Sunday, October 11, 2020

Know the Enemy: Bridgeland Bears

2020 Regular Season, Week 4: Cypress Woods Wildcats @ Bridgeland Bears
District 16-6A Game #2
7:00 PM Friday, October 16, 2020
Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union Stadium

Photo courtesy: Tom Dendy, Phlox Photography/MaxPreps

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

The Wildcats kicked off District 16-6A play with a 34-29 victory over Cy Falls that... let's be honest, they were pretty fortunate to win because they dominated this game and let Falls hang around because they committed five turnovers and twelve penalties. 

Dylan Cormier threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 47 yards. Trayse Holmes put up his second 100-yard game of the season on 20 carries. Myles Johnson caught three passes for 136 yards and all three of his catches resulted in touchdowns; the first came from Cormier and the last two came on double passes from Trey Craft. 

Defensively, Dylan Rogers had seven tackles and a sack, while Riley Redgrave had five tackles and two forced fumbles.

Now, the Wildcats will face a massive test to close out the first half of their 2020 season. 

District 16-6A

Current Standings

1. Bridgeland (3-0, 1-0)
2. Cypress Park (2-1, 1-0)
3. Cypress Ranch (2-1, 1-0)
4. Cypress Woods (2-1, 1-0)
5. Langham Creek (1-2, 0-1)
6. Cypress Falls (0-3, 0-1)
7. Cypress Lakes (0-3, 0-1)
8. Cypress Springs (0-3, 0-1)

Week 3

Cypress Park 62, Cypress Springs 13
Cypress Ranch 56, Cypress Lakes 0
Bridgeland 42, Langham Creek 8
Cypress Woods 34, Cypress Falls 29

Week 4

Thursday, October 15
Cypress Lakes (0-3, 0-1) vs. Cypress Park (2-1, 1-0), 6:30 at CF-FCU

Friday, October 16
Bridgeland (3-0, 1-0) vs. Cypress Woods (2-1, 1-0), 7:00 at CF-FCU
Cypress Falls (0-3, 0-1) vs. Cypress Ranch (2-1, 1-0), 7:00 at Pridgeon

Saturday, October 17
Cypress Springs (0-3, 0-1) vs. Langham Creek (1-2, 0-1), 1:00 at CF-FCU

The Enemy: Bridgeland Bears

2019 Record: 8-3, 6-2 (3rd) in District 14-6A
Lost to Vandegrift 14-13 in 6A Division II, Region II Bi-district round

Bridgeland season-to-date

W 49-42 vs. Klein Cain
W 27-23 @ Shadow Creek
W 42-8 @ Langham Creek

The Bears overcame a slow start that included two Conner Weigman interceptions to blast Langham Creek 42-8 in their District 16-6A opener. Weigman shook that off and finished the game with touchdown passes to Hunter Wallis and Andrew Maleski; he also opened the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run.

All-Time Series

Woods leads 2-0.

Previous Meetings

September 27, 2019: Woods 20, Bridgeland 7
September 29, 2018: Woods 56, Bridgeland 14

Players to Watch

Connor Weigman - JR QB #15
Mason Culton - JR RB #27
Dylan Goffney - SR WR #5
Hunter Wallis - SR WR #19
Atrevion Hunter - SR WR #7
Dylan Crippen - SR TE #88
Gage Geaslin - SR OL #55
Mine Imarah - SR DL #50
Nathan Earle - JR DL #95
Connor Motsinger - SR LB #33
Roderick Gray - SR LB #44
Gavan Kaspar - SR DB #11
Bryce McMorris - SR DB #4
Kamren Amao - SR DB #21
Terrance Cullivan - JR DB #23
Jack Grier - SR DB #24

2¢ on Bridgeland

There's nothing really new to report about the Bridgeland Bears other than the fact that they graduated their first class last year. Despite that, most of the kids you've been hearing about the over the last two seasons are back and they are dead-set on seizing the District 16-6A crown. 

Conner Weigman's evolution into one of the top quarterbacks in the state of Texas is still ongoing and he can make any of his receivers look like superstars on any given night. He has now been fully unleashed and has made countless plays with his arm and his legs. Bridgeland packs one of the deepest receiver corps in the state and any of them can put up big numbers on any given night. And to think... Weigman has done all this damage without Dylan Goffney at his disposal. Goffney has missed the first three games due to injury but there's a chance he could be activated for this game that bears significant implications on the playoff and district title race. Mason Culton came on strong late last season and is the Bears' feature back. He's also made himself a factor in the receiving game as well. Gage Geaslin is the anchor of an excellent offensive line. 

Oghenemine Imarah has turned into a disruptive force on the edge in his three years with the Bears. But the real strength of Bridgeland's defense lies in their skill players, where they possess an excellent group of linebackers led by Conner Motsinger, Roderick Gray, Daniel Grisbee, Logan Gartside, and Charlie Moore. And just like their counterparts on offense, the Bears boast a deep and talented secondary that's arguably the best in the district (Ranch probably has something to say about that) and is certainly one of the top units in the city. Gavan Kaspar, Kamren Amao, Bryce McMorris, Terrance Cullivan, and Jack Grier are all battle-tested veterans and they all play with the edge that is expected of two/three-year lettermen.

Is this their final form? With one year of Weigman left, maybe not. But with all the talent they possess right now, Bridgeland feels that 2020 is the year that they ascend to elite status.

Will defeating this team be a tall order? Yes, but then again, last year Woods entered their matchup with Bridgeland in the exact same position: with an unconvincing victory over a not-good team. Bridgeland, on the other hand, seemingly feels like they're on top of the world after taking down a team that's in a similar situation as they are (Klein Cain), hitting the road and beating a defending state champion in Shadow Creek, and then cruising to a win to start district play. 

One thing's for certain, though: it will take a monumental effort to take this budding juggernaut down again. As inconsistent as they've played, I know the Wildcats will be up for this challenge.

Last Time These Two Teams Met

With first place in District 14-6A on the line, Cy Woods turned in a masterclass on defense as they stifled the vaunted Bridgeland offense in a 20-7 victory that seemed more lopsided than the final score suggested. This game also featured probably the Wildcats' worst offensive performance of the year. Twice they lost fumbles deep in Bridgeland territory and they were also stopped on fourth and goal early in the game. However, the defense stepped up to keep the best offense they faced (to that point) off the scoreboard for almost the entire game.

Sub-Varsity Game Information

JV at Woods, freshmen at Bridgeland. Game times, as always, are 4:30 and 6:30 on Thursday. In the event that only one game will be played, it will take place at 5:30.

Location of Bridgeland High School


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