The Happy Birthday Post

On July 11, 2014, Cy Woods Football (the blog) came to be.

I hatched the idea for this blog following the 2014 spring game. Eventually, I worked up the stones to pitch the idea to Coach Faith and he was extremely receptive to the idea of bringing some more exposure to the Cy Woods football program.

I feel that this blog is a way for Wildcats of the past to reconnect with their days as a Wildcat football player, and to see how the Wildcats of the present and future are performing. Again, this isn't a place for me to relive glory days. I am simply a former player who has seen virtually every Cy Woods game, and I want to share what I observe. Also, I want to show the community where this program came from. I believe that this blog is a way for the members of the Cy Woods community, and current and aspiring Wildcat football players to learn how the Wildcat football program came to be, and the tradition that they are expected to uphold as Wildcats once they become students at Cy Woods.

We didn't become successful in an instant. We had guys who were hungry. We had guys who were amped to build a tradition and a culture of success. But, they knew that building that tradition and that culture of success would be a process, and that process was completed in 2008... and it still continues to this day.

This blog is strictly a labor of love, and I am grateful for the chance to share this labor of love with all of you.

Now, I'd like to acknowledge a few people.

I would like to thank Mr. Don Carson, Cameron Brooks, Billy Schuerman, and Matt Ramos for allowing me to use their outstanding photographs on the website.

I'd also like to thank Zac Babb, former TSRN commentator and proprietor of Varsity Wires. I hope you're doing well in Denton. Thank you for giving me the chance to cover this year's State 7-on-7 Football Tournament in College Station. I look forward to contributing more for VW in the future

Another shoutout goes to Adam Coleman. In such a short period of time, he has done a tremendous job in getting the Cy-Fair ISD community engaged in their schools' sports teams. What he has done for CFISD sports is absolutely incredible. Now that he's moved on to the Houston Chronicle, it's more of the same. He's done such an outstanding job as a promoter of Houston high school sports. I primarily rely on Adam to get exposure for the blog, which seems rather unfair, because I am the one writing and I am relying on someone else to get my material out there. He probably thinks that I shouldn't apologize for this, but I will do so anyway.

I would also like to thank Jayne Hansen, proprietor of one of the best Astros-related blogs on the Internet, "What the Heck, Bobby?" In 2013, Ms. Hansen gave me the opportunity to write for her blog, which is dedicated to the Houston Astros minor league system. I mainly write the recaps. but the blog also features player interviews and transaction reports. Since its inception in 2011, WTHB has amassed a following ranging from Astros fans, friends and family of players in the Astros' organization, and members of the Astros' front office and coaching staff. Jayne has played a huge role in shaping what I would like to do in the future. I started out recapping minor league baseball games, and now here I am, with a blog devoted to my high school's football team.

And finally, I'd like to thank my grandpa, Thac Ta. My grandpa had such a great passion for writing, and he actually established his own little publishing house for Vietnamese authors in the Houston area, and for each of the four seasons, they published a compilation of short stories, essays, and other musings in Vietnamese. My grandpa passed away in 2014, and I never truly realized this until I found myself reminiscing about the time I spent with him recently, but I feel that this blog serves a way for me to pay tribute to him.

The 2015 season was something out of the ordinary, as the Wildcats did not participate in the playoffs for just the second time in school history. But, with a new year comes a new season. As the adage goes, hope springs eternal. The road back to the playoffs will not be easy, especially in one of the most cutthroat districts in Texas. However, I think the kids who will be returning will be determined to get a taste of playoff football once again, especially Kason Franklin, C.J. Jones, Myles Wilson, and Luis Reyes. Those four have been there before, and they would like nothing more than one last playoff run with their brothers to close their high school careers. No doubt, the 2016 Cy Woods Wildcats will have a lot to prove.