Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Cy Woods All-Time Roster: Number 24

24. The number of hours in a day, which is definitely not enough. Also a TV show starring Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer.

Sean Oakes, a running back in 2008, was the first Wildcat to wear 24. His younger brother, Ryan, played as a defensive back at Cy-Fair.

Sean Oakes, 2008

Michael Owens, a cornerback, wore 24 in 2009. He was mainly a backup, but he was usually the first man off the bench. Mike was a bulldog on the field to match the demeanor he always had (and still possesses today): all business in the weight room and on the field, practice or game. 

After Cy Woods, Mike successfully walked on at the University of Houston, where he played for two seasons.

Michael Owens
Cypress Woods Wildcats, 2009
Houston Cougars, 2011-12

Josh Brown, a cornerback, was the next Wildcat to wear 24. He primarily played on special teams. 

Josh Brown, 2011

Samuel Stewart was given the #24 jersey when he was called up for the 2010 playoffs, his freshman year. Late in a blowout win over Katy Taylor in the second round, Sam became the first freshman to appear in a Cy Woods varsity football game, recording one carry for five yards. After bursting onto the scene as a sophomore in 2011, he switched back to #24 for his final two seasons on the varsity. I remember seeing him for the first time before his freshman year. Among all the gawky assemblages of limbs, Sam was the only kid who looked like a football player. He had the physical traits of an upperclassman as a freshman. I thought to myself that this kid was going to be the future of the program. And, he delivered on that.

Sam finished his Cy Woods career with 1,784 rushing yards, which puts him in fourth place all-time. With 21 rushing touchdowns, he's tied with Fredrick Anderson for third place in that statistic. Sam also held the Cy Woods single-game record for most rushing yards in a game, with 247 against Cy Lakes in 2013, a record that has since been broken. He also scored 12 receiving touchdowns, which puts him in a tie for second place with Jeff Bogan in Cy Woods history.

After concluding his outstanding career at Cy Woods, Sam played for the Rice Owls. Unfortunately, a neck injury he suffered in 2017 ended his career.

Samuel Stewart, Cypress Woods Wildcats, 2010-13

This is his Twitter avatar.
Samuel Stewart, Rice Owls, 2014-17

R.J. Harmon switched to 24 in 2014, his junior year. After getting a taste of varsity football as a sophomore, he broke out as the Wildcats' #1 running back in 2014, rushing for a school-record 1,118 yards, a record which has since been broken. He also added 454 receiving yards and four more touchdowns in the passing game. 

R.J. served as a team captain in 2015, his senior season. Following his career at Cy Woods, he played for a season at Abilene Christian University.

I remember when I first met R.J. while I was helping out during SAC camp in the summer of 2011. At that time, he was in the 8th grade, and he usually came to the late-afternoon session with Brandon DePrato. Out of all the middle-school kids who participated in SAC camp that year, R.J. was, without a doubt, the hardest-working out of all of them. His pure tenacity really stood out to me; he definitely had a desire to stand out from everyone else. 

I only really know R.J. mainly because we share a common bond as Cy Woods football players, but he's a good guy. I only wished that he could've been completely healthy in his final season.

Raynard "R.J." Harmon, Cypress Woods Wildcats, 2013-15
Abilene Christian Wildcats, 2016

Bobby Dodson, a running back, made the varsity in 2016, his junior year and was mainly a backup. He became the starting B-back in 2017. His younger brother, Brady, is a junior wide receiver.

Bobby Dodson (carrying ball), 2016-17

Kahlil Robinson, a cornerback, was called up early in 2018, his junior year. He became a starter in 2019 and wore #11 that year.

Photo by Tom Dendy
Kahlil Robinson, 2018-19; wore #11 in 2019

Michael Akita was a backup cornerback in 2019 and saw a fair amount of playing time when Cy Woods used multiple defensive backs. His brother, Jamaul Tompkins, played for the Wildcats as a safety in 2010 and 2011. 

Michael will continue his football career at McPherson College, an NAIA school in Kansas.

Photo courtesy: Phlox Photography
Michael Akita, Cypress Woods Wildcats, 2019
McPherson Bulldogs, beginning in fall 2020

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