Cy Ranch 38, Cy Woods 35: Fourpeat Denied, 4th Quarter Offensive Woes Continue

2014 Record: 2-2, 2-1 in District 17-6A

Welp.

The Cats' offense faltered in the 4th quarter once again, and this time, it came back to bite them. The defense, which came through in such a monumental fashion in the closing moments against Cy Falls, just couldn't get the stops they needed in the 4th quarter against Ranch. The Cats were outscored 14-0 in the final stanza, and as a result, the Cy Ranch Mustangs got their first win over the Cats since 2010 with this 38-35 decision. Cy Woods has been outscored 34-0 in the 4th quarter this season.

Look, I understand that in 2 of the Cats' first 4 contests, the outcome of the game was well in hand. But.... 0 4th quarter points through 4 games is an extremely disturbing trend. They escaped the Falls game, but you had to wonder whether they'd be able to escape again and whether the offense could get something going in order to finish off a game. And.... for this game, save for one drive that resulted in a missed field goal, the answer was a resounding no. Obviously, it's an issue that must be addressed moving forward. 

As much as you can't stand hearing them gloat, let them. They won a good, hard-fought game. They didn't resort to any underhanded crap... they just made a few more plays. Nothing more, nothing less. All you can do is tip your hat (however grudgingly) and move forward.  [clichés] It's a setback, no doubt, but that's how it goes sometimes. You win some, you lose some, keep your head up, and all that stuff.[/clichés] 

Tough loss, but don't lose sight of the big picture. 

So, What Happened Was...

Cy Ranch got one over on Cy Woods, that's what happened. 

R.J. Harmon scored on a 10-yard run to open up the scoring in the 1st quarter. After Ranch briefly took a 14-7 lead, he'd strike again from 53 yards out. A scoop-and-score in the 2nd for the Mustangs was the difference in the 1st half, and they took a 21-14 lead into the locker room.

The Cats started off the 2nd half with a bang as C.J. Jones took the opening kickoff 95 yards to tie the game at 21. Then, for the 2nd straight week, Jake Jones put an end to the opponent's first drive of the 2nd half with a pick. On the ensuing Woods possession, Nick Hooper punched it in from 1 yard out. He added an 8-yard scoring run midway through the 3rd to give the Cats an 11-point lead. But, the wheels fell off for the offense and the defense cracked in the 4th quarter. 

Turning Points

Down 21-14 at halftime, the Cats had the perfect response with a 21-3 3rd quarter, which saw them take a 35-24 lead into the 4th. But oh, how the tables turned. The Mustangs scored 2 unanswered TDs in the final 12 minutes to come away with the W. 

Also, the Cats had a golden opportunity go straight into the trash compactor of sadness in the 4th, as they got a 53-yard catch-and-run from Tre Hart that gave them a 1st and goal at the Ranch 5. However........ nothing doing. After 3 runs failed to yield anything, Logan Fortune wound up missing a 22-yard field goal. 

Ground

All the damage on offense was done via the running game. Nick ran for 155 and 2 scores, while R.J. put up 123 on just 8 carries. 

Nick Hooper: 26 carries, 155 yards, 2 TD, 1 fumble lost

R.J. Harmon: 8 carries, 123 yards, 2 TD

C.J. Jones: 4 carries, 28 yards

Jordan Johnson: 1 carry, 8 yards

Air

On the other hand, the passing game never got going, whether by drops, or Nick being under siege for much of the night. Whatever, nothing was going Woods' way in the air. Only 3 passes were completed and only 2 players caught passes, which is absolutely unheard of in this offense. They tried 2 halfback passes, but C.J. overthrew Chad O'Donnell, and R.J.'s bid just went off of Tre Hart's hands. Nick also threw a pick, but that was on a heave to end the 1st half. No return.

Nick Hooper: 3-16, 63 yards, INT

C.J. Jones: 0-1

R.J. Harmon: 0-1

Tre Hart: 2 rec, 65 yards

C.J. Jones: 1 rec, -2 yards

Defense

The high tackle totals that you're about to see are a combination of Cy Ranch's run-oriented offense and the fact that there were Cats everywhere the ball went. Morgan Tosten and Justyn Johnson turned in huge games in the trenches. The Outlaw Shane Lawless had a dozen tackles. 

Tough night in the secondary, as Michael Wirt and Jake Jones were both targeted on 2 of Ranch's 3 TD passes. Jones atoned for that somewhat as he got his 2nd interception on the season, which ended Cy Ranch's opening drive of the 2nd half. Yeah, it happens. 

Tackles: Morgan Tosten 13 (8 assisted, 2 TFL), Shane Lawless 12 (6 assisted, 1 TFL), Justyn Johnson 12 (5 assisted, 1 TFL), Tyler Greaves 10 (7 assisted, 1 TFL), Wade Carson 8 (5 assisted, 1 TFL), Michael Wirt 8 (1 assisted) Matt Swalm 7 (4 assisted), Jake Jones 6 (1 assisted), Randall Medlin 5 (2 assisted, 2 TFL), Kason Franklin 4 (2 assisted), Bryson Powers 4 (3 assisted),  Isiah Clay 3 (2 assisted, 1 TFL), Brandon DePrato 3, Hayden Stoeber 2 (both assisted), Danny Malone 2 (1 assisted), Elijah Pierson 1 (assisted), Logan Fortune 1 (assisted), Myles Wilson 1 (assisted)

Sacks: Morgan Tosten 1 (4 yards lost)

Interceptions: Jake Jones 1 (2 season)

Special Teams

C.J. Jones' 95-yard kickoff return TD was the 3rd in Woods history and the first in 3 years. The last time a Wildcat returned a kickoff for a touchdown was during the 2011 playoffs, when Cole DeVilliers led off the game against Clear Creek with..... a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. I'm fairly sure that C.J. will be getting fewer and fewer opportunities to return kicks as the season goes on, but I'm also very sure that the next poor soul who kicks to him will regret that decision. He also had a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 1st quarter.... that was wiped out by a block in the back call. By my count, the would've-been-a-90-yard-touchdown was slashed to a 29-yard return. His 192 kick return yards is most likely a single-game record. 

C.J. Jones: 5 kicks returned, 192 yards, TD

Jordan Johnson: 2 kicks returned, 63 yards

Bryson Powers, who was somewhat limited due to a shoulder injury he suffered against Falls, didn't really get much of a look on punt returns. He only got to return 1 for 3 yards. He did attempt to return another one late in the 4th, but lost 10 yards and Woods was called for a penalty in the process, pinning them at their own 10 to begin a possible game-winning drive. 

Next up on the kicker carousel was junior Logan Fortune (#41). He nailed all of his extra points, but he missed a 22-yard field goal that would have tied the game at 38 with under 6 minutes left in regulation. 

0-1 FG (missed 22), 5-5 XP

Jordan Johnson punted 5 times for 191 yards, giving him a 38.2 average. 

Man of the Match

Whenever R.J. Harmon touches the ball, he's a home run threat. Honorable mentions go out to C.J. Jones in the return game, Morgan Tosten, Justyn Johnson, Shane Lawless, and Tyler Greaves.

Observations

C.J. got banged up a bit in the 3rd as he was slow to get up after a kick return and was walking around with a slight limp, but he didn't seem to be showing any ill effects afterward.

Shane Lawless looked like he re-tweaked his right ankle; he originally hurt that ankle against Ridge. 

Slide-tackling is apparently legal in this form of football???

It seems that the only people that have respect for each other are the ones that were on the field. That's all I'll say on that matter.

Looking Ahead

On Friday, October 3, the Wildcats will take on Cy Creek at Pridgeon Stadium at 7. They'll be the home team.

Cy Woods 48, Cy Falls 47: A Harrowing Escape

2014 Record: 2-1, 2-0 in District 17-6A

Jake Jones puts an end to Cy Falls' 1st drive of the 2nd half with this INT.

So, where to start? 95 combined points, 9 turnovers, 890 yards of offense combined... just another night in District 17-6A football. As you can see by the 9 turnovers (5 for Woods, 4 for Falls), it was not exactly the prettiest display of football, even with the astronomically high final score that we're so accustomed to seeing in District 17-6A. 

The Wildcat defense came up huge in the final 5:30 as they faced 2 potential game-winning drives and squashed them both, preserving the tenuous grip that the Cats had on this game. Wade Carson stopped the first potential game-winning drive by forcing a fumble that was recovered by Bryson Powers, and then, on what proved to be the final defensive series of the evening for Cy Woods, Randall Medlin and Wade Carson snuffed out a screen pass on 4th down, giving the Cats the ball back with 2:12 to go. And from there, the Cats ran out the clock and escaped with a 48-47 victory, giving them their first 2-0 start in district play in team history.

Well, they got the ball with 2:13 left, but getting it with 2:12 left sounds a lot better. 

OK, I think we can all exhale now. For much of the 4th quarter, flashes of the 2009 game against Falls were running through my head....

So, What Happened Was.....

After the Eagles capitalized on a Nick Hooper lost fumble by scoring first with 9:38 left in the 1st quarter, the Cats went on a 27-0 run that spanned the next 17 minutes (give or take) and was capped off by a pick 6 from Michael Wirt, which pushed the Cats' lead to 27-7 with 4:48 to go in the 1st half. 

However, the Eagles suddenly sprang to life and made it a game once again by scoring the final 2 touchdowns of the 1st half, one of which was a pick 6 as the clock struck zero. That was Nick Hooper's 3rd interception of the 1st half, and, needless to say, it proved very costly. The extra point was missed, however, and the Cats entered the locker room with a 27-20 lead that really masked how well they were playing; they just kept shooting themselves in the foot at the most inopportune times possible.

In the 2nd half, the Cats just couldn't seem to shake Cy Falls; the Eagles just had an answer for Woods and managed to keep themselves within striking distance. The Cats scored on 3 of their 4 drives in the 3rd as Nick Hooper scored on a 1-yard run, threw a 36-yard pass to Jared Taylor, and C.J. Jones found the end zone on a 26-yard run. But again, Falls was still very much in this one. The 4th quarter proved to be a near-disaster on offense for the Cats as they lost a fumble and had 3 3-and-outs. The theme of shooting themselves in the foot continued as the Cats finished the game with 19 penalties.

Turning Points

The two scores that Falls got before halftime truly changed the complexion of this game as it turned a possible blowout into a game that got waaaaaaaaaay too close for comfort.

With 5:23 to go, Cy Falls began a drive at the Cy Woods 41. A false start drove them back 5, but they got those yards back to get a more manageable 3rd down. Falls RB Shannon Vaughns looked to have the 1st down, but Wade Carson jarred the ball loose, and Bryson Powers fell on the ball to snuff out the threat. 

However, after another 3-and-out, the defense was called upon once more with 3:19 left in regulation. 2 runs from Vaughns gave Falls a 3rd & 4, but Casey Rosellini's pass fell incomplete, forcing a 4th down. The Eagles called a screen pass, but Randall Medlin and Wade Carson made the biggest stop of the season so far as they sealed another Wildcat victory.

Ground

Nick Hooper got the vast majority of the carries; of Woods' 47 attempts on the ground, 37 were to his name. He ran for 148 yards and 3 scores, but he also lost 2 fumbles. C.J. Jones had a 26-yard score in the 3rd, which put the Cats up 48-34 at that point.

All offensive stats per TSRN.

Nick Hooper: 37 carries, 148 yards, 3 TD; 2 fumbles lost 

C.J. Jones: 7 carries, 64 yards, TD

Jordan Johnson: 1 carry, 3 yards 

R.J. Harmon: 1 carry, -5 yards

Jared Taylor: 1 carry, -6 yards

*TSRN also has 3 carries for -15 yards, accounted to no one. 2 of those were Nick taking a knee, and the other was Nick recovering an errant snap for -13 yards.

Air

Nick took every snap, with the exception of one play when it looked like his shoe came loose (?). Reece Clark's only pass attempt was incomplete. Hooper fired 2 touchdowns; the first went for 12 to Tre Hart in the 1st quarter, and he connected with Jared Taylor for 37 yards in the 3rd. On the other hand... he also threw 3 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Nick Hooper: 20-31, 311 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT

Reece Clark: 0-1

Hart and Taylor had over 100 receiving yards apiece. Zac Duncan also chipped in 58 yards. Tre almost added another TD catch to his line, but he was caught at the 2, so he had to settle for a 54-yard gain instead.

Jared Taylor: 7 recs, 101 yards, TD

Tre Hart: 5 rec, 124 yards, TD

Zac Duncan: 4 rec, 58 yards

C.J. Jones: 2 rec, 21 yards

R.J. Harmon: 2 rec, 7 yards

Defense

Bryson Powers showed his versatility by starting at one of the safety spots in place of the injured Matt Swalm. You could say that he had a rather productive night as he got a pick in the 2nd quarter and had a crucial fumble recovery in the 4th quarter. 

The Cats dropped about 2 more picks, but they got their hands on 3 more. Falls QB Casey Rosellini slinged one downfield that landed in Bryson's arms in the 2nd. The Cats converted that turnover into points as Nick Hooper scored on a 5-yard run. Then, on Falls' next offensive possession, Michael Wirt took his 25 yards to the house. And finally, Jake Jones opened up the 2nd half by kicking Falls off the field, elevating to snag another deep attempt from Rosellini.

Well, it took 2.5 games, but the Cats have their first sacks of the season. After Nick Hooper threw his 2nd pick of the 1st half, Tyler Greaves and Wade Carson made sure that Falls would not convert that turnover into points as they both got to Rosellini for 8 yards apiece. 

Carson recorded a dozen tackles to lead the way. Greaves had another solid night as he had 6 tackles, a sack, and he also forced a fumble. 

Tackles: Wade Carson 12 (4 assisted, 3 TFL), Elijah Pierson 9 (2 assisted, 1 TFL), Bryson Powers 7 (4 assisted), Tyler Greaves 6 (3 TFL, 1 assisted, FF), Jake Jones 6, Randall Medlin 5 (2 assisted, 2 TFL), Brandon DePrato 4 (2 assisted), Michael Wirt 3 (1 assisted), Justyn Johnson 3 (2 assisted), Morgan Tosten 2 (1 assisted), Taylor Tesch 1, Kason Franklin 1, Myles Wilson 1, Luis Reyes 1, Hayden Stoeber 1, Danny Malone 1

Sacks: Tyler Greaves 1 (8 yards lost), Wade Carson 1 (8 yards lost)

Fumbles forced: Tyler Greaves 1, Wade Carson 1

Fumbles recovered: Bryson Powers 1

Interceptions: Jake Jones 1, Michael Wirt 1 (returned for TD), Bryson Powers 1

Special Teams

Powers had a 64-yard punt return TD negated by a block in the back. He had 111 total return yards in this game (65 punt, 46 kick). 

Bryson Powers: 3 punts returned, 65 yards, 3 kicks returned, 46 yards

Zac Duncan: 1 kick return, 19 yards

Jordan Johnson: 1 kick returned, 35 yards

Luis Reyes: 6-6 XP; a 7th was not attempted due to a bad snap. 

Jordan Johnson: 4 punts, 170 yards (42.5 per punt), long of 49, 1 downed inside the 20

Other Happenings in This Game

Unlike last year's affair, the officials made sure that order would be maintained. At no point did it appear that this game would degenerate into anything ugly. 

The 19 penalties against Woods surely has to be a team record. It's not often that a team wins despite committing 19 penalties, but the Cats found a way. The number of penalties that the Cats have racked up so far this season is just mind-blowing. 

The two missed extra points from Falls turned out to be the difference. 

Bryson bore the scars and wounds of this game; it appears that he had a bag of ice over his left collarbone after the game. 

Man of the Match

You know... I'm very tempted to give it to Nick simply for the fact that he had 5 total touchdowns........ but he also had 5 turnovers, so.......

We're 3 games into the season and I have officially run out of good things to say about Bryson Powers. It doesn't matter where he is on the field; he simply possesses that knack to make plays. Great players make plays wherever they are.

Honorable mentions go out to Tre Hart and Jared Taylor, who both had 100+ receiving yards. Also one for Michael Wirt for his pick 6.

Looking Ahead

In the last of 3 straight Saturday games, the Cats will face off against the hated Cy Ranch Mustangs at the Berry Center. They'll be the away team in this contest. Kickoff is at 6:00.