Know the Enemy: Bridgeland Bears

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

Photo courtesy: Tom Dendy, Phlox Photography/MaxPreps

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

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

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

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

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

District 16-6A

Current Standings

1. Bridgeland (3-0, 1-0)

2. Cypress Park (2-1, 1-0)

3. Cypress Ranch (2-1, 1-0)

4. Cypress Woods (2-1, 1-0)

5. Langham Creek (1-2, 0-1)

6. Cypress Falls (0-3, 0-1)

7. Cypress Lakes (0-3, 0-1)

8. Cypress Springs (0-3, 0-1)

Week 3

Cypress Park 62, Cypress Springs 13

Cypress Ranch 56, Cypress Lakes 0

Bridgeland 42, Langham Creek 8

Cypress Woods 34, Cypress Falls 29

Week 4

Thursday, October 15

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

Friday, October 16

Bridgeland (3-0, 1-0) vs. Cypress Woods (2-1, 1-0), 7:00 at CF-FCU

Cypress Falls (0-3, 0-1) vs. Cypress Ranch (2-1, 1-0), 7:00 at Pridgeon

Saturday, October 17

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

The Enemy: Bridgeland Bears

2019 Record: 8-3, 6-2 (3rd) in District 14-6A

Lost to Vandegrift 14-13 in 6A Division II, Region II Bi-district round

Bridgeland season-to-date

W 49-42 vs. Klein Cain

W 27-23 @ Shadow Creek

W 42-8 @ Langham Creek

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

All-Time Series

Woods leads 2-0.

Previous Meetings

September 27, 2019: Woods 20, Bridgeland 7

September 29, 2018: Woods 56, Bridgeland 14

Players to Watch

Connor Weigman - JR QB #15

Mason Culton - JR RB #27

Dylan Goffney - SR WR #5

Hunter Wallis - SR WR #19

Atrevion Hunter - SR WR #7

Dylan Crippen - SR TE #88
Gage Geaslin - SR OL #55

Mine Imarah - SR DL #50

Nathan Earle - JR DL #95

Connor Motsinger - SR LB #33

Roderick Gray - SR LB #44

Gavan Kaspar - SR DB #11

Bryce McMorris - SR DB #4

Kamren Amao - SR DB #21

Terrance Cullivan - JR DB #23

Jack Grier - SR DB #24

2¢ on Bridgeland

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

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

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

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

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

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

Last Time These Two Teams Met

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

Sub-Varsity Game Information

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

Location of Bridgeland High School

Cypress Woods 34, Cypress Falls 29: Dumbest Win Ever

2020 Record: 2-1, 1-0 in District 16-6A

Photo courtesy: Tom Dendy, Phlox Photography/MaxPreps

Photo galleries for this week's games: Varsity, JV Cardinal, JV Gold, Freshman Cardinal, Freshman Gold

Plug: Are you a parent of a Cy Woods football player and would like to have some pictures to remember this season by? Phlox Photography has you covered. A photographer will be on-site at every Cy Woods varsity football game, all Cy Woods sub-varsity home games, and depending on availability, certain away sub-varsity games. 

For more information on how to purchase a spotlight photo gallery for your athlete, please contact Tom Dendy, JoAnn Nowak, or Carmen Agnew, visit the Phlox website for more details, or check out this explainer video on how to order photos. Tom, Mrs. Nowak, and Mrs. Agnew are all official MaxPreps photographers and you can also view their photos on Cy Woods' MaxPreps page.

Alright, that... was not pretty. Five turnovers. Twelve penalties. Jaylan Walker essentially constituting the entire Cy Falls offense. A goal-line stand at the end just to preserve the lead. And in the end, the Cypress Woods Wildcats somehow managed to overcome their countless miscues and escaped with a 34-29 victory over the Cypress Falls Golden Eagles to open District 16-6A play. Outgaining the opponent by 340 yards and yet only a five-point win to show for it. Football... what a dumb game. Gotta love it!

Yes, a win is a win and whatnot. But my takeaway from Saturday is that Woods is definitely going to get demolished by Bridgeland if they commit five turnovers on Friday. 609 yards of offense is great and that suggests that the offense is executing and playing the way they want to play, but committing five turnovers is simply indefensible. Even if they committed two or three turnovers (still not great, but a lot better than committing five), they probably would have won this game in a rout. After the Kingwood game, I wrote that the Wildcats would probably have to learn how to win ugly this season and this game certainly meets the criteria for an "ugly" game. To my relief/amazement/total confusion, they somehow won this ugly game.

Honestly, this game was annoying. I'm supposed to be happy that they won, and trust me, I am, but I know they can play infinitely better than how they played against Cy Falls. There wasn't a lack of effort; the kids played hard and took the fight to Falls. However, they were simply too sloppy and they should be extremely fortunate that they didn't lose this game.

This was truly the stupidest and most hilarious Cy Woods football game I have ever seen. In terms of sheer entertainment value, the only games that could surpass this one in that regard are the 74-73 game against Jersey Village and when they ran Ranch off the field in 2011 and 2013.

Side note: Let's keep Falls running back/linebacker John Pollard in our thoughts. He was stretchered off the field after a pretty serious leg injury during a kickoff in the third quarter.

On to Bridgeland. 

What Happened

Michael Fernandez's 35-yard field goal was the only scoring play of the first quarter.

End of 1st Quarter: Woods 3, Falls 0

Jorge Gonzalez hit a 29-yard field goal to tie the game with less than two minutes left in the first half, but Dylan Cormier found Trayse Holmes for a 15-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to put the Wildcats back in front.

Halftime: Woods 10, Falls 3

Fernandez capped off Woods' first drive of the second half by nailing a 34-yard field goal to give the Wildcats a 13-3 lead with 9:52 left in the third quarter. After this point, the game completely departed reality. 

The Eagles muffed the ensuing kickoff and then on their first play of the second half, it looked as though disaster would strike, thanks to a bad pitch. However, Jaylan Walker picked up the loose ball, ran all the way to the other side of the field, and somehow scored on a 74-yard run. For the second straight week, Woods decided that they weren't going to field a kickoff, so the Eagles ended up getting another possession and they took the lead on their next drive via an eight-yard touchdown run by J.P. Martin. Cy Woods regained the lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Cormier to Myles Johnson. After Woods turned the ball over on downs, Walker struck again with a 52-yard touchdown run right before the end of the third quarter.

End of 3rd Quarter: Falls 23, Woods 20

Johnson scored on a 59-yard pass, his second touchdown of the night, on a double pass from Trey Craft, who found Terrance Green (A defensive lineman! Who was a receiver on the freshman B-team last year!!!) in the end zone for two more points. And then Jaylan Walker returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a Falls touchdown. Super cool. Woods turned the ball over on downs on their next drive, but the defense sent the Falls offense packing after three plays. Woods regained the lead on their next series thanks to another double pass by Craft to Johnson; this touchdown went for 54 yards. The Eagles had 3:30 left to win the game. A 34-yard pass from Caleb Pollard to Javion Davis on fourth down put the Eagles in the red zone (ugh) and then a personal foul after a second-down incomplete pass (UGH!!!!!) got Falls all the way down to the Cy Woods seven-yard line. Fortunately, the Wildcat defense got the stop it absolutely needed to have and as a result, Cy Woods escaped with quite possibly the dumbest victory in program history.

Final: Woods 34, Falls 29

Ground

Four lost fumbles for the offense?

Nice to see Trayse Holmes bounce back from getting shackled by Katy by posting his second 100-yard game of the season. Charlie Bain had a few nice runs on pitch plays. The A-backs accounted for 147 of the 290 rushing yards that the Wildcats recorded in this game, a very encouraging development for a group that needs to step up.

Air

The Wildcats got very little from the A-backs in non-district play, so opening up the playbook with the double passes was a nice way to get some contributions. I said that the "loser" of the quarterback battle entering the season would probably still receive plenty of playing time and Trey Craft has provided a spark for a group that's really trying to get themselves going. They certainly made a mark in the passing game as Craft, Phillip White, Charlie Bain, and J.J. Williams combined to make eight catches. They aren't burners, but they're shifty in the open field and maybe passing the ball to them might be what gets them going. It can certainly lighten Trayse Holmes' load, too.

Defense

Aside from Jaylan Walker gashing them for two long touchdown runs for a total of 126 yards, that was a nice showing from the Woods defense against what's really an inept Falls offense. But, given the offense's inability to protect the ball, the defense found themselves in a precarious position all evening because they were coming out trying not to give up the lead. To allow Falls to score only three points off of five Wildcat turnovers demonstrated that the defense did its job by not allowing the Eagles to capitalize on the offense's mistakes, and they finished the job by stopping the Eagles inside the ten-yard line with a minute to go in the game.

Seventeen Wildcats recorded at least one tackle in this game and Dylan Rogers finished in first place this week with seven. Dylan also had a sack in the second quarter on the possession following a Woods muffed punt; that sack proved to be crucial as Falls was forced to settle for a field goal. Riley Redgrave had five tackles and forced two fumbles. Brenton Frizell intercepted Caleb Pollard on the second play of the game.

Special Teams

Michael Fernandez hit both of his field goals and all four of his extra-point attempts, giving him ten points on the night. He also, unfortunately, sent five, maybe six kickoffs out of bounds. 

Even special teams partook in the buffoonery. A muffed punt led to Falls' field goal. It took three tries for Woods to successfully execute the opening kickoff; the first one went out of bounds and they were called for offsides on the second attempt.

The game officially began at 7:01 PM. At 7:04, the game clock still read 11:57. So basically, it took three real-world minutes to play three seconds of this game because Woods couldn't get the opening kickoff done correctly. 

Game Summary from Varsity Wires

Behold the sheer stupidity of this box score. Amazingly, Cy Falls only scored three points off of Woods' five turnovers. I can't believe that that isn't a typo.

Man of the Match: Myles Johnson and Trey Craft

In a group that's struggled to find consistency in the early part of this season, Trey Craft has been one of the standouts at A-back for the Wildcats. 

Three catches, three touchdowns for Myles Johnson. He was expected to make three plays and he made three plays. 

Sub-Varsity Results

Cy Falls 28, Freshman Gold (1-2) 14

Cy Falls 19, Freshman Cardinal (1-2) 0

JV Gold (1-0) 8, Cy Falls 6

JV Cardinal (1-0) 44, Cy Falls 14

Looking Ahead

The Cypress Woods Wildcats will take on the Bridgeland Bears on Friday, October 16 at 7:00 PM. Cy Woods will be the away team in this game.

Know the Enemy: Cypress Falls Golden Eagles

2020 Regular Season, Week 3: Cypress Woods Wildcats vs. Cypress Falls Golden Eagles
District 16-6A Game #1
7:00 PM Saturday, October 10, 2020
Cy-Fair FCU Stadium

Photo courtesy: Tom Dendy, Phlox Photography/MaxPreps

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

The Wildcats concluded the non-district slate in rather ignominious fashion as they were trounced 66-21 by the Katy Tigers. Dylan Cormier threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns and also had a 45-yard touchdown run. 

And now, the push for the playoffs begins. Seven games to decide who gets to play in December and who will have to stay home.

District 16-6A

Standings Entering District Play

1. Bridgeland (2-0)

2. Cypress Park (1-1)

3. Cypress Ranch (1-1)

4. Cypress Woods (1-1)

5. Langham Creek (1-1)

6. Cypress Lakes (0-2)

7. Cypress Falls (0-2)

8. Cypress Springs (0-2)

Week 3

Pearland Dawson 34, Cypress Falls 10

Humble 35, Cypress Springs 14

Cy-Fair 44, Cypress Park 27

Bridgeland 27, Shadow Creek 21

Langham Creek 42, Jersey Village 19

Cypress Ranch 45, Cypress Ridge 7

Katy 66, Cypress Woods 21

Week 4

All 16-6A games this week will take place at Cy-Fair FCU Stadium.

Thursday, October 8

Cypress Park vs. Cypress Springs, 6:30

Friday, October 9

Cypress Ranch vs. Cypress Lakes, 7:00 

Saturday, October 10

Langham Creek vs. Bridgeland, 12:00

Cypress Woods vs. Cypress Falls, 7:00

The Enemy: Cypress Falls Golden Eagles

2019 Record: 10-2, 7-1 (2nd) in District 17-6A

Lost 30-27 (2 OT) to Katy Tompkins in 6A Division I, Region III Area round

Cypress Falls season-to-date

L 51-3 @ C.E. King

L 34-10 vs. Pearland Dawson

It doesn't matter how you fare in non-district, everyone is 0-0 now. 

All-Time Series

Falls leads 7-3.

Previous Meetings

October 12, 2017: Falls 24, Woods 21

October 7, 2016: Falls 27, Woods 10

September 17, 2015: Falls 57, Woods 20
September 20, 2014: Woods 48, Falls 47
October 25, 2013: Woods 37, Falls 15
October 26, 2012: Falls 35, Woods 10
September 10, 2011: Falls 28, Woods 12
September 11, 2010: Falls 28, Woods 20
November 7, 2009: Falls 46, Woods 43
November 8, 2008: Woods 70, Falls 20

Players to Watch

Alvin "J.P." Martin - SR RB #16

Jaylen Walker - SR ATH #15

Trey Silas - JR WR #5

Javion Davis - SR WR/LB #8

Elliott Jones - SR DL #73

Ethan Spear - JR LB #36

Justin Bingham - SR DB #10

Gavin Swan - JR DB #7

2¢ on Falls

For the first time since the 2017-18 school year, Cy Falls will serve as one of Cy Woods' district foes. The Eagles were freed from the long shadow that Cy-Fair cast in District 17-6A and will now look to contend for the District 16-6A crown. They certainly did not their season starting the way it has, but this is still a solid program that should find its way back into the playoff hunt. With Cy Falls, don't expect to cruise to a win.

If it wasn't for L.J. Johnson at Cy-Fair, J.P. Martin would definitely be Cy-Fair ISD's best running back. A Memphis pledge, Martin had a breakout 2019 season, running for 1,470 yards and 24 touchdowns. His backup isn't too shabby either; Jaylan Walker ran for 421 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging nine yards per carry last year. A triple threat player, Walker also recorded three interceptions and also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. Expect to see him everywhere on the field. Martin will be called upon to carry a heavy load while Caleb Pollard tries to acclimate himself to the starting quarterback role. Trey Silas is a burner on the outside; he had 147 receiving yards against Dawson last week. 

The Eagles' defense doesn't pack the star power it had in recent years but is still a decent group, led by Elliot Jones on the line. Justin Bingham and Marquise Chapman will provide leadership in the secondary while Ethan Spear and Gavin Swan are two promising juniors at the back for the Falls defense.

Last Time These Two Teams Met

In October 2017, the Eagles outscored the Wildcats 17-7 in the fourth quarter and came away with a 24-21 victory thanks to Jacob Kitterman's go-ahead field goal with 34 seconds remaining in regulation. 

Sub-Varsity Game Information

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

In the event that one (or both) level will only be able to play one game, it will take place at 5:30.

Location of Cypress Falls High School

Katy 66, Cypress Woods 21: The Lesson Game

 2020 Record: 1-1

Photo courtesy: JoAnn Nowak, Phlox Photography/MaxPreps

Photo galleries: Varsity, JV, Freshman Cardinal, Freshman Gold

Plug: Are you a parent of a Cy Woods football player and would like to have some pictures to remember this season by? Phlox Photography has you covered. A photographer will be on-site at every Cy Woods varsity football game, all Cy Woods sub-varsity home games, and depending on availability, certain away sub-varsity games. 

For more information on how to purchase a spotlight photo gallery for your athlete, please contact Tom Dendy, JoAnn Nowak, or Carmen Agnew, visit the Phlox website for more details, or watch this explainer video on how to order photos. Tom, Mrs. Nowak, and Mrs. Agnew are all official MaxPreps photographers and you can also view their photos on Cy Woods' MaxPreps page.

Moving on... and I should consider inserting a content warning before I proceed. Please proceed at your own risk. You've been warned...

Well, you certainly don't need to hear it from me because it does not bear repeating, but I will do it anyway: the Cypress Woods Wildcats have quite a ways to go before they can consider themselves to be on the same tier as the Katy Tigers, who strolled to a 66-21 victory on Saturday.

Normally, I would advocate for burning the film from such a game, but this is the kind of game that needs to be seen in order for Cy Woods to learn and apply the applicable lessons as they strive to reach their goal of becoming a powerhouse program like Katy. There were a couple of turnovers that the Tigers turned into points; both of them were really unlucky, but great teams get the ball to bounce in their favor. And unfortunately for Woods, it just snowballed from there.

Woods got their 21 points against the Tigers' backups, but that's infinitely better than not scoring at all. That's why I don't understand it when people go "oh, the starters scored against the 2s and 3s" as if points depreciate if they're not scored against the starters. Those kids still have the same job as the starters... 

I actually would have been extremely impressed if the offense scored once against the starting Katy defense.

Unlike the previous two meetings, the Wildcats' season will continue following this encounter with the Katy Tigers, but an outcome like this will certainly give the other seven teams in the district the impression that Cy Woods is reeling as district play begins. But then again, Katy can make good teams look absolutely horrid.

What Happened

A massacre, that's what. 

Katy scored on all eight of its offensive possessions in the first half and took a 56-0 lead into the locker room.

Cy Woods showed a pulse in the second half as they got all three of their touchdowns in the third quarter: Dylan Cormier busted up the middle untouched and scored on a 45-yard run, threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Trayse Holmes, and on the final play of the quarter, DC chucked one up to Charlie Bain, who slipped behind the Katy coverage for a 59-yard touchdown catch.

Ground

Tough sledding against that vaunted Katy front seven.

Air

Well, the passing game seems like it will be alright.

Defense

Giving up a big gain on a bootleg on the first play of the game was certainly a harbinger of bad times ahead. 

22 Wildcats recorded at least one tackle and Chris Agnew took first place this week with ten. Three of his tackles resulted in a loss of yardage. Parker Childers, a cornerback, finished with nine.

Special Teams

Watching the kickoff return team have absolutely no clue what to do as the ball was in flight, witnessing five/six Katy players dogpile on the loose ball, and then watching the Tigers score again on their free possession basically summed up this game. 

Game Summary from Varsity Wires

Man of the Match: Chris Agnew and Dylan Cormier

Even with the result well in hand, the Wildcats still fought to the end and Chris's effort was particularly noteworthy.

Miss me with the "but he did it against the backups" nonsense, it was nice to see DC get himself going to start the second half.

Sub-Varsity Results

Katy 40, Freshman Gold (1-1) 8

Katy 28, Freshman Cardinal (1-1) 24

Katy 35, JV (1-1 as a combined team) 13

Looking Ahead

The Cypress Woods Wildcats will open District 16-6A play against the Cypress Falls Golden Eagles on Saturday, October 10 at 7:00 PM. The Wildcats will be the home team in this matchup.

Know the Enemy: Katy Tigers

2020 Regular Season, Week 2: Cypress Woods Wildcats vs. Katy Tigers
7:00 PM Saturday, October 3, 2020
Cy-Fair FCU Stadium

Photo by Don Carson

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

Chapter 13 of Cy Woods football began on a winning note as the Wildcats went on the road to beat Kingwood 21-7. Trayse Holmes ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries.

Well, I wish I could say that things would get easier, but I can't. One of the most storied programs in the state of Texas ramps up the schedule's degree of difficulty. Can't prove anything by beating up on cupcakes, though. 

District 16-6A

Current Standings

1. Cypress Park (1-0)

2. Cypress Woods (1-0)

3. Bridgeland (1-0)

4. Cypress Ranch (0-1)

5. Cypress Lakes (0-1)

6. Cypress Springs (0-1)

7. Langham Creek (0-1)

8. Cypress Falls (0-1)

Week 1 Results

Katy Taylor 37, Cypress Springs 0

Bridgeland 49, Klein Cain 42

Tomball Memorial 55, Langham Creek 7

Cypress Park 55, Cypress Ridge 40

C.E. King 51, Cypress Falls 3

Cy-Fair 13, Cypress Ranch 10

Morton Ranch 24, Cypress Lakes 14

Week 2

Thursday, October 1

Cypress Springs vs. Humble, 6:30 at CF-FCU

Cypress Falls vs. Pearland Dawson, 6:30 at Pridgeon

Friday, October 2

Cypress Park vs. Cy-Fair, 7:00 at CF-FCU

Langham Creek @ Jersey Village, 7:00 at Pridgeon

Bridgeland @ Shadow Creek, 7:00 at Freedom Field

Saturday, October 3

Cypress Ranch vs. Cypress Ridge, 6:00 at Pridgeon

Cypress Lakes @ Mayde Creek, 6:00 at Legacy Stadium

Cypress Woods vs. Katy, 6:00 at CF-FCU

The Enemy: Katy Tigers

2019 Record: 12-1, 6-0 (1st) in District 19-6A

Lost to North Shore 56-35 in 6A Division I, Region III semi-final

Katy's 2019 results

W 24-21 @ North Shore 

W 56-14 @ Atascocita

W 65-0 vs. Aguilas Blancas IPN (Mexico)

W 49-7 vs. Clear Springs

W 35-30 @ Tompkins

W 45-3 vs. Morton Ranch

W 47-0 @ Seven Lakes

W 42-0 vs. Cinco Ranch

W 47-0 vs. Mayde Creek

W 57-0 @ Katy Taylor

6A Division I Region III Bi-district: W 35-28 vs. Ridge Point

6A Division I Region III Area: W 27-14 vs. Cy-Fair

6A Division I Region III Semi: L 56-35 vs. North Shore 

Katy began its 2020 season with a 28-13 road victory over Clear Springs. Well, playing without their starting quarterback certainly handicapped the Tigers, but their defense stifled a high-flying Charger offense. Even a program of Katy's stature can't win every game 55-0, but the job was done. Jalen Davis ran for 121 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers.

All-Time Series

Katy leads 2-0. This will be the first regular-season game between Cypress Woods and Katy; the first two occurred in the playoffs.

Players to Watch

Bryce Nirider - JR QB #9

Jalen Davis - SR RB #28

Seth Davis - SOPH RB #23

Fernando Garza - SR TE #89

Omarion Aigbedion - SR OL #66

C.J. Marsh - SR OL #76

Malick Sylla - JR DL #2

Cohen Dearman - SR DL #94

Cal Varner - SR DL #91

Shepherd Bowling - SR LB #25

Carson Marshall - JR LB #21

Ty Kana - JR LB #42

Arian Parish - SOPH DB #6

Hunter Washington - SR DB #7

Dalton Johnson - SR DB #43

Bobby Taylor III - JR DB #3

2¢ on Katy

Without a doubt, the Katy Tigers are the gold standard for Texas high school football. Now, their throne has been taken over by Dematrius Davis and North Shore, but there is absolutely no doubt that they are a premier program in this state. Katy is the program that every high school aspires to become and they are hell-bent on reclaiming their status as not just the best program in Houston, but the best in Texas.

Katy's offense might seem basic, but it is also an offense that has won them six state championships in this century. There's not much to the imagination; the Tigers look to run the ball and beat down their opponents. Jalen Davis will be the feature back this year and he gained plenty of experience during the playoffs when last year's starter, Ron Hoff, went down with an injury. Jalen's brother, Seth, is his backup and likely heir apparent at running back for the next two seasons. Bronson McClelland is a three-year starter and a four-year letterman at quarterback, but he did not play against Clear Springs and he is now no longer affiliated with the Katy Tigers football program.

Taking the reins in McClelland's stead is Bryce Nirider, a junior who also saw action last season when McClelland went through other off-field issues. Expect to see Caleb Koger, a sophomore, take snaps under center as well. With Jordan Patrick and Steven Stiles graduating, Taylor Saulsberry, Nick Anderson, and Fernando Garza will be the main pass-catching threats for the Tigers; Garza, an imposing figure at 6-6, 250, is committed to Texas A&M for football and baseball.

Defense wins championships, and no program understands this better than Katy. In the past, they didn't have nearly as many athletes so they relied on players who simply knew their roles and executed those roles to perfection. Owing to that, the Tigers defense has perenially been one of the premier units in Texas. Now, add a little athleticism to those kids and this defense is simply on another level. If there's one thing the Katy defense does well, it's the fact that they will not allow the opposing team's best players to beat them. We saw that in last year's playoffs against Cy-Fair when L.J. Johnson was completely taken out of the game. 

The Tigers' star-studded secondary is probably one of the best in the state. Bobby Taylor III, the son of longtime NFL cornerback Bobby Taylor, is also a top 2022 recruit, while Hunter Washington (Florida State) and Dalton Johnson (Arizona) are two Power-5 commits. They'll be joined by Arian Parish, a rising sophomore, and Hamilton McMartin, who started in Washington's place against Clear Springs and held his own. 

However, Katy is best known for producing outstanding linemen and linebackers and the tradition will surely continue for years to come. Cohen Dearman anchors the middle, while Cal Varner and Malick Sylla cause havoc on the edges. Sylla is one of the top defensive ends in the country for the Class of 2022. There are much bigger names on this Katy defense, but Shepherd Bowling is probably its heart and soul. Bowling fought his way to recover from a career-threatening neck injury and has become a crucial piece of an outstanding defense. Ty Kana, their leading tackler from last year, is yet another rising junior, and Jaden Maronen is another key member of a deep Tiger linebacker corps that will also feature Dontay Sowells.

Fuller Shurtz is a dependable punter and he played a significant role in Katy's win last week as he gave the Tigers a huge advantage in terms of field position when called upon to punt.

Cy Woods is the clear underdog in this game, but they've never been one to shy away from a challenge. No doubt, Katy is an imposing opponent and the name is sometimes enough to instill fear in teams. Cy Woods isn't an ordinary team, however. If there's a level beyond perfect, that's what it is going to take to win this game. It is a non-district game, so ultimately, this game has no bearing on whether the Wildcats will make the playoffs or not. But, if you can't get yourself emotionally and mentally ready to take on the best teams that Texas has to offer... if playing the Katy Tigers doesn't get you amped up, why are you even playing football in the first place?

Last Time These Two Teams Met

The seniors who will be participating in this game were in fifth grade. Katy won 51-7 in a Class 5A Division II area round matchup at Rhodes Stadium in 2013.

(and then there's me, proceeding to use a picture from that game)

Sub-Varsity Game Information

Freshmen at Cy Woods, JV at Katy on Thursday. 4:30 for the Gold, 6:15 for the Cardinal.

Location of Katy High School

Cypress Woods 21, Kingwood 7: Job Done. Good Start.

 2020 Record: 1-0

Photo courtesy: Carmen Agnew, Phlox Photography/MaxPreps

Photo galleries: Varsity, JV, Freshman Cardinal, Freshman Gold

Plug: Are you a parent of a Cy Woods football player and would like to have some pictures to remember this season by? Phlox Photography has you covered. A photographer will be on-site at every Cy Woods varsity football game and all Cy Woods sub-varsity home games. 

For more information on how to purchase a spotlight photo gallery for your athlete, please contact Tom Dendy, JoAnn Nowak, or Carmen Agnew, visit the Phlox website for more details, or watch this explainer video on how to order photos. Tom, Mrs. Nowak, and Mrs. Agnew are all official MaxPreps photographers and you can also view their photos on Cy Woods' MaxPreps page.

 

The wait is over, and the Cypress Woods Wildcats made sure that it was worth it as they traveled to Humble and came away with a 21-7 victory over Kingwood. This is Cy Woods' first victory in a season opener when they shut out Klein Collins 21-0 to begin the 2013 season. The Wildcats turned in a workmanlike performance and came away with the victory. Nothing flashy about this game, they did their job and as a result, they enter Week 2 with a 1-0 record.

After years of seeing Cy Woods effortlessly put up 40-50 points on the scoreboard, I'm still trying to get used to seeing them take part in low-scoring, defensive struggles. This game was a brawl. As I stated in the preview, Kingwood's new head coach, Cale Melton, was the defensive coordinator at Highland Park and he enjoyed massive success at one of Texas's most storied programs. Coach Melton had his team ready to play and the Mustangs certainly made the Wildcats earn this victory. I have a feeling that the Wildcats will need to prepare themselves to get into some ugly games this year. With the triple-option, they have just the playing style to muck things up for their opponents.

At halftime, I spoke with Braden Barrett's father and we had a brief discussion about the merits of non-district play. Yes, it is nice to go into district play with as good of a record as possible. Coming in undefeated would be ideal! But, the time for teams to work on certain plays, fine-tune the gameplan, identify players they want in their rotations, etc. comes in non-district games. Cy Woods has usually adopted the "let's work on this and that" approach, but with the roster turnover, this year is a little different.

With a roster largely consisting of players who would be experiencing varsity football for the first time, it would probably be important for them to start off with a victory, especially with this one team called the Katy Tigers up next on the schedule. I hear Katy's pretty good.

Woods got the win, and with it, a little momentum on their side heading into next week's showdown against one of Texas's premier programs.

What Happened

The Wildcats' first points of the season came on a three-yard touchdown run by Trayse Holmes with 6:42 remaining in the first quarter. The Cats were lucky to have been in a position to score because they were dangerously close to committing a turnover inside the five-yard line, however. Connor Morris took a pitch and looked as though he had a path to the end zone, but a hard hit resulted in him fumbling the ball, which flew about ten feet in the air before Ty Van Atta swooped in to recover the fumble.

Uh... not quite.

Photo courtesy: Carmen Agnew, Phlox Photography/MaxPreps

The defense followed up by forcing a three-and-out and a poor punt gave the offense good field position. A personal foul penalty on Kingwood was tacked on to a first-down catch by John Niles to put Woods in the red zone and two plays later, Dylan Cormier found Niles again for a 14-yard touchdown pass.

Kingwood had a scoring threat aided by a pass interference call and then a 43-yard pass put them at the Cy Woods three-yard line. However, the Wildcats snuffed out the threat as Chris Agnew forced a fumble and then the ball rolled about 20 yards before Carson Cox picked it up to give Cy Woods the ball.

End of 1st Quarter: Cy Woods 14, Kingwood 0

The Mustangs got on the board on the final play of the first half thanks to a two-yard touchdown run from Nick Bernell, capping off a 99-yard drive. Well, that wasn't an ideal end to the first half of the season.

Halftime: Cy Woods 14, Kingwood 7

There was no scoring in the third quarter. Cy Woods got the ball with a little over a minute to go in the third and they proceeded to put up the only points of the second half thanks to a 15-play, 78-yard drive capped off by a four-yard rushing touchdown by Trayse Holmes with seven minutes left in the fourth. The defense followed that up by forcing a three-and-out and the offense turned the ball over on downs on their next drive, but they ran 5:30 off the clock, leaving the Mustangs with just 36 seconds to make up a two-score deficit, which did not happen.

Final: Cy Woods 21, Kingwood 7

Ground

The Wildcats ran for 218 yards in this game and make no mistake, they had to earn every single yard. Seeing Trayse Holmes run up the middle ten plays in a row may seem like complacent playcalling, but first, you never show your hand in game one. Second of all, that's the faith that Coach Neill has in Trayse. He's the feature back in this offense and he's one of the best overall players on this team, so he stuck with Trayse knowing that he could break off a big run at any time. And he had a very impressive run in the third quarter that, unfortunately, had some of the yardage taken away due to a penalty. Trying to tackle Trayse definitely took its toll on the Mustangs' front line and the Wildcats just chipped away and the two/three-yard gains eventually turned into four/five yards.

And third, Wildcat A-backs only had eight carries combined and J.J. Williams and Charlie Bain were the only two who caught a pass. Seems to me like no one in that group has truly separated themselves as locks to start just yet. 

A new-look offensive line acquitted themselves well, especially with two former defensive linemen in Jacob King and Duke Leonard getting starts. Cameron Yoakem, a junior, got the start at left tackle, and Micah Batchman, another junior, also saw some playing time. The onus will be on Braden Barrett and Ty Van Atta to help lead this young and promising group. This looks to be one of the largest offensive line groups at Woods since when Ty Dendy was around in 2014. 

Air

Dylan Cormier made sound decisions through the air and the Wildcat receivers made good, solid plays. There was probably only one throw from him that I would have considered "forced." In five third-down passing plays, three of his completions resulted in first downs. DC floated one up to Ryan Faulk in double coverage and Faulk made an excellent catch over two Kingwood defenders in the third quarter. 

Defense

Giving up a 99-yard touchdown drive right before halftime is inexcusable. Fortunately, this is the only thing I can complain about on defense in this game. Defense is the phase of the game where there has to be constant and consistent energy, whether it's coming from the eleven men on the field or from the sideline. The energy from Woods on that drive just didn't seem right to me.

Other than that, and some late-game stat-padding through the air, the defense came up with stops when they needed to get them and stifled Kingwood. Well, to be fair, Kingwood has a new coach and a new offensive system that is being installed, but you still have to stop them. When the Mustangs were threatening to score late in the first quarter, Chris Agnew stepped up to deny them. Kingwood had two opportunities to tie the game in the third but they could only manage to get one first down on each drive before being forced to punt. They bought time for the offense to recollect themselves.

The Wildcats allowed only one run of ten yards or more in this game and held the Mustangs under three yards per carry. Jonathan Mendoza managed to throw for 212 yards, but he needed 54 yards at the end of the game to reach that total. Also, Mendoza only completed 50% of his passes, so a brand-new secondary of Brenton Frizell, Josh Jones, Will Price, and Ryan Estay did a solid job in their first varsity game.

Fourteen Wildcats recorded a tackle in this game and sophomore linebacker Dylan Rogers led the way with ten. Ryan Estay, a sophomore safety, finished second with seven; Tyler Sherrill also had seven. Chris Agnew had five tackles, 2.5 of which resulted in a loss of yardage, and forced a fumble. Two sophomores leading the team in tackles is pretty significant; Cy Woods has a very talented sophomore class in the system and we will be hearing plenty from Dylan and Ryan in the coming years.

Special Teams

Michael Fernandez hit all three of his extra-point attempts, had a 34-yard punt, and missed a 26-yard field goal attempt because he kicked it right into his blockers. Ryan Faulk appears to have taken on the punting duties and got a couple of nice rolls on his punts, both of which landed inside the Kingwood 20-yard line. He also returned a kickoff 14 yards. 

Game Summary from Varsity Wires

Man of the Match: Trayse Holmes

Four straight 100-yard games for Trayse Holmes dating back to last season. With 35 carries, he demonstrated that he can handle a heavy workload and the Wildcats will need every carry out of him this season. He'll probably have 200 carries and a very real opportunity to run for 1,000 yards this season.

Sub-Varsity Results

Freshman Gold (1-0) 26, Kingwood 0

Freshman Cardinal (1-0) 50, Kingwood 14

JV (combined) 27, Kingwood 24

Looking Ahead

The Wildcats will wrap up their non-district slate with the Katy Tigers. Yes, the Katy Tigers. Kickoff from Cy-Fair FCU Stadium is scheduled for 6:00 on Saturday, October 3.

Know the Enemy: Kingwood Mustangs

2020 Regular Season, Week 1: Cypress Woods Wildcats @ Kingwood Mustangs
7:00 PM Saturday, September 26, 2020
Turner Stadium

Photo courtesy of Phlox Photography

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

On November 22, 2019, the Cypress Woods Wildcats met their end in the Area round of the 2019 Texas High School Football Playoffs as The Woodlands came to Cypress and snatched the victory from the Wildcats' grasp as they prevailed 34-28 in triple overtime. The toughest loss this program's taken, I've already said it countless times, so let's move on.

So... what will the 2020s have in store for the Cypress Woods football program?

This game was originally scheduled to be played on August 29, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic pushed the start of the season back by a month for Class 6A and 5A. The smaller schools, despite some early concerns, have done their part and now football in the two largest classifications in the state of Texas can begin. 

I never thought we would get to this point, but we are now officially playing football. To say that the 2020 football season will be a season like no other is probably a massive understatement.

I really don't care to get into arguments about whether you want to wear a mask or not or the health impacts of the coronavirus. These kids, especially the seniors, have waited for their chance to play football. Please don't ruin that opportunity for them. Let's do our part to ensure that they get to play a full season. 

District 16-6A Week 1

Thursday, September 24

Bridgeland vs. Klein Cain, 6:30 at Cy-Fair FCU Stadium

Cypress Park @ Cypress Ridge, 6:30 at Pridgeon Stadium

Cypress Springs @ Katy Taylor, 6:00 at Legacy Stadium

Langham Creek @ Tomball Memorial, 6:00 at Tomball ISD Stadium

Friday, September 25

Cypress Lakes vs. Morton Ranch, 7:00 at CF-FCU

Cypress Ranch @ Cy-Fair, 7:00 at Pridgeon

Cypress Falls @ C.E. King, 7:00 at Sheldon ISD Stadium

The Enemy: Kingwood Mustangs

2019 Record: 5-6, 5-3 (4th) in District 22-6A

Lost 55-21 to Beaumont West Brook in 6A Division II, Region III bi-district round

Kingwood's 2019 results

L 35-16 vs. Ridge Point

L 24-7 @ DeKaney

L 70-10 @ Atascocita

W 70-6 @ Sam Rayburn

W 56-14 vs. South Houston

W 44-15 @ Pasadena Memorial

L 14-0 vs. Dobie

W 24-7 vs. Summer Creek

W 58-12 vs. Pasadena

L 31-21 vs. Humble

L 55-21 @ vs. Beaumont West Brook

This is the first-ever meeting between Cypress Woods and Kingwood. The Mustangs will be the 36th different team to take on the Wildcats.

Players to Watch

From Dave Campbell's Texas Football

J.P. Mendoza - SR QB #5

Kade Duplechin - SR RB #21

Nick Bernell - JR ATH #24

Jack Dugas - SR WR #11

Grant Mize - JR DL/LB #40

Evan Richard - JR DB #8

2¢ on Kingwood

Since Kingwood is a team I am completely unfamiliar with, there's not really much information for me to go on. Humble ISD has moved out of a district that they shared with Pasadena ISD schools; they now share a district with Beaumont West Brook, C.E. King, and the back-to-back state champions, North Shore. Safe to say that their path to the playoffs will be a little tougher for the next two seasons. The Mustangs have a new head coach in Cale Melton; prior to taking this job, Coach Melton was the defensive coordinator at Highland Park, where he enjoyed massive success, including a three-peat from 2016 to 2018. He inherits a team that should contend for a playoff spot in District 21-6A.

J.P. Mendoza will be the Mustangs' field general and he has a solid running back tandem with Kade Duplechin and Nick Bernell, who could see playing time as a defensive back as well. Grant Mize was a first-team All-District player as a sophomore in 2019 and his versatility is a huge plus for the Mustang defense.

Sub-Varsity Game Information

Freshmen at Kingwood, JV at Cy Woods on Thursday. Sub-varsity game times are 4:30 for the Gold and 6:30 for the Cardinal. Kingwood has one JV team, so there will be one game at 5:30. Please adhere to all guidelines.

Location of Kingwood High School

Location of Turner Stadium

Per Humble ISD, Turner Stadium will open at 20% capacity. 

Quick Thoughts from the Willis Scrimmage

On Friday, the Cypress Woods Wildcats traveled to Willis to scrimmage the Willis Wildkats as they get set to finally begin their 2020 football season. Here are a few of my thoughts.

1. Starting Quarterback?

When I spoke with Coach Neill last week, he informed me that a good battle was brewing between Dylan Cormier and Trey Craft. DC is entering his third season on the varsity and he's done well in his limited action over the last two seasons, so I feel that he has earned the first opportunity to start. 

After what I saw in Willis, however, I came away with the feeling that Dylan's hook might be a little shorter than I expected. I feel that this battle will continue through the two non-district games and we'll see the winner take the field first when the Wildcats open district play against Falls in three weeks. Don't count the loser out of the running, however; Cormier and Craft both demonstrated that they can commandeer this offense effectively during this scrimmage and whoever winds up as the backup should still see plenty of playing time.

2. Trayse Holmes

Is a wrecking ball. His form last year was inconsistent and he would probably be the first person to admit that. His work ethic, however, has never been doubted. Trayse played his best football as the stakes got higher last season and he should be in line for a huge senior year. I believe that he has a great chance to rush for 1,000 yards this season. 

3. Defense

After graduating almost every starter, the Cy Woods defense would have plenty of questions to address heading into this season. With all due respect to Willis, they aren't a great team, so there are probably a few more questions that will require an elaborated answer. However, the kids stepping in look like they are capable of handling the huge expectations they will have to uphold. We know about Chris Agnew and what he brings to the table on the defensive line. He and Tyler Sherrill will be a handful for opposing offensive lines this year.

Josh Jones and Brenton Frizell acquitted themselves well as the presumptive starting cornerbacks. Josh's progress has been particularly impressive considering he missed pretty much the first half of last season due to injury. I've heard (from a bit of a biased source, admittedly) that out of the three Jones brothers, he's the most athletic of the trio. 

The one name to know now and for the future, though, is Dylan Rogers. Dylan got his first taste of varsity football last year as a playoff call-up after dominating at the freshman level. He showed that he could excel on offense and defense, but his upside is clearly higher on defense, and on a team that's retooling on that side, he has a prime opportunity to shine. In all my years being around this program, the one person who I've seen work harder than Dylan Rogers has up to this point probably has to be Daylan Skidmore, and Daylan turned out to be a pretty decent player in the end.

4. Offense

There will be no shortage of firepower from the Wildcat offense this year, no matter who's at the helm. Woods will need to replace almost all of the production from last year's A-backs, but again, Connor Morris, Charlie Bain, and J.J. Williams seem to be up to the task. J.J. should enjoy a breakout year now that he's moved over from B-back to A-back. Ryan Faulk, Casey Cogdill, and John Niles have also made strides at the wideout positions and they'll have to come together to replicate the big-play impact that Cam Sowell had last season. 

All in all, I was pretty satisfied with what I saw in Willis on Friday night. I would love to be a massive homer and say that Cy Woods will successfully defend their district championship in 2020, but that's not my style. The 2020 edition of the Cypress Woods Wildcats will enter with a huge target on their backs and certainly plenty to prove. The intriguing mix of new faces and veterans should keep this team in the playoff hunt in what is shaping out to be a tough District 16-6A. 

Looking Ahead to 2020

What will 2020 have in store for the Cypress Woods Wildcats?

Returning Lettermen

Italics - Player will be a junior in 2020
Bold - Player will be a sophomore in 2020

I am compiling this list under the impression that each of these kids will still be playing football for Cy Woods in 2020.

QB Dylan Cormier
QB Samuel Myers
QB Trey Craft
RB Trayse Holmes
RB Jeshurun "JJ" Williams
WR Ja'Varian Stewart
WR Casey Cogdill
WR John Niles
WR/OL Ryne Sterns
WR Ryan Faulk
WR/LB Dylan Rogers
OL Braden Barrett
OL Ty Van Atta
DL Chris Agnew
DL Tyler Sherrill
DL Duke Leonard
LB Ethan Shook
LB Riley Redgrave
LB/RB Juan Rojas
K Michael Fernandez

After spending two seasons as the backup, it's now Dylan Cormier's time to shine. He got some much-needed experience late in the season and he's shown the ability to lead this offense. His skill set fits the offense well, he has a strong arm, and he's shown that he can absorb contact. It will be interesting to see if the passing game will be opened up to better utilize his arm. Trey Craft also got some run in 2019; he's also a good enough athlete to contribute as an A-back.

And then, there's Sam Myers. The general sentiment about Sam is that he's the future of this program and I agree with that assessment. However, he's also a standout baseball player and coming off a significant injury, so his situation is worth monitoring. Will he continue playing football or does his injury sway him towards baseball? He could also contribute as a utility player while he waits for his shot at the starting quarterback spot.

Trayse Holmes and Jeshurun Williams return as the B-backs. Trayse battled inconsistency throughout the year but he really stepped up late and in the playoffs, he played like the Trayse Holmes that I expected to see all year. I hope he can continue to build on that momentum through the offseason.

Braden Barrett and Ty Van Atta are the two returning starters on the offensive line and they will have a brand-new supporting cast surrounding them. Ryne Sterns has worked as a lineman and a tight end but it's time for him to find a permanent spot. No spot is ever a lock on the Wildcat offensive line so as always, expect an open competition.

Cam Sowell's departure leaves a huge void in the receiving department. Someone will need to emerge as a home run threat. It could be Dylan Rogers, who shined on offense at the freshman level and got a taste of varsity football in the playoffs.

Michael Fernandez showed that he has the leg to make kicks from anywhere, but the key for him is finding consistency and improving from a 6-12 showing on field goal attempts. To be fair, a couple of his kicks were blocked, but there were some makeable kicks that he wound up missing.

This was one of the best defensive groups for Cy Woods in years. They finished with the top defense in District 14-6A, which, when I found out, was absolutely mind-blowing. Unfortunately, almost all of the key players from this side of the ball were seniors, including the entire secondary. Expect a very young Cy Woods team in 2020. Only five defensive players who saw any playing time at the varsity level for the Cats will return in 2020 so a full-blown rebuild is likely. I'm confident in Chris Agnew and Tyler Sherrill leading the front line, but I'm really not sure about who will make up the rest of the defense.

This group of freshmen was probably the best that I've seen in quite some time. Sam already got his call-up to the big squad and there could potentially be anywhere between five, maybe even more who could be on varsity next season. Talent-wise, they might be the best class in the program and that... could be cause for concern. A few of these kids also excel in other sports, so I'm just hoping that they'll stay with football for as long as possible.

Ryan Estay and Myles West are two A-backs who could push for spots next year. If they wind up on defense, they could get on a fast track with a potential open competition looming. The two who I feel should definitely make the roster on Opening Night 2020 are Dylan Rogers and Juan Rojas, a pair of linebackers who were called up for the playoffs. Dylan looked like he was too good for the freshman level at times and there were times where I even wondered why he was still there. Juan is a B-back on offense and he's just... for lack of a better term, mean. Even at the freshman level, he plays with a level of aggression that's been missing from some Woods linebackers in the past. It was... pretty refreshing. It wouldn't shock me if they were the two starting inside linebackers to start off the 2020 season.

Another freshman who I think might also feature on the varsity next year is Sawyer Despres. He's a quarterback and a cornerback, but I've been particularly impressed with him on defense. I think he'll get a longer look at cornerback, considering that Sam might have the quarterback spot locked down. Also, like Ryan and Myles, he'll be on the fast track if he remains on defense.

Realignment

The 2019-20 school year marked the final year of the current district alignment, which placed Cy Woods and the western half of Cy-Fair ISD into District 14-6A, which is Region II, with Tomball Memorial and Bryan.

This district no longer exists. Why? Well, two schools in the region that previously competed in Class 5A turned in enrollment numbers that put them in Class 6A: Tomball High and Willis. As a result, Tomball Memorial and Bryan have departed. Tomball Memorial, along with Tomball High, joined District 15-6A with the Klein schools. Bryan is now in 12-6A with Killeen, Temple, and Copperas Cove. The rumors of Cy-Fair possibly moving into Region II have swirled all winter and in the end, it was actually Cy Falls that wound up moving into Region II.

Cy-Fair ISD remains split between Region II and Region III, but this time, it's an 8-4 split with an all-CFISD district in Region II and the other four schools remaining in place with Spring Branch ISD. The Region II district is now District 16-6A. In the bi-district round for playoffs, they'll be matched up with Klein and Tomball out of 15-6A.

District 16-6A Enrollment Rank

1. Cypress Woods - 3320.5
2. Cypress Lakes - 3108.5
3. Cypress Ranch - 3054.5
4. Bridgeland - 2978
5. Cypress Falls - 2974
6. Langham Creek - 2959.5
7. Cypress Park - 2715.5
8. Cypress Springs - 2444.5

— Varsity Wires (@VarsityWires) February 4, 2020

At first glance, I like this new district. It certainly beats having to drive to Bryan and then having to drive down Highway 6 in the dead of night to get home. I really feel that this all-CFISD district is going to be significantly more competitive in terms of football; every team, probably except Springs, is certainly capable of beating anyone.

Elsewhere in Region II, Allen has been moved over to Region I. When you look at the map, most of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is now in Region I, except for the southern and eastern parts of the Metroplex. That, however, means that Duncanville is now in Region II. The Panthers, who have finished runners-up in each of the last two seasons, are in District 11-6A with three other really good programs in DeSoto, Cedar Hill, and Hewitt Midway. Mansfield and Mansfield Lake Ridge have also fielded some solid squads in the past as well, so 11-6A may very well be the district to beat. Houston now has four districts in Region II and there's plenty of challenging squads such as Westfield, Spring, Klein Oak, Klein Cain (which might be in Division I this year), and The Woodlands all standing in the way. Getting out of Houston will be a war these next couple of years.

As the largest school in 16-6A in terms of enrollment, the Wildcats are locked into the Division I bracket should they qualify for the playoffs in football. (Why the decimal points? Some schools don't turn in whole numbers on Snapshot Day because those decimal values account for students who don't attend school for the entire day.)

In non-district play, Cy Woods will take on Kingwood, Katy, and Shadow Creek. Yes, you read that correctly. I knew Kingwood would be one of the opponents, but I had to ask Coach Faith to repeat himself when he said that Woods would also play Katy, as in the Katy Tigers. When he re-affirmed that statement, I wondered (to myself) whether he had suffered a moment of insanity. And then when Shadow Creek was revealed as the third and final non-district opponent, I wondered again whether he had suffered another moment of insanity or whether he had legitimately gone nuts.

I will say this: Cy Woods has never backed down from any opponent, no matter their quality. To be honest, getting an opportunity to take on two of the premier programs in the state of Texas should be something that these kids should get excited about. It doesn't matter and it honestly shouldn't matter if they end up getting smacked 55-10 in both of those games. As Ric Flair always says, "to be the man, you gotta beat the man!"

The Wildcats, especially some of the underclassmen who will find themselves on the varsity in 2020, have two chances to see how a longtime power and a third-year program that has instantly become an elite squad conduct their business and hopefully learn some lessons on how to guide Cy Woods towards attaining that elite status.

And finally, if the prospect of getting to play KATY and Shadow Creek (a defending state champion!!!!!) doesn't excite you, then is playing football truly something worth doing to you?

2020 Schedule

Dates and times to be determined. The 2020 football season will begin in the final week of August, so the first game will take place on August 27, 28, or 29.

Week 4 is a district-wide bye week. After that, Cy Woods will open district play against Falls and Bridgeland. It's a brutal opening stretch for sure. Some of these younger kids are going to have to grow up rapidly.

As Cy Woods does not participate in spring football, they will have two scrimmages. Fall practice begins August 3. Can you believe that we're six months away from the first practice of the year?

Scrimmage 1: A&M Consolidated
Scrimmage 2: @ Willis
Week 1: @ Kingwood
Week 2: Katy
Week 3: @ Shadow Creek
Week 4: Bye
***District 16-6A play begins Week 5***
Week 5: Cypress Falls
Week 6: @ Bridgeland
Week 7: Langham Creek
Week 8: Cypress Ranch
Week 9: @ Cypress Park
Week 10: Cypress Springs
Week 11: @ Cypress Lakes

These next two years will be intriguing for sure and I'm already ready for 2020 to start. The crazy thing is... after 2021, we'll be having this conversation once again with another realignment.

See you during 7-on-7 season!