Previously on Cy Woods Football...
On double Homecoming Friday at the Berry Center, the Cats' push for the playoffs began as they squared off against Langham Creek, the last remaining undefeated team in District 17-6A play. It was a high-octane tilt as both teams combined for 98 points and 1366 yards on offense. This game was tied at 24 at halftime, but the Cats were undone by 3 2nd-half turnovers and ultimately fell 55-31 despite Nick Hooper's record-setting night. He had a team-record 448 passing yards and 2 TDs and 155 yards rushing and 2 TDs, giving him 603 total yards, another record, on the evening. His 2 touchdowns in the air went to Zac Duncan and Tre' Hart for 22 and 65, respectively, and added 2 scoring runs from 5 yards and 11 yards.
The Enemy: Cy-Fair Bobcats
2013 Record: 12-2, 8-1; District 17-5A Champions
Playoffs: 5A Division I, Region III Final, lost 10-3 to Pearland
Coming off their first loss of the season, the Bobcats looked to rebound against Cy Falls on Saturday at Pridgeon. The offense was anemic coming out of the gate and they trailed 9-3 at halftime.
But, in the 2nd half, their defense shackled the Falls offense and their offense got a little something going, as their bread and butter, the running game, gave them the lead. Jacorey Aleem scored the game's only 2 touchdowns in the final 24 as he punched it in from 4 yards in the 3rd and 10 in the 4th. Even with those 2 touchdowns, though, Fair wasn't out of dodge yet; late in the the 4th, the Eagles had a potential touchdown negated by a block below the waist, and then with a chance to run the clock down with 2 minutes left in the game, the Bobcats lost the ball on a fumble. On their final drive of the game, Falls made it to the Cy-Fair 7, but on 4th down, their bid to tie the game was denied by Maxx Chrest, who closed out the game by snaring his district-leading 6th interception of the season. Thanks to Aleem's 2 scores and some clutch defense in the closing moments, the Cy-Fair Bobcats survived a scare, topping Cy Falls 17-9.
They looked as though they'd steamroll through district play, but a 31-21 loss to Langham Creek put those plans to waste. Before that loss, they had outscored their opponents 205-27 through the first 5 games. 20 of those points were scored by Cy Springs, while the other 7 belong to Ridge. They blanked The Woodlands (9), Creek (27), and Lakes (71).
Players to Watch
RB Jacorey Aleem, QB Clayton Kopecky, WR Noah Hess, RB Blake Faecher, TE Brock Wright, TE Will Dawson, WR Cody Chrest, OL Hunter Gonzalez, OL Austin Deculus, LB James Kohlschmidt, LB Quintelro Baker, DL Ross Donelly, DL Tebi Njilefack, DB Maxx Chrest, DB Brandon Richmond, DB Josh Curtis, DB Spencer Wright, K/P Braden Mann
Series tied 3-3.
Previous Meetings
October 12, 2013: Fair 30, Woods 23
October 13, 2012: Fair 49, Woods 20
September 17, 2011: Fair 14, Woods 0
September 18, 2010: Woods 28, Fair 14
October 23, 2009: Woods 21, Fair 7
October 24, 2008: Woods 42, Fair 20
2¢ on Fair
Cy-Fair High School, since its inception in 1941, has long been the flagship school of Cy-Fair ISD ("The Original, The Best") and a point of pride for many in the Cypress community. Obviously, being in Texas, the football team has been one of its greatest institutions.
After the departure of the legendary Sam McGuffie, the Bobcats went through 2 dark, dark seasons in 2008 and 2009. Those years seem like an eternity ago; they went from worst to (a 3-way tie for) first in 2010 and have been the kings of this jungle known as Cy-Fair ISD football ever since, adding 2 more outright district championships to their trophy case.
I thought I'd be a Bobcat... until Cy Woods opened. Since then, I've bled red and gold. I'm the only Wildcat in my family. Obviously, I'm not in high school anymore, so this game has no impact on bragging rights in the house. My brother graduated from Cy-Fair last year, and I also have a cousin who's currently a sophomore there.
The Bobcats probably run the same 10 plays on offense for 48 minutes, but they are devastatingly effective at what they do. As Albert Einstein defined it... insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.... but don't tell these guys that; the Bobcats subscribe more to the theory of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Clayton Kopecky, who took the reins midway through last season, is the typical Bobcat quarterback; he's confident in his decision-making, can run a little, completes the passes that need completing, and rarely makes mistakes; his 2 picks against Langham were very uncharacteristic. He was also rather ineffective against Falls, as he was just 3-8 for 35 yards and an INT. Cody Chrest and Eric Thornburg give Kopecky a couple of good targets on the outside. Brock Wright, Brady's brother, has also emerged as another option on their offense as a sophomore. Will Dawson and Noah Hess are solid blockers in the run game. Hunter Gonzalez, a 3-year letterman, is their leader on the offensive line. Joining him on the line is an emerging talent in Austin Deculus, another sophomore.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the district's leading rusher is a Cy-Fair Bobcat. Jacorey Aleem, coming off a torn ACL last season, is a man on a mission. He's simply making up for lost time, is all. Aleem became the first player in the district to score 100 points and run for 1000 yards after his 210-yard, 2 TD showing against Falls. Also, keep an eye out for RB Blake Faecher, another one of the great sophomore running backs in this district. This following tweet from Ross Donelly probably says it all, after Faecher scored a touchdown against Lakes that was made possible with a hurdle reminiscent of a man who once wore #2 for Cy-Fair:
Cy fair has a new mcguffie @BlakeFaecher
— Ross Donelly (@Rossino_90) September 27, 2014
This Bobcat defense is something serious; they've allowed just 9.6 points per game. They are not just one of the best defenses in the city, they've built a very strong case for being one of the best in Texas.
When speaking of the Cy-Fair defense, you wonder where you should begin. I would say that it begins with Ross Donelly. He is the only player in the entire district who can say that he is a 4-year starter. Donelly has been the rock of one of the great defenses in this district for 4 years, and as a testament to his excellence, he was a unanimous 1st-team All-District pick last season. He's been even better as a senior. James Kohlschmidt returns to lead their linebackers; he too was a unanimous 1st-team All-District selection. These two have a solid supporting cast in the front 7 with DL Njilefack and LB Baker leading that group.
Others say that the Bobcat defense begins with the secondary. The Cy-Fair secondary features some of the best ballhawks this district has to offer. Maxx Chrest, last year's interceptions champ in District 17-5A, is hell-bent on defending his title this season; he's leading the way with 6 picks, including the game-saver against Falls last week. Brandon Richmond, a 3-year starter, is a hard-hitting safety. Both of them will also feature prominently in the return game, as well. Josh Curtis has come through with some clutch interceptions this season. Mann is a strong-footed kicker/punter; he has a 61-yard punt, which is the longest in the district this season.
Last Time These Two Teams Met
The Wildcats were completely suffocated by the Bobcat defense in the 1st half and trailed 16-0 after the first 24.
Woods sprang to life in the 2nd half as Mason Roberts scored on a 48-yard pass, and the subsequent 2-point conversion was successful. However, the Bobcats had an answer for every Wildcat score and their 16-point lead at halftime held up. Woods had the ball last, but time ran out on them, and so the Bobcats picked up their 3rd straight win in the series with the 30-23 scoreline. Sam Stewart scored on a 13-yard catch with less tham 8 minutes left in the 4th, and a 2nd 2-point conversion was also successful, which made it a 1-score game again. Mason added a 10-yard run with a minute left in the game to make it a 1-score game yet again.
Random Facts and Figures from This Series
- The Wildcats' 3-game losing streak to the Bobcats was their longest active losing streak against a team entering this season. Now, they have a 2nd 3-game losing streak to Langham Creek.
- In their first meeting, Woods put up 42; they've yet to top 30 points ever since.
- The 2011 game was the first time that Woods has been shut out in a game.
JV and Freshman Game Information
JV at Woods, freshmen at Fair, 5 and 7 on Thursday.
For Freshman Games: Directions to Cy-Fair
Surely you jest?
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