The Wildcats will be the away team in this game.
Previously on Cy Woods Football...
The Wildcats matched up against the Katy Taylor Mustangs in the area round of the Texas High School Football Playoffs. The Mustangs were able to execute their offense in the early going and as a result, they were able to stick around with the Cats for a bit. But, the Cats got two big stops in the 2nd, turned on the jets, and left the Mustangs far, far behind in the rearview mirror. They ended the game on a 49-3 run after Taylor tied the game at 14 in the 1st and cruised to a 63-17 victory. R.J. Harmon put up 128 yards on the ground and 2 scores, and he also caught 3 passes for 62 yards and 2 more scores. Reece Clark was called upon to take the reins after Nick Hooper was knocked out of the game with an ankle injury and finished 9-14 for 150 yards and 3 scores.
And now up next for the Wildcats is the #2 team in the state of Texas, the Manvel Mavericks.
Actually......
It appears that everyone outside of Cy Woods is already looking forward to that Katy-Manvel dream matchup for all the marbles in Region III... welp, good season. It was Manvel's destiny to meet Katy in the playoffs, so why bother playing this game?
I feel sorry for Cy woods
— JOHNNY✌️ (@DeriqKing_) November 22, 2014
Im sorry but Manvel bout to beat tf out of Woods 😂😂
— EOGA#⃣5⃣7⃣ (@DeeChilllin) November 22, 2014
As someone who's been a part of/watched all but 1 season and 3 games' worth of Cy Woods football, and as someone who has experienced the grind of being a high school football player (well, again... I was on the team for 4 years; I didn't really play all that much), I've learned that pretty much everything can happen at this level. For example.... last week, Spring, which is currently in the middle of its first playoff appearance in a decade, faced Lake Travis, one of the premier programs in the state. I'm highly sure Spring entered that game as a significant underdog, but... they came out with a 34-28 win that shook up the playoff landscape substantially. And in the 1st round, a 5-5 South Grand Prairie team gave Euless Trinity all it could handle before ultimately falling 32-29.
Also, you can look at 2009, when Woods went up against the #2 team in the state of Texas, the Skyline Raiders. The Cats and their motley crew led by Colton Huntsman and Bryce Callahan went up against a squad loaded with Division I pledges in a game that nobody gave us a chance to win, much less stay within 2 scores. And you know what happened? We thumbed our noses at all those prognosticators, outworked that all-star team that night in Temple, and left with one of the greatest victories in Cy Woods history.
So.... why not Woods?
Also, to be perfectly honest, those two tweets (from high school kids, no less) bothered me more than they should have.
The Enemy: Manvel Mavericks
School district: Alvin
UIL District: 22-6A
2014 regular-season record: 10-0, 8-0 (champions) in District 22-6A
Manvel season-to-date
W 42-17 vs. North Shore
W 35-17 vs. Dobie
W 63-7 @ Pasadena
W 52-7 vs. South Houston
W 62-35 @ Dawson
W 52-7 vs. Alvin
W 61-7 @ Sam Rayburn
W 70-0 vs. Pasadena Memorial
W 35-33 @ Pearland
Playoffs
W 45-22 vs. Beaumont West Brook
W 76-23 vs. Travis
This is the first meeting between the Wildcats and the Mavericks.
Players to Watch
QB D'Eriq King, WR Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, WR Gary Haynes, RB Qyalan Clay, RB D'Vaughn Pennamon, WR Sean Dykes, DB Will Lockett, DB Deontay Anderson, DB Uryan Hudson, DB Derrick Tucker, LB Jordan Carmouche, LB Shane Jackson, LB Collin Scott, DL Hasaun Glasgow
2¢ on Manvel
These two schools both opened in 2006. While Cy Woods was able to achieve instant success right off the bat in 2008, Manvel's road to prominence was a more gradual build-up. They were 3-6 in their inaugural season of varsity football and 5-5 in year 2, but then, they turned the corner in 2010 and emerged as not only one of the top programs in the area, but one that's in the conversation for a state championship every season.
Two words immediately come to mind: speed and athleticism. Their core is mainly composed of juniors. At the forefront is the explosive D'Eriq King, who isn't afraid to stir the pot a little, as you can see. With a 42:2 TD:INT ratio in the passing game and 10 more touchdowns on the ground, King has shown why he is one of the most sought-after players in the country in the class of 2016. And he's got plenty of weapons at his disposal. 8 Mavericks players have double-digit receptions. Gary Haynes, who led them in interceptions 2 years ago, shifted to receiver with devastating results. He's the one who made a Vine of himself chucking a hail mary pass and then shooting himself out of a cannon to catch it, which has now gotten over 27 million loops. Haynes is described as being "hard to tackle in a phone booth."
Reggie Hemphill is a UT pledge for 2016 who is averaging over 22 yards a catch, and 12 of his 26 catches have been for touchdowns. Sean Dykes is 2nd to Hemphill with 11 touchdown receptions. Clay is their primary back; he too is averaging over 7 yards per carry. Also, watch out for Pennamon, a junior RB who is averaging over 10 yards per carry and averaging a little over 12 yards per touch, when his receiving stats are taken into account.
More of the same on the defensive side of the ball. Deontay Anderson is widely considered to be one of the top safeties in the country for the class of 2016, and he's got suitors (over 30 offers) lined up left and right vying for his commitment. Lockett, a UCLA commit, leads the Mavericks in interceptions. Scott, Carmouche, and Jackson are their top 3 linebackers. These 4 have been called "athletic heat seekers with noses for the ball." Scott leads them with 91 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. Hasaun Glasgow, a junior, has chipped in 5 sacks of his own from his defensive end spot. Tucker, a sophomore, has emerged as a key player in the secondary.
Long story short: Manvel is a team that is loaded with elite athletes on both sides of the ball. Coupled with excellent coaching, they are the most complete team that Cy Woods will face to this point. Will it be easy to beat a team like this? Of course not.
But... are they beatable? YES!!!
Last Time the Wildcats were in the 3rd Round of the Playoffs
Cy Woods took on Clear Creek in a battle of the Wildcats. Fittingly enough, the venue was Turner Stadium, home of the Humble Wildcats. Cole DeVilliers led things off by taking the opening kickoff 95 yards for a score, which set the tone for the night. The big difference was a 21-0 2nd quarter in favor of Cy Woods, which saw Fredrick Anderson score from 7 and 8 yards out, and Colton Huntsman added a 47-yard TD run later in the quarter. Fred ran for 120 yards and scored 4 touchdowns on the ground, while Colton added 2 touchdown runs of his own as Woods came out on top 52-34.
Directions to Rice Stadium
Good luck. At least it won't be raining?
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