Some Midnight Scrimmage Thoughts...

This post will probably be all over the place with seemingly no cohesion between thoughts. I tend to do this when I write. Just a disclaimer.

The 1st & 10 Pep Rally is an annual tradition at Cypress Woods High School (the name is much, much more appropriate than the "Midnight Pep Rally" since it has always started at 10 PM), but for the first time since 2011, there was a practice accompanying this pep rally.

The freshmen led things off; in the past, all they'd do was just run around the track. Seriously. Although smaller in terms of numbers than in recent years, this is a pretty enthusiastic group of kids, and here are a few names you should know from the Class of 2019. This post is probably going to be mostly about the freshmen, mainly for introductory purposes, since you are probably already familiar with the varsity players.

Semaj (pronounced suh-MAZH; also "James" backwards) Trahan is a quarterback with tremendous upside, and right now, I believe that he's the top prospect in the entire class. With a cannon arm and outstanding speed, Semaj fits the Cy Woods dual-threat QB mold to a T. People talk about how Langham Creek is a QB factory, and yes, they've had great players at the helm of their offenses. But no team in this district has churned out legitimate weapons at the quarterback position like Cy Woods. Semaj will become the next in a line that includes Colton Huntsman, Nick Hooper, and Bryson Powers.

Jake Tesch is a running back who may find himself playing multiple positions. He'll be the third Tesch brother to play at Cy Woods; Gary was a wide receiver from 2010-11, while Taylor, also a wide receiver, played from 2012-14. Jake's brothers were both fine players for the Wildcats; he'll look to continue that little family tradition.

Brock Gunderson is a center who is also following in an older sibling's footsteps; his brother, Cole, was the starting center in 2009 and 2010. Brock is already larger than Cole (who is pretty big himself), and I liked how he took charge of his fellow offensive linemen.

The Sherrills, Tanner and Cullen, are wide receivers and identical twins. I believe that they're also promising baseball players as well. One of them scored on the final play of the freshman scrimmage as he ran a hitch pattern, caught the ball, and outran everybody.

Daniel Bouten is a defensive lineman who is rather vocal. That attitude may rub some people the wrong way, but I really enjoy his enthusiasm, and he's a hard worker as well. He's a kid who is truly excited to become a part of this team. I think he'll be a player that opposing offensive linemen will absolutely detest going up against because of his energy, à la Patrick Beverley: Hate to play against him, love having him on your team.

Everything after 11:30 was a blur and was difficult to process since there was about 14 different things going on at the same time and the lateness of all of this was taken into consideration.

The JV was next. Together with the varsity, the skill players did pass skeleton (or, 7-on-7) first, while the linemen faced off against each other before the entire JV came together for a team session. Devon Bowling, a sophomore receiver, had a nice diving catch in double coverage in the JV group. That was probably the one moment that stuck out for me in the JV session. Bobby Dodson, a sophomore running back, is a pretty tough runner. One of the things that struck me was that his running style is a little like Jeremy Conley, an old teammate of mine. Although he doesn't have Jeremy's explosiveness yet, he definitely has his physicality.

Then came the varsity.

Bryson Powers took the first-team reps at quarterback, and he showed off a strong left arm. There's still some stuff on offense that needs to be sorted out, but I think the offense will be in good hands with Bryson at the helm. Austin Goffney was the 2nd-team quarterback, but he's a dynamic athlete who is going to find playing time everywhere on the field.

C.J. Jones looks to be as explosive as ever, but keep an eye out on Jack Barrientez, a sophomore running back. While he didn't break off any huge gains, he is a physical runner. Jack also got looks as a wide receiver, and he may be counted on to play an integral role in the offense this season.

The Wildcat defense has nowhere to go but up after surrendering 455 points last season. Kason Franklin and Myles Wilson are the lone returning starters. Maybe rebuilding a defense that allowed that many points might turn out to be the best course of action. The Wildcats allowed 400 points in 2010, and that total dropped to a school-record 261 the next season. But, in that season, most of the defensive kids who played in 2011 were returning lettermen.

Kason was all over the field from his safety spot. He's gotten much quicker as he put in his work over the summer. Kason will be working on both sides of the ball in order to fully utilize his talent. Myles had a good pass breakup against Tre' Hart, although Tre' got him back a few plays later. Kason and Myles will be expected to step up in their second season.

Ryan Olvera, a cornerback, delivered a nice hit in the open field. He's worked his way up the ladder and is a kid who will get the most out of his ability. Terrell Brown, the other first-team corner, is in the same mold.

Next Friday, the Wildcats will hold their one scrimmage of the preseason, and, like the last 2 years, they'll be going up against The Woodlands. The scrimmage will be held at Cy Woods and the freshmen will lead it off at 4.