Tory Blaylock, Cardae Mack duo helping Humble Atascocita soar higher
HUMBLE, TEXAS - Humble Atascocita already had a good thing at the running back position with the presence of junior Tory Blaylock.
With 4.4 speed and his ability to see the field, Blaylock — a 4-star, the nation's No. 2 running back and the No. 16 player in Texas in 2025, per Rivals — is already coveted by several prominent Division I schools.
But the Eagles, the No. 7 ranked team in Texas, are even more bolstered at tailback by the emergence of sophomore Cardae Mack, who has more than held his own.
Saturday night, Blaylock and Mack combined for five touchdowns as Atascocita continued its recent scoring barrage, staying undefeated on the season after a 67-13 win against crosstown rival Humble High School at Turner Stadium.
“The running game’s been good,” Blaylock said. “It’s good to have two good backs that can handle business when they go in.
“Each drive, we just take care of business and try to control what we can control. Up front, we’re good; we’re getting movement, so that makes it easy for us.”
Mack, who didn’t hardly see any action as a freshman, has been excited about what he’s been able to bring to the table. Especially complementing a tailback the caliber of Blaylock.
“I really think the o-line really makes it easier for both of us to rotate if somebody’s tired,” Mack said. “Both of us can go in and you don’t have to worry about anything because we both can play.”
Mack made his arrival on the scene earlier this season with a 192-yard 3-TD performance in the Eagles' win against Katy.
POWER POINT PRESENTATION
The lowest point total Atascocita has scored in a game all season was 42. But over the past four games, the Eagles have been lighting up the scoreboard.
Including Saturday’s win, they have averaged 69.3 points.
An underdog Humble team hung tough early on, taking a 7-0 lead on the game’s first series. The Eagles responded with a TD on their own opening drive to tie up the score; then took their first lead, 14-7, on Blaylock’s 1-yard run.
Tory Blaylock
But that was the start of a crazy series of events, with the Eagles wresting momentum away for good when the smoke cleared.
On the ensuing kickoff, Humble’s Robert Fields ran it back for a TD, and the Wildcats needed to convert the kick to tie things.
However, the Eagles blocked the kick, and senior Braylon Conley picked it up and ran it back the other way for a two-point touchdown. That play started a game-ending run of 53 straight points for Atascocita.
The Eagles then quickly moved downfield again, and got in on Blaylock’s second TD, from 2 yards out. Mack then built the lead even further with TD runs of 16 and 48 yards, as Atascocita led at the break, 37-13.
They continued to add to that in the second half, getting a TD on a fumbled snap on a Humble punt attempt, a safety on a bad snap and a long TD pass from quarterback Zion Brown to receiver Jelani Watkins, a senior and an LSU commit.
Mack found the end zone for the third time from 6 yards out later in the third quarter, giving the Eagles a 60-13 advantage.
RELYING ON THEIR LEADER
Both Blaylock and Mack noted the presence of Brown, the team’s senior quarterback, has been another primary reason for the team’s undefeated start.
“Zion’s a great quarterback and a great leader,” Blaylock said. “He puts us in good position to make plays, so we’re really thankful for him, and he’s really progressed from last season.”
Mack already knows how valuable Brown is for the team.
“He works hard; he works really, really hard,” Mack said. “He tries to keep everybody on track, and he’s our biggest leader.”
CLOSE TO THE VEST
Blaylock has narrowed his list of schools to 13. Texas and Texas A&M, as well as Oklahoma, Ohio State and Alabama, among others, have made the cut.
He plans to reduce that number even more soon. But he declined to say which schools are among the finalists.
“Recruiting’s going pretty good. … I’m cutting down my list so that it will be less stressful,” Blaylock said. “I’m getting closer to making a decision. Very blessed; the decision should be coming pretty soon, so stay tuned for that.
“I’m still open to every school.”
He did make a game-day visit to Oklahoma per his Twitter/X page, when the Sooners hosted Iowa State on Sept. 30.
Mack also kept a low profile when asked about his recruiting. He did get an offer from Texas Tech last year.
“Just keep working, just keep waiting for them to come,” Mack said.
CHALLENGES AWAIT
Atascocita is part of a rugged District 21-6A, and the Eagles (7-0, 4-0) play their final three regular-season games against teams that are in the mix for the top spot.
That includes Galena Park North Shore, the defending 6A Division I state runner-up and a team expected to challenge for a title again this season. The Mustangs and Eagles - both undefeated - square off on Oct. 27, a rematch of a state quarterfinal last season, which North Shore won, 38-7.
“Any loss is like, you take it, learn from it, work harder,” Blaylock said. “Every time I work, I’m thinking of that moment, and when I get there again, it’s going to be different. So, it really motivated me and made me work harder.”
Next Saturday, the Eagles are back in action to take on C.E. King, which is 6-1 and tied for third in the district with Summer Creek. Atascocita also faces Summer Creek in the regular season finale on Nov. 3.
“My biggest goal was to make sure my seniors were happy at the end of the season,” Mack said. “I want to see tears, but I want to see tears of joy. I want to see everybody happy, I want to see everybody smiling.
“I want to put the city on the map, and make sure everybody knows who our team is.”
Photo of Humble Atascocita running backs Tory Blaylock (left) and Cardae Mack
-- Buck Ringgold | buck@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveTX
