Part 5 of this 7-part series of the history of Cy Woods Wildcats football takes a look at the 2012 team.
Summary
Record: 4-6 (4-5, 7th in District 17-5A)
Points scored: 296 (29.6 per game)
Points allowed: 321 (32.1 per game)
Largest margin of victory: 50, vs. Cy Lakes (63-13)
Largest margin of defeat: 33, vs. Cy Ridge (54-21)
Most points scored: 63, vs. Cy Lakes
Most points allowed: 54, vs. Cy Ridge
Fewest points scored: 10, vs. Cy Falls
Fewest points allowed: 13 twice, vs. Cy Lakes and Cy Springs
No records set.
Statistical Leaders (per Houston Chronicle)
Passing: Mason Roberts, 49-99 (49.5%), 580 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Mason Roberts, 85 carries, 510 yards (6 per carry), 7 TD (Egbezien Obiomon scored 8 TDs)
Receiving: Trent Holmes, 27 rec, 302 yards, 2 TD
Interceptions: 4 tied with 1
Schedule and Results
Week 1: L 35-14 @ Klein Collins (BBVA Compass Stadium)
Week 2: L 32-31 vs. Langham Creek (Homecoming @ Pridgeon)
Week 3: L 54-21 @ Cy Ridge (Berry)
Week 4: W 63-13 vs. Cy Lakes (Pridgeon)
Week 5: W 48-13 @ Cy Springs (Berry)
Week 6: L 49-20 @ Cy-Fair (Pridgeon)
Week 7: W 40-37 (OT) vs. Cy Ranch (Pridgeon)
Week 8: L 35-10 @ Cy Falls (Pridgeon)
Week 9: L 39-14 vs. Cy Creek (Pridgeon)
Week 10: W 35-14 @ Jersey Village (Pridgeon)
The Rundown
The Katy game proved to be the swan song of head coach David Jones' tenure at Cy Woods. In February, Coach Jones left to become the new head coach at Tivy High School in Kerrville. Taking his place was former Cy Creek defensive coordinator Trent Faith.
Year 1 of the Coach Faith era was a struggle, to say the least. The Cats dropped their first 3 games and never found anything resembling consistency, missing the playoffs for the first time in team history. The offense that seemingly put up points at will in its first 4 seasons had its moments, but never seemed to string their good performances together, and the explosiveness was just gone. The defense... struggled all season.
After seeing some time alongside Gabe West last season, Nate German assumed the reins of the offense. However, his season ended after 4 games after he underwent surgery on his shoulder. As a result, Mason Roberts took over and was joined by Nick Hooper at the QB spot. Both began the season as wideouts. Trent Holmes, Egbezien "EB" Obiomon, and Samuel Stewart were the feature backs. Chase Ragusa was the top returning receiver, and he was accompanied by Roberts, Hooper, seniors Jake Seaboch and David Burrell, and sophomore Zac Duncan. Jordan Woodward was the lone holdover from the previous year's offensive line. Brett Bryan, Jamal Kinard, and Trevor Rogas were converts from defense, and Mohammad El-Zibdeh, Robert Bruges, Logan Riordan, and Logan Wright also saw time on the O-line.
On defense, Marquise White returned to anchor the defensive line. He was joined by Jordan Cipriani, Stephen Thompson, Jordan Jones, Justyn Johnson, Jeremy Orange, and Brent Hernandez. Deoundrei Davis, who ended up signing with The University of Texas, led the linebackers, although he would be lost for the season due to a torn ACL. Also seeing significant time at the linebacker spots were Nick Csatlos, Taylor Holmes, Ayman Elayyan, Jordan Johnson, and Dimitri Smith. Alfred "Bama" Pullom, who signed with Baylor, was the leader of the secondary, and he was joined by Andrew Pruitt, Xavier Banks, and Miles Ogunyomade.
Regular Season
Chapter 5 began on September 1, 2012. The venue was BBVA Compass Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo. This was the first neutral-site regular season game in Cy Woods history. The opponents for that night were Tigers, again. Only this time, they were a little closer. The Cats matched up against the Klein Collins Tigers. This game was actually rather close, as EB Obiomon tied the game at 14 with an 11-yard TD run midway through the 3rd. However, the Cats were doomed to a season-opening 35-14 defeat as Collins scored 21 unanswered points to close out the game.
District play kicked off with Homecoming V at Pridgeon against Langham Creek. They were in an 18-0 hole early on, but a 31-7 surge put them in front. The Cats got 2 TD runs from Nate German and 1 apiece from Trent Holmes and Mason Roberts. However, they couldn't hold off the final Lobo surge, as they gave up the go-ahead score with 2:33 to go. And, as a result, the Wildcats fell to 3-2 on Homecoming with the 32-31 loss.
The next game was against Cy Ridge, and..... ugh. The Cats were absolutely steamrolled, falling behind 44-7 at halftime on their way to a 54-21 loss. No further comment.
No Wildcat team has ever lost their first 3 games to open a season. However, the schedule would provide a brief break in the form of Cy Lakes and Cy Springs.
The Cats absolutely stomped the Spartans, going up 56-0 at halftime as they won their first game of the Coach Faith era, 63-13. Mason Roberts ran for 69 yards on 6 carries and scored 3 times. He also tossed a 65-yard TD pass to Trent Holmes.
The following week, they ruined Cy Springs' homecoming with a 48-13 victory. Mason had another solid game as he threw for 183 yards and 2 scores (both to Zac Duncan) and ran for 98 more, which included a 28-yard TD. EB Obiomon had 142 yards on 9 carries and had a 7-yard TD run in the 3rd.
So, the Cats had some positive momentum built up for this incredibly tough stretch that faced them. Did they have a late surge in them? Unfortunately......................
Sad times. Sad times indeed.
The Cats were locked into a tight battle against Cy-Fair and trailed 21-20 at halftime. Unfortunately, they came undone in the 2nd half and got swamped 28-0 over the final 24 minutes on their way to a 49-20 loss.
Next up, Woods rekindled their rivalry with that school on Fry. And that was an absolutely epic encounter. After a scoreless 1st quarter, business picked up as the Cats blocked a field goal.
On the ensuing Wildcat possession One play later, Mason Roberts opened up the scoring with an 88-yard TD run. The Mustangs thought they had him, but then again, they thought they heard a whistle. Mason didn't and scampered all the way to the house. Just 2 minutes later, Mason found Samuel Stewart for a 33-yard touchdown pass. Both teams were tied at 13 at halftime. Trent Holmes put the Cats on the board first in the 2nd half with a 3-yard touchdown run, but Ranch hit back for 17 unanswered and led 30-20 in the final stanza.
With Mason out of commission, Nick Hooper slid over to the QB spot for the 2nd half. He found Trent Holmes on a pass, and Holmes did the rest. He ran 80 yards and slashed the Mustang lead to 3 with just over 7 minutes to go in regulation. Nick put the Cats on top 34-30 as he basically strolled in untouched from 3 yards.
Nick Hooper coming through in the clutch!
The Mustangs re-took the lead with 97 seconds left in the game as Keith Ford ran one in from 11 yards out, but the last-gasp effort for the Cats was successful as Chase McLaughlin kicked his way into Wildcat football lore. He tied the game with a 42-yarder as the clock struck zero! And so, the Cats would play an overtime game for the first time ever.
It didn't take long for Chase to cement his place there. After the Mustangs missed their shot in OT, Chase sent the Wildcat faithful home in absolute jubilation by nailing a 26-yarder in Woods' half of overtime. The Cats took the series lead with a 40-37 victory.
The Kick
Unfortunately, all the good feelings and all that good stuff from that win went up in smoke as the Cats were pummeled 35-10 by Cy Falls. Zac Duncan had a 17-yard TD run in the 3rd quarter. It didn't get any better against Cy Creek, as the Cougars condemned them to a year without playoff football after a 39-14 thrashing. The Cats only had 151 yards of total offense, according to the Chronicle. Nick Hooper caught a 12-yard TD pass from Mason, and Nick Csatlos had a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown.
In the season finale, the Wildcats took on Jersey Village in a game that had zero significance, other than deciding which team would finish the season above the other in the standings. On a beautiful November afternoon, EB Obiomon, who is now playing at West Point, went out with a great game as he rushed for 72 yards on 12 carries and 3 scores. After the Falcons tied the game at 7 midway through the 2nd, the Cats erupted for 28 unanswered as they won 35-14.
Yes, it was a tough season, but there were encouraging signs for the future. I'm one of those people who try to find the good whenever things get tough. Nick Hooper and Zac Duncan cut their teeth as sophomores and they would eventually evolve into centerpieces on the offense. Mason Roberts and Sam Stewart had solid junior seasons and became the unquestioned leaders of the offense. Defensively, Nick Csatlos and Taylor Holmes played prominent roles as the outside LBs and became stalwarts on defense. Justyn Johnson, another sophomore, held his own on the defensive line and would eventually anchor the defensive line.
