Know the Enemy: Cypress Ridge Rams

Week 1: Cypress Woods Wildcats vs. Cypress Ridge Rams

6:00 PM Saturday, September 1, 2018

Pridgeon Stadium

Photo by Tom Dendy

Football has returned and a new decade of Cy Woods football has dawned.

Normally, this would be a district game. But, the UIL's realignment has split Cy-Fair ISD into two separate districts for athletics. And so for the first time ever, the Cypress Woods Wildcats will take on a Cy-Fair ISD school in a non-district contest.

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

The Cypress Woods Wildcats fell 21-17 to the hated Cypress Ranch Mustangs in the 2017 regular-season finale for both teams. This was definitely a game in which the Cats had opportunities to win, but unfortunately, the Mustangs invoked some kind of black magic that allowed them to get the victory somehow. Well actually, they converted a couple of interceptions into touchdowns. A missed field goal gave Woods one final shot to steal the game, but they were stopped on fourth down to end it.

Jacob Kainer threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Jack Barrientez on the first play of the game, setting a new school record for longest play from scrimmage.

The Enemy: Cypress Ridge Rams

I don't recall the name of the school district to which they belong.
District 17-6A
2017 record: 1-8, 9th in District 17-6A
Did not qualify for playoffs

All-Time Series

Cy Woods leads 6-4.

Previous Meetings

September 22, 2017: Woods 35, Ridge 34

September 17, 2016: Ridge 36, Woods 21

September 11, 2015: Woods 59, Ridge 31

September 13, 2014: Woods 59, Ridge 28
September 19, 2013: Woods 28, Ridge 26
September 20, 2012: Ridge 54, Woods 21
October 29, 2011: Woods 45, Ridge 13
October 30, 2010: Woods 49, Ridge 40
September 25, 2009: Ridge 46, Woods 20 (Homecoming II)
September 26, 2008: Ridge 43, Woods 41

Players to Watch

I don't know whether any of them have changed numbers this season.

Noah Smith - SR ATH, most likely QB
Leslie Wellington - JR RB
Tristian Fletcher - SOPH RB
Lejune Patterson - JR WR
Kade Barnes - JR DB
JeVaun Dabon - JR DB
Branden Nguyen - SR DB
Michael Rich - SR LB
Tyler Cockle - SR DL/TE
D.D. Redmond - SR DL/LB
Vernon Broughton - JR DL

2¢ on Ridge

One year after enjoying the thrill of the most successful season in program history in which they advanced to the fourth round of the playoffs, the Rams crashed to the bottom of the standings in 2017 with a single, solitary victory over Cy Lakes serving as the barrier between them and the ignominy of a winless season.

Cy Ridge has a few pieces to build around as they look for another playoff bid and it starts with Noah Smith. Smith has served as a super-utility player on offense for three years but now he will engineer the Rams' offensive attack. Wellington and Fletcher, who saw plenty of playing time as a freshman, will platoon at running back. Patterson will likely be one of Smith's primary targets in the passing game and at 6-3, he'll have an advantage over his defender.

The Rams always seem to have quality players on the defensive side of the ball, especially in their front seven. Tyler Cockle, another three-year letterman, will team up with D.D. Redmond, Mike Rich, Centarus Smith, and Vernon Broughton, who transferred in from Spring Woods. Broughton, one of the top juniors in Texas, is a huge pickup for an already talented defense. Cockle is also listed as a tight end in the team preview in Dave Campbell's Texas Football, so expect to see him play offense when the situation warrants it. Branden Nguyen led the Rams in tackles last season as an outside linebacker; he's moving to the secondary where he'll lead a talented cast that includes JeVaun Dabon and Kade Barnes. Dabon, who might be Ridge's top prospect in the Class of 2020, impressed immensely after working his way into the starting lineup last season.

Last Time These Two Teams Met

A frenzied finish in the fourth quarter saw the Wildcats emerge with a 35-34 victory after they thwarted a two-point conversion that would have given the Rams the lead in the final minute of regulation. Jack Barrientez ran for 69 yards and a touchdown and also caught a screen pass and ran 68 yards for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown.

Sub-Varsity Game Information

Freshmen at Woods, JV at Ridge. Game times are 4:30 and 6:30 on Thursday.

The Rams only had one JV team last season, so it is possible that there will only be one JV game.

UPDATE: Per Angel Verdejo, the JV Gold (B) will play Humble on Thursday at 4:30 at Woods. The freshman gold team will travel to College Station High School to take on the Cougars at 4:30.

Location of Cypress Ridge High School

For Freshman Gold team: Location of College Station High School

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #2: Georgetown, 2008

Two more games remain in the countdown of the ten best games of the first decade of Cy Woods football. 

Let's take a trip back to the very first playoff game in program history.

November 15, 2008: Cy Woods 21, Georgetown 20

The Cypress Woods Wildcats would be traveling to Kyle Field to take on the Georgetown Eagles in their first-ever playoff football game. Both teams handled themselves well in district play and finished third in their respective districts. On paper, this seemed to be an even matchup with a few questions: How would the high-flying Wildcats fare against a Georgetown team that put up a decent amount of points, but obviously not at the obscene rate that Woods did; they only exceeded 40 points once. On the other hand, the Eagles allowed just 202 points in the regular season. But then again, Woods only gave up 194, albeit in eight games.

But, the question that burned most was: How would the first-year program fare in its first playoff voyage at the highest classification of Texas high school football?

Lucas DeVilliers was clearly far from his best as he only finished 13-33 through the air and got held to just 11 yards on ten carries on the ground. He did find Brad Korndorffer on a bubble screen and Brad did the rest for a 41-yard touchdown. Lucas also scored on a six-yard run just before halftime and that gave Woods a two-touchdown lead in College Station. The Eagles would turn the tables however as they scored the first two touchdowns of the second half, including the game-tying score at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Fortunately, Jeremy Conley stopped the bleeding momentarily with a touchdown about two minutes after Georgetown tied the game, giving Woods a lead that somehow held up for seven minutes.. when the Eagles scored again and were on the verge of tying the game with two minutes left in regulation. The Cats had other ideas, however.

Josh Theut used all of his 6-foot-8 frame to block what would have been the game-tying extra point and preserved the Wildcats' lead. Extra points make all the difference in such a tight game. Fortunately, the always-reliable Andrew Klink converted all of his opportunities. Georgetown's kicker... got shut down at the most crucial moment of the game.

Ten Years, Ten Best Players - #11: Jeremy Conley

This next series profiles the ten best players through the first ten years of the Cypress Woods Wildcats football program.

Where do I even begin with this? I've played with and seen many outstanding players in this program and it was quite torturous to just whittle the list down to ten people.

Well, I'll take a creative liberty here. 2018 is the tenth anniversary of the inaugural varsity football season for Cypress Woods High School, but this will also be the eleventh incarnation of the varsity football team at Cy Woods. I was also planning on doing this during the off-season and have it run concurrently with the ten best games series, but it's been a hectic summer at the job. So instead, I will make this a weekly feature during the season.

#11: Jeremy Conley, RB, 2008-09

Notable games

2009 @ A&M Consolidated: 13 carries, 172 yards, 3 TD
2009 vs. Klein Oak: 9 carries, 81 yards; 3 receptions, 124 yards, TD
2009 vs. Cy Falls: 6 carries, 108 yards, TD; 4 receptions, 52 yards, 2 TD

There were about 15 other people that I considered putting at #11, but I feel pretty safe with this selection.

Jeremy Conley is the template for every Cy Woods running back: elusive, lightning-quick, and a threat to score every time he touched the ball. No doubt, Jeremy was the coldest running back I have ever seen. What he also had that sets him apart from many of the running backs who have come through Cy Woods was his pure strength. Pound for pound, Jeremy was probably the strongest person in the program while we were at Woods. Jeremy also competed in powerlifting so he was truly a blend of brute force and pure speed.

I have no idea how he didn't earn any legitimate offers to play college football. Maybe Division I FBS would've been a bit much for him, but this guy overcame a torn ACL sophomore year and he worked extremely hard to return to his pre-injury form. I don't doubt that he could've held his own at the FBS level although he might've had to redshirt and then bide his time before getting a chance. Jeremy definitely would have been a good FCS player and he could've dominated Division II.

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #3, Cy-Fair, 2014

Three games left in this countdown. Checking in at the #3 spot is... the other overtime game in Cy Woods football history and a crucial victory over one of their fiercest rivals in a bid to keep their playoff hopes alive.

October 25, 2014: Cy Woods 38, Cy-Fair 31 (OT)

Photo by Don Carson

In a double Homecoming game in 2014, Langham Creek made sure to spoil Cy Woods' festivities as Paul Watson and Toneil Carter overwhelmed the Cats in the second half on their way to a 55-31 victory. Cy Woods wouldn't have any time to recover and they wouldn't have a minnow to help them rebound right away because next up on the schedule was Cy-Fair, who started off 17-6A play in dominant fashion but began to show some cracks in a loss to Langham Creek. They also trailed at halftime against Cy Falls but managed to escape by pitching a shutout in the second half and wearing the Eagles out with their signature ground game.

Eleven penalties. Six turnovers. Four fumbles, three of which were lost. Three interceptions. Judging by those numbers, one may assume that Cy Woods was blown out in this game. 

Narrator's voice: They were not. 

Not only were the Wildcats not blown away on that Saturday afternoon, but they... won. I couldn't believe it either. With this victory, they defeated the Cy-Fair Bobcats in a varsity football game for the first time since 2010. Luis Reyes, a sophomore kicker who turned himself into a special teams weapon, hit a 37-yard field goal with five seconds to go in regulation to force overtime. This was one of the kicks that defined his career at Cy Woods. Bryson Powers did it all that season as he burst onto the scene; he caught two touchdowns against Cy Ridge before moving over to safety, where he continued to make an impact and on this day, he secured the win with an interception in overtime. 

This game surely has to be on the same tier as the Jersey Village game in 2015 in terms of absurdity. As sloppily as they played, the Cats showed why they were a great team that season by finding ways to overcome their miscues that day. Of course, a team can only commit so many mistakes before they get punished for them, but on this day, six turnovers and eleven penalties apparently weren't enough to condemn the Cypress Woods Wildcats to defeat. Luck was certainly on their side on that October afternoon. But most importantly, the Wildcats maintained their composure even as the turnovers mounted and kept the Bobcats from making them pay for those mistakes enough times to give them a chance to snatch the victory in the end.

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #4: Cy Ranch, 2011

Number four is yet another revenge game...

I dunno, I guess I'm just a vengeful person by nature.

September 23, 2011: Cy Woods 68, Cy Ranch 21

The 2011 Cypress Woods Wildcats had a nightmare start to District 17-5A play as they got handcuffed on offense in their first two games, scoring a grand total of 12 points in losses to Cy Falls and Cy-Fair; in the loss against Cy-Fair, the Wildcats let a stellar defensive performance go to waste as were shut out for the first time in team history. They needed to find a way to right the ship before things got hopelessly out of hand.

Their next opponents, Cy Ranch, had stunned them with a game-winning field goal in the first-ever meeting between the two hated rivals in the previous season. The Mustangs entered this contest coming off wins in their first three games and they were definitely relishing the fact that they would get to go up against a reeling Cy Woods squad. Well... they had no idea just how fed up the Cats were.

The Cats realized that their early results fell woefully short of the expectations set by the community, the pundits, and most of all, themselves. They set out to prove that the reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated, and boy, they did that in emphatic fashion.

Cy Woods set out to humiliate Cy Ranch that evening and their intentions were made extremely clear when Josh Holley skied to snatch a pooch kick out of the air from right under a Mustang's nose. Should've called a fair catch... right after that, Trent Holmes left everyone in the dust for a 42-yard touchdown run that put Woods up 21-0. The second quarter only contained more pain and misery for the Mustangs and when halftime arrived, Woods entered with a 48-0 lead. This wasn't even their largest lead of the contest; they led by 54 points at two different points in the second half. They terrorized Keith Ford all evening, holding him to just 54 yards on the ground and forcing him to lose three (or maybe it was four) fumbles. The Cats forced seven fumbles and recovered five of them and if I remember correctly, they converted all of those turnovers into touchdowns.

Whenever I brought up this game with Coach Jones, he'd always say that he should've told the Cats to keep scoring. I honestly think that had he felt like doing so that night, he would've told Cy Woods to score 100 points. He definitely had disdain for Cy Ranch and deep down, he wanted to humiliate them. As it stands, though, the Cats still managed to get their revenge on Cy Ranch... and then some. This win also kick-started an eight-game winning streak that carried them through district play where they absolutely laid waste to everyone in their path. This was also the first game in a stretch where they scored at least 60 points in three straight games.

Safe to say that the 2011 Cy Woods Wildcats turned their season around with this win.

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #5: Jersey Village, 2015

Continuing the countdown is the only loss on this list and possibly a game that we may not see for another 10-20 years.

October 30, 2015: Jersey Village 74, Cy Woods 73

Photo by Billy Schuerman

The most prolific night of offense in the history of the Cypress Woods High School football program went to waste... all because Jersey Village scored one more point. This was a game that the Cats desperately needed to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive and would have prevented them from relying on the Falcons to help them out the next week against Cy-Fair. 

Unfortunately, Deshun Qualls had other ideas as he threw for 518 yards and six touchdowns, ran for 161 more yards and scored four more touchdowns, and converted the game-winning two-point conversion with just over a minute remaining in the game to swing the outcome in the Falcons' favor. To this day, Qualls is the only opposing starting quarterback to defeat the Wildcats three times.

C.J. Jones ran for a school-record 317 yards and scored four times while Jordan Johnson became the second Cy Woods player to record 200 receiving yards. He did so on just four catches and scored on three of those receptions. But once again... it was all for naught. Josh Marvin, a linebacker who played only in garbage time until this game, was all over the field. He had an interception, a couple of sacks, and even recovered a fumble. Safe to say he made the most of his opportunity.

Yes, this was a loss that decimated the 2015 Cy Woods Wildcats' playoff hopes. Then again, it's on the countdown because of its sheer absurdity. It was one of those games where you had to be there to believe what transpired. Even now, I am still in utter shock over what occurred in this game.

What we saw that night probably will not be replicated for another decade, if ever. One team scored 73 points... and lost. A seldom-used linebacker who literally did not see any playing time until injuries forced him onto the field for this game had one of the greatest individual performances on defense in Cy Woods history. The Wildcats had a player run for over 300 yards and had another record 200 receiving yards... and lost. The Falcons had a player who accounted for ten touchdowns. Two teams and a school district had their record books forever altered.

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #6: Cy Ranch, 2013

#6 in "Ten Years, Ten Best Games" was a particularly satisfying night in the history of the Cypress Woods Wildcats football program...

October 19, 2013: Cy Woods 54, Cy Ranch 0

For an entire offseason, the Cypress Woods Wildcats had to hear about Cy Ranch going four rounds deep in their first-ever playoff appearance while they were missing out on the playoffs for the first time ever. They'd be sure to circle the date of this matchup...

Cy Woods was coming off a 30-23 defeat at the hands of Cy-Fair in which they mounted a furious second-half comeback bid that the Bobcats seemed to have an answer for. Meanwhile, the Mustangs demolished Cy Lakes 45-3 entering this game. Both teams came in to this contest at 3-2 in District 17-5A play, so the winner of this contest would surely receive a huge boost for their playoff hopes.

Well... it turned out that this game was no contest whatsoever. The Cats stormed out to a 20-0 lead after the first quarter and pretty much dominated the Mustangs in every facet of the game as they sauntered to a 37-0 halftime lead. The Outlaw, Shane Lawless, started off the second half by compounding Ranch's misery by intercepting a pass with one hand and returning it for a touchdown. Mason Roberts completed the massacre with an 85-yard touchdown run midway through the final period, and in the end, Cy Woods dealt Cy Ranch the worst loss in their program's history in terms of scoring margin. The 54-0 final score still stands today as the Mustangs' heaviest defeat. For Cy Woods' class of 2014, they ended up beating their counterparts from Cy Ranch all four years.

There is no statement more emphatic than blowing out your most hated rival while also shutting them out and handing them their worst loss ever, especially when their fortunes during the previous season turned out to be so much better than yours. It's also particularly sweet when you had to endure the non-stop smack talk for such a long time.

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #7: A&M Consolidated, 2008

The next entry in "Ten Years, Ten Best Games" takes us back to the very first varsity football game.

September 6, 2008: Cy Woods 28, A&M Consolidated 17

After tearing through a junior varsity schedule in 2007, the Cypress Woods Wildcats would finally get their chance to enter the big leagues in 2008. The Cats might have been the fresh faces, but they were already being perceived as a threat in District 15-5A. 

September 6, 2008. It was the first Saturday of September. This was the night that Cy Woods football formally began. The A&M Consolidated Tigers served as the first opponent in Wildcat football history and they made the journey from College Station to the Berry Center for this momentous occasion.

Well... it wasn't the greatest start. They gave up a touchdown on their very first defensive series. They moved the ball but couldn't seem to find the end zone or sustain any drives. The Tigers got another touchdown and a field goal and the Cats found themselves down 17-0 after their very first half as a varsity football program. It looked as though the Cypress Woods Wildcats would debut with a feeble meow rather than a fierce, earth-shattering roar.

Whatever words were uttered inside that locker room at halftime appeared to have a profound effect on the Wildcats as they snapped out of their slumber on offense and kept Consol off the scoreboard on defense in the second half. A couple of touchdown passes from Lucas DeVilliers early in the third quarter got the Cats back in the game and he put them in front for good with his legs, scoring on a couple of runs. This was a team that cut their teeth against some solid varsity programs in Texas in the last two seasons as they waited for their chance to finally show off their skills; the Cats proved that they belonged on the same field as those teams, the light finally switched on for them and they came to that realization in the final 24 minutes of this game.

For the first time, Texas high school football got a glimpse of what Wildcat football was all about. They got a chance to see a team that fully embraced the opportunity to build something special. They saw the massive 212° flag waving in the breeze and saw a group of guys and a community that bought in to the mantra that it symbolizes. It was truly a memorable night in this little corner of Harris County.

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #8: Cy Creek, 2009

A 2009 District 15-5A thriller checks in at #8 on the ten best games of the first decade of Cy Woods football.

October 9, 2009: Cy Woods 21, Cy Creek 20

Entering 2009, we knew that the road to a district title ran through Cy Creek. The year before, the Cougars completed a season to remember as they went from worst to first and advanced to the third round of the playoffs. They also beat us down that year. It was a tight game at halftime, but Lucas Devilliers went down with an injury and the Cougars went on to go nuts in the second half.

Before I start, I want to provide a little backstory.

I went to Hamilton for middle school, just before Cy Woods opened. I lived in Quail Forest, which is off Grant Road near the intersection with Louetta. This was a neighborhood that had been zoned to Cy-Fair for a long time, but when Woods opened, this neighborhood, along with Longwood, Lakewood Glen, Fairwood, Rock Creek (when it was just barely being populated), Lakewood Glen Trails, and Lakewood Oaks Estates, was re-zoned to Cy Woods.

Hamilton had always been divided between Cy-Fair and Cy Creek, but when Cy Woods opened, it ended up getting split in three. And then when Cy Ranch opened, those neighborhoods went back to Cy-Fair. That's how I ended up at Woods and my brother went to Cy-Fair; while some people I knew had older siblings who went to Cy-Fair, I was the opposite.

This game had a few bragging rights at stake, especially for those of us who went to Hamilton with some of the Creek players. Of course, we also had a little payback on our minds.

The Cougars had some outstanding players on their roster in 2009. Cameron Fleming ended up going to Stanford and won two Super Bowls with the Patriots. Chuckie Keeton started three years for them and went on to set records at Utah State. Ivan and Archie Muniz both signed with Mississippi State. Brent Mitcham, an old friend of mine, signed with Texas Tech. Will Hampton played four seasons at Northwestern and was a starter on their defensive line for parts of two seasons. Cy Creek had legit Division I talent on their squad in 2009. But the one guy I thought would be the best of all of them was their running back, Jermichael Selders. In my opinion, he was one of the five best players that Woods faced that season, even with Dallas Skyline trotting out a whole starting lineup of DI football players. So much unfulfilled promise...

Trying to dethrone Creek wouldn't be easy, especially with the firepower they possessed. This game was a 48-minute heavyweight fight and it took all hands in order for Woods to earn the victory.

Both teams scored in the first quarter; the Wildcats opened the scoring when Colton Huntsman connected with Isaiah Battle for a 32-yard touchdown pass. Selders scored the Cougars' touchdown right before the end of the quarter. Colton scored late in the second and gave Woods a 14-7 halftime lead.

Creek turned the tables to start the second half and scored twice to take a 20-13 lead into the fourth quarter; they missed an extra point, which always looms large. Unlike the previous year's encounter, however, there wouldn't be a sense of déjà vu. We could hang with those guys and we could beat them.

Both defenses held steady for the vast majority of the final 12 minutes, but the Wildcats finally broke through with a late march downfield that culminated with Huntsman diving in from four yards out with 45 seconds left in regulation. The always-reliable Andrew Klink hit the extra point to put Woods back in front and the outcome of this game rested in our defense's hands. The Cougars advanced into Wildcat territory but we held them back to force them into a long field goal attempt (it had to be from at least 45 yards out), which naturally fell short and would've been wide right had it had the requisite distance. Payback... earned. In a game where both teams scored three touchdowns, a missed extra point turned out to be the difference.

This game was just one of the many thrilling victories earned by the Cy Woods Wildcats during the course of the 2009 season. We rebounded from an ugly loss on Homecoming by knocking off Jersey Village, but this win over the defending district champions was a legit shot in the arm for us. 

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #9: Katy Taylor, 2010

The next entry in this series is a playoff game that still stands as the most lopsided victory in Cy Woods football history.

After outlasting Eisenhower in the first round of the 2010 playoffs, the Cy Woods Wildcats traveled to Tully Stadium for the area round to take on the Katy Taylor Mustangs, who topped Chavez in their bi-district matchup.

It was business as usual for the Wildcats as they dominated the Mustangs in all facets of the game and disposed of them quickly and painfully. The Cats led 53-0 at halftime and cruised for the final 24 minutes on their way to a 67-7 victory. The Mustangs' only points came on a fumble recovery for a touchdown, so the Wildcat defense pitched a shutout. Just about every person who dressed for this game got to play... including a freshman named Samuel Stewart.

When a game is that out of hand, the final score usually speaks for itself. The 60-point margin of victory still stands as not just the most lopsided win in Cy Woods football history; it is also the most lopsided point differential in a Cy Woods game, regardless of the result. No doubt, Woods was on a mission that season... Taylor was just standing in the way and the buzzsaw claimed another victim.

Ten Years, Ten Best Games - #10: Cy Ranch, 2012

2018 marks the tenth anniversary of the inaugural varsity football season for the Cypress Woods Wildcats football program. In the build-up to the 2018 season, I will be taking a look at the games and the players that have shaped this football team.

This series will chronicle the ten best games in Cy Woods football history through the first ten years. First up is a game from 2012: the first overtime game in program history against a hated rival.

The 2012 season proved to be a year of transition for the Cypress Woods Wildcats. A new head coach took over, another outstanding senior class departed, and sadly, the early run of excellence came to a crashing halt. Cy Woods dropped their first three games of the season before rebounding with a couple of blowout victories over Cy Lakes and Cy Springs to rebuild some momentum. Unfortunately for them, the momentum that they built collapsed dramatically when Cy-Fair unleashed a merciless second-half torrent aided by some turnovers to condemn them to a 49-20 loss.

And so... with their playoff hopes on the line, the Cats faced off against their most hated rivals, who were surely out for revenge after Woods hung 68 points on them in the previous year's meeting. The Mustangs were firmly in the playoff hunt after rattling off three consecutive wins after dropping a 42-35 decision to Creek to open district play.

Business picked up in the second quarter when Mason Roberts, in his second start at quarterback for the Cats, kept the ball and got wrapped up but was never whistled down. He had the wherewithal to keep playing and outran everyone to the endzone for an 88-yard touchdown. Ranch managed to respond a minute later when their two professional baseball players, Bryce Johnson and Corbin Martin, connected on a touchdown pass. But, Sam Stewart put the Cats back in front with a 33-yard touchdown catch.

Mason got knocked out of commission by what sort of looked like a late hit right before halftime, so Woods had to throw in Nick Hooper, who had started all season as a wide receiver, behind center. This was the night that Nick Hooper became the Wildcats' quarterback of the present and the future. Trent Holmes helped carry his team to the finish line with an 80-yard touchdown and  Chase McLaughlin, who hadn't really played football until he was recruited to be the JV cardinal team kicker the year before, refused to wilt in the spotlight as he nailed the two biggest kicks of his career.

Ranch may have made it to the fourth round in 2012, but it's all good. Woods got one over on them.

Miles "OG" Ogunyomade saves the game

Cats win.

7-on-7 State Tournament Report/DCTF Predictions

Cy Woods took part in the Texas State 7-on-7 Football Tournament in College Station this past weekend and they dropped all four of their games. In pool play, they fell 33-31 to A&M Consolidated, 33-15 to Prestonwood Christian Academy, and 28-20 to Mesquite Poteet, making them the only winless team in Pool C. I did not attend on Friday because... I value my job.

The Cats faced Laredo Alexander in their first game in the consolation bracket on Saturday and lost 28-19. Not a weekend to remember, but hopefully they enjoyed the experience playing against some of the top teams from all over this great state. State championships aren't won playing touch football in June in t-shirts and shorts, but the tournament also serves as a barometer to where a team stands during the pre-season. Finish the summer workouts strong and get back to it once you get to put on the pads again.

Also, the state tournament is always my excuse to go on a long roadtrip.

The 2018 edition of Dave Campbell's Texas Football is now out and I was pleasantly surprised. The magazine believes that the Wildcats will end their three-year playoff drought as they have picked Woods to finish third in District 14-6A. As the largest school in the district, Cy Woods will play in the Division I bracket no matter what; they would be projected to take on Round Rock Cedar Ridge in bi-district if the prediction holds. DCTF is also predicting that the four playoff spots in 14-6A will be taken by Cy-Fair schools this season.

This half of Cy-Fair ISD (plus Bryan and Tomball Memorial) looks to be the more wide-open district than District 17-6A, which sounds like an understatement. The only serious challenger to Cy-Fair is probably going to be Cy Falls.

2018 District 14-6A projected order of finish, per Dave Campbell's Texas Football

1. Langham Creek (DI)

2. Cy Ranch (DII)

3. Cy Woods (DI)

4. Cy Springs (DII)
-------------------------

5. Tomball Memorial

6. Bryan

7. Cy Lakes

8. Bridgeland

9. Cy Park

I got mine as a subscriber. I believe that there are still copies of the Cy Woods special edition available for purchase for $20. Just ask Coach Faith.

2018 Schedule, 7-on-7 Tournament Information

The pools for the State 7-on-7 tournament this weekend in College Station have been released, and the Cy Woods Wildcats were drawn into Pool C with A&M Consolidated, Mesquite Poteet, and Prestonwood Christian Academy. They'll take on A&M Consolidated at 1:00, Prestonwood at 3:00, and finish pool play against Poteet at 5:00 on Friday. 

Single-elimination play will begin Saturday morning. The top two teams in each pool will move on to the Championship bracket, which starts at 9:00 AM. The bottom two will play in the consolation bracket beginning at 8:00.

Now... on to actual football. After a long wait, the full 2018 football schedule has finally been released, and the tenth anniversary season of Cy Woods football will look like this:

Cy Woods will open the 2018 season against Cy Ridge at Pridgeon Stadium on September 1. They'll wrap up the non-district portion of the schedule by traveling to Spring to take on the Spring Lions.

The Cats will open District 14-6A play on Friday, September 14 as they travel to Tomball to face the Tomball Memorial Wildcats. This game will mark the first time that Cy Woods will play a district game outside of Pridgeon or the Berry Center and also the first time that they will play a district opponent hailing from a school district outside of the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District,.

Cy Woods will have a bye week in the penultimate week of the regular season, which falls on the weekend of November 1-3. 

Week 1: Cy Ridge (Pridgeon) Sat 9/1, 6:00

Week 2: @ Spring (Leonard George Stadium), Fri 9/7, 7:00

Week 3: @ Tomball Memorial (Tomball), Fri 9/14, 7:00

Week 4: Langham Creek (Cy-Fair FCU), Thu 9/20, 6:30

Week 5: @ Bridgeland (Cy-Fair FCU), Sat 9/29, 6:00

Week 6: Cy Lakes (Homecoming XI at Pridgeon), Fri 10/5, 7:00

Week 7: @ Cy Park (Pridgeon), Thu 10/11, 6:30

Week 8: Cy Springs (CF-FCU), Fri 10/19, 7:00

Week 9: @ Cy Ranch (CF-FCU), Sat 10/27, 1:00

Week 10: Bye (Week of November 1-3)

Week 11: Bryan (Pridgeon), Thu 11/8, 7:00

State Bound!

The Cypress Woods Wildcats are heading to state! They're heading to the 2018 Texas State 7-on-7 Football Tournament, that is.

Congrats to the Cy Woods 7v7 football team for qualifying for state! ⁦@CyWoodsFB212⁩ #212 pic.twitter.com/qZLFWohs8C

— CyWoodsBooster (@CyWood_Boosters) June 9, 2018

The state tournament will begin on June 29 at Veterans Park in College Station. Cy Woods clinched their berth by winning four games in the Cypress State Qualifying Tournament which took place Friday evening at Cy Creek and Jersey Village. They had previously attempted to qualify at the Richmond State Qualifying Tournament last month but failed to advance out of pool play on that occasion. The Cats last appeared at the state tournament in 2014, which also happens to be the last time they made the playoffs in 11-on-11 football. You know, the variation that's played in pads...

Cy Woods won all three of their games in pool play on Friday, topping Memorial 33-20 in the opener. A long weather delay followed, but they got back to it by dominating Katy Paetow 47-0. They had to go to overtime in their final game as they got away from what was working for them on offense in the second half and Willowridge's comeback was aided by a few, um... questionable calls, but they pulled themselves together and held off the Eagles by a final score of 33-32 to advance to the semi-finals. Willowridge got the ball to start overtime and scored but failed to convert their point-after try. The Wildcats responded with a score and successfully converted their point-after try, and that ended up being the difference.

The Cats were matched up with Terry High School out of Lamar Consolidated in the semi-final. A tight first half saw Woods emerge with a 14-6 lead. A hearty diet of Jake Tesch effectively carried the Cats to the finish line. Cameron Sowell got the ball coming out of a crossing pattern and left everyone in the dust in the second half, and the defense bent a bit, but held firm and got the stops they needed, and as a result, Cy Woods capped off a successful evening with a 33-19 victory to send them to College Station.

Chase Richter was the defensive standout as he recorded five interceptions across the four games and returned one of them for a touchdown against Paetow. Chase had his baseball commitments to fulfill during the spring so he didn't spend much time with football, but I came away extremely impressed by his ball skills out of the safety spot. He'll definitely be a player to watch this upcoming season.

Jake was also helping the Wildcat baseball team in their playoff run, but he was virtually unguardable out of the slot and Jackson Jones just kept exploiting the matchup, especially as the night wore on. Just get him through the summer and he's going to be a huge difference-maker on offense.

Location of Veterans Park, College Station

Get there early. Also, this is a massive complex so you may have to walk a fair amount to get to where the Cats will be playing on Friday.

From Highway 6, take the exit to Highway 30/Harvey Road and turn right. If you somehow missed that exit, you can also take the exit to University and turn right from there. The park will be on the left if you're coming in from Harvey or on the right if you're on University.

Wildcats Through the Years: 2017

The next chapter of Wildcats Through the Years takes a look back at the 2017 Cypress Woods Wildcats football season.

Summary

Record: 4-5, t-5th in District 17-6A
Did not qualify for playoffs
Points scored: 259 (28.7 per game)
Points allowed: 270 (30 per game)
Largest margin of victory: 30 vs. Cy Creek (59-29)
Largest margin of defeat: 28 vs. Cy-Fair (21-49)
Most points scored: 59 vs. Cy Creek
Most points allowed: 49 vs. Cy-Fair
Fewest points scored: 9 vs. Cy Springs
Fewest points allowed: 20 vs. Cy Lakes

Team Records Set or Tied

Fewest points in a season: 259 (previous: 284)
Longest playoff drought: 3 seasons (currently active)
Longest losing streak: 4 (tied with loss to Cy Springs)
Longest play from scrimmage: 99 yards (Jacob Kainer touchdown pass to Jack Barrientez vs. Cy Ranch)

Statistical Leaders

Passing: Jackson Jones, 31-59 (52.5% completion), 708 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Jackson Jones, 138 carries, 532 yards (3.9 YPC), 7 TD
Receiving: Jack Barrientez, 9 receptions, 351 yards (39 yards per catch), 5 TD
Interceptions: Matt Roberts, 2

Schedule and Results

Week 1 vs. Klein Collins canceled due to Hurricane Harvey
Week 3: L 27-9 vs. Cy Springs (Pridgeon)
Week 4: W 35-34 @ Cy Ridge
Week 5: W 42-35 vs. Jersey Village (Homecoming X at Cy-Fair FCU Stadium)
Week 6: L 31-24 @ Langham Creek (CF-FCU)
Week 7: L 24-21 @ Cy Falls (CF-FCU)
Week 8: W 31-20 vs. Cy Lakes (CF-FCU)
Week 9: L 49-21 @ Cy-Fair (CF-FCU)
Week 10: W 59-29 vs. Cy Creek (Pridgeon)
Week 11: L 21-17 @ Cy Ranch (CF-FCU)

The Rundown

Coming off their worst season in school history, expectations for the 2017 Cypress Woods Wildcats were minimal, even though they would return their starting backfield and most of their offensive production from 2016.

In the offseason, the Wildcats underwent a radical change in offensive philosophy. A team that once aspired to be the high school version of the Greatest Show on Turf was grounded, literally. Starting in 2017, the Cats would adopt the triple-option offense run by the likes of Navy and Georgia Tech. Despite the lack of expectations from outside the Cy Woods community, the players and coaching staff showed optimism and excitement as the season drew near.

Jacob Kainer, coming off a tough first season as the starting quarterback, was looking forward to showing off what he could do in a new system. Unfortunately, he never really got that opportunity due to an injury he suffered before the season opener against Cy Springs. As a result, Jackson Jones, a sophomore, was thrown into the gauntlet and despite the growing pains associated with having a sophomore starting quarterback, was able to hold his own in one of the toughest districts in Texas.

Jack Barrientez turned into the Wildcats' primary offensive option but also had to play both ways as a starting safety after Tory Spears suffered an injury against Springs. Bobby Dodson started the season as the starting A-back, but an injury pressed Darion Morgan into duty. Jake Tesch had a delayed start to his season also due to injury but turned into a weapon at B-back once he returned. Arkievrick Vitatoe, a move-in from Louisiana, emerged as another option at B-back and in the return game as well.

Defensively, Spears and Collin Fewox returned to form a solid duo at safety, but after Tory got hurt, Jack had to move to the defensive side of the ball. Mac Bird racked up the tackles in the early part of the season before a serious medical emergency cut his season short. Tobi Orundami left the team shortly after the 2016 season opener against Klein Collins, but he worked his way back into the program and became a key contributor on the defensive line.

If Cy Woods' 2017 season could be summed up in one phrase, it would definitely be "what if." What if they entered the season fully healthy? What if they had a chance to test-drive the new offensive system before delving into district play? What if they didn't run a fake punt in their own territory against Langham Creek?

Season

Chapter 10 of Cy Woods football was originally scheduled to begin on September 1, 2017, when they were supposed to take on Klein Collins at Pridgeon Stadium. However, one week earlier, Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas coast, forcing football out of everyone's minds. As a result, the beginning of the season was delayed; in District 17-6A's case, the schedule would solely consist of district games once the season could begin.

Cy Woods and Cy Springs kicked off football season in Cy-Fair ISD on September 14 at Pridgeon Stadium. For everyone in attendance, the game represented a sign of normalcy returning after its violent upheaval.

Week 3: L 27-9 vs. Cy Springs

The Cats entered the 2017 season armed with the knowledge of a new offensive system, but due to the storm, were unable to implement it in a game situation, let alone a situation simulating an actual football game.

Yes, every school in Southeast Texas was affected by Harvey. Cy Woods' pain was not unique. With that being said, a coaching staff of a football team implementing a brand-new offensive system would have definitely loved to have an evaluation period of that new system before their team played games that really mattered in the standings.

The Cats came out tentative on offense, which was completely understandable considering that again... there was no evaluation period. The coaches were essentially handed a blank slate and were forced to populate it with information as the season progressed.

Cy Woods' first points of the 2017 season came on a 30-yard field goal from Jared Swonke in the first quarter. The Wildcats lost four fumbles in this game and the Panthers scored 14 points off of those miscues. Jack Barrientez scored the first Wildcat touchdown of 2017 on a three-yard run in the third quarter, which brought them to within 12 points.

Woods was not completely out of this game... until Kevonne Hyde ripped off a 51-yard run to the Wildcats' one-yard line with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. One play later, Xayvion West sealed the Cats' fate with a one-yard touchdown run, giving Cy Springs their first-ever victory over Cy Woods in a football game. The Panthers, despite ten penalties, did not commit a turnover and got big plays when they needed to have one.

Photo by Kyle Ransleben, The Crimson Connection

Jack Barrientez got well-acquainted with the Cy Springs defense on Opening Night.

Week 4: W 35-34 @ Cy Ridge

The Rams would have a little rebuilding to do after graduating the most successful senior class in their program's history, but they would still pose a formidable challenge. After all, this was a team that dominated the Wildcats in their previous meeting despite Woods somehow holding a halftime lead.

Cy Woods scored first, but the Rams were firmly in control as they took a 21-6 lead into the intermission on the strength of two touchdowns on fourth down. Ridge's other touchdown came on third and 19, so the defense had trouble winning on the late downs in the first half.

The Cats received a momentum boost when they forced a turnover on the first drive of the second half and they managed to turn the miscue into points when Jackson Jones floated a ball towards the outstretched arms of Cullen Sherrill, who outran everyone to the end zone for a 50-yard touchdown reception. Jackson added a four-yard touchdown run to start the final period but the Rams turned him away from the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game at 21.

Arkievrick Vitatoe scored on a two-yard run with 3:23 remaining and Jackson got into the end zone for the two-point conversion, which gave Woods a 27-21 lead and set the stage for a frenzied finish. The Rams responded with a touchdown to re-take the lead, and then Jack Barrientez took a screen pass and somehow weaved his way through the Ridge secondary for a 68-yard touchdown to put Woods back in front. Ridge had one more touchdown in them and they decided to go for two and the win... and the Cats ended up thwarting that attempt.

Once again, Mac Bird led the way on defense with 13 tackles; 5.5 of those resulted in a loss of yardage. Matt Roberts intercepted a pass at the end of the first half and Tyler Redgrave opened the second half with by recovering a fumble. Jackson only completed two passes, but they both resulted in touchdowns.

Week 5: W 42-35 vs. Jersey Village

Next up for Cy Woods... the Jersey Village Falcons on Homecoming. JV had proven to be a serious thorn in the Wildcats' side as they came in owning a four-game winning streak that started with a 42-0 beatdown in the 2013 season finale. In 2015, Deshun Qualls and the Falcons ended Cy Woods' playoff hopes in one of the wildest, most dramatic games in Texas high school football history. Needless to say, the Cats had some demons in need of exorcising. What better time to do it than on Homecoming?

This was the triple-option at its best. The Cats put up 422 yards on the ground and Jackson Jones completed all four of his pass attempts for 110 yards, while Jack threw a 33-yard touchdown pass. Bobby Dodson ran for 146 yards and a score.

Woods took control with an early outburst, but the Falcons were right on their tails. JV got a couple of touchdowns in the third to take a 35-28 lead into the fourth, but Jack's 33-yard touchdown pass to Cullen Sherrill and Jackson's 26-yard scoring run put the Cats back in front. Unlike the previous week, however, the Wildcat defense tightened up and got the stop they needed to close out this game and secure Cy Woods' first win over Jersey Village in five years.

Now, unfortunately, I'm going to have to speed through the rest of this season's games because I've sat on this for entirely too long.

Week 6: L 31-24 @ Langham Creek

The Wildcats outgained the Lobos on offense, had more first downs, had one less penalty, dominated the time of possession... and lost. Unfortunately, they also trailed 31-9 at one point. Woods had enough about themselves to claw back into the game, but their comeback bid ultimately fell short.

Week 7: L 24-21 @ Cy Falls

Jacob Kitterman's 22-yard field goal with 34 seconds left broke a 21-21 tie in the Eagles' favor.

No further comment.

Week 8: W 31-20 vs. Cy Lakes

The Cats won this game despite only gaining 241 yards on offense. Jake Tesch and Jack Barrientez both scored two touchdowns to pace the Cats: Jake scored on a 21-yard run and a 53-yard reception, while Jack scored on an eight-yard run and returned an interception 69 yards. Jackson Hosemann recorded 10 tackles and sealed the deal with an interception deep in Spartan territory.

Week 9: L 49-21 @ Cy-Fair

Well... this one got ugly in a hurry. Cy Woods trailed 42-0 at halftime and never really threatened the eventual state champions. On the bright side, Tanner Sherrill finally caught his first touchdown pass.

Week 10: W 59-29 vs. Cy Creek

The Cats' slim playoff hopes received a brief lifeline as they blew out the Cougars in their penultimate game of the regular season. Jackson Jones threw for three touchdowns and ran for three more touchdowns. The defense picked off Cougar quarterback Mateo Renteria three times and also recorded three sacks.

Week 11: L 21-17 @ Cy Ranch

This iteration of the Battle of 290 was a far cry from the debacle of 2016... but the Mustangs still found a way to eke out a victory over the Wildcats. Jacob Kainer threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Jack Barrientez on the first play of the game; this is the longest play from scrimmage in Cy Woods history.

Despite absolutely no foundation to build their new offensive system upon, the 2017 Cypress Woods Wildcats managed to improve on their win total and remained in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season. The Wildcats lost their starting quarterback shortly before the season opener but they found their quarterback of the present and the future in Jackson Jones. With the exception of one game, the Cats were competitive; they outplayed some clearly superior opponents and had their chances to pull off some upsets, but for... reasons, they couldn't seal the deal.

Had a few bounces gone their way, the Cats would have made their return to the playoffs. No time to wallow over the what-ifs, though. Let's hope that the kids continue to work in order to return Cy Woods football to prominence. 

Looking Ahead to 2018

The Cypress Woods Wildcats finished 4-5 in 2017, which marks the first time in program history that the Wildcats have posted losing records in consecutive seasons. In addition, their playoff drought has now been extended to three years.

Cy Woods football wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination in 2017, but they managed to rebound from the worst season in school history and found themselves on the periphery of the District 17-6A playoff picture until the final week of the season. Aside from getting demolished by Cy-Fair, the Cats were in virtually every game this past season. Who knows... had a few bounces gone their way, they would have been entering 2018 fresh off a playoff berth.

Once again, the Cats just couldn't overcome injuries at key spots, most notably Jacob Kainer, who injured his foot before the season opener against Cy Springs. I couldn't help but feel for him... he didn't have the greatest season in his first shot as the starting quarterback in 2016. Heading into 2017, there was a much more optimistic outlook surrounding Jacob; the catastrophic injury he suffered as a sophomore was well behind him, he was excited to helm a brand-new offense, and most of all, he was getting a fair chance to finish off his high school career on a positive note. Unfortunately, he ended up missing the first month of the season and was largely limited until the final three games.

In Jacob's absence, however, the Wildcats found their quarterback of the present and the future in Jackson Jones, who earned an Honorable Mention All-District selection. Despite a few sophomore moments, Jackson acquitted himself well despite getting thrown into the fire that is Cy-Fair ISD football. Now that he has a full season of starts under his belt, the expectations will be raised significantly. Helping this team end this playoff drought would certainly qualify as an expectation...

Tory Spears hurt himself during the Springs game and ended up missing six weeks if I remember correctly. His absence was a big blow to the Wildcat defense because Jack Barrientez ended up playing both ways and the vast majority of his playing time came on defense. Mac Bird was having an excellent season until his serious health scare as well. Despite this, the defense fought with an intensity that I have not seen in quite some time.

Who's coming back in 2018?

Not all of these players may return. I'm just listing the kids who were underclassmen in 2017.

Italics - player will be a junior

ATH Jake Tesch
QB Jackson Jones
LB Jackson Hosemann
WR Cam Sowell
DB JoJo Guillory
WR Connor Faulk
LB Caleb Rutherford (did not play in 2017)
LB Jackson Turnbow
LB Zach Harris
RB Darion Morgan
DB Tevis Adams
LB Mac Bird
RB Christian Scott
OL Yousef Alzibdeh
OL Ethan Agnew
OL Cody Sanker
OL Chris Sturghill
DL Tyron Lewis
OL Brock Gunderson
WR Tanner Sherrill
WR Cullen Sherrill
DL Tyler Hopmann (did not play in 2017)
DL Trevor Reed

The Cats now have one year under the triple-option attack under their belts. Though Christian Jones graduates, Ethan Agnew, Brock Gunderson, and Chris Sturghill coming back will surely help. Also, they have two more years of Jackson Jones under center, so there's definitely continuity coming for the offense. While Darion Morgan is a returning letterman and should get a fair shot to nail down the starting B-back spot, he'll have some serious competition in Christian Scott and Trayse Holmes.

On the other side of the line, however, Cy Woods will have a completely new rotation on the defensive line and the secondary; Tyron Lewis is the only holdover on the defensive line, while Chase Richter, Cam Sowell, JoJo Guillory, and Tevis Adams will look to nail down prominent roles in the secondary. Mac Bird's recovery appears to be going well and hopefully he'll be back at full strength following his life-threatening ordeal.

Realignment

2017 marked the final season for the all-CFISD district. Heading into the UIL's biennial realignment, Cy-Fair ISD was well aware that they would have to be split with Bridgeland and Cy Park beginning varsity football; UIL rules only permit a maximum of ten teams in one district for athletics.

Well, we can always count on the University Interscholastic League to throw some serious curveballs, and boy, the curve they threw for this realignment was a thing of beauty. Everyone was wondering how the UIL would split up the school district with the most 6A-sized high schools in Texas and it turns out that they'd split them up east-west between Regions II and III, presumably using Queenston Boulevard as the dividing line.

The seven schools west of Queenston were placed in District 14-6A. Yes, you heard that right: 14-6A. Cy Woods, along with Cy Springs, Cy Lakes, Langham Creek, Cy Ranch, Cy Park, and Bridgeland will all compete in Region II with Bryan and Tomball Memorial as their district mates. The five schools east of Queenston (Cy-Fair, Cy Creek, Cy Falls, Jersey Village, and Cy Ridge) remained in District 17-6A and Region III, which they will share with Spring Branch ISD.

Cy Woods turned in 3,547 on Snapshot Day, making them the largest high school in Cy-Fair ISD and the largest in 14-6A. Should they make the playoffs in the next two seasons, they will be locked into the Division I bracket.

The new district seems to have a nice balance at first glance. Langham and Ranch are probably the top two teams at the moment. After them, however, the other two playoff spots look like toss-ups. Springs and Tomball Memorial look like they might be Cy Woods' primary competition for those two spots.

Though the Bryan Vikings are coming off a 3-7 season (and a next-to-last place finish in District 18-5A) as they move back into the state's largest classification, they probably won't miss having to share a district with the likes of A&M Consolidated, Temple, and College Station. Memorial fared slightly better, but they also missed out on the playoffs after having to tussle with the Magnolia schools and Brenham, among others.

Lakes took a step back with their third winless season in eight years as they continue to try to finally get their football program off the ground. Maybe this move will symbolize a fresh start for the Spartans.

A season without seniors could be a harbinger of rough debuts for Park and Bridgeland, but nevertheless, the excitement in these communities as they enter their inaugural seasons is palpable; after all, they are finally getting their opportunity to join the grand stage that is Texas high school football.

With a new district and a return to Region II comes new potential playoff opponents. District 14 will take on District 13 in the first round, which comprises of Round Rock ISD, Leander ISD's three 6A schools (Vandegrift, Vista Ridge, and Leander), and Pflugerville Hendrickson.

Personally, I like this new district alignment. The seven CFISD schools in District 14-6A now have the opportunity to get out of Houston for a little bit to take on schools from other parts of Texas in the most diverse region in Class 6A.

I also enjoy driving, so I certainly wouldn't mind heading to Baylor for a potential playoff game with, say, Rockwall, for example.

In addition to being the 10th anniversary of the inaugural season, 2018 will be a season of firsts for Cy Woods football:

- First meetings with Bridgeland, Cy Park, Bryan, and Tomball Memorial.
- First district games against schools outside Cy-Fair ISD, and with that, the first real road game in district play.
- Cy Woods will even play a non-district game against a Cy-Fair ISD school!

On Cy-Fair winning a state championship

Congratulations to Cy-Fair on winning the first football state championship for Cy-Fair ISD. Truthfully, it's been a long time coming and it just seems fitting that the district's first school would end up winning its first state title in the most popular spectator sport in the state of Texas.

Wildcats... if watching Cy-Fair win it all doesn't motivate you to want to elevate Cy Woods football to that level, then why are you in the program in the first place?

What's in store for the blog for 2018

Now that I am... sort of a productive member of society, I have literally had zero time to update the blog. Plus, it's the offseason. Until spring rolls around, there isn't really anything compelling going on with the Wildcat football program other than realignment. I might head out to a few track meets.

2018 marks the tenth anniversary of the inaugural varsity football season for the Cypress Woods Wildcats. So... "10 Best" lists it is! Then again, the only two off the top of my head are top players and games.

Cy Ranch 21, Cy Woods 17: The end. Unfortunately, the Mustangs won on Saturday.

Final 2017 Record: 4-5

Photo by Tom Dendy

Jack Barrientez scampers his way into Cy Woods' record books.

Click here for photos from this week's games. The JV and freshman A teams were featured in this week's collection.

Cy Falls trounced Cy Creek 51-27 on Friday to clinch the fourth and final playoff berth in District 17-6A. The Cy Woods Wildcats would probably have been content to accept their fate and possibly a 55-0 beatdown from their most hated rivals, the Cy Ranch Mustangs.

No one told the Cats they should've done that, however. They fought the Mustangs tooth and nail for all 48 minutes before ultimately succumbing 21-17 to close out the 2017 season.

The Cats outperformed the Mustangs on offense, but the difference here was two interceptions that Ranch converted into touchdowns. In what was unfortunately a running theme for the Wildcats this season, they dropped a game that was theirs for the taking. It didn't look like the Mustangs wanted to nail the coffin shut either, but they did just enough to win.

Well, with the loss, Cy Woods has posted back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in program history. They also scored the fewest points in a season in team history with 259, although by allowing 270 points, they gave up fewer than 400 points for the first time since 2013.

On the other hand, they were also in the playoff picture up until the final two days of the regular season, so they have certainly shown progress as they try to return to prominence. With that being said, it should not be unreasonable to expect the 2018 Cypress Woods Wildcats to seriously contend for a playoff spot.

Scoring Summary

Dallas Caldwell committed a massive blunder on the opening kickoff when he took a knee and was ruled down at the 1-yard line. That didn't seem to bother the Cats because on the first play of the day, Jacob Kainer took a reverse and fired a pass to Jack Barrientez, who took it 99 yards to open the scoring. The Wildcats had a 12-play drive going on their next possession, but on the 13th play, Jackson Jones got picked off. Ranch converted that turnover into a 1-yard touchdown run by Fred Brooks.

End of 1st Quarter: Woods 7, Ranch 7

Jared Swonke hit a 25-yard field goal for the only points of the second quarter. He also had a 32-yard attempt that was blocked. The Mustangs managed to get a little drive going after the blocked kick, but Chase Richter put a stop to that by intercepting Brooks just before halftime.

Halftime: Woods 10, Ranch 7

Brooks got the hook and in stepped Logan McDougald, who threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Hardy for the only points of the third quarter. Derrick Brooks could have made a play... had he turned around to look for the ball.

End of 3rd Quarter: Ranch 14, Woods 10

Jack scored on a 6-yard run to put Woods back in front, but the deciding score was a 19-yard touchdown pass from McDougald to Drew Glenn. The Mustangs had a chance to make it a one-touchdown game with 1:17 left, but Mateo Pritzklau's 42-yard field goal clanged off the left upright. Unfortunately, the Cats couldn't convert a fourth down.

Final: Ranch 21, Woods 17

Ground

The Wildcats put up 240 yards on the ground but needed 58 rushing attempts to reach that number. Jacob Kainer's 34-yard run on a reverse was the longest of the day.

Jackson Jones: 29 carries, 100 yards
Jack Barrientez: 12 carries, 72 yards, TD
Jacob Kainer: 1 carry, 34 yards
Bobby Dodson: 10 carries, 30 yards
Jake Tesch: 5 carries, 8 yards
Dallas Caldwell: 1 carry, -4 yards

Air

Jackson looked like a sophomore in the passing game. His two picks were forced throws that really did not need to be made. It's fine. Fortunately, he didn't have too many of these moments, but with a year of varsity football under his belt, the expectations for him will be magnified significantly from here on out.

Jacob's 99-yard pass to Jack is now the longest play in Cy Woods football history. Only fitting that those two would connect on a pass one last time.

Jackson Jones: 3-10, 41 yards, 2 INT
Jacob Kainer: 1-1, 99 yards, TD

Jack Barrientez: 2 catches, 105 yards, TD
Jake Tesch: 1 catch, 25 yards
Bobby Dodson: 1 catch, 10 yards

Defense

The good news is that a once-vaunted Mustang rushing attack was completely stifled by the Cats. The bad news is that they let a backup quarterback throw two touchdown passes on plays that they could have made. The 252 yards allowed was a season-low.

Mac Bird will somehow finish the season as the Wildcats' leading tackler despite playing only four games.

Tackles

Tyler Redgrave and Chase Richter - 6 each
Austin Kennedy - 5
Matt Roberts, Zach Harris, and Jackson Hosemann - 4 each
Ryan Gilcrease - 3
Collin Fewox, Tobi Orundami, and Derrick Brooks - 2 each
Christian Jones and Clancey Hall - 1 each

Zach Harris had a sack for 6 yards, while Chase Richter had an interception in the second quarter.

Special Teams

Jared Swonke made a 25-yard field goal and had a 32-yard attempt get blocked... it wasn't the best snap. Greg Blaser had a really ugly punt but got a really nice roll and had it downed at Ranch's 13-yard line.

Men of the Match

Class of 2018, thank you. All the best for everything you do in the future.

Looking Ahead

It's the offseason.

Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the inaugural season of the Cypress Woods High School football program. I'll have a couple of series during the offseason highlighting the ten best players and the ten most significant games in the first decade of Cy Woods football.

Cy Woods 59, Cy Creek 29: A Pulse!

2017 Record: 4-4

Photo by Tom Dendy

Ryan Gilcrease and Tobi Orundami bring down Cy Creek QB Mateo Renteria

Preface: There was this sporting event called the World Series going on. You might have heard of it, and you might have heard that the Houston Astros won in seven games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I did not attend this game because the Astros' parade route got extended, which put my mom's restaurant right in the path and I was needed there to prevent absolute chaos.

How am I functioning?

As always, Tom Dendy has photographs. This week, the freshmen were featured. Click here to view all of his galleries from this week's action.

Right when I write the epitaph on the 2017 Cypress Woods Wildcats, they jolt back to life.

As awful as the Wildcats looked in the first half of the pummeling they suffered at the hands of Cy-Fair, they flipped the script and administered a beatdown of their own against Cy Creek in the first 24 minutes on Friday night and kept themselves alive in the playoff hunt with a 59-29 victory. Although this is not the most they've scored in a game against the Cougars, it is the largest margin of victory in the series.

The Bobcats did Cy Woods a favor and dispatched Cy Falls 42-14 on Saturday, which puts the Wildcats, Cougars, and Golden Eagles in a three-way tie at 4-4 in the fourth and final playoff spot heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Cy Woods can advance with a victory over Cy Ranch next Saturday and a Creek win over Falls on Friday. This is the only way in which the Wildcats can clinch a playoff berth.

However, if the Eagles win, the Wildcats will be eliminated regardless of the outcome of their game with Ranch. But again... you can't rely on others to do your work. And had the Cats taken care of *gets hit in face with flying chair*

*regains consciousness*

Oh, right. Where was I.

Scoring Summary

The Wildcats reached into the bag of tricks to begin the game and Jacob Kainer fired a 68-yard pass to Jack Barrientez, setting up a 3-yard touchdown run by Jackson Jones. Jackson scored on another 3-yard run about midway through the first quarter.

End of 1st Quarter: Woods 14, Creek 0

Jackson scored his third touchdown of the evening on a one-yard run to start the second quarter, then Jack found the end zone from 25 yards out. Jackson then took to the air in order to deal more damage, finding Jacob Kainer for a 23-yard touchdown and connecting with Connor Faulk for another score, this one from 45 yards. The Cougars spoiled the shutout right at halftime on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Mateo Renteria to Dawson Unruh.

Halftime: Woods 42, Creek 7

Woods opened the scoring in the second half as Jackson hit Jack Barrientez, who dashed 83 yards to the house. Jared Swonke hit a 36-yard field goal for the other Woods scoring play in the third quarter. Renteria connected with Jack Hook for a 70-yard touchdown pass.

End of 3rd Quarter: Woods 52, Creek 15

Dallas Caldwell scored the Cats' final points of the evening with a 19-yard run. Creek's second-string quarterback, Julian Brown, threw two touchdown passes to Hook and Geonardo Sutton to close out the evening.

Final: Woods 59, Creek 29

Ground

That's what you expect out of the option. The Cats have really put Jake Tesch's elusiveness to good use and he's broken off some really nice runs on the outside. The transition to a new offensive system has been a mixed bag at times, but that's probably expected. The youngsters will definitely be expected to have more success running this offense.

Cy Woods only had four running plays in which they did not gain a yard and two where they lost yardage.

Jackson Jones: 23 carries, 93 yards, 3 TD
Jack Barrientez: 13 carries, 90 yards, TD
Jake Tesch: 5 carries, 82 yards
Darion Morgan: 9 carries, 31 yards
Dallas Caldwell: 1 carry, 19 yards, TD
Bobby Dodson: 5 carries, 16 yards
Tylan Foster: 3 carries, 7 yards
Quincy Boone: 1 carry, 2 yards
Christian Scott: 1 carry, -2 yards

Air

The Cats only threw the ball five times, but three of those attempts resulted in touchdowns, which seems efficient.

Jackson Jones: 3-4, 151 yards, 3 TD
Jacob Kainer: 1-1, 68 yards

Jack Barrientez: 2 catches, 151 yards, TD
Connor Faulk: 1 catch, 45 yards, TD
Jacob Kainer: 1 catch, 23 yards, TD

Defense

The Cats didn't need to worry about the Cougars' anemic running game, but Creek did what they usually did in the passing game... most of which came in an extended garbage time. I'm fairly sure that the three interceptions is a single-game record.

Tobi Orundami imposed his will in the trenches. Tory Spears is finally healthy. Yeah, they gave up 29 points, but that didn't really matter because they were up 42-7 at halftime.

Tackles

Tobi Orundami and Austin Kennedy - 6 each
Matt Roberts - 5
Jackson Hosemann, Tory Spears, Collin Fewox, and Jake Johnson - 4 each
Zach Harris, Khari Keaton, and Ryan Gilcrease - 3 each
Chase Richter and Cam Sowell - 2 each
10 Wildcats with 1 each

Sacks

Zach Harris - 1, 8 yards lost
Austin Kennedy - 1, 5 yards lost
Tobi Orundami and Ryan Gilcrease - 0.5, 4 yards lost

Interceptions

Tory Spears - 1, returned 17 yards
Matt Roberts and Collin Fewox - 1, no return

Special Teams

Jared Swonke scored 11 points in this game with his 36-yard field goal and 8 extra points. It's the first time that a Wildcat kicker reached double figures in a game since Luis Reyes scored 10 against Cy Lakes in 2015.

Greg Blaser only had one punt for 22 yards. Dallas Caldwell only returned one kickoff for 17 yards.

Men of the Match

As the cliché goes, it was a total team win.

Looking Ahead

The Cypress Woods Wildcats will wrap up the 2017 season against the hated Cypress Ranch Mustangs on Saturday, November 11. Kickoff from Cy-Fair FCU Stadium is scheduled for 1:00 PM and the Wildcats will be the visitors in this contest.

Depending on the result of Friday's Falls/Creek game, this may either be the final football game for the Class of 2018.... or they'll get to make preparations for a bi-district playoff game. Still though, they'll have to beat Ranch.

Cy-Fair 49, Cy Woods 21: Dissected

2017 Record: 3-4

Photo by Tom Dendy

Tanner Sherrill outruns everyone to the end zone

It was not a pretty Saturday for the Cypress Woods Wildcats as they fell behind 42-0 at halftime to the Cy-Fair Bobcats, who administered a 49-21 drubbing at . No, this game was not as close as the final score indicated. The Bobcat defense was their usual stingy, smash-mouth selves, the Bobcat offense buried Cy Woods early, and the Wildcats could only muster up 44 yards of offense at the half. Meanwhile, Cy Woods' offense coughed the ball up twice in the first half and the Bobcats converted both of those blunders into touchdowns.

It's not over until the math says it's over, but Cy Woods' playoff hopes are just about extinguished. Too many results would need to go their way over the last two weeks, in addition to having to win out.

To their credit, they showed up in the second half and made the final score look a little more respectable. Cy Woods did become the first team to put up more than 14 points and 250 yards on the vaunted Cy-Fair defense this season. Now, most of those yards came when the outcome was already decided, but it still counts all the same.

Hey, I'm all about finding things resembling silver linings.

Scoring Summary

On the second play of the game, Christian Richmond took a jet sweep and opened the scoring with a 67-yard touchdown. Trent Kennedy scored twice in a three-minute span from one yard and 35 yards out.

End of 1st Quarter: Fair 21, Woods 0

Kennedy scored his third rushing touchdown of the day from 16 yards, and then Cam Arnold threw a pair of touchdown passes to Christian Richmond (17 yards) and Tevin Boyd (31 yards) to complete the Bobcats' first-half onslaught. The 42-0 scoreline at halftime is now the largest halftime deficit in Cy Woods football history.

Halftime: Fair 42, Woods 0


On fourth and goal, the Wildcats finally got on the board as Jack Barrientez caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Kainer. Kennedy scored on a 12-yard run to give him four on the afternoon.

End of 3rd Quarter: Fair 49, Woods 7

Jacob scored on a 5-yard run and then hit Tanner Sherrill on a slant pattern, after which Tanner outran everyone for an 80-yard touchdown.

Final: Fair 49, Woods 21

Ground

Aside from Jake Tesch breaking a couple for nice gains, the Wildcats were absolutely suffocated by the Bobcats' imposing front eight. Jacob Kainer and Jackson Jones were also under siege all day every time they dropped back to pass, which also cratered the Wildcats' rushing numbers in this game.

Jake Tesch: 9 carries, 69 yards
Darion Morgan: 7 carries, 19 yards
Dallas Caldwell: 3 carries, 13 yards
Connor Faulk: 1 carry, 12 yards
Jackson Jones: 9 carries, 8 yards
Jack Barrientez: 2 carries, 7 yards
Jacob Kainer: 10 carries, -19 yards, TD

Air

The 11 passing attempts represent a season high for Cy Woods, as are the 142 passing yards. Jacob Kainer took over in the second quarter as the deficit mounted.

Jacob Kainer: 4-9, 112 yards, 2 TD
Jackson Jones: 2-3, 30 yards

Tanner Sherrill finally got on the board with an 80-yard touchdown pass. Cullen caught more passes, but Tanner scored, so.

Sherrill Twins Touchdown Reception Tracker

Cullen 6
Tanner 1

Cullen Sherrill: 3 catches, 41 yards
Tanner Sherrill: 1 catch, 80 yards, TD
Jake Tesch: 1 catch, 15 yards
Jack Barrientez: 1 catch, 6 yards, TD

Defense

Well, the offense didn't exactly do them any favors with the putrid showing in the first half.

Tackles

Austin Kennedy - 8
Collin Fewox - 7
Matt Roberts - 4
Tobi Orundami and Ryan Gilcrease - 3
10 players with 2
Greg Blaser, Brock Gunderson, and Ty Lewis -1

Special Teams

Jared Swonke hit all three of his extra points. Tevis Adams and Jake Tesch had some decent kickoff returns.

Tevis Adams: 3 kickoffs returned, 54 yards
Jake Tesch: 1 kickoff returned, 19 yards

Men of the Match

Fire this game into the sun, to be honest.

Fine. Tanner Sherrill and Austin Kennedy get the honors.

Looking Ahead

The Wildcats will head to Pridgeon Stadium to face the Cy Creek Cougars on Friday, November 3 at 7:00. Cy Woods will be the home team in this contest.

Know Your Enemy: Cy-Fair Bobcats

Week 7: Cypress Woods Wildcats (3-3) @ Cy-Fair Bobcats (6-0)
1:00 PM, Saturday, October 28, 2017
Cy-Fair FCU Stadium

Photo by Don Carson

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

It didn't look pretty at times, but the Wildcats topped Cy Lakes 31-20 to get back to .500 on the season. Jake Tesch scored on a 21-yard run and a 53-yard catch, which was Cy Woods' only completed pass of the game. Jack Barrientez scored on offense with an 8-yard run, on defense with a 69-yard interception return, and chipped in with six tackles.

Now, the Cats will have to run a gauntlet, emerge unscathed from it somehow, and have a few results from other games within the district go their way over the next three weeks, all to clinch a playoff berth. Safe to say that they're going to have to go all-in now...

The Enemy: Cy-Fair Bobcats

2016 Record: 8-3, 8-1 (2nd) in District 17-6A
Lost 15-14 to Lamar in 6A Division I, Region III Bi-district round

Cy-Fair season-to-date

W 42-7 vs. Cy Lakes
W 21-14 @ Cy Springs
W 21-3 vs. Cy Ranch
W 42-13 @ Jersey Village
W 30-0 vs. Cy Ridge
W 26-14 @ Cy Creek

All-Time Series

Cy Woods leads 5-4.

Previous Meetings


October 21, 2016: Fair 35, Woods 17 (Homecoming IX)

October 22, 2015: Woods 44, Fair 7

October 25, 2014: Woods 38, Fair 31 (OT)
October 12, 2013: Fair 30, Woods 23
October 13, 2012: Fair 49, Woods 20
September 17, 2011: Fair 14, Woods 0
September 18, 2010: Woods 28, Fair 14
October 23, 2009: Woods 21, Fair 7
October 24, 2008: Woods 42, Fair 20

Players to Watch

Cam Arnold - SR QB #12
Trenton Kennedy - SR RB #43
Christian Richmond - JR WR #20
Erick Hallett - SR DB #8
Jace Bobo - SR LB #11
Patrick Atkinson - SR LB #30
Peyton Lewis - SR DL #9
Josh Smith - SR DL #42
Tanner Cormier - SOPH DL #62

2¢ on Cy-Fair

Well... what's left to say about Cy-Fair. Unglamorous, yet devastatingly effective on offense, smashmouth defense... kids have come and gone, but all of the kids who have played in this system have executed it efficiently.

The Bobcats enter this game with arguably the top defense in the state of Texas in any classification. They've yet to allow more than 14 points and they haven't allowed anyone to accrue 250 yards of total offense in a game this season. Erick Hallett and Jace Bobo are both three-year starters on the Bobcat defense. Hallett, who is committed to Mike Leach's Washington State program, has a couple of picks this season and is the unquestioned leader of their secondary. He's also a threat in the return game. Patrick Atkinson and Jace Bobo pace the Bobcats in tackles; Atkinson is the strongest player in their program. Peyton Lewis and Josh Smith come in 1-2 in the district in sacks and tackles for loss. Together, they have combined for 11.5 of the 18 sacks that Cy-Fair has recorded this season, which tops the district by a healthy margin. Tanner Cormier has broken out as a sophomore and he'll be their anchor in the trenches for the next couple of seasons.

Cy-Fair possesses a wealth of experience in their offensive backfield; Cam Arnold and Trenton Kennedy are both three-year lettermen. Kennedy ranks third in the district in rushing yards and like he's been for the last two seasons, he is the Bobcats' workhorse. Arnold is the currently the district's most accurate quarterback. He's probably the best pure passer out of all the quarterbacks they've trotted out in recent memory. Christian Richmond does a little bit of everything, and he's the guy the Bobcats turn to whenever they need something explosive on offense. Richmond has touched the ball 27 times on offense (14 carries, 13 catches) and has gained 436 yards, which is good for 16 yards per offensive play.

Last Time These Two Teams Met

The Bobcats ruined Cy Woods' Homecoming by dropping them 35-17. Woods trailed 21-17 entering the fourth quarter, but Cy-Fair managed to pull away.

This loss condemned the Wildcats to the second losing season in school history. An especially notable moment in this game saw the Wildcats going for it on 4th and 19... from their own 1-yard line. They were not successful.

Jack Barrientez ran for 96 yards and a touchdown on 9 carries.

Sub-Varsity Game Information

Freshmen at Cy-Fair, JV at Cy Woods. As always, game times are 5:00 and 7:00.

Location of Cy-Fair High School

Ha, that's funny.