1:00 PM Saturday, October 26, 2019
Ken Pridgeon Stadium
Photo by Tom Dendy
Previously on Cy Woods Football...
The Cypress Woods Wildcats clinched a playoff berth with a 31-15 victory over Cy Springs. This win came at a huge cost as Jackson Jones left the game with an injury. JaVarian Stewart ran for 65 yards and a touchdown while Amari McDonald had a 53-yard touchdown catch.
The Cats come into this game with victories over three of the four teams that have been pursuing them this season. Ranch is the fourth and final team that's on their tail. This is Woods' last shot for a signature win in the 2019 regular season. Unfortunately, they're going to have to find a way to win this game against a team they have not beaten in six years without their starting quarterback. Fun times!
Although Jackson's injury is a massive loss, the Cats are going to have to roll into this game against a hated rival with whoever they have at their disposal. If Christian Scott has to play quarterback... well, he's gonna have to. All hands on deck now.
District 14-6A
Current Standings
The current top four teams are in italics. Teams in bold have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have been stricken through have been eliminated or are on the verge of getting eliminated from playoff contention.
1. Cypress Woods (6-2, 6-0) - DI lock
2. Tomball Memorial (6-1, 4-1) - DII lock3. Cypress Ranch (5-2, 4-1) - DII if Lakes qualifies
4. Bridgeland (6-2, 4-2) - DII if they qualify
5. Cypress Lakes (4-4, 3-3) - DI if they qualify6. Cypress Park (2-5, 2-3)
Week 8 Results
Thursday, October 17
Cypress Park 34, Bryan 24
Friday, October 18
Bridgeland 29, Langham Creek 0
Saturday, October 19
Cypress Woods 31, Cypress Springs 15
Tomball Memorial 73, Cypress Lakes 70
I can confirm that the score of that TMHS/Lakes game is indeed real because I was there. I didn't think I would ever see a quarterback be responsible for ten touchdowns and still end up on the losing side. Even though Tomball Memorial escaped, Sofian Massoud just might have found the next level he needed to find in order to carry Lakes to the playoffs.
Week 9 Schedule
Bye: Bridgeland (6-2, 4-2)
Friday, October 25
Langham Creek (1-6, 1-4) vs. Cypress Lakes (4-4, 3-3), 7:00 at Cy-Fair FCU Stadium
Bryan (1-6, 0-5) vs. Cypress Springs (0-7, 0-5), 7:00 at Merrill Green Stadium
Tomball Memorial (6-1, 4-1) vs. Cypress Park (2-5, 2-3), 7:00 at Tomball ISD Stadium
Saturday, October 26
Cypress Woods (6-2, 6-0) vs. Cypress Ranch (5-2, 4-1), 1:00 at Pridgeon Stadium
District 13-6A
1. Vandegrift (8-0, 6-0) - Safe DII
2. Stony Point (7-1, 5-1) - DI if Vista Ridge qualifies
3. Round Rock (6-2, 4-2) - DI lock
4. Vista Ridge (6-2, 4-2) - DII lock
5. Cedar Ridge (3-4, 2-3) - DI lock if they qualify
6. Westwood (3-4, 2-3)
Week 8 Results
In the two games to watch, Vista Ridge beat Cedar Ridge 49-42 on a hail mary as time expired and Round Rock beat Stony Point 34-31 in overtime.
Friday, October 18
Vista Ridge 49, Cedar Ridge 42
Round Rock 34, Stony Point 31
Vandegrift 42, Westwood 17
McNeil 28, Leander 3
Week 9 Schedule
Bye: Vandegrift
Thursday, October 24
McNeil vs. Stony Point
Friday, October 25
Vista Ridge vs. Hendrickson
Westwood vs. Leander
Round Rock vs. Cedar Ridge
And now, a look at the rest of Region II.
9-6A - Collin County: Allen beat Dallas Jesuit 58-33. The other Division I representative from this district is yet to be determined. Right now, it is Plano, who defeated Plano East 42-20 last week.
10-6A - Garland ISD + Wylie: No change from last week; the two Division I representatives out of 10-6A would still be Rowlett and Sachse. There is now a four-way tie for first as Rowlett, Sachse, Lakeview Centennial, and Wylie all have 3-1 records in district.
11-6A - Northeast Metroplex + Tyler and Longview: No change from last week; Rockwall and Mesquite are both sitting at 3-1, but they took contrasting paths to get there. The Yellowjackets hammered North Mesquite while the Skeeters needed a touchdown in the last ten seconds to snatch a victory from Tyler Lee's grasp.
Mesquite is on shakier ground, however; their final two games are against Rockwall and Longview. They lost to Horn, who will close out with North Mesquite and Tyler Lee.
12-6A - Central Texas: No change from last week; it's still Shoemaker and Harker Heights. Shoemaker knocked off Waco 42-31, while Harker Heights pulled off one of the bigger upsets in the state last week when they traveled to Midway and won 17-14, snapping the Panthers' 37-game winning streak in district play. Both teams, along with Midway, have four wins in district so far.
13 and 14 - see above
15-6A - Klein/Conroe: The Woodlands beat Conroe 31-16 so they are currently the #1 seed in Division I while Conroe would be the #2 seed. This loss puts Conroe in a tie for fourth with Klein Cain at 3-2. However, the Tigers won 58-55 when they met last month. Cain would be a Division II lock if they qualified and they would move Klein Oak to Division I. Conroe has a tough matchup with Klein Collins up next and they finish out with Klein Forest and Oak Ridge. Cain has Oak Ridge, College Park, and Klein Oak remaining on their schedule.
16-6A - Spring/Aldine: The four-way tie at 2-1 has been broken. Spring is currently one of the Division I representatives; the other team is still yet to be determined as Davis is now in a three-way tie for fourth with MacArthur and Eisenhower at 2-2. Ike is a Division II lock and they would move Westfield into Division I should they qualify for the playoffs. MacArthur and Davis are the two largest schools in 16-6A. Spring holds the tiebreaker over Davis. Ike and Davis play this week; MacArthur beat Ike 32-29 three weeks ago.
Last week, Westfield smacked MacArthur 49-6, Spring clobbered Aldine 68-0, while Davis fell to Dekaney 58-28. This week, Spring plays Dekaney and MacArthur takes on Nimitz.
The Enemy: Cypress Ranch Mustangs
2018 Record: 11-1, 8-0 (1st) in District 14-6A
Lost 24-17 to Westfield in 6A Division II, Region II Area round
Cypress Ranch season-to-date
W 44-3 @ Cinco Ranch
L 35-7 vs. Westlake
W 55-7 vs. Langham Creek
L 48-14 @ Bridgeland
W 34-31 vs. Cypress Lakes
W 24-14 @ Cypress Park
W 59-13 vs. Cypress Springs
The Mustangs had an extra week to prepare for this game as last week was their bye week.
Cy Ranch leads 6-3.
Previous Meetings
October 27, 2018: Ranch 45, Woods 21
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 - SR QB #10
D.J. Ciers - JR QB #8
Elias Pino - SR ATH #1
Willie Eldridge - SR RB #5
Kameron Burton - SOPH RB #24
Kobe Banks - SR WR #4
Drake Dabney - SR TE/WR #89
Logan Stiba - SR DL #40
Christian Richards - SR LB #27
Orlando Thibodeaux - JR LB #38
Landen Nowak - JR LB #45
Robin Neely - JR DB #7
Romario Noel - JR DB #18
2¢ on Ranch
Cy Ranch is now under new management. Longtime nemesis Gene Johnson has departed for Waller and in steps Sean McAuliffe. Before he got the Ranch job, Coach McAuliffe was the head coach at Converse Judson, which has been one of the standard-bearing programs of the San Antonio area for decades.
When the 'Stangs got absolutely clobbered by Bridgeland, we were all wondering whether that game would signal the end of their reign of terror. The next week, they looked completely beaten for three quarters against Lakes before coming back to snatch the win and the week after that, they beat Park in rather unconvincing fashion. Now, they look like they've righted the ship after beating down a winless Cy Springs team, which honestly, was something that they were expected to do.
Although this is no longer the Ranch that was consistently ranked among the state's elite teams, there's still plenty of fight left in the old horse, make no mistake. Best believe that they're going to be up for this one. Again, although they may not be among the elite, the road to a district title still goes through them. They're not just going to hand the crown over to Woods; the Cats better expect to have to take it. The Mustangs have played with fire this year and they've been begging to get burned. Let's oblige their request.
The Mustangs return probably the best collection of offensive skill players they've ever had. They did have to endure the absence of Logan McDougald for the first half of this season, but he's back now. D.J. Ciers commandeered the offense effectively in McDougald's absence and the quarterback spot has essentially turned into a platoon. Ciers' ability to run gives the Mustang offense another wrinkle to throw at the Cats while McDougald is the cooler head who keeps them composed when he's on the field.
Willie Eldridge and Elias Pino, their two-headed monster at running back, also return. Instead of splitting time in the backfield, they've both been on the field at the same time more than ever. Kameron Burton, a sophomore, has now emerged as the next running back in line for the Mustangs, who just seem to churn out at least one good tailback a year. Pino, on the other hand, has spent more time as a slot receiver this year and that makes an already dynamic player more dangerous. Kobe Banks is another burner on the outside. Drake Dabney has become more than a reliable target for Ciers and McDougald; he's become their top threat in the passing game and as a tight end playing receiver, he presents a matchup problem.
Ranch had some rebuilding to do defensively, but they still possess plenty of talent at all three levels and their front seven should be as salty as ever. They boast a deep defensive line led by Logan Stiba and Devante Keys at the end spots. Jacob Cooksey, Blane Channel, and Chibuikem "Chibi" Nwajuaku have all stepped up to contribute. Christian Richards leads the linebackers; Landen Nowak and Orlando Thibodeaux are two juniors who have emerged as playmakers and they've also seen Alex Garcia and Jonovan Dennis, a couple of sophomores, step up as well. Christian Brathwaite, the only freshman on the Mustangs' roster, hasn't featured a whole lot, but he's earned some experience through special teams; he's certainly one to watch for the future. Their top defensive backs are all juniors; Robin Neely leads the district in interceptions from his safety spot. Romario Noel is a Division I talent who recently committed to Baylor. Xavier Watson and Rodrick Edwards round out the secondary and they're all solid hitters.
Last Time These Two Teams Met
I have no recollection of this game.
(Ranch won 45-21)
They've written the last five chapters of this rivalry. What happened back then doesn't matter when you finally get the chance to put your hands on them this Saturday. It's time for Cy Woods to write the next chapter in the book.
Sub-Varsity Game Information
Freshmen at Woods, JV at Ranch. Game times are 4:30 and 6:30.
Location of Cypress Ranch High School
Special Note
This is the second and final year of the current district configuration. In 2020, the biennial realignment will take place. On Friday, the UIL will conduct a process that they call "Snapshot Day," which is essentially one massive attendance check of every high school in the state of Texas. Snapshot Day is the first phase of realignment and it ultimately determines the classification that a school will be assigned to for matters of UIL competition, which of course includes athletics.
As Cy-Fair ISD is one of the largest school districts in Texas, we all know that all 12 high schools in the district will be placed in Class 6A, the largest classification. The question is... who will be sharing districts with them? The Region III portion has shared it with Spring Branch the last two years, while the Region II district has featured Bryan and Tomball Memorial. Come February, we could see either the status quo being maintained or another shake-up. Maybe the schools will switch regions. Who even knows what the UIL has in store?
Well, we'll have to wait until February to see how things shake out.
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