It was a beautiful setting Thursday night in Cypress, TX, as week 8 of the Texas High School Football season got kicked off between the Cypress Ranch Mustangs (4-2, 2-1) and the Cypress Lakes Spartans (3-3, 2-1). This game could have been viewed as a playoff eliminator in District 16-6A, as the top three spots look pretty locked in, leaving room for one more team. Both the Mustangs and Spartans still have 2 of the top 3 teams in the district on their remaining schedule, so the winner of this game Thursday night would set themselves up in a great position for that fourth and final playoff spot, while the loser would need a lot to go right down the stretch to hop back in the picture.
Game Recap
Special teams play was the story of the first half. After the Cy-Lakes’ opening drive ended on a blocked punt, Cy-Ranch got on the board with a 33-yard field goal from Diego Alfaro with 7:37 left in the first quarter. On the next Spartan drive, Cy-Ranch’s Gabriel Ikechukwu fumbled and recovered a handoff, setting up Cy-Ranch inside the Cy-Lakes 20-yard line. The Mustangs would set up for a field goal attempt, but the hold was botched, leading to an eventual interception by Deshaun Butler. Following a Cy-Lakes punt, Cy-Ranch drove down the field and set up Alfaro for a 40-yard field goal, but this one would go wide right, keeping the score at 3-0.
After another Cy-Lakes punt was blocked, the Mustangs got the ball at the Spartan 8-yard line, and it took them just one play to find the endzone. Manny Leyja took the end around and powered through a couple of tackles, getting the first touchdown of the game. On the next Cy-Ranch drive, Peyton Thomas stormed through the line for a 15-yard touchdown run. With 3:34 left in the half, Cy-Ranch led 17-0.
Cy-Lakes would finally get on the board at the end of the half, which seemed to wake up the offense. With 1:37 left, the Spartans received the ball at their own 20. Three plays later, Theo Fields found some room and exploded for a 72-yard touchdown run. The Spartans went into halftime with some momentum, with Cy-Ranch leading 17-7…