Davis blocks Cougars field goal attempt and Samuel had a hand in two late scores
Cy-Fair – Even with starting running back Jeffrey Bogan leaving the game after the first series with an unknown injury, the Wildcats had plenty offensive ammunition to make up for the loss.
Yet, another exciting Friday night of high school football in the Cy-Fair school district, fans watched Cy-Woods hold off the late surging Cy-Creek Cougars 49-31at Pridegon Stadium.
After dropping its first two 17-5A games, the Wildcats have won five consecutive district games to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Aided by three first half turnovers, Cy-Woods (6-2, 5-2) scored on its first three drives of the game to build a 21-0 lead. Running back Jeffrey Bogan finished off a 4-play, 42 yard drive with a 22-yard TD run. Following Gustavo Rabadan’s PAT, the Wildcats led 7-0. Gary Tesch scored on a 14-yard lateral pass from Gabriel West who rotated at quarterback with junior Nathaniel German and running back Obiomon Egbezien rambled in from three yards out to increase the deficit 21-0, after Rabadan’s kick.
Cy-Creek’s first two drives ended in turnovers, which was an indication of how the first half unfolded. But with 4:02 to play in the second quarter, kicker Logan Muhl drilled a 30-yard field goal to put the Cougars on the board. Cy-Woods was forced to punt on its next series. But Cougars defensive back Jalen Partman rushed in unblocked from the right side to block German’s punt and advanced the ball into the end zone, trimming the lead 21-10 after Muhl’s PAT.
“The first half was kind of shaky but we just kept on going and second half we talked in the locker room. We just talked about our game plan and we got it going and we just couldn’t finish. Our team talked at halftime about what we weren’t doing. Our heads wasn’t mentally in the game. We talked it over, went over our game plan. We came out here hyped and ready to go”, Bobby Chan Chan, Cy-Creek’s WR said.
The Wildcats answered on Tesch’s 101 yard kick return to continue their offensive attack.
The Cougars third turnover of the game gave Cy-Woods possession at the Cy-Creek’s 28. Wildcat’s defensive end Cody Small recovered the ball after LB Daylan Skidmore sacked Pugliese. Three plays later, West threw a strike to Jesse Astorga to stake out a 35-10 halftime lead.
Another golden opportunity inside Cy-Woods 30 yard line went to waste when Pugliese suffered his second fumble of the game. But after coming off life support, the Cougars pasted together a thrill-ride third quarter as it scored three unanswered touchdowns on its first three drives of the quarter. Leaving the home crowd Wildcats stunned, while drawing within four points, 35-17. Running back Devan Demas spearheaded the surge with an electrifying 59-yard TD run. He took the handoff going through the right side and bounced it outside and raced untouched to the end zone. On the ensuing kickoff the Cougars caught Cy-Woods napping when they executed a perfect onside kick down at the Wildcats 23. On the next play, WR Matthew McCaig ran a text book post pattern that led him into the end zone where he met a perfect spiral pass from Pugliese and defensive back Philip Thomas returned a 33-yard interception back for a score. Muhl’s kick was good (35-31).
“We started off well, we established what we wanted to do, and the game plan was good. In the third quarter we came out a little sluggish but we picked it back up because our team have that fighting spirit we never give up. We were too lax and too comfortable in that third quarter”, said Samuel Stewart, Cy-Woods running back.
LB Kerry Brown led a charge that shut down the Wildcat’s on all five of their third quarter drives. Brown controlled the line of scrimmage stopping the running game for short gains as well as for negative yardage.
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter; Cy-Woods regain their composure and responded after a big play. With Cy-Creek (3-5, 2-5) in field goal formation, Wildcats LB Deoundrei Davis knife through the middle of the Cougars special teams and blocked a field goal attempt, grabbed possession of the ball and rambled down to the Cy-Creek’s 20 yard line. Going to their bag of tricks, the Wildcats pulled off a halfback TD pass as Samuel Stewart connect with WR Chase Ragusa to stretch the lead, 41-31.
Later, Stewart added a 54-yard TD scamper to cap the scoring (49-31).
Nate German, Samuel Stewart, and Gabriel West combined for 118 passing yards; West threw for two scores while Stewart led the rushing with 13 carries for 178 yard with one TD rushing and one through the air for Cy-Woods. For Cy-Creek, Devan Demas totaled 197 yards on 22 attempts with a TD and Dylan Pugliese was 19 of 29 for 148 yards, one TD and one INT.