Spring Game Notes

Before I begin, here's a Help Wanted ad.

I'm still looking for three players to serve as guest writers for the upcoming season: one sophomore, one junior, and one senior. I'll find a freshman once they come in. No really, I am serious. Chances are, you are probably a much better writer than I am. If you are interested, send me a tweet (I'm always on Twitter), an email (dustin2810 at gmail dot com), or leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Please leave your name and grade as well.

Yesterday, the Cy Woods Wildcats capped off spring training with the Spring Football Game. Thankfully, the rain cleared out just in time. However, the sideline closest to the stands became a complete cesspool. Just as I remember...

In the 3rd annual Cy Woods spring game, the Cardinal team topped the White team 35-20 in a hard-fought contest. They stormed out to a 21-0 lead, but the White team got themselves going in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to keep them on their heels. There was some good-natured ribbing from both sides in the lead-up to the game.

Now that this game is done with, there is no more division. No Cardinal team or White team... once again, the kids that make up this team are one, fighting together to achieve one goal. That goal, as always, is a state championship. For those from other schools who have stumbled across this blog, just know that these are guys who will fight to the very end in order to achieve that goal.

The best news was that there were no injuries to anyone, although they were all just inundated in mud at the end. I found this edition of the spring game to be a showcase of the future (well, they always are). With prospects such as Sean Despres, Jacob Kainer, and Jack Barrientez waiting in the wings, the Wildcats' future is as bright as ever.

I also feel rather dumb, because most of what I'm about to write is more Cardinal-oriented.

Cardinal

R.J. Harmon was fully dressed, but he was limited to handling kickoffs and punts.

Michael Young got most of the first-team reps at running back; he caught a touchdown pass from Sean Despres to open up the scoring. As the Cardinal team was knocking on the door again, he took a pitch and punched it in from 2 yards out.

Bobby Dodson, a sophomore running back, played well during the early freshmen-only game and backed up Michael Young in the main event. He looks like a rugged runner who can be tough to bring down in the open field, as Levi Arzac, a White team safety, found that out firsthand after taking him head-on after a 20-yard gain. Bobby reminds me of Jeremy Conley (class of 2010) in that regard, and they're of pretty similar build, although he doesn't have Jeremy's explosiveness yet.

Jacob Kainer threw an interception, but he showed some great moves on a rushing touchdown. Otherwise, it was a surprisingly quiet night from him.

Brandon Sustala, a senior receiver, was targeted 3 times and caught them all; 2 of them went for first downs, and he had a good gain on the third catch, which occurred on first down. Solid hands.

Myles Wilson had an interception that set up a score. Brandon DePrato and Tyler Redgrave, a sophomore linebacker, recorded sacks, and Neil Chambers, a junior linebacker, recovered a fumble to stop the White team in the red zone.

With the White team driving to possibly tie the game in the 4th quarter, Andrew Peña, a junior linebacker, came down with a huge interception, and on the ensuing series, Sean Despres took the snap, ran right up the middle, and finally, shook off 3 defenders in the open field on his way to the endzone.

Speaking of Sean Despres, the junior quarterback probably turned a few heads this spring, but he saved his best performance for Thursday night as he took center stage.

Sean was absolutely electric, throwing for one score (video above) and running for two more. His last touchdown run sealed the win for the Cardinal team in spectacular fashion. His first (video below) put them up 2 scores in the 1st quarter. Sean performed well as a JV gold (B-team) quarterback last season, but he's taken a huge leap forward this spring. He could possibly help the varsity in some capacity in 2015.

White

The White team had their chances. Unfortunately, they just couldn't get out of their own way. Chase Martin connected with Yussef Nuñez for a 60-yard gain that put them in the red zone as they looked to tie the game, but that threat ended abruptly when they lost the ball on a botched handoff.

C.J. Jones was limited to fielding kicks and punts.

Chase Martin found a streaking Devon Bowling, and the sophomore receiver took it 50 yards for a score. Devon's man slipped, which left him wide open, and once he caught the pass, he scampered into the endzone untouched.

Jack Barrientez got the first-team reps at running back. He had a nice 40-yard run.... negated by a penalty. But... he got on the board with a 20-yard touchdown run in the 3rd to bring the White team to within 1 score.

Ryan Olvera, a senior cornerback, picked off Jacob Kainer with a nice diving effort in the endzone. Chase Taulton, a senior safety, recovered a fumble to stop a Cardinal drive that was well inside White territory.

Deon Jones, a sophomore defensive end, played with great energy and had a couple of nice tackles for loss. On one, he lunged for Sean Despres (over a cut block, too) and just got enough of him to bring him down. The other, he busted clean through and had the ballcarrier, who I believe was Jake Wolf, a senior receiver, dead to rights.

Both

Luis Reyes pulled double duty as he handled the kickoffs and extra points after every score. He made 7 of his 8 extra points; the one miss came on a botched snap.

So, that does it for the spring... see you in the summer. In the meantime, I'm doing a Countdown to Kickoff series. Today, it's on 97. At the end of this series, you'll have a look at everyone who has ever played football for the Cy Woods Wildcats.