A gorgeous fall night in Klein was the setting for Friday’s bi-district matchup between the Cypress Ranch Mustangs (7-3, 5-3) and the Klein Cain Hurricanes (9-1, 7-1). After a little bit of a slow start to the season, Cy-Ranch was riding a lot of momentum going into the playoffs, winning six of their last seven.
The Mustangs had been eliminated in the playoffs by a Klein ISD each of the last five years, including a loss to Klein Cain in 2022. On the other side, Klein Cain has been a model of consistency the last five years, but has not been past the area round of the playoffs since 2020. Cy-Ranch was looking to break the streak against Klein ISD, while Klein Cain was looking to make a statement that this could be the year that they can make a deep run.
Game Recap
The Mustang defense was the big story in this game. On the opening drive of the game, a Klein Cain pass would be picked off by Matthew Ciers, setting up Cy-Ranch at their own 46-yard line. Six plays later, Peyton Thomas broke away and dove for the pylon for a 25-yard touchdown run, to give the Mustangs the early lead.
After both teams traded punts, Klein Cain would even it up. A solid return got the Hurricanes down to the Cy-Ranch 25-yard line, and three plays later, Jaelon Dixon found the endzone, as he stormed in from 13 yards out. On the following Cy-Ranch drive, the Mustangs coughed the ball up, and it was recovered by Klein Cain’s Darius Lewis, setting up the Hurricanes deep in Mustangs territory. A 29-yard field goal by Noah Ballard would end the drive, and give Klein Cain a 10-7 lead with 1:01 left in the first quarter.
Cy-Ranch would take the lead into halftime with two unanswered scores. An 11-play drive led to a 24-yard field goal by Diego Alfaro, making it 10-10. The two teams would once again exchange punts, and on the third play of the Klein Cain drive, Niklas Fisher intercepted a Zach Johnson pass and returned it 55 yards to the endzone for the pick-six. At the half, Cy-Ranch led 17-10.
Following a Cy-Ranch punt to open the half, the Hurricanes tied it up on their opening drive. Klein Cain used eight plays to drive 70 yards, punctuated with a one-yard touchdown run by Dixon. The score stood at 17-17 entering the fourth quarter.
Two plays into the fourth quarter, the Mustangs would take the lead. Owen Cossette hit Thomas on a swing pass, who drug a defender into the endzone for a 32-yard touchdown. Klein Cain lined up to punt on their following drive, but a bad snap led to the punt never getting off, giving Cy-Ranch the ball deep in Hurricane territory. Cy-Ranch took advantage and extended their lead to two scores, as Alfaro nailed the 40-yard field goal, making it 27-17 Mustangs, which is where the score would stand at the final horn.
Cy-Ranch upsets Klein Cain 27-17, and will advance to take on College Park in the area round.
