Know the Enemy: Bridgeland Bears

Week 5: Cypress Woods Wildcats (2-2, 1-1) @ Bridgeland Bears (2-2, 1-1)
6:00 PM Saturday, September 29, 2018
Cy-Fair FCU Stadium

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

The Cats survived a one-man comeback attempt from Chris Herron and snatched a victory right out of Langham Creek's grasp as Gustavo Olmedo hit a 47-yard field goal as time expired to earn a 41-39 victory. Carson Danner ran for 173 yards and three touchdowns and threw for 183 yards and two more touchdowns in the winning effort. Cy Woods forced a team-record seven turnovers; they intercepted Herron four times and also recovered three fumbles, all of which were on Herron.

Next up for the Cats is the new kids on the Cy-Fair ISD block, the Bridgeland Bears. Let's take a look at Bridgeland!

The Enemy: Bridgeland Bears

First varsity season.

This is the first meeting between Cy Woods and Bridgeland. The Bears are the 30th team to take on Cy Woods.

These two schools have never played against each other at any level of football so this week's slate of games represents the first time that they will face each other in football, period.

Bridgeland season-to-date

W 48-19 vs. Waltrip
L 41-28 @ Stratford
W 40-32 vs. Cy Springs
L 52-10 @ Cy Ranch

The Bears got the real "welcome to 6A" treatment from Cy Ranch last Friday as they got walloped 52-10 in the Mustangs' Homecoming game. From the descriptions of this game, it sounded like big brother wanted to show little brother his place at the table.

Despite getting smacked for the first time as a program, Bridgeland still feels like it will have something to say when the playoff race truly gets going.

Players to Watch

Finn Nicholson - SOPH QB #8
Gavan Kaspar - SOPH RB #11
Dylan Goffney - SOPH WR #5
Connor Motsinger - SOPH LB #33
Charlie Moore - SOPH LB #41
Jack Grier - SOPH DB #24
Bryce McMorris - SOPH DB #4
Cameron Ball - JR DL #99
Oghenemine Imarah - SOPH DL #50
Brayden Amacker - SOPH DL #58

2¢ on Bridgeland

Cy-Fair ISD's newest high school embarks on its first season of varsity football under David Raffield. Coach Raffield led Cy Falls to a state championship game before a successful stint at A&M Consolidated, so he has certainly earned his status as one of the best coaches in Texas. In his return to the district, Coach Raffield is looking to build something really special at Bridgeland and he has some legitimate impact talent at the skill positions and almost all of them are sophomores.

Finn Nicholson and Gavan Kaspar form the Bears' backfield. Nicholson leads all quarterbacks in Cy-Fair ISD in passing yards and touchdowns. He has dual-threat capability but hasn't run much, most likely out of a need to keep him as fresh as possible for the next two seasons. Gavan Kaspar is the workhorse running back who's cooled off somewhat after an outstanding debut in which he scored four touchdowns on the ground. As that first game shows, however, he's a legitimate threat to score from anywhere.

Dylan Goffney is the Bears' #1 receiver and he has a great chance to emerge as their first high-profile recruit. He is also leading Cy-Fair ISD in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, so what this offense has been able to do in year one has been remarkable. The attention that Goffney will be commanding will open up chances for Tyler Stott on the opposite side and Atrevion Hunter in the slot. Kaspar has also turned into another option for Nicholson in the passing game.

Connor Motsinger has emerged as a leader for the Bridgeland defense. He reminds me a bit of Brayden Stringer, the star linebacker from Ranch who's now at Texas Tech. Jack Grier's two older brothers were receivers at Ranch, but he's forging his own path as a Bear. He and Weston Cadena will take charge in the secondary. Cameron Ball will anchor the defensive line and he's the one junior who will lead of a pack of sophomores such as Oghenemine Imarah, Brayden Amacker, and Garrett Hurley. Imarah and Amacker have quickly become disruptors in the trenches.

These Bears may just be cubs at the moment, but again, they haven't assumed their final form just yet. We'll be hearing plenty from this group over the next few years.


Sub-Varsity Game Information

Freshmen at Bridgeland, JV at Cy Woods. As always, game times are 4:30 and 6:30.

Special Note from the Booster Club

The Cy Woods Athletic Booster Club will be holding an event called the Fifth Quarter at Creekwood Grill following Saturday's game. Creekwood Grill is the building that used to be P.O.'s Burgers on Telge.

Location of Bridgeland High School