Time to find out who made the most of their offseason. Time to find out who's going to step up and emerge as a key player. Time to put the nightmares of 2016 behind.
I'm still looking for three players to serve as guest writers for the upcoming season: one sophomore, one junior, and one senior. I'll find a freshman once they come in. No really, I am serious. Chances are, you are probably a much better writer than I am. If you are interested, send me a tweet (I'm always on Twitter), an email (dustin2810 at gmail dot com), or leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Please leave your name and grade as well.
Yesterday, the Cy Woods Wildcats capped off spring training with the Spring Football Game. Thankfully, the rain cleared out just in time. However, the sideline closest to the stands became a complete cesspool. Just as I remember...
In the 3rd annual Cy Woods spring game, the Cardinal team topped the White team 35-20 in a hard-fought contest. They stormed out to a 21-0 lead, but the White team got themselves going in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to keep them on their heels. There was some good-natured ribbing from both sides in the lead-up to the game.
Now that this game is done with, there is no more division. No Cardinal team or White team... once again, the kids that make up this team are one, fighting together to achieve one goal. That goal, as always, is a state championship. For those from other schools who have stumbled across this blog, just know that these are guys who will fight to the very end in order to achieve that goal.
The best news was that there were no injuries to anyone, although they were all just inundated in mud at the end. I found this edition of the spring game to be a showcase of the future (well, they always are). With prospects such as Sean Despres, Jacob Kainer, and Jack Barrientez waiting in the wings, the Wildcats' future is as bright as ever.
I also feel rather dumb, because most of what I'm about to write is more Cardinal-oriented.
Cardinal
R.J. Harmon was fully dressed, but he was limited to handling kickoffs and punts.
Michael Young got most of the first-team reps at running back; he caught a touchdown pass from Sean Despres to open up the scoring. As the Cardinal team was knocking on the door again, he took a pitch and punched it in from 2 yards out.
Bobby Dodson, a sophomore running back, played well during the early freshmen-only game and backed up Michael Young in the main event. He looks like a rugged runner who can be tough to bring down in the open field, as Levi Arzac, a White team safety, found that out firsthand after taking him head-on after a 20-yard gain. Bobby reminds me of Jeremy Conley (class of 2010) in that regard, and they're of pretty similar build, although he doesn't have Jeremy's explosiveness yet.
Jacob Kainer threw an interception, but he showed some great moves on a rushing touchdown. Otherwise, it was a surprisingly quiet night from him.
Brandon Sustala, a senior receiver, was targeted 3 times and caught them all; 2 of them went for first downs, and he had a good gain on the third catch, which occurred on first down. Solid hands.
Myles Wilson had an interception that set up a score. Brandon DePrato and Tyler Redgrave, a sophomore linebacker, recorded sacks, and Neil Chambers, a junior linebacker, recovered a fumble to stop the White team in the red zone.
With the White team driving to possibly tie the game in the 4th quarter, Andrew Peña, a junior linebacker, came down with a huge interception, and on the ensuing series, Sean Despres took the snap, ran right up the middle, and finally, shook off 3 defenders in the open field on his way to the endzone.
Speaking of Sean Despres, the junior quarterback probably turned a few heads this spring, but he saved his best performance for Thursday night as he took center stage.
Sean was absolutely electric, throwing for one score (video above) and running for two more. His last touchdown run sealed the win for the Cardinal team in spectacular fashion. His first (video below) put them up 2 scores in the 1st quarter. Sean performed well as a JV gold (B-team) quarterback last season, but he's taken a huge leap forward this spring. He could possibly help the varsity in some capacity in 2015.
White
The White team had their chances. Unfortunately, they just couldn't get out of their own way. Chase Martin connected with Yussef Nuñez for a 60-yard gain that put them in the red zone as they looked to tie the game, but that threat ended abruptly when they lost the ball on a botched handoff.
C.J. Jones was limited to fielding kicks and punts.
Chase Martin found a streaking Devon Bowling, and the sophomore receiver took it 50 yards for a score. Devon's man slipped, which left him wide open, and once he caught the pass, he scampered into the endzone untouched.
Jack Barrientez got the first-team reps at running back. He had a nice 40-yard run.... negated by a penalty. But... he got on the board with a 20-yard touchdown run in the 3rd to bring the White team to within 1 score.
Ryan Olvera, a senior cornerback, picked off Jacob Kainer with a nice diving effort in the endzone. Chase Taulton, a senior safety, recovered a fumble to stop a Cardinal drive that was well inside White territory.
Deon Jones, a sophomore defensive end, played with great energy and had a couple of nice tackles for loss. On one, he lunged for Sean Despres (over a cut block, too) and just got enough of him to bring him down. The other, he busted clean through and had the ballcarrier, who I believe was Jake Wolf, a senior receiver, dead to rights.
Both
Luis Reyes pulled double duty as he handled the kickoffs and extra points after every score. He made 7 of his 8 extra points; the one miss came on a botched snap.
So, that does it for the spring... see you in the summer. In the meantime, I'm doing a Countdown to Kickoff series. Today, it's on 97. At the end of this series, you'll have a look at everyone who has ever played football for the Cy Woods Wildcats.
This morning, the Wildcats held their final scrimmage of the spring. Consider it a preview of the spring game, which will take place on Thursday. Unfortunately, I didn't watch the freshmen and JV, and I have no videos to share. However, there were some good-looking underclassmen scrimmaging with the varsity. In all likelihood, they'll be on one of the JV squads next season, but they performed well. There's still plenty of talent in the pipeline to make the Cats a factor in the district for the coming years.
Quarterbacks
Bryson Powers and Austin Goffney did not participate. So, the Cats went a rotation of Jordan Johnson, Sean Despres, and Brighton Gullickson. The last two are both going to be juniors in 2015 and they were the primary quarterbacks on the JV Gold (B) team last season.
Sean was probably the top offensive performer in this one. He was at the helm for two scoring drives: one was capped off by a pitch to Jack Barrientez, who bounced outside and got the corner of the endzone. On the other one, Sean capped it off himself, evading a couple of tackles in the open field on his way to the endzone.
At the sub-varsity levels, Jordan Johnson was a quarterback. He reprised that role this morning and was behind center for a third scoring drive, which culminated with him finding Sam Landingham on a slant for a touchdown. He also put his legs to good use with a few good scrambles.
Jacob Kainer spent much of the morning as a linebacker, but I think he got a series at quarterback. He took a 20-yard-loss on a botched screen play, but on the very next play, he gained all of those yards back on a scramble, which brought up a much more manageable 3rd & 4 situation.
Running backs
Still no R.J. Harmon. C.J. Jones got the majority of the first-team reps, and three sophomores, Khari Keaton, Bobby Dodson, and Jack Barrientez rotated with him. Jack also shuffled between slot receiver and running back.
This was my first look at C.J. Jones in a scrimmage. A bit rusty, but he broke off two or three runs that resulted in first downs, and he caught a pass for a first down, too.
Bobby Dodson had a nice 20-yard (or so) run up the middle about 3/4ths of the way through the scrimmage. He also converted a 3rd down with a tough 6-yard run. He was on the freshman A-team last year, and hung in there very well going up against the older kids this morning. Wide Receivers
Jared Taylor started off the scrimmage with a bang as he caught a pass from Jordan and took it inside the 10-yard-line. Unfortunately, nothing came of the first drive of the game.
Sam Landingham, who will be a junior, caught a touchdown from Jordan Johnson.
Seth Despres, a senior, caught a pass from his brother, Sean, and got a nice 25-yard gain out of it. Another senior, Josh Carter, also had a catch and made a nice move in the open field to get a first down.
I don't feel like I can make accurate judgments on the offensive line, so I will abstain, courteously. Defense
The defense has performed very well and was extremely motivated all spring. They've got a chip on their shoulders.... allowing 455 points in the prior season can do that. Coach Faith, as we know, was a defensive coordinator, so I imagine that last year's performance left an incredibly bitter taste in his mouth.
As I mentioned earlier, Jacob Kainer spent this scrimmage as a linebacker, and I thought he performed rather well in that capacity. He is not only showing his versatility; he is also demonstrating that he has a high football aptitude, looking as though he's been a linebacker all through his young career. Because of this aptitude, I believe that he's the top overall prospect in the Wildcats system.
After Jared Taylor's big play to open the morning, the defense clamped down and kept the offense out of the end zone. They followed that up with 4 consecutive 3-and-outs before Sean Despres and the offense finally broke through.
Tobi Orundami, a sophomore nose tackle, will definitely one to remember for the future. Already one of the larger kids in the program, he strikes me as a pretty laid-back kid, and sometimes, "laid back" is a code phrase for "low energy." I don't really like the assumption that if someone has a laid back demeanor, then he's a low-effort player by default. He certainly did not show a lack of energy this morning, as he was a force at the line of scrimmage. Tobi's upside is tremendous, and I hope he continues to make strides as a player.
I didn't like the fact that the D-line fell for the hard counts... definitely going to need to clean that part up. Otherwise, they continued to play with great energy. They've taken it to their counterparts on the offense all spring.
All that's left is Thursday. The Cy Woods Spring Football Game will take place on Thursday, May 21. The sub-varsity will lead things off, and the varsity will wrap up the spring football season at 7:00.
The Wildcats held their 2nd scrimmage of the spring yesterday. In my first spring football dispatch, I touched on the quarterback battle and the three main candidates for the job and a few kids who might have turned some heads with their performance in the first scrimmage on Wednesday. In this post, I'll be focusing on some new faces, and a few familiar ones. This post will also be a little shorter; I've got a busy weekend ahead.
The JV scrimmage was much more evenly matched this time around as the offense got 4 scores, including one on a option keeper in which junior (to-be) QB Sean Despres scampered to the endzone virtually untouched. After that clunker on Wednesday, the JV offense looked much improved. Defensively, Tyvon Alexander, a junior safety, had 2 interceptions.
Jared Taylor was a standout in Friday's proceedings as he took this Bryson Powers pass, shook Kason Franklin, and burned the defense for a touchdown. He also lined up at cornerback and intercepted a pass; the starting receivers are also getting reps in the secondary. Entering his 3rd season as a varsity player, Jared is someone who will definitely be counted on to provide leadership. He'll also be a valuable target for whoever starts at quarterback next season.
Now, one series later, Jared was on the receiving end of this jarring hit from Myles Wilson. He performed well as a sophomore thrown into the fire of varsity football, but with one season under his belt, I expect Myles to make a significant leap forward performance-wise and emerge as a leader on the defense. In the first two scrimmages, he has looked more poised in the secondary and a little more confident in his tackling.
A couple of returning players in the front 7, Keith Watson and Caleb Smith, were in the backfield for a good portion of the scrimmage. Especially Keith, who was virtually unblockable in the pass rush. With his excellent speed and unrelenting tenacity from the outside linebacker spot, he has the potential to emerge as a significant problem for opposing offensive linemen in the district. The defensive line played with some serious intensity yesterday and had their way with their counterparts on offense.
On to the QB battle.... dropped passes remain an issue. Most of the throws from Bryson Powers, Austin Goffney, and Jacob Kainer looked to me like they were well-placed and rather catchable balls. The only problem was that they were just dropped.
Austin Goffney did a better job of putting his throws on the mark on Friday; on one drive, he found a totally uncovered Jack Barrientez on a wheel route in the red zone that was inexplicably dropped. That drive, unfortunately, ended without a touchdown, as a botched pitch was recovered by the defense right outside the goal line.
From my observations of the first two scrimmages, I believe that Austin is the best improviser of the three candidates. They are all at least solid, but Austin's physicality puts him at the top in that aspect. He also has pretty good strength for a wiry kid; he's a tough runner once he's underway, and would-be tacklers bounce off of him with surprising ease, which will definitely serve him well when he's forced to use his feet to extract himself from tough situations. On the run, he made a couple of solid throws; rolling out to his right, he found an open man who nearly got the first down, and while under pressure, he lobbed a pass over the heads of the pursuing linemen and found Michael Young, who was coming out of the backfield. He also caught a couple of passes; one of them went for a nice gain, but he did come up a little shaken up. However, nothing significant; just a cramp, it seems. Tempo is still an area that Austin needs to improve; he has to know that in this offense, the next play starts instantaneously.
Overall, I would probably call Friday a spirited draw. A few more completed passes would have tipped the scales slightly in the offense's favor.
Help (still) wanted: I'm still looking for three players (1 sophomore, 1 junior, and 1 senior) in the program to serve as guest writers. I didn't get much luck in finding anyone last season, but the offer is still open. If you're interested, please direct your questions to me on Twitter.
I got my first look at the 2015 Cy Woods Wildcats yesterday as they held their first scrimmage of the spring. In this post, I'll be sharing some of my observations with you, including a few players that caught my eye. I even took some videos of a few plays; forgive me for the spotty quality (YouTube, for reasons unknown, would not let me upload these videos in HD) and the howling wind.
The main takeaway from this first impression of the Wildcats is that they're not going to allow 455 points on defense again. JV and varsity defensive players alike... they flew around and really imposed their will on the offense yesterday afternoon.
The JV scrimmage was an affair completely dominated by the defense. No matter who was on the field for them, they consistently drove the offense backwards and positive-yardage plays were few and far between. I think they forced 4 fumbles and recovered 3 of them, and had an interception or two. One JV defender that I was particularly impressed with was Collin Fewox, a sophomore (to-be) safety who had a couple of impressive hits, played with good intensity, and was intent on making plays while he was on the field. For me, he'll be one to watch for in the future.
On the offensive side, JV-wise... well, there's some work to be done. They were on the field for 45, maybe 50 minutes, and did not reach the end zone once. This was, without a doubt, a forgettable outing, but let's keep in mind that this was the first scrimmage of the spring.
Now, on to the varsity. The offense had a few explosive moments, but as was the case with the JV session, defense ruled the day. Again, I must reiterate... it was one scrimmage, and making definitive statements at this point would be most unwise. Kason Franklin had a solid day; he caught Jack Barrientez from behind after the young tailback made a catch-and-run of at least 60 yards and brought him down inside the 5-yard-line. 3 plays later, Kason had an interception in the end zone, one of two passes that he picked off on the day. Here's the other INT:
C.J. Jones and R.J. Harmon did not participate, so sophomore (to-be) Jack Barrientez took the majority of the reps at tailback with the first team. About midway through the varsity session, Jack took a pass from Bryson and very nearly scored; Kason ran him down and tackled him at about the 3-yard-line. Towards the end of the day (I'm fairly sure this was the last play of the day), Jack took a handoff, streaked right through the middle, and left everyone behind on his way to the endzone.
The freshman A-team backfield from last season left a pretty good first impression on me... Jack Barrientez has some pretty good wheels for a freshman. I thought he handled himself very well going up against the big leaguers, and he definitely possesses the big-play capability that the coaching staff covets from its running backs. Jacob Kainer also didn't seem fazed; he busted out a few impressive runs himself, including a long touchdown run that probably would've been called back in an actual game because of a block in the back.
Bryson Powers, Austin Goffney, and Jacob Kainer took turns under center as the Cats look to find a replacement for Nick Hooper. There were some dropped passes and some overthrown balls, which are two telltale signs of a passing game that needs refinement. That'll come with time. The big gains in the passing game came from Barrientez's catch-and-run out of the backfield, and a catch-and-run touchdown caught by Matt Ficalora, a junior (to-be) wideout. He ran a slant, got the pass from Kainer, made a couple of nifty moves in the open field to break free from a couple of would-be tacklers, and showed a good burst of speed as he eventually made his way to the endzone.
In case you missed last season, Bryson made quite the impact as a sophomore as he showcased his versatility and athleticism on both sides of the ball. He started out the year as a receiver and caught 2 touchdowns against Cy Ridge. The next week against Cy Falls, he moved over to safety and ended up garnering 2nd-team All-District honors as a safety. He just does it all. Now, he's back on the offensive side of the ball, looking to state his case to become the next QB1.
Austin Goffney entered the system as a quarterback, but last season on the JV Cardinal (A) team, he also lined up as a receiver, and on occasion, at running back. During the varsity portion of the scrimmage, he caught a touchdown pass. He looked a bit erratic at QB and, during a stint at slot receiver, he dropped a ball in the red zone that he really should have caught. However, he did redeem himself a couple of plays later as he caught that touchdown I mentioned earlier. Because Austin has been utilized in multiple roles in the past, there's still going to be a place for him on the field, even if he doesn't win the starting QB job.
I only saw parts of 2 freshman A-team games last season, but I liked what I saw from Jacob Kainer in that small sample size. His playing style reminds me of Nick Hooper from when he was a freshman. They are strikingly similar: they possess the same body type, a big arm, and if given the chance, they can do serious damage with their legs.
In my opinion, all three of the contenders for the starting quarterback spot possess the talent to be outstanding QBs. The two that lose out don't really lose, to be honest. I feel that they're all good players who will be more than able to contribute in other roles. Players like those don't just wallow away on the bench.
That's all I have for now; more to come following the 2nd scrimmage. I'll be attending all of the scrimmages and the spring game.
