A commitment is a handshake. What follows is the part where everybody finds out what the hand can do.Houston has fourteen such handshakes on the calendar this week. Eleven of them get tested in public.

The work starts Thursday, before the weekend has properly begun. At Jersey Village, edge rusher Cael Thigpen meets Langham Creek at 6:30 p.m. Half an hour later, Raiden Cook and Barbers Hill make the trip to Clear Brook, and Samuel Thiergood welcomes South Houston to Randle. Nobody writes songs about the big men up front, but they are the ones who decide whether the songs get sung.

Friday brings the crowd. Mo Poko and Katy Jordan travel to Mayde Creek for a 6:30 start. Braden Baker takes Cypress Ranch to George Ranch at 7, and a young quarterback's character shows up fastest on the evenings when the first option isn't there. Logan Debose has St. Thomas at home against Lutheran South Academy. In Pearland, Kamryn Harris gets Manvel, which is exactly the kind of Friday a linebacker circles in pencil.

The most interesting ticket may be in Baton Rouge. Central hosts Ouachita Parish, and the home sideline has two players Houston will eventually wear the same colors as: receiver Marcus Watson Jr. and safety Marvin Joseph. One will spend the night trying to get open, and the other will spend it trying to make sure somebody doesn't. It's a fair bet they'll have plenty to say about it next summer.

Saturday closes the ledger with a pair of games. Tavon Bolden and Atascocita play C.E. King at 7, and Kameron Roberson steps into the week's marquee at Bridgeland, detailed below.

Three commits get a breather. Jerrell Bridges and Midlothian are idle on Oct. 2. Thomas Muiruri at V.R. Eaton and Kendray "KJ" Porter Jr. at Newton have nothing on the books, with their next games Oct. 8 and 9. For them, the week is about film and patience.

The Cap-Tex Coogs 365 Pick of the Week

Cypress Springs at Bridgeland
Saturday, Oct. 3 • 6 p.m. CT
Coogs commit to watch: CB Kameron Roberson

The best compliment a cornerback can earn is silence. Nobody announces a pass that never got thrown.

So watch for what doesn't happen. Count how often the ball goes to the other side of the field. When Roberson does get tested, see how he handles a receiver who tries to lean on him at the snap and whether he's still in the play when the route breaks. Then look at the second and third attempts, because the first one tells you who the defender is and the later ones tell you how fast he learns.

Saturday at six is an early kickoff and an uncluttered evening. If you are heading to TDECU for the Coogs early tilt then close out your day watching a future Coog.

OTHER GAMES TO CIRCLE

  • Pearland vs. Manvel, Friday, 7 p.m. LB Kamryn Harris: Skip the tackle totals. Watch what he does in the half-second after the snap, how fast his body commits once the picture clears, and whether a blocker can ever get a clean hand on him.

  • Central (Baton Rouge) vs. Ouachita Parish, Friday, 7 p.m. WR Marcus Watson Jr. and S Marvin Joseph: One Coog works to get free from a defender, the other works to be there before the ball. Keep an eye on both, because the game within the game is in how early each one is ready.

  • Atascocita vs. C.E. King, Saturday, 7 p.m. S Tavon Bolden: The question is whether he's already moving when the play declares itself or whether the raw pace has to cover for a late start. The best safeties rarely have to run fast, because they left early.