Holmes deflection spoils Cy-Ridge night
Cy-Fair – Quiet and soft-spoken away from the playing field, senior Linebacker Taylor Holmes turned up the heat in a Thursday night district battle.
Holmes deflected a would-be-tying two-point pass conversion attempt with 20 seconds left to send the Cy-Woods Wildcats to a thrilling 28-26 victory over Cy-Ridge at Pridgeon Stadium.
In district 17-5A where parity is knit tight, winning is the only option to stay ahead of the pack.
Holmes charged toward the line of scrimmage on what appeared to be a reverse; however, it turned out to be a pass that sent him back in coverage where he knocked away a two-point pass attempt in the end zone. The same big plays that are made throughout a tough Cy-Fair district each week.
“I saw the quarterback going out,” explained Holmes. “That’s when I saw a bootleg play coming. At that time my keys told me to go out to the numbers and make the play.”
Cy-Ridge drove down inside the Wildcats’ 25, at the 21-yard line, before Pena hooked up with receiver Darious Crawley in the end zone, trimming the Rams lead to two points, 28-26, with 20 seconds left.
Cy-Woods (2-1, 1-1) led an adventurous first half 20-17 but trailed early, as the Rams got on the board when Darious Crawley turned a short lateral catch into a 33-yard touchdown reception. That gave Cy-Ridge a 7-0 lead, after Omar Portillo’s extra point kick.
Each team’s defense would force a three-and-out, before Quarterback Nick Hooper found Zachary Duncan on a slant pattern, which burned the Rams defense for a 93-yard tying-touchdown and Chase Mclaughlin’s extra point kick tied the game 7-all.
Senior Linebacker Nick Csatlos’ 16-yard interception return to Cy-Ridge’s 12-yard line set up Running Back Sam Stewart’s one-play, 12-yard scoring run to give Cy-Woods a 14-7 lead.
Then Cy-Ridge watched a drive backfire that started at its 20 yard line when Wildcats Csatlos picked off Garrett Pena for the second time. This time at the 28 and returned it to the 12-yard line in Cy-Ridge’s territory.
One play later, Running Back Samuel Stewart split the middle for a 12-yard rushing touchdown, giving the Wildcats a 14-7 lead after Mclaughlin’s extra-point kick.
Cy-Ridge’s next scoring drive began at its 29-yard line where Running Back Chris Robinson was dropped for a one-yard loss, setting up second and eleven. Following, Pena used a quick slant pass to Kemah Silverand which covered 72-yards, knotting the score at 14.
“Our running game wasn’t successful in the first half,” Cy-Ridge Running back Anthony Williams said. “At halftime we decided to come out passing in the second half to receivers Darious Crawley and Kemah Silverand. We got in position to tie the game but we couldn’t finish it out. The last play we ran was setup to go backside to our quarterback or to Crawley on a stretch play.”
Though the offenses controlled most of the game, defense wasn’t completely obsolete. Both defenses combined for seven first-half stops, wether turnovers or forced punts.
Cy-Ridge (1-2, 1-1) couldn’t match the Wildcats in points off turnovers which also played a role in Cy-Woods’ cause.
The second half watched McLaughlin connect on two field goals from 38 and a 36-yards, combined with a safety was all needed to put the Wildcats in position for the win.
A one-yard loss coupled with a sack that pinned the Rams deep in its territory led to a safety after Steve Polly knifed through the Cy-Ridge line, blocking the punt as the ball rolled through the end zone.
Quotes
“I saw the quarterback going out,” explained Holmes. “That’s when I saw a bootleg play coming. At that time my keys told me to go out to the numbers and make the play.”
“Our running game wasn’t sucessful in the first half,” Cy-Ridge Running back Anthony Williams said. “At halftime we decided to come out passing in the second half to receivers Darious Crawley and Kemah Silverand. We got in position to tie the game but we couldn’t finish it out. The last play we ran was setup to go backside to our quarterback or to Crawley on a stretch play.