The incoming varsity group is much more experienced than it was at this time last year.  The Tigers return varsity experience at every position except place kicker.  The spring practice sessions will be a time for the coaches to evaluate off-season moves that have already been made and perhaps contemplate a few more.  It will also be an opportunity to tweak the depth chart ahead of the season start in August. 

A challenging non-district slate will launch the season with immediate force.  Nine of this year’s 10 regular season games will take place at Rhodes Stadium.  The lone road game is in the neutral confines of Waco ISD Stadium versus FM Marcus. 

The key areas for depth are always the offensive and defensive lines.  Every team battles to stay fit in the trenches, and it always proves crucial to have options across the entire roster.  The Tigers encountered this again last season when some starters missed significant time and others had to step up.

The outside expectations of this group will be higher because of the experience, but the goals within the field house will remain the same.  It would not be surprising to see several pre-season polls, both state and national, slot the Tigers highly this summer. 

Seniors Sam Holl (DB) and Shep Klinke (OT) were the first captains elected by the team early this off-season.  Two more will be elected by the Red-White game on May 19th.

Rhodes is actually unavailable as a base of operations this spring due to stadium renovations.  The team will be working out primarily on campus and the Red-White game is scheduled at Tully Stadium.

Tune into this space a few weeks from now as the pads are dusted off and the 2009 Tigers take the practice field.

I’ve been to football games all across the state this year, and I don’t think I’ve seen as many holding calls in those games combined as we did tonight. You can’t tell me SV wasn’t holding. They grabbed our tight end and held him all the way into the end zone before our FG that put it at 17-7. I don’t expect to be awarded anything by the officials, but that was unlike anything I’ve seen before. All I can think is that their coach must have really gotten in their collective ear in the pre-game. It is not something we coach or encourage.

Defensively, we completely shut down their run. SV actually had their starter back this week (Reinhart #36) but it didn’t make a difference. After their first TD, champ97 leaned over and said “all that did was piss us off.” How right he was. We came right back and equalized in two plays. The defense shut down the run all game. We did a great job defending their jet sweeps and reverses. Matthews got us downfield a couple times. We had two guys there to tackle him on the first screen, but neither could make a play. We could have picked that route off with the OLB as well. On his second TD, he got us turned around with a double move. He made a very good catch there because he was overthrown a little bit. Great effort on the 4th down stops. Outstanding.

The coaches were happy to have Cameron Travis back this week. We are doing better than most in the health department at this time of year. I thought the passing game was improved over the Dickinson game. Ray was much more accurate. Coach Dowling highlighted a superb corner route he delivered to Brandt. We only attempted 10 passes overall because the running game was doing so well. This will be more important against a team as disciplined as Smithson Valley. It is funny watching how Will Jeffrey’s speed surprises people. It is evident on film. We throw Webber at them to pound away and then bring in this scat back and all defenders can do is watch as he runs by them. He is hard to find behind the big linemen we have. It reminds me of when we had Jamel Branch running the ball.

Defensively, Coach Miller highlighted some of the adjustments the players made to cut off running lanes for La Porte’s big tailback. They used some new formations against us and we appeared to adjust well over the course of the game. Their quarterback and receiver (#80) played good football games in my opinion. They were able to hit us on the third down plays and that’s always aggravating. However, they ended up with a goose egg on the scoreboard at the end of the day. DE Nick Narcisse earned Mr. Defense honors and his effort stood out on film. It is rare to have a defensive end with the kind of range he has to chase down plays. I am always impressed with the number of players who make things happen each week on defense. We have guys step up in each unit to help keep people bottled up. It was nice to have Van Atwood back, and he showed his value on a key pass break up and interception. His experience is certainly a bonus in the secondary. Film also showed that La Porte was very adept at the wrestling take down variety of blocking. Their line play was better than I anticipated, but we were obviously too strong in the end.

We didn’t have any gross errors in the kicking game other than getting out of our lanes on kick off coverage. We had guys all running to the ball and not playing their lanes on the returns when they gashed us a little bit. Coach Miller complimented Joey Killion for doing well after Raul had to come out.

Overall, this was another good effort. We are winning impressively and there is still room to improve. Normally, teams have peaked and start to maybe plateau/trail off a bit this deep into a season. I feel like we are still rising. I haven’t seen a peak performance yet from this Katy team and I’m hoping we are saving that up for these last two games.

The defense shut down the running game and forced Dickinson to try and pass every down. The Gators only success came on passes they tossed up for their playmakers. They had some very talented skill players who made a few nice plays. Our positioning definitely could have been better, but they did make a few great plays. Dickinson had a bunch of specimens out there, but they weren’t very cohesive. We blitzed their QB all night and planted him for some big losses. The defense did a great job with pressure considering Dickinson’s pedigree on the offensive line. Four of the five line starters for them are apparently D1 commits. They didn’t have much of an impact tonight. We’ve seen a few big OLs this year, so I thought we’d be well prepared for it.

I thought the special teams did a good job in the area of kick coverage. We kicked it deep for most of the game and we did a good job covering. They have some very fast players.

I’m glad the game didn’t get out of control in the second half because tempers were flaring in the first half. The officials must have said something to both teams at halftime because I didn’t notice any big problems in the second half.

The offense did a good job of starting the game well. We tend to struggle the longer it takes us to get into a game, so it is always good to see the team take the early initiative and make something happen. We took a shot on the first play and didn’t connect. We need to get that deep ball going again because it opens things up in the box. That’s been a little too hit and miss since the Cinco game. Coach Dowling praised a few of the mid level reads that Parker made, such as the TD pass to Brandt over the middle and the first down pass to Zach Swanson. The play Brandt made was Fuda-esque. In my opinion, the pass Ray made to Hershey on the third and long is the best pass he’s thrown all year so far. Humble had double coverage in the area, and Ray had to drop the ball in a pretty tight window. It was a perfectly executed throw and catch. Coach stressed ball security again with the two fumbles we had. Will Jeffery may have been able to protect the ball a little better on his fumble, but I thought the Webber fumble was just a great play by Humble (LB put helmet on the ball). We were lucky it went out of bounds, and Hershey bear crawled over to try and recover. Great effort on his part. Coach Dowling said it was good to see the team respond after the Wildcats got some momentum there in the second quarter. The third down pass from Ray to Hershey was the back breaker in my opinion. Coach said he was pleased to get as many players in the game as we did.

Defensively, Humble’s only real drive of the game was their first. They hit us underneath for a slant and then the RB Young broke his one long run of the game to set them up in scoring position. The defense did well to keep them to an FG attempt. Coach Miller and Coach Joseph dialed up the heat a few times, and that pressure helped lead to some big plays for us on defense. A good example of that was Caleb Chandler’s INT. A blitzing LB rushed the passer up the middle to force a decision, Chandler was in good zone position underneath and was able to make a nice play on the ball. The defensive line was also active as far as getting passes batted down. Matt Wiens and Nick Narcisse were both credited with PBUs. They also recorded a sack apiece. We knocked their starting QB out of the game with a separated shoulder, and that’s why they used a couple different players under center for the rest of the game. One of them was a true freshman. The coaches pointed out the talent Humble had and it was good to see us keep those guys under wraps. It’s always scary to play teams with big receivers.

The kicking game wasn’t as strong this week as it usually is. We lost a few kicks out of bounds, and they also got us on the punt return. It looked like our gunners eased up a little once the ball hit the ground thinking they were going to be able to let it bounce and down it. Coach Miller said Humble’s return man did a good job of picking the ball up and making a play. Miller also pointed out the beginning of the punt because several players ended up on the ground at the point of attack. As a result, the coverage was scattered as players got off the ground and tried to go cover the kick. We were too spread out and gave the Humble return made too much space to make moves. The kick off coverage was sound and we didn’t get any kicks blocked.

Humble 24 Cy Ridge 13
Spring 35 Humble 7
Humble 31 Aldine 21
Humble 41 Humble Atascocita 10
Eisenhower 49 Humble 7
Humble 28 Kingwood 21
Humble 30 Aldine Macarthur 7
Humble 28 Aldine Nimitz 7
Humble 31 Houston Chavez 26

PPG- 24.5, PAPG- 22.1, Margin- 2.4

Humble started the season well with an impressive 24-13 win over a state ranked Cy Ridge team. The Wildcats dropped a 35-7 loss to Spring the following week. Humble’s battled youth and injuries for much of the season. The Wildcat running game and overall defense have been inconsistent for much of the season.

Overall, Humble is young. There are several sophomores and even a few freshmen on the varsity roster. Humble’s leadership comes from seniors QB Keith Baker (5’11 185) and DT Lamarc Strahan (6’4 320).

Baker leads Humble’s spread offense with efficiency in the air and also an ability to make plays on the ground. Humble’s offense will be as effective as Baker is able to make it. Sophomore tailback Donovan Young (6’0 215) has added stability in the running game. Young missed most of the regular season with an injury. The Wildcats are known for producing big receivers, and this year is no exception. Junior Darius Tubbs (6’5 205) leads the team in receiving. Senior Cody Tucker (6’2 210) and Xavier Marshall (6’2 180) are primary threats in Humble’s passing game. Senior Allen Augustine (5’8 165) and junior Darryl Smith are all-purpose threats. Senior OG Blaine Winfield (6’2 260) is one of the most experienced players on the line.

Senior defensive tackle Lamarc Strahan leads the push for Humble up front. Strahan is a returning starter and a Division 1 recruit. Senior defensive end Ronnie Hodges leads the team in sacks. Junior defensive lineman Shannon Nettles lettered as a sophomore. Junior linebacker John Walker (6’2 200) and senior outside backer Todd Lyons (5’11 205) are experienced talents on the second level of the Wildcat defense. Juniors LaQuintus Dowell and Devonta Davis lead a young secondary along with talented sophomore Bryson Burris. Senior Brian Womack (5’10 175) is the most experienced player in Humble’s secondary.

Humble’s always dangerous in the return game because of their speed and nothing is changed there. Junior Walter Pinon has converted a few field goals this year and gives the Wildcats a capable leg for conversions.

I was pleased to see the Tigers take the early initiative this week with the stop on defense and then scoring first on offense. The running game was churning all afternoon. I haven’t seen the stats yet, but apparently we were pretty close to the 400 rushing yard mark. Webber and Jeffery both broke long scoring runs. Aside from a couple of plays, one being the INT of course, I thought Parker Ray played a composed game at QB. We did a nice job with play action for the most part. The receivers also made some nice catches on the sidelines. We broke out a few new plays. The reverse to Brandt went for a first down.

The defense played a very physical game and I liked that a lot. I think it is good to send a message against teams that try to throw a bunch of the underneath passes. Stratford’s rushing stats are misleading. They got over half that on one play, and it should have been called back for a clear clip that went uncalled. The officials swallowed their whistles. I think three or four flags were thrown total. I know one was a procedure penalty on us, and each team got hit with a personal foul. Our players seemed pretty agitated with something Stratford was doing. I saw multiple Katy players speaking with officials after plays to try and draw their attention to it. Coach Joseph got on them a couple times about it also. I thought the DBs did a good job of making plays on the football. Colt Atwood, Ryan Rose, Sam Holl and Zac Griffin all had good PBUs that I saw. They were running the same backside slants/posts that Cinco ran last week. They clearly plucked a few ideas off of that film, but we adjusted to it. That was the only way they gained yardage early.

Special teams was an adventure with the wind, but I thought we handled it better than they did for sure. Raul did a good job with his kick offs as he always does. We kicked off at the start of both halves. I haven’t seen a team do that on purpose before. We won the toss and deferred the option to the second half. They chose to receive to start and apparently we decided to kick again in the second half. That was interesting. I think this had to feel good to the team after last week. It’s good to be in the playoffs.

The Spartans immediately jumped into district play against Alief Taylor in their first game back on the field September 27th. Stratford won a tight game against Taylor that ultimately proved key in securing a playoff spot. The Spartans officially clinched their post-season place against Elsik two weeks ago in a 28-14 win before losing to district champions Strake Jesuit last week.

Junior quarterbacks Mark Benninger and Andrew Mitchell have taken snaps this season as the successors to Andrew Luck. Luck was a three-year starter as a quarterback and punter, so this was obviously a big unknown for the Spartans early this season. Benninger is the leading passer of the two. They are both mobile and they are used on designed quarterback runs (read option in particular).

Stratford operates from multiple sets, mostly the shotgun, and spread the field. Senior tailback Rodney Anderson emerged as an all-district player last year as a junior. Anderson has big play ability and he is also a key return man. Senior Tim Graves is similar in stature and ability to Anderson. The Spartans like to work the short passing game with their receivers and backs, and let them work for yards after the catch. Junior receivers Brett Benninger and Derwin Amboree are two of the t op receiving targets. Amboree is the smallest player on the team, but has good speed. He returns kicks as well. The offensive line starts several juniors. The Spartans aren’t huge on the offensive line. They are about average size for a spread line (players between 240-260 pounds).

The Spartans have more senior experience on defense. Senior defensive end Terrence Lloyd (6’4 230) is one of the best defensive linemen in the state. Lloyd is verbally committed to Missouri. Lloyd drew college interest after a strong junior season and was nominated for Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year in August this year. Junior LaCorey Pace and senior Corbin Harrell are two more Spartans who help plug things up front. Stratford made two 4th and short stands on defense to preserve their big win over Elsik thanks in large part to Lloyd and the defensive line.

Senior free safety Jerry Young is one of the key contributors in the secondary along with seniors Erik Odem, Cole Skinner and Roland Rodriguez. Young made two big interceptions in the game against Elsik. Senior Jonathan Baron is one of the top linebackers. This is a Stratford defense that likes to keep the field contained and make opponents work for scores. Alief Taylor, Memorial and Strake Jesuit were the only three teams to score more than 14 points on Stratford in the regular season.

Sophomore kicker Jesus Loa has been a steady force on special teams for Stratford this season. He has field goal kicking range over 40 yards. The return game is also a threat because of the quick Spartans mentioned above like Anderson, Amboree and Graves.

This is Stratford’s third trip in a row to the post-season after a 12 year run without participating in the playoffs from 1994 through 2005. The Spartans advanced to the second round in 2006 before losing by one point to Cy Falls, and advanced to the third round last year (lost to Clements).

JUST THE BASICS

Record (5-3, 4-3)
Coach- Elliot Allen (45-28 record at SHS)

Stratford 31 Aldine Macarthur 0
Stratford 31 Alief Taylor 24
Memorial 28 Stratford 10
Alief Hastings 9 Stratford 0
Stratford 28 Northbrook 13
Stratford 17 Spring Woods 0
Stratford 28 Alief Elsik 14
Strake Jesuit 21 Stratford 13

PPG- 19.8, PAPG- 13.6, Margin- 6.1

Top Players

#19 RB Rodney Anderson, 5’7 165, Sr.
#90 DE Terrence Lloyd, 6’4 230, Sr. (Missouri commit)

I don’t know the exact numbers, but Cinco Ranch must have set a record for third down conversions. Our pass coverage was exploited and that wasn’t terribly surprising based on how we looked in prior games. Cinco didn’t do anything they don’t normally do as far as the passes they ran. They’ve been throwing those post routes all year. Tyler Mack had an MVP game for Cinco. He was open any time they wanted him.

We have to play a lot smarter if we want to hang around the playoff bracket.

I thought the early fumble really hurt us. Webber didn’t secure the hand off and just dropped the ball. He didn’t get popped or anything. He just didn’t squeeze with the hands after Parker seated it. That’s obviously not the first time that has happened this season. Unfortunately, that kind of mistake tends to hang around although it really shouldn’t happen. It comes down to fundamentals. That play really killed the early momentum we generated by stopping them and then driving. It look us until the second quarter to really recover from that swing. Cinco went up 14-0 after that play. I think the game is entirely different if we go ahead and score there and seize the momentum. I won’t blame the loss on that, but that kind of play makes a big impact in a key game.

But we had several chances in the second half to take the lead. We had four opportunities to drive for a go-ahead score in regulation and go zero points. That was very frustrating.

I don’t think we can have any complaints or excuses. We had our chances and did not get it done. Full credit to Cinco for getting the win. I think they are good enough to make a deep run this year, but their problem is health. Ros and Hirtz don’t look anywhere near 100%. We did well to recover after Cinco hit us with two early scores, but again we were very wasteful in the fourth quarter. I don’t place blame on any one position. We did not get it done. They did.

The Tigers have to find a way to get themselves sorted out for the playoffs.

Cinco opened the year by taking their first ever road trip to San Antonio to play the Reagan Rattlers. Reagan plays in the vaunted 26-5A district. Cinco edged the Rattlers 21-17 in the Alamodome. Reagan (7-2, 6-1) is currently locked in a four-way tie for first place in 26-5A. The Cougars were able to add a road trip to Southlake Carroll after Hurricane Ike shook up schedules. Cinco rolled through district play until a bizarre 41-34 result against Seven Lakes in Week 9. The Cougars turned the ball over seven times, but still managed to roll up over 400 yards of total offense and 41 points. Cinco scored the winning touchdown with just over a minute left in the game. Seven Lakes led 34-33 before that score, and the Spartans also led 20-13 at halftime.

Cinco Ranch’s shotgun based offense is led by senior quarterback Shane Ros and senior running back Adam Hirtz. Ros started at cornerback as a sophomore, and then missed most of his junior year with the knee injury. Ros is a talented dual-threat who keeps defenses off balance with his athletic ability. 

Hirtz is the engine and a leading candidate for district most valuable player. Hirtz is among the area leaders in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Senior running back Brad Boudreaux flanks Ros and Hirtz when Cinco goes to their split backs shotgun formation. Boudreaux is capable of making defenses think twice about zeroing in on just Ros and Hirtz. Junior quarterback Zach Myers gives Cinco another experienced signal caller, and his presence also opens up creative options when he and Ros are on the field at the same time. Senior quarterback Matt Holub also works his way onto the field, and Cinco has a gadget package that puts all three quarterbacks in the backfield together. Senior receivers Ryan Moos, Tyler Mack and Collin Buteaux give Cinco downfield options. Moos leads the team in receptions and Mack leads in touchdown catches. Mack and Buteaux are both big targets (6’5). Cinco’s offensive line, led by senior Michael Schraub, does a good job of springing Hirtz and the Cinco runners into space. They are not an enormous line but they do execute well. There’s no way you can put up the offense they have without a good line.

The Cougar defense has held up pretty well overall. The Seven Lakes result was due to turnovers and short fields rather than the Spartans moving at will on the Cougar defense. The Southlake Carroll game was a trial by fire for the pass defense. It was an important game for Cinco to play because everyone else they’ve played is heavily geared to run. Cinco’s defensive front is led by seniors Bobby Kiesewetter and Devin Williams. Both players can be very disruptive. Junior lineman Austin Milligan is a rare non-senior contributor on this Cougar team. 

Cinco also has experience at the linebacker position in senior Andy McAteer and junior James Radcliffe. Both started last year. Junior Trevor Holt also starts. The Cougar linebackers are all similar in stature (5’10-6’0, 200 pound range). Senior cornerback Tanner Leland adds needed size in the secondary. Senior defensive back Devin Friar is another experienced player. Junior Zach Velliquette and senior strong safety Greg Kremen are two other first team contributors. 

General Impressions

Overall, this is certainly one of the more talented teams Cinco’s fielded in their young history. Shane Ros gives them an added dimension they’ve never had at the quarterback position before with his mobility. He isn’t physically imposing, but he has a very capable passing arm. Injuries have threatened to slow Ros and the Cougars down the last two seasons, but they’ve been able to hold things together enough to be 8-1 so far this year. Junior Zach Myers was thrown into the fire as a sophomore last year when Ros went down in non-district, so he’s an experienced player Cinco can call on when needed. Hirtz is a very tough runner from the backfield, and does a great job of staying alive on plays by keeping his feet moving and fighting for yardage. This is the most effective ball control offense Cinco’s ever had because of the added running dimension of the quarterbacks.

When I saw Cinco Ranch against Mayde Creek, I was impressed with the play of the senior defensive lineman Bobby Kiesewetter. He was very disruptive and made some really nice plays on the Rams’ side of the line of scrimmage. 

Cinco is well-equipped with several seniors across the board in starting positions. There isn’t a single sophomore on the varsity roster this year. Expectations were higher because of this experience, and the Cougars have lived up to the billing so far. In my opinion, this is the best chance they’ve ever had to make a deep playoff run. In the Division 1 field, I think teams like North Shore, Hightower and Pearland would be the toughest match-ups because of their tough defenses and efficient offenses.

Cinco’s chances against Katy will come down to whether or not they can limit the Tigers’ effectiveness on the ground. The Cougars were able to do this for most of the game against Katy in 2006, but the Tigers eventually opened things with the passing game. Cinco has never scored more than 14 points against Katy, and that is something they’ll have to change in order to have a strong chance. However, this is the most well-prepared team Cinco’s fielded against Katy in my opinion. I think the road trips to San Antonio and Southlake were key steps in the development of this Cinco team and the program in general. 

The Cougars have been very competitive with Katy at the sub-varsity levels in recent seasons. We’ll see if that translates to varsity this season or if the Tigers make it nine in a row.

SCHEDULE:

• Cinco Ranch 21 SA Reagan 17
• Cinco Ranch 34 Cy Springs 15
• Cinco Ranch 42 Mayde Creek 14
• Cinco Ranch 35 The Woodlands College Park 23
• Southlake Carroll 42 Cinco Ranch 24
• Cinco Ranch 35 Taylor 0 *
• Cinco Ranch 56 Morton Ranch 14 *
• Cinco Ranch 56 Mayde Creek 17 *
• Cinco Ranch 41 Seven Lakes 34 *

JUST THE BASICS:

Record (8-1, 4-0)
Coach- Don Clayton (9th season)
PPG- 38.2, PAPG- 19.6, Margin- 18.6