Photo credit: Matt Ramos, The Crimson Connection
Summary
Final record: 2-8, 2-7 (t-7th) in District 17-6A
Did not qualify for playoffs
Points scored: 284 (28.4 per game)
Points allowed: 403 (40.3 per game)
Largest margin of victory: 35 vs. Cy Springs (69-34)
Largest margin of defeat: 39 vs. Cy Ranch (13-52)
Most points scored: 69 vs. Cy Springs
Fewest points scored: 10 vs. Cy Falls
Most points allowed: 62 vs. Langham Creek
Fewest points allowed: 24 vs. Cy Creek
Team Records Set or Tied
Unfortunately, the records this team set were all of the ignominious variety.
Worst record: 2-8
Worst record in district games: 2-7
Fewest points scored in a season: 284
Worst point differential: -119
Longest losing streak: 4 (tied, also longest in a single season)
Individual Records Set or Tied
Receiving touchdowns, career: C.J. Jones, 14 (tied)
Points scored by a kicker, career: Luis Reyes, 187
Statistical Leaders
Stats from Varsity Wires
Passing: Jacob Kainer - 105-203 (51.7%), 1,578 yards, 14 TD, 9 INT
Rushing: Jacob Kainer - 142 carries, 514 yards (3.6 yards per carry), 10 TD
Receiving: Jack Barrientez - 39 receptions, 467 yards (12 yards per catch), 7 TD
Tackles: Myles Wilson - 96
Interceptions: Collin Fewox - 2
Sacks: Cody Eggleston - 4.5
Schedule and Results
Week 1: L 42-14 @ Klein Collins (Klein Memorial)
Week 3: W 69-34 @ Cy Springs (Pridgeon)
Week 4: L 36-21 vs. Cy Ridge (Cy-Fair FCU)
Week 5: L 58-46 @ Jersey Village (Pridgeon)
Week 6: L 62-35 vs. Langham Creek (Cy-Fair FCU)
Week 7: L 27-10 vs. Cy Falls (Cy-Fair FCU)
Week 8: W 36-33 @ Cy Lakes (Cy-Fair FCU)
Week 9: L 35-17 vs. Cy-Fair (Homecoming IX at Pridgeon)
Week 10: L 24-23 @ Cy Creek (Pridgeon)
Week 11: L 52-13 vs. Cy Ranch (Cy-Fair FCU)
The Rundown
After missing out on the playoffs in heartbreaking fashion in 2015, the Cypress Woods Wildcats had to say farewell to nearly all of their offensive production. Stalwarts such as Jared Taylor, Tre' Hart, Jordan Johnson, and R.J. Harmon all departed. In addition, starting quarterback Bryson Powers transferred to Klein Collins. That left C.J. Jones, Jack Barrientez.... and a myriad of unknown quantities.
Jacob Kainer, who saw some action as a sophomore before suffering a serious injury, took over the starting quarterback spot with Brighton Gullickson as his backup. C.J. was injured early in the season opener and never fully recovered from his injury. His absence left a massive void in the offense that had to be filled by Jack Barrientez and Nijah Surtain. Jack responded with a breakout year of sorts as he was the Cats' most productive (and often the only reliable) offensive option by far; not only did he lead the team in receiving yards, but he also finished with one fewer rushing yard than Jacob.
Aside from Jack, however, the Cats' options on offense were severely limited. Brennan Niles managed to lead the team with 19 yards per catch. Owing to the lack of depth, the Wildcats were forced to thrust a host of sophomores into prominent roles on the offense. By the end of the season, eight of them had featured on offense in some fashion. Jake Tesch was also the primary punt returner. Nijah was also the primary kick returner. The Sherrill twins, Cullen and Tanner, showed flashes of their upside at wide receiver, and Connor Faulk and Brock Gunderson were starters from day one at slot receiver and left tackle, respectively. Ethan Agnew also stepped into a starting role on the offensive line following his promotion to the varsity.
The defense was once again the team's Achilles' heel, especially against the run; the Wildcats allowed all but two of their opponents to run for 200 yards. In recent years, the Cats managed to mask this deficiency because they outscored their opponents on a regular basis. This was not the case in 2016, where a young offense's growing pains put the defense in a bind more often than not. Kason Franklin and Myles Wilson returned for one final season. Among the other veterans joining them were Ryan Kenny, Cody Eggleston, Neil Chambers, Collin Fewox, and Elijah Strang.
Regular Season
Chapter nine of Cy Woods Football began on August 27, 2016, as the Cats traveled to Klein Memorial Stadium to take on the Klein Collins Tigers. For the first time since 2010, the Wildcats opened their season with a true road game.
Week 1: Klein Collins 42, Cy Woods 14
Jacob Kainer scored the first points of the 2016 season with a two-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Unfortunately, the Tigers, like they did in the previous two meetings, completely dominated this affair, outgaining the Wildcats 420-120 on offense. The vast majority of those yards came via the running game. Bryson Powers shredded the Wildcat defense for three rushing touchdowns and his backfield partner, D'Anthony Doyle, scored two of his own. Jack Barrientez scored on a 37-yard run in the third quarter for Cy Woods' only other points.
Week 3: Cy Woods 69, Cy Springs 34
The Wildcats rebounded from their season-opening drubbing by doling out a drubbing of their own, christening a renovated Pridgeon Stadium with a 69-34 victory over the Panthers. Jacob Kainer finished 9-13 for 241 yards and four touchdowns through the air and also ran for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Jack Barrientez caught four passes, two for touchdowns, for 109 yards. Cy Woods blew this game wide open by outscoring Cy Springs 27-7 in the third quarter to extend their 35-14 halftime lead into a 62-21 laugher.
So... after lighting up the scoreboard, would things return to normal for the Wildcat offense?
Week 4: Cy Ridge 36, Cy Woods 21
Sadly, the answer was no. Semaj Trahan provided one of the few highlights in this game by returning an interception 87 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Jacob Kainer scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter, and despite allowing a touchdown right before halftime, the Cats led 13-8 at the intermission despite being held to just 27 yards of offense.
Jacob caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jack, and Connor Faulk ran the ball in for two points for the Cats' only score of the second half. The lackluster outing from the offense put the defense in a bind, and the Rams eventually opened the floodgates by scoring 28 unanswered points to close out the game. The Cats were bludgeoned on the ground with Trelon Smith and Alex Jacobs, who both ran for over 100 yards with two rushing touchdowns.
Week 5: Jersey Village 58, Cy Woods 46
Despite the improved output on offense, it was more of the same on defense as the Falcons turned the tables on the Cats in the second half, outscoring them 41-15 after Cy Woods had held a 31-17 halftime lead. Jacob Kainer had an excellent performance, throwing for 333 yards and two touchdowns and running for 123 yards and three more scores.
The Cats had no answer for Jersey Village running back Jireh Thompson, who ran for 242 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries. They also had no answer for Falcon quarterback Alec Wechsler, who threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns; three of those touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter.
Week 6: Langham Creek 62, Cy Woods 35
At this point, I'm beginning to sound like a broken record. The Lobos scored on their first five offensive possessions and also returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the first half. Jacob threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw the two pick-sixes. Cullen Sherrill caught two touchdown passes.
Week 7: Cy Falls 27, Cy Woods 10
For the second time in 2016, the Wildcats lost to a previously winless team. The offense sputtered once again and a decent outing from the defense was wasted. Matt Ficalora scored the Cats' lone touchdown on a 32-yard pass from Brighton Gullickson in the fourth quarter. They had a chance to creep closer, but Brighton threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
With a fourth consecutive defeat, the Wildcats tied the longest losing streak in school history. It was also the first time that they have lost four straight in the same season.
Week 8: Cy Woods 36, Cy Lakes 33
Effectively out of the playoff picture, Cy Woods needed a 99-yard drive on their final possession of the game just to steal a win from the suddenly not-so-hapless Spartans. Hard to believe that Cy Lakes narrowly missed finishing 4-6 in 2016.
Jacob's topsy-turvy season continued as he finished 16-28 for 264 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to Jack Barrientez, who ran for 123 yards and a touchdown of his own. After converting a fourth-and-13 with a 14-yard run, Jacob threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Nijah Surtain, who dashed 32 yards to the house with just 23 seconds remaining in the contest.
Week 9, Homecoming IX at Pridgeon: Cy-Fair 35, Cy Woods 17
Not a happy Homecoming for the Wildcats as this loss not only eliminated them from playoff contention, it also condemned them to a losing season for the second time in school history. The Wildcats were held to just 246 yards on offense but still managed to hang around before the Bobcats put the game away with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Jack Barrientez ran for 96 yards on nine carries and scored on a three-yard touchdown.
Week 10: Cy Creek 24, Cy Woods 23
The Cats set a record they did not envision setting when the season began: most losses in a single season. They were unable to come away with a victory after Luis Reyes' 39-yard field goal sailed wide left with eight seconds to go; he was iced twice before finally getting the opportunity to attempt the kick. The Cats led 23-10 after the third quarter, but couldn't hold that lead.
Jack had another outstanding game, running for 111 yards and a touchdown and catching four passes for 63 yards and another touchdown. Collin Fewox shined on defense, posting 15 tackles and intercepting a pass.
Week 11: Cy Ranch 52, Cy Woods 13
Nothing caps off a rough season like getting dismantled by your most hated rival in the final game of the season. The Cats fell behind 38-6 at halftime and nearly suffered their worst loss in school history until C.J. Jones caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Brighton Gullickson late in the fourth quarter.
In Conclusion
Two consecutive seasons without the playoffs. Worst season in school history. Everything that could have possibly gone wrong for Cy Woods football went wrong in 2016. For a team that has enjoyed so much success from the start, the last two seasons have left many in the community scratching their heads, wondering what has happened to this once-proud program.
I can't talk ill of the kids who fought when given the opportunity. They just couldn't match up physically or athletically against their opponents, but they fought.
Every school goes through down periods; this just happens to be the first real down period for Cy Woods football. Everyone in the program feels a sense of responsibility for what happened in 2016 and I've seen a renewed focus from both the kids and the coaching staff this offseason; they're determined to get the program back on track and back to where it was for most of its history.
Fortunately, a majority of the players who went through a baptism by fire in 2016 all have a year of varsity football experience under their belts. On paper, the Cypress Woods Wildcats should be much improved on both sides of the football.
Precedent also appears to be on their side as well; teams finishing with 2-8 records in District 17-6A have seen improved fortunes; Cy Ridge went 2-8 in 2014 and was the last Cy-Fair ISD team standing in the playoffs two years later. Ditto for Cy Falls, who advanced to the third round in 2015 after finishing 2-8 in 2013.
With that being said, this is the first time in Cy Woods football history that no one is considering them as a playoff contender. They are literally out of sight, out of mind. That's fine; they usually do better when the spotlight is being shined somewhere else. The Cats face an uphill battle just to return to the top 4 in District 17-6A, but any improvement from 2016 will be gladly welcomed. That's what makes sports great: no matter how your teams fared in the previous season, they always get another shot to make amends for a poor season or to build upon sustained success.
Time to revive 212 once again.
