Cy Ranch 52, Cy Woods 13: The End

Final 2016 record: 2-8, 2-7 in District 17-6A

Photo credit: Matt Ramos, The Crimson Connection

A tumultuous and torturous season is finally over. Two years removed from a playoff run, the Cy Woods Wildcats have fallen to the bottom of the table. This fall from grace was capped off with a crash landing in the form of a 52-13 dissection at the hands of the Cy Ranch Mustangs in the 2016 season finale.

Too long, didn't read version: The 2016 iteration of the Battle of 290 was no contest.

Changes are coming.....

So, What Happened Was....

The Mustangs scored on all six of their possessions in the first half to cruise to a 38-0 lead on a hapless Cy Woods squad in the first half before Jacob Kainer finally put the Cats on the board with a six-yard touchdown run with no time left.

Halftime: Ranch 38, Woods 6

Ranch scored two more times for good measure in the third quarter and were on the verge of handing Woods its worst-ever defeat before C.J. Jones caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Brighton Gullickson with under two minutes remaining in the game.

Final: Ranch 52, Woods 13

Ground

Yes, injuries happen, but it really is a shame that we didn't get to see a fully healthy C.J. Jones get a chance to shine on the football field this season. As he has done so many times in the past, he led the Cats in rushing in his final game, and he broke off a couple of nice runs.

C.J. Jones: 13 carries, 57 yards

Brighton Gullickson: 6 carries, 30 yards

Jacob Kainer: 7 carries, 25 yards, TD

Matt Ficalora: 2 carries, 16 yards

Angel Laca: 1 carry, 14 yards

Bobby Dodson: 3 carries, 14 yards

Semaj Trahan: 2 carries, 3 yards

Air

C.J.'s touchdown reception in the fourth quarter was the 14th of his Cy Woods career, moving him into a tie at the top of the all-time leaderboard with Gary Tesch and Jordan Johnson.

Jacob Kainer: 1-14, 17 yards

Brighton Gullickson: 4-12, 31 yards, TD, 2 INT

C.J. Jones: 1-1, 46 yards

Semaj Trahan: 0-1

Brennan Niles: 2 catches, 31 yards

Tanner Sherrill: 1 catch, 46 yards

Matt Ficalora: 1 catch, 14 yards

C.J. Jones: 1 catch, 3 yards, TD

Bobby Dodson: 1 catch, 0 yards

Defense

Um... I will plead the fifth. This is the third straight year in which the Wildcat defense has allowed over 400 points in a season. The problem here is that two of these seasons are non-playoff seasons.

Tackles

Micheal Young - 10

Elijah Strang - 7

Neil Chambers, Tre Minix - 5

Cody Eggleston and Tory Spears - 4

Kason Franklin, Collin Joyce, Evan Alexander, Ryan Kenny - 3

Matt Roberts, Myles Wilson - 2

Blake Brown, Trent Bird, Joaquin Garza, Matt Ficalora, Yussef Nuñez, Christian Jones, Hayden Chalmers, Hunter Magallan - 1

Sacks: Neil Chambers 1 (7 yards lost), Cody Eggleston 1 (2 yards lost)

Fumbles forced: Tre Minix

Fumbles recovered: Jake Tesch

Special Teams

Luis Reyes converted on the final extra point attempt of his career. He will finish his Cy Woods career with 187 points, an all-time record for a Wildcat kicker.

C.J. Jones: 2 kicks returned, 64 yards

Tre Minix: 2 kicks returned, 39 yards

Micheal Young: 1 kick returned, 16 yards

Other Happenings

The student section took part in the Mannequin Challenge, and Cami Beardmore recorded it all. Pretty cool stuff. They also threw powder in the air, apparently.

CYPRESS WOODS #MannequinChallenge #212 pic.twitter.com/MINOTiTncG

— Cameron Beardmore (@BeardmoreCami) November 5, 2016

The Wildcats' Mannequin Challenge attempt made it to the Chronicle, too!

Wow our #Mannequinchallenge made it in the Houston Chronicles! Check out the story here:https://t.co/PC0Ointf6h

— Cameron Beardmore (@BeardmoreCami) November 7, 2016

Looking Ahead

It's the offseason.

Know Your Enemy: Cypress Ranch Mustangs

Week 11: Cypress Woods Wildcats vs. Cypress Ranch Mustangs
7:00 PM Friday, November 4, 2016
Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union Stadium

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

The Wildcats suffered the ignominy of setting a a new record for losses in a season, falling to Cy Creek 24-23 after Luis Reyes' 39-yard field goal attempt went wide to the left with eight seconds remaining.

Jack Barrientez ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and also caught four passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. Collin Fewox had an outstanding night on defense with 15 tackles and an interception.

This year's iteration of the Battle of 290 features two squads heading in opposite directions. While Cy Ranch is preparing for the playoffs, Cy Woods will be wrapping up its season on Friday night.

Well, it is still a rivalry game, even though the fortunes of these two teams are in different strata. On a rivalry pitting two Division II schools in South Dakota, Ryan Nanni of SB Nation wrote: "Rivalry history only matters for 364 days a year. The day of the game is different." Time to write the next chapter in the book.

The Enemy: Cy Ranch Mustangs

2015 record: 10-2, 9-0 (1st) in District 17-6A
Lost 59-20 to Katy in 6A Division II, Region III Area round

Cy Ranch season-to-date: 9-0, 8-0 (1st) in District 17-6A

W 42-35 @ Cinco Ranch
W 26-7 vs. Cy Falls
W 35-7 @ Jersey Village
W 24-17 vs. Cy-Fair
W 58-20 @ Cy Creek
W 73-45 vs. Cy Springs
W 49-31 vs. Langham Creek
W 56-7 @ Cy Lakes
W 27-24 vs. Cy Ridge

All-Time Series

Series tied 3-3.

Previous Meetings

September 26, 2015: Ranch 44, Woods 25
September 27, 2014: Ranch 38, Woods 35
October 19, 2013: Woods 54, Ranch 0
October 20, 2012: Woods 40, Ranch 37 (OT)
September 23, 2011: Woods 68, Ranch 21
September 24, 2010: Ranch 38, Woods 35

A Few Players to Watch

QB Blake Nevins, RB E.J. Thompson, RB Holden Gourley, WR R.J. Sneed, WR Keric Wheatfall, OL Cole Blanton, OL Samir Martula, DL Harrison Loveless, LB Amaud Willis-Dalton, LB Daniel Whitmire, LB Lawson Pyles, DB Rance McInnis, DB Shemar Bartholomew, DB Alex O'Connor

2¢ on Ranch

Since their run to state in 2014, the Cypress Ranch Mustangs have firmly established themselves as the kings of the mountain known as Cy-Fair ISD football. No doubt, this is a team with serious title aspirations.

To go undefeated in this district is not an easy task. To go undefeated in this district two years in a row is completely unheard of.... until possibly now. In District 17-6A's current configuration, no team has finished with an undefeated record in district play in two consecutive seasons. Cy Ranch has a chance to do exactly that on Friday night. The fact that they are in this position is a testament to that program, and the willingness that they have shown to become better in all aspects of the program.

The one thing that has impressed me most about Ranch this year is how mentally tough they are. On the rare occasions in which they are tied or trailing in games, they just keep grinding away. They just play their game, regardless of what the scoreboard says. They make few mistakes, and they punish their opponents for their miscues.

Blake Nevins is at the controls of the Mustang offense, and he is also their starting point guard in basketball. If I am not mistaken, he has not committed a single turnover this year. No interceptions, no fumbles lost... he has done his job.

E.J. Thompson, once again, is their workhorse back. He's a tank who will consistently chew up five, six, seven yards a play. Holden Gourley is the home-run threat. The two of them will be running behind an imposing offensive line led by Cole Blanton and Samir Martula. Blanton is one of the top offensive linemen in the country in the class of 2018. The Mustangs have literally run over their opponents this year; as a team, they have rushed for over 200 yards in all but two games this season.

R.J. Sneed and Keric Wheatfall haven't put up eye-popping numbers this season, but they are still integral players in that offense, and they have burned the Cats quite a bit in the last two years.

The secondary was thought to be a question mark for Cy Ranch entering the season, but most of those concerns seem to be quelled. Rance McInnis is just a sophomore, but he has been one of the breakout stars of the district as a shutdown safety. His partner in the defensive backfield, Alex O'Connor, is a sure tackler who has really built on a promising sophomore season. Shemar Bartholomew and Ryan Fields have really come into their own as the season has progressed at the cornerback spots.

The Mustangs' front seven is one of the best in the city and arguably the state. Harrison Loveless is the anchor of their defensive line, while Amaud Willis-Dalton does it all; he leads the Mustangs in sacks and has also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Lawson Pyles, Daniel Whitmire, and Deondrick Montgomery round out an outstanding quartet of linebackers.

Last Time These Two Teams Met

The Mustangs got the jump on the Wildcats, storming out to a 27-6 halftime lead. Woods managed to mount up a response in the second half, but that deficit was simply too much to overcome, and the Mustangs came out on top 44-25, giving them a winning streak for the first time in the Battle of 290.

Sub-Varsity Game Information

The JV will play their final games at Cy Ranch. Game times are at 5:00 and 7:00.

Location of Cypress Ranch High School

Haha, that's funny.