Photo by Tom Dendy
Link to photos for this game
The buzz surrounding the Cy Woods community as they prepared for their first playoff appearance since 2014 was palpable.
Unfortunately, this year's playoff run lasted one game as the Round Rock Dragons escaped the Berry Center with a 56-49 victory. In a game replete with twists and wild momentum shifts, the Wildcats would ultimately fall short.
A few too many mistakes and the Dragons had a few more plays go their way. As Mrs. McGown always used to say, "it is what it is." The Cats showed great poise coming back from multiple two-score deficits throughout the course of this game and fought valiantly, but in the end, they couldn't get the stops they needed as Dragon quarterback Ryan O'Keefe gashed them all afternoon. There might have been a few jitters coming from playing in a game of this magnitude for the first time in a while.
There's no worse feeling than having someone come into your house, onto your field, and coming away with the victory. Your home field was desecrated by the enemy. That should absolutely feel like a hard slap to your collective faces. Remember this game when you host Spring and Tomball Memorial at whichever Cy-Fair ISD stadium they're slated to visit in 2019. Remember this game when whichever District 13-6A team comes to Cypress for the bi-district game. Know that you must always protect your house.
This still feels like an extremely fresh wound, so I don't think that I can talk about this game in detail. The only thing that anyone needs to know about this game is that Cy Woods lost and their season is over.
Even now, almost ten years later, the mood for me is always somber when another Cy Woods football season comes to a close. Fortunately, I can take solace in the fact that once spring begins, everyone starts from square one. I've also realized that it's better for me to say less, as I know that nothing I say to these seniors will be able to take away the pain of realizing that a chapter of their lives has officially come to a close. I only hope that what I say can mollify this pain.
To the Class of 2019... the amount of work that you put in to restore the culture of this program cannot be understated. You saw firsthand how bad things could get when you were sophomores. As seniors, you led Cy Woods football back to the playoffs and this is how you will be remembered.
Class of 2020... this is your team now. This year, the seniors essentially reset the bar after it completely fell off. What will you do to raise it?
Bowing out of the playoffs in the first round is a feeling that is completely foreign to Cy Woods football. But, every team that has ever made the playoffs in this state has experienced such bitterness at least once in their history. This pain isn't unique. Don't wallow over this, use it as motivation.
Sophomores and freshmen... you've felt the thrill of a playoff run. You've seen your senior brothers put in a tremendous amount of work over these last three years just to get Cy Woods back to this stage. How will you help your brothers in the class of 2020 maintain this momentum and when it is your turn to inherit this team, what will you do to ensure that Cy Woods remains a playoff fixture for years to come?
Statistics
From Varsity Wires.
If there is any solace that Carson Danner can take from this game, it is the fact that he has set a new Cy Woods single-season record for rushing yards with 1,141. The previous record was 1,118, which was set by R.J. Harmon in 2014.
Looking Ahead
It's the offseason. Fortunately, it will be slightly shorter than the last three. I'll be updating the stats and whatnot and maybe I'll be out at other Cy Woods sporting events throughout the winter and spring.
With kids like Chase Richter, Tylan Foster, Cam Sowell, Jackson Jones, Jason Christenson, Buster Cohrs, and Christian Scott all returning, there should be plenty of buzz surrounding the Cypress Woods Wildcats in 2019. But like I said... what will they do to raise the bar that has now been reset?
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