Photo credit Eric Christian/Houston Chronicle Contributor
Cy-Fair – They (Cy-Ranch) come back every year! We knew they would come out swinging, and they did. Tigers coach Greg Rogers mentioned.
With Halloween two days away, both teams avoided tricks by sticking to its prepared game plans.
Senior running back/slot receiver Cameron King dashed 87 yards for the decisive score. Five-star running back/linebacker led the highlight reel to help Cy-Park clinch a playoff spot and the district title by beating Cy-Ranch in a shootout, 50-43, on Thursday night at FCU Stadium.
The Tigers secure the District 16-6A title with one game remaining versus Langham Creek next Saturday at Pridgeon Stadium.
“Any win is a good win,” Tigers coach Greg Rogers explained. “This one we clinked a playoff spot, and at least a share of the district title. It’s something our kids, and we have talked about for a while since last year, and to see it all come payoff, I’m happy for these kids.”
A night filled with drama, mistakes, twists, and turns ended when Ranch’s onside kick failed. The ball bounced off a Cy-Ranch player at the 48-yard line before it traveled ten yards, giving the Tigers possession with seconds remaining. Cy-Park’s final snap concluded the game as time ticked away.
Ranch failed to convert its next-to-last drive. Facing fourth and four when senior tailback Kameron Burton dropped the potential tying touchdown pass from junior quarterback Blake Baker who passed for 341 yards, on 26-of-45, four touchdowns, and two interceptions, in the end zone with 1:37 left, resulting in a turnover on downs.
King, who finished with 212 yards, three touchdowns on 18 carries, took the handoff on the game-sealing frame, found an opening, and turned on the jets, covering 87 yards to pay dirt to give Cy-Park a 50-36 lead, which would hold with 1:11 remaining.
“The play is called 41-Southie (the game-breaking touchdown),” Cy-Park’s running back/slot receiver King mentioned. “We run a lot of miss-directional plays. The play kind of worked out for us, for the best, and it opened an ally for me, and I got to it.”
The possession started at the 14 but took a step back after Cy-Ranch linebacker Teylan Nelson dropped King at the nine-yard line. However, the Tigers running back Harold Perkins, a five-star linebacker, carried the ball to the 13. The next play watched King score.
Ranch struggled to climb back into the game but executed a 90-yard scoring drive to draw within seven points, 50-43. Baker completed huge passes to receiver’s Carson Littlefield and Jared Sample of 24 and 33 yards respectfully to gain the Tigers’ 25-yard line. Littlefield reeled in an eight-yard touchdown pass from Baker a couple of plays later with six seconds to go.
The Mustangs trailed 29-13 at intermission but bounced back during a wild third quarter to tie the game 29-all. Baker led a balanced offense, hooking up with receiver Dylan Caddle and Sample before Burton, who rushed for 141 yards on 21 carries, took a carry to the one-yard line. Tailback Dillion Eugene barreled into the end zone from a yard out to complete the series as Cy-Ranch cut the lead, 29-21.
Mustangs’ defensive lineman Jonavon Dennis pressured Cy-Park’s offense by slipping past a blocker and dropping King in the backfield for a three-yard loss at the 28 to force a punt.
Later, after trading turnovers, Mustangs’ defensive back Jaylon Holland scooped up a loose ball and scooted 57 yards, knotting the score at 29 following Baker’s two-point pass to sophomore receiver Larry Benton, III with 3:39 to go in the third quarter.
“When they tied it up, we talked to our kids about that,” Rogers said. “If something bad happens, we can’t dwell on it, and we got to move on. The last play is the last play. The most important one is the next play.”
Still, the Tigers quickly snatched the momentum when the talented Perkins took a pitch and sprinted 81 yards to the end zone as Cy-Park regained the lead, 36-29. Amazingly, Perkins rushed 10 times for 175 yards, two scores, and caught three balls for 76 yards.
Despite Cy-Park’s Wing-T offense exploding for 505 total yards, the Mustangs kept within striking distance. Cy-Ranch racked up the offensive yards, 566 but suffered from costly mistakes.
The highly entertaining third quarter had more to offer as the crowd watched Cy-Park’s onside kick backfire when the ball bounced off a Mustang player and rolled towards the Tigers’ goal line, landing at the 30 where Cy-Ranch recovered. That set up Baker’s one-play, 30-yard scoring strike to Sample, which knotted the game once again, 36-36.
Yet the Tigers delivered the last blow spurred by Edward Smith’s 41-yard kickoff return to the 47-yard line. Quarterback Edward Dixon and King took matters into its hands. King picked up 13 yards to the Mustangs 40 yards before Dixon, who threw for 124 yards on 7-of-11, lofted a touchdown pass to King, who received blanket coverage from Holland, who eventually fell to the ground holding his right leg. That gave Cy-Park the lead to keep, 43-36.
Cy-Park drove 75-yards in 11-plays and scored on its opening possession of the game. Running back Nathan Livingston and King gave the frame a spark with an 18 and 16 yard carry to reach the Mustangs 41. Before the Tigers grabbed the early 7-0 lead when King shrugged off a defender on a 25-yard scoring carry, it converted two fourth-down plays to keep the drive alive.
Burton proved to be a thorn, ripping off chunks of yards up the heart of Cy-Park’s defense. But he dropped three crucial passes, including two attempts which saw him alone with the end zone in front. The possession resulted in a turnover on downs as Charles Ferris, who had the distance on a 55-yard field goal attempt, sailed left of the upright with 6:06 remaining in the first quarter.
The Tigers would score again before the first quarter ended, aided by its second sack of the game courtesy defensive lineman Favour Thomas. Dixon’s big play 33-yard pass to Perkins at Cy-Ranch 36 fueled the drive. One play later, King took the handoff and used a spin move to break free from defenders while racing the distance. Cy-Park led, 14-0.
The action-packed second quarter led by big plays saw both teams trade a pair of touchdowns. On the quarter’s first play, Baker threw a scoring strike to Sample, who ran a fly pattern down the right sideline to trim the lead, 14-6 with 11:50 left in the quarter. Sample had three receptions for 138 yards.
Outside of Sample, Cy-Ranch receiving corps shared the ball, including Caddle’s nine receptions for 80 yards, and Littlefield grabbed seven targets for 74 yards and a score.
Cy-Park responds with a 63-yard drive. On fourth and two, Dixon’s 39-yard pass to Perkins at the Mustangs one set up Dixon’s one-yard sneak. The Tigers increased its lead, 22-6.
On an interesting note, Cy-Park finished two-of-two on fourth down attempts. All coming in the first half.
Cy-Ranch earned a playoff berth and will compete in the Division I bracket while the Tigers battle in Division II.