Yeah, they got outscored 18-7 in the 2nd half, but they had the backups in. The outcome was largely decided by then. R.J. Harmon and C.J. Jones wreaked havoc on the Panthers; C.J. notched his 2nd 4-touchdown game of the season, while R.J. put up a career-high 180 yards on the ground and 3 scores.
With the 70-44 victory, the Cats did what they needed to do in order to clinch a playoff berth. Those 63 1st-half points put any thoughts of a point-differential situation to rest. Even in a game that was largely devoid of defense, they still managed to scrounge a few stops together in the form of 3 interceptions.
It was the last game of the regular season. You would have hoped that they would have been able to emerge from this game without any injuries to key players. Nope. Four important defensive players left the game with injuries. Mr. Carson informed me after the game that Bryson Powers broke his collarbone. I didn't realize it until I talked with Mr. Carson; I just saw Bryson without his pads and thought he was getting rest for the playoffs. Tyler Greaves and Matt Swalm were both on crutches after suffering knee injuries, and Kason Franklin also left the game with a knee injury, although I don't believe that he was on crutches.
Edit: I've been informed by Kason's mother that it was he who suffered the broken collarbone. Not Bryson.
Also, the offense suffered a big loss as starting left guard Ty Dendy left the game early after a head injury; he was tested for a concussion and when he was helped off the field, he was definitely dazed. The Cats are going in to the playoffs wounded, but I highly doubt that Davis will have much sympathy for their plight. No matter. Just gotta fight through the injuries. Next man up, right?
So, What Happened Was...
In the first 24 minutes, the Wildcat offense made sure the crowd got their money's worth, that's for sure.
The Panthers got the jump on them, though, as Donell Dunn opened the scoring with an 85-yard TD reception on the first play of the game. R.J. Harmon responded by becoming the one-man drive, as he ran the ball 4 times for 65 yards on the Cats' opening possesion of the night, capping that off with a 30-yard scoring run. R.J. struck again from 13 yards out to give the Cats the lead, which they wouldn't relinquish. Springs would answer as Francisco Almanza found O'Shae Clark for a 22-yard TD pass. Nick Hooper then got in on the act as he punched it in from 1 yard and 2 yards out.
End 1st: Woods 28, Springs 12
After Randall Medlin and Justyn Johnson sacked Almanza to pin the Panthers inside their 1-yard line, Zac Duncan took the ensuing punt down to the Panther 15. Enter C.J. Jones. He had a 9-yard run on his first touch of the game, then he gave it all back on the next play. But, he made up for that with a 15-yard TD catch. Dunn struck again for an 88-yard TD catch, and the Panthers got the 2-point conversion. R.J. struck for a 3rd time as he was a one-man drive once again. After Zac returned the ensuing kickoff to the Cy Springs 35, Harmon went back to work with a 15-yard run and a 19-yard TD run. Delano Burkes scored on a 2-yard run for the Panthers, and then Nick found C.J. for another 15-yard TD pass. C.J. scored for the 3rd time in the 1st half with his 11-yard run, and Nick followed suit with a 13-yard scoring run, setting the record for most points in a half in the process.
Halftime: Woods 63, Springs 26
Burkes had a 6-yard TD run, and Dunn had his 3rd receiving touchdown; this one came from freshman Taye Barber and he scored from 52 yards out. The only Woods score in the 2nd half was C.J. Jones' 3rd receiving touchdown of the night, which was thrown by Reece Clark.
End 3rd: Woods 70, Springs 38
Burkes scored from 10 yards out on the Panthers' opening drive of the 4th quarter.
Final: Woods 70, Springs 44
Ground
Clarence and Raynard (their real names) ran wild. R.J. put up a career-high 180 yards, which was also a season's-best by a Wildcat player, topping his 162-yard effort against Creek.
All stats per TSRN.
R.J. Harmon: 16 carries, 180 yards, 3 TD
C.J. Jones: 18 carries, 124 yards, TD
Nick Hooper: 13 carries, 48 yards, 3 TD
Jacobi Boudreaux: 7 carries, 34 yards
Reece Clark: 4 carries, -2 yards
Jared Taylor: 3 carries, 7 yards
Zac Duncan: 1 carry, 11 yards
Air
The passing game took a backseat to the ground assault, but overall, Nick turned in a good night through the air. Reece's only pass went for a touchdown.
Nick Hooper: 9-13, 162 yards, 2 TD
Reece Clark: 1-1, 20 yards, TD
The big gain of the night belonged to Jordan Johnson, who dragged a Panther defender nearly 10 yards into the endzone. He had to settle for a 59-yard gain as he was stopped at the 1.
C.J. Jones: 4 recs, 54 yards, 3 TD
Jordan Johnson: 2 recs, 74 yards
R.J. Harmon: 2 recs, 10 yards
Jared Taylor: 1 rec, 35 yards
Zac Duncan: 1 rec, 9 yards
Defense
The Cats got shredded through the air, mainly because Donell Dunn has been unreal for the Panthers this season. But... they'll take the win whichever way it comes. Dunn will finish with 1,229 receiving yards this season.
Matt Swalm actually created a 6-way tie for the team lead in interceptions with his 2nd-quarter pick. He didn't break a 5-way tie to take an outright lead, like I incorrectly tweeted last night.
Sacks: Randall Medlin 0.5, Justyn Johnson 0.5 (14 yards lost)
Interceptions: Matt Swalm 1 (2nd of season), Zac Duncan 1, Kason Franklin 1
Special Teams
Luis Reyes attempted 10 extra points and made 10 extra points to record his 3rd 10-point game of the season. In the process, he also tied Andrew Klink's record for most extra points attempted and most extra points made in a single game. Klink did that in the first 70-point game.
Jordan Johnson punted twice for 70 yards, giving his a 35-yard average.
Not much to report from the return game, although Zac Duncan had a couple of good ones that both set up Wildcat scores. The Outlaw Shane Lawless also got himself a chance to return a kick!
Zac Duncan: 2 kicks returned, 42 yards; 1 punt returned, 20 yards
Kason Franklin: 2 kicks returned, 12 yards
Bryson Powers: 2 kick returned, 14 yards
C.J. Jones: 1 kick returned, 25 yards
R.J. Harmon: 1 kick returned, 14 yards
Shane Lawless: 1 kick returned, 10 yards
Other Notes
- Like I said, I really wished that the team could've emerged from this game unscathed. For Tyler and Matt, my prayers go out to them for a speedy recovery. Being injured during your senior year of football... it's tough.
- Ad nauseam: 70 points ties a team record, 63 new record for points in a half...
- There was quite a bit of clamoring from the stands for the Cats to score one more time to break Cy-Fair's all-time single-game scoring record of 71, too....
- I've watched this class for 4 years, and it's awesome to know that the hard work that they have put in on the practice field, on the sub-varsity level, and in the weight room for 4 years has paid off with a trip to the playoffs in their senior season.
- Also, I saw Brandon Kula rolling around in pain in the endzone in the 1st quarter. Turns out he got punched in... his privates. Ouch. He recovered, though, and was able to finish the game.
- Do I have to say it again... this isn't the place to call out coaches. Can't you be happy for a win...
Men of the Match
R.J. and C.J. have been great all season. Without question, I will say this... there are few players who can impact a game the way they do. They are true dual-threats. I hope they carry the momentum they've built with their excellent performances in this game into the playoffs, and be the catalysts for a deep run for the Cats.
Honorable Mentions go out to Luis Reyes for tying a long-standing record. Nick Hooper's assault on the Cy Woods record books continues. And finally, Wade Carson turned in yet another solid night on the defense.
Looking Ahead
The Wildcats are the #2 seed in the Division II bracket of the 6A Texas High School Football Playoffs. In the bi-district round, they will take on the Benjamin Davis Falcons at the Berry Center on Saturday at 1:00.
Here is a replay of Ty Dendy's concussion - a ten yard run by CJ Jones. Before the collision with the blitzing OLB you can see all five offensive linemen picking up solid blocks, CJ spotting the OLB, putting his hand on TY's hip and cutting back to the right for 10 yards, while Ty collides head to head with the OLB while taking the DT to the ground....ouch
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