1:00 PM Saturday, October 27, 2018
Cy-Fair FCU Stadium
Photo by Tom Dendy
The Cypress Woods Wildcats made short work of Cy Springs with a 36-7 victory that secured their first winning season since 2014. Cameron Sowell caught two touchdown passes and Carson Danner ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats won their fifth game in a row.
Next up... the rivalry game.
Alright, Cats. You've had this game circled on the calendar since the schedule came out. You said you wanted Ranch. You've waited a year to get your hands on them.
Well... now it's time. Are you going to be the ones who will write the next chapter in this rivalry? Or are you going to let them write one for the fifth consecutive year? No team has beaten Cy Woods five years in a row. That's one of the things at stake in this game, along with the Wildcats' five-game winning streak.
Before we take a look at the Stangs, here is a current look at the District 14-6A picture, and also, a look at District 13-6A as well.
District 14-6A
Current playoff teams in italics. A team that's been stricken has been eliminated from playoff contention. I think it might be safe to eliminate Springs, Bridgeland, and Park from the picture.
I believe that the winner of this game and Tomball Memorial can clinch playoff spots with wins this week. If Cy Woods continues to occupy a playoff position at season's end, their path will not change: they will be the #1 seed for the district in the Division I bracket as they are (1) the largest school in District 14-6A by enrollment and (2) they own the tiebreakers over Cy Lakes and Langham Creek by winning the head-to-head matchups.
1. Cy Ranch (7-0, 5-0)
2. Cy Woods (6-2, 5-1)
3. Tomball Memorial (6-1, 4-1)
4. Langham Creek (3-4, 3-2)
5. Cy Lakes (4-4, 3-3)
6. Bryan (3-4, 2-3)
Last Week in District 14-6A
No shockers here... the teams that were expected to win all won.
Bye: Cy Ranch
Friday
Cy Woods 36, Cy Springs 7
Bryan 42, Cy Park 7
Tomball Memorial 28, Cy Lakes 14
Saturday
Langham Creek 53, Bridgeland 13
This Week in District 14-6A
Bye: Bridgeland
Thursday
Cy Springs vs. Bryan, 7:00 at CF-FCU
Cy Park vs. Tomball Memorial, 7:00 at Pridgeon
Friday
Cy Lakes vs. Langham Creek, 7:00 at CF-FCU
Saturday
Cy Ranch vs. Cy Woods, 1:00 at CF-FCU
Friday's game between Lakes and Langham will essentially decide the final playoff spot in District 14-6A. The math hasn't officially eliminated Bryan yet but taking down Ranch and Woods to finish the season may be too tall of an order.
Now, let's look at the other half of the bi-district pairing in District 13.
District 13-6A
District 13-6A consists of schools from Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD, and one Pflugerville school (Hendrickson).
Vandegrift sits atop the district and they have a bye this week. They'll be the #1 seed in the Division II bracket. The other three playoff spots are all up in the air since Cedar Ridge and Round Rock are both tied at 4-1 while Pflugerville Hendrickson and McNeil are both sitting at 3-2. Stony Point finds themselves on the outside looking in and although the math hasn't officially eliminated them yet, they will also need a few miracles to steal a playoff spot.
1. Vandegrift (8-0, 6-0)
2. Cedar Ridge (5-2, 4-1)
3. Round Rock (5-2, 4-1)
4. Hendrickson (4-2, 3-2)
5. McNeil (4-3, 3-2)
6. Stony Point (4-3, 2-3)
Bye: Vandegrift
Stony Point vs. McNeil
Hendrickson vs. Vista Ridge
Leander vs. Westwood
Cedar Ridge vs. Round Rock
The Enemy: Cypress Ranch Mustangs
2017 Record: 8-3, 7-2 (2nd) in District 17-6A
Lost 55-7 to Katy in 6A Division I, Region III area round
Cy Ranch season-to-date
W 32-21 vs. Cinco Ranch
W 25-21 @ Austin Westlake
W 31-24 vs. Langham Creek
W 52-10 vs. Bridgeland
W 45-14 @ Cy Lakes
W 51-10 vs. Cy Park
W 56-14 @ Cy Springs
The Mustangs were off last week.
All-Time Series
Ranch leads 5-3.
Previous Meetings
November 11, 2017: Ranch 21, Woods 17
November 4, 2016: Ranch 52, Woods 13
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
Players to Watch
Logan McDougald - JR QB #10
Willie Eldridge - JR RB #5
Elias Pino - JR RB #11
Justin Carmouche - SR RB #1
C.J. Hardy - SR WR #2
Jarred Jones - SR DL #94
Travis Arey - SR LB #33
Christian Richards - JR LB #27
Gerard McKnight - SR LB #16
Rance McInnis - SR DB #7
Grant Saracene - SR DB #15
Keaton Dickey - SR DB #26
2¢ on Ranch
Before I begin...
Although it hasn't been as heated as it was at the beginning of the decade, if you think that the enmity between these two schools has been extinguished... you'd be surprised. In the coming years, however, Bridgeland will definitely be a bigger target for Ranch's ire. Many of the kids on both sides of this rivalry have friends who go to the other school so quite a few friendships will be put on hold for this week...
The Mustangs were favored to challenge for the district championship with Langham Creek entering this season, but they left the Lobos in the dust a long time ago. They managed to escape Austin with a win over Westlake, who lest we forget, was a semifinal team from last year. Then, they proceeded to stun Langham with two touchdowns in the last 45 seconds or something like that to open up district play.
Lucky? Sure. But good teams can manufacture their own luck. Great teams capitalize on every break they get and that's what Ranch has been doing for years. The Mustangs have taken the Cy-Fair formula and have run it as well as, and at times even better, than the Bobcats.
The running game takes center stage for the Mustangs with the tandem of Elias Pino and Willie Eldridge. Pino was the Offensive Newcomer of the year in District 17-6A last season. Justin Carmouche's emergence gives Ranch another weapon in the backfield. Logan McDougald is a dependable quarterback and he's taken full control of the reins in his first full season as a varsity player. C.J. Hardy is the Mustangs' top receiver by far and he can make some big plays out wide. Keep an eye out for Edwin Smith, though. He's a 6-5 sophomore who has huge upside.
The one thing that stands out about Ranch's defense is that they not only have playmakers at all three levels, but they have tremendous depth at each level as well. Anyone who steps in on defense for them can make plays.
Jarred Jones is a disruptor in the trenches. Blane Channel got a taste of the varsity level as a freshman and he's emerged as a starter in his sophomore year. Logan Stiba and Devante Keys have become key role players on the defensive line.
Gerard McKnight has shown a penchant for blowing up plays in the backfield as he leads District 14-6A in tackles for loss and sacks. McKnight has solid support with Travis Arey, Chris Lane, Brett Wilson, and Christian Richards.
Rance McInnis is a three-year starter in the Ranch secondary and is the leader of a deep and talented group that also features Urijah Morrow, Nick Sanchez, Marquis Watson, Grant Saracene, and Keaton Dickey. Saracene is also a serious threat in the return game as he's returned three punts for touchdowns this season.
Dickey, a move-in who has become yet another playmaker for the Ranch defense, has football ingrained in his blood. His grandfather, Eldridge Dickey, was the first African-American quarterback to be selected in the first round of an AFL or an NFL draft when the Raiders, who were in the AFL at the time, selected him 25th overall in 1968.
Last Time These Two Teams Met
A couple of touchdown passes from Logan McDougald in the second half sunk the Wildcats on the final day of the 2017 season as Cy Ranch came away victorious in the series for the fourth straight year, winning this one by a final of 21-17. This was yet another game in 2017 in which Cy Woods emerged victorious in everything... except the final score. A missed field goal in the final 1:30 gave the Wildcats a chance to possibly steal this game, but it was not to be.
Jackson Jones ran for 100 yards on 29 carries. Jacob Kainer fired a 99-yard touchdown pass to Jack Barrientez on the first play of the game.
Forget everything that has happened over the last four years. The only thing that matters is what happens after 1:00 on Saturday. I've said it before and I'll say it again... rivalry history only matters for 364 days a year. The day of the game is different. Who will write the next chapter in this book?
Sub-Varsity Game Information
Freshmen at Ranch, JV at Cy Woods. Game times are 4:30 and 6:30 on Thursday. Cy Ranch has one JV team, so the JV Gold team will play Klein at 4:30.
Location of Cypress Ranch High School
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