tigers’ offense.
The game clock hit all zeros right after 9:30 p.m., but the celebration began slightly earlier when Nunley took the final kneel-down. The jubilation was uncontainable as players leapt into the air with their teammates.
Up in the stands, the Conroe supporters unleashed their enthusiasm as well.
“The Conroe fanbase is like no other,” Hardeman said. “There’s people that have had season tickets since like 1965. We have retired coaches still in the community. It’s like no other. It’s the blueblood of Texas high school football. Since I got hired here and was blessed to get the job, every ounce of energy and every minute has been spent trying to get it back to where the community could be proud. We’re not done. This is a huge step, and we’re going to celebrate this, and then we’re going to get ready for a tough Bridgeland team.”
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