Photo courtesy of Phlox Photography.
Click here to view all photos from this game.
The Cypress Woods Wildcats saw their 2019 season end in the Area round of the Texas High School Football Playoffs as they fell 34-28 in triple overtime to The Woodlands. In all my years around this team as a player and now as a fan, this is one of the two toughest losses that I've seen Cy Woods football take.
The Woodlands was on their third-string quarterback. The Cats looked as if they were in control of this one throughout the first half. They forced a fumble to kick the Highlanders off the field to start the second half. The Woodlands' all-world kicker/punter, Fabrizio Pinton, somehow couldn't get a punt off late and the Cats took over at the ten-yard line. Jackson broke a 14-14 tie with a touchdown with less than four minutes to go. Pinton missed what could have been the game-winning 45-yard field goal as time expired in regulation. Chris Agnew got his hands on a 49-yarder from Pinton in the second overtime and gave the Cats a chance to win.
And yet... this game somehow slipped away.
Ten years later, I always feel somber when a Cy Woods football season comes to an end. This one is definitely going to hurt for a while, though.
You never want to see a group of seniors go out with a loss in their final football game. It's truly one of the hardest and most cruel lessons that a 17/18-year-old kid has to learn: sometimes life doesn't give you that storybook ending. Like Mrs. McGown always said, "it is what it is." Now, that statement is certainly true, but... these kids deserved so much better than going out in the second round of the playoffs in their senior year. I've been known to say "they deserve better" with varying degrees of sincerity, but with these kids, I really, truly mean that.
When this group entered Cy Woods, this program wound up hitting rock bottom. I'm sure that Christian Scott, Jackson Jones, Cam Sowell, Tylan Foster, and Jason Christenson weren't expecting to have to contribute to a rebuilding project.
Jackson, Christian, Cam, and Tevis Adams were the first four to make varsity and eventually, Chase Richter, Jason, Ty, Jakob Jones, Colton Morris, Reagan Simmons, and Kahlil Robinson would join them. They did their part in helping the Cats end a playoff drought as juniors and ultimately, when it was their turn to carry the torch as seniors, the time and effort they invested into this program over these last four years culminated in the first district title for Cy Woods football in nine years and the first playoff victory in five years.
Nothing I say can take away the pain of this loss, and I'm usually awful at trying to console people, but I hope that this at least lessens that pain you feel. Personally, the Class of 2020 has been my favorite group to cover since I started chronicling the history of Cy Woods football five years ago. This is a group that saw it all in their four years: the worst season ever as freshmen. Narrowly missing out on the playoffs as sophomores. Finally getting back into the playoffs as juniors and leaving as district champions as seniors.
It's been a pleasure watching you guys grow up and progress through this program over these last four years and I'm truly grateful to each and every one of you for giving me the opportunity to tell your story as Cypress Woods Wildcat football players.
Box Score
The box score, as always, is provided by Varsity Wires.
Well, that's all from me for 2019. The 2020 season starts now and if there's any solace to be had, at least this offseason is a little bit shorter than the last one.
I'll be back in 2020, ready to write the next chapter of this story that is Cypress Woods Wildcats football. Trayse Holmes, Jeshurun Williams, Braden Barrett, and Chris Agnew are the four veterans of this group and they are going to be counted on to serve as leaders going into their fourth and final year as Wildcat football players. Two of their classmates, Tyler Sherrill and Ty Van Atta, both emerged as key players in their first varsity seasons and they will also have leadership roles to assume. Michael Fernandez had a tough night in this one, but he's shown that he can nail kicks when he's been summoned. They'll have a solid supporting cast returning, but who else from the sub-varsity ranks will step up?
Ja'Varian Stewart showed flashes of his potential brilliance as he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Duke Leonard got a taste of the big leagues but next year will be his turn to step up alongside Tyler and Chris. Sam Myers, Dylan Rogers, Juan Rojas, and Max Nowak all got to experience the exhilaration of the playoffs and the high tension that comes with it in their first year of high school. They provided a glimpse of what the future could hold for Cy Woods football. With Trajan Armstrong, the primary punter, graduating, this could open up a door for Max to contribute in 2020. Sam, Dylan, and Juan are probably three of the ten best prospects in the Cy Woods system and we'll definitely hear plenty from them in the coming years.
Well, Class of 2021... how will you be remembered?
I'll close out with one musical selection. It's from one of my all-time favorite groups, Epik High. They're a trio of rappers from Korea. One of the members dedicated this song to his daughter, but the outro is particularly poignant as it symbolizes the end of a journey. In this context, it's the end of a journey for the Class of 2020 as they conclude their time as Wildcat football players.
"Uphill and downhill.
Time to take off our old shoes.
Footprints and the beaten paths.
We leave in shoeboxes."
- Epik High, "Shoebox"
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