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District 16-6A Season Preview

insoles to jump higher

Parity defined this district a year ago. All four playoff teams finished tied for first with a 5-2 district record.

And while Cypress Falls snapped its playoff drought a year ago, programs like Cypress Springs and Langham Creek weren’t far off of that final playoff berth a year ago. That should create plenty of intrigue in district play this year.

Here’s what to watch for in District 16-6A.

Bridgeland Bears

Head Coach: Lonnie Madison (1st Season)

Last Season: 6-5; 5-2 in district (Lost to Klein Collins in bi-district)

Bridgeland Key Players and Storylines

Lonnie Madison comes over from College Park to take charge at Bridgeland following the retirement of David Raffield.

He said he saw Bridgeland as a great opportunity following the success it has had in the first five years of its football program. Despite competing in a tough 6A district, Bridgeland has made the playoffs every year except its inaugural season in 2018.

There’s a great chance for that success to continue this year with eight starters back on each side of the ball.

Madison is expecting big things out of receivers Oscar Nnanna and Mason Simmons as they step into bigger roles following the graduation of three of Bridgeland’s top two receivers.

However, the strength of this Bridgeland team will be in the trenches. Junior Jonte Newman will lead the offensive line, while senior edge Omar Khan, a Washington commit, will anchor the defensive end. While Khan is committed, Newman is also receiving interest from Power Five programs at the next level.

There’s no shortage of talent in the secondary either with the return of first team all-district selection Phillip Meyers and all-district honorable mention Josh Matthews.

Madison said that while there will be a learning curve as the Bridgeland players learn his system, the overall talent in the program means hopes are high again this season. Expect Bridgeland to be a playoff team again in 2023.

Cypress Falls Golden Eagles

Head Coach: Chris Brister (7th Season)

Last Season: 8-4; 5-2 in district (Lost to Dekaney in area round)

Cypress Falls Key Players and Storylines

Cypress Falls had a breakout season a year ago. After just six total wins in 2020 and 2021, the Golden Eagles made it back to the playoffs and won a playoff game for the first time since 2019.

The challenge for head coach Chris Brister and company will be trying to maintain that high bar in 2023. However, they certainly have the talent to do so.

Offensively, the responsibility to keep the wheels churning will lie with Army commit running back Trey Morris. He rushed for 1,893 yards and 24 touchdowns a year ago, earning District 16-6A MVP honors. Look for Mekhi Howard to potentially be a player that makes a jump at the receiver position after the graduation of the Golden Eagles’ leading pass-catcher.

Up front, three-star tackle Samir Camacho, Saul Zaragosa, and Gemarlin Gaines will lead an offensive line tasked with paving the way for Morris again this season.

On the other side of the ball, wherever you look, there is returning talent. Linebacker Anthony Herrera and safeties Jacob Sapp and Meeky Hosea were Cy Falls’ three leading tacklers last season. Defensive lineman Martin Carreon and linebacker Mekhi Gatson are also back after earning second team all-district honors.

Last year, Dekaney pulled away from Cypress Falls in the area round in a 32-17 victory. But with so many of last year’s key players returning, the Golden Eagles are a team that could push for an even deeper playoff run this fall.

Cypress Lakes Spartans

Head Coach: Marshall Green (1st Season)

Last Season: 2-8; 1-6 in district

Cypress Lakes Key Players and Storylines

When Ronald Patton was promoted into an assistant AD role for Cypress ISD, the Spartans didn’t have to look far for his replacement.

In early July, Cypress Lakes selected defensive coordinator Marshall Green to take over the program on an interim role for this season.

Green has head coaching experience, having served as the head man at Brookshire-Royal from 2010-2013.

This year, he feels like his Spartans have talent. The only issue is they have very little varsity experience. Only three starters are back on offense while just two return on defense.

The offensive line will be a strength with senior Alexander Garrett and junior Noah Chanthavong. They’ll pave the way for running back Jayvion Wolfe (780 total yards, eight touchdowns), who should take over as Cypress Lakes’ bell cow this season.

On the other side of the ball, the Spartans’ experience is clustered in the secondary. Juniors Justin Dugar and Jordan Patton both return. Patton was an all-district honorable mention a year ago.

With so many new faces on the roster, Patton said the team’s three non-district contests will be crucial. Excitement is high ahead of the season, but he said his Spartans must take it one game at a time as they look to gel and peak at the right time.

Cypress Park Tigers

Head Coach: Greg Rogers (6th Season)

Last Season: 0-10; 0-7 in district

Cypress Park Key Players and Storylines

After earning its first-ever district title in 2021, Cypress Park struggled mightily in 2022. The Tigers finished winless and were outscored by 330 points over the course of the season.

However, head coach Greg Rogers believes his team is due for a much better season in 2023. Several younger players gained valuable experience last season and Rogers said the team as a whole has had a great offseason.

Those lessons learned from last season should be evident with seven starters returning on each side of the ball.

Rogers is expecting the Tiger backfield to pack quite the punch this season with Iowa State commit quarterback Deyon Batiste (795 passing yards and four touchdowns) returning along with running backs Connor King (462 rushing yards and four touchdowns) and Ryan Rasco (377 rushing yards and five touchdowns). Rasco can also be a weapon for Cypress Park in the passing game as well (199 receiving yards).

If the Tigers are to make progress this year, they’ll need their defense to take a big step forward after it allowed nearly 50 points per game a year ago.

Look for linebackers Victor Thomas (57 tackles, two FFs), Anwar Nyei (33 tackles, 1 INT), and Nikolas Macedo (52 tackles, 1 INT) to lead the charge on that side of the ball.

Heading into 2023, Rogers is excited to see which players are going to emerge as leaders for the Tigers this season. He’s confident that his players have what it takes to continue growing and improving as they expect to get back in the win column this season following last year’s bump in the road.

Cypress Ranch Mustangs

Head Coach: Sean McAuliffe (5th Season)

Last Season: 7-4; 5-2 in district play (Lost to Klein Cain in bi-district)

Cypress Ranch Key Players and Storylines

Cypress Ranch wasn’t far off from an undefeated district title a year ago. The Mustangs fell by just a touchdown apiece to each Bridgeland and Cypress Falls.

This season, head coach Sean McAuliffe said his team will focus on the process and seek to improve each day. If they can do that, he believes that winning and potentially a tenth straight playoff berth will follow.

The Mustangs return five starters on offense this year and six on defense.

Replacing a 3,200-yard passer in Blake Baker won’t be easy, but whoever takes over at quarterback will have plenty of weapons at his disposal. Junior running back Kyle McCray (671 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns) is back as are an incredible one-two punch at receiver in Tracy James (909 receiving yards and nine touchdowns) and Carson Littlefield (1,057 receiving yards and five touchdowns).

Defensively, the Mustangs held opponents to just 20.5 points per game a year ago. They have returning talent at all three levels in defensive end Nik Fisher (five sacks), linebacker Gavin Beene (76 tackles and seven sacks), and defensive back Tristtyn Davis (64 tackles). All three were all-district selections last season.

Cypress Ranch has had sustained success over the past decade. And with the talent back this season, there’s nothing to suggest expecting anything else from the Mustangs in 2023.

Cypress Springs Panthers

Head Coach: Oji Fagan (3rd Season)

Last Season: 4-6; 3-4 in district

Cypress Springs Key Players and Storylines

Cypress Springs is showing signs of improvement under head coach Oji Fagan. The Panthers’ four wins last year matched their win total from the previous four seasons combined.

Even more promising is the fact that the majority of Cypress Springs’ offensive production a year ago was from underclassmen.

An offense that averaged 28 points per game could be even better this year. Army commit dual threat quarterback Harrison Mass (1,615 passing yards and 13 TDs; 544 rushing yards and 7 TDs) is back with Timothy Saunders (979 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns), the Panthers bell cow at running back.

Out at receiver, Mass is spoiled with options. Promising juniors Rashod Richardson (731 receiving yards and five touchdowns) and Jamon Richardson, who are twin brothers, moved in from Cy Creek. Nick Brown (516 receiving yards and two touchdowns) and Ashton Blake (441 receiving yards and five touchdowns), his two leading receivers from 2022 are also back.

The defense did lose four of its six first or second team all-district players from last season. However, the front seven still returns both linebacker Logan Bloom (57 tackles) and defensive tackle Ryan Lynch (28 tackles, 14 TFLs), who made himself at home in opponents backfields a year ago.

Cypress Springs has made the playoffs just once in its 25 seasons playing varsity football. And that came all the way back in 2003. However, this year’s group has the makings of something special. Keep an eye on Cypress Springs as it looks to achieve a postseason berth for the record books in 2023.

Cypress Woods Wildcats

Head Coach: Cody Simper (3rd Season)

Last Season: 7-4; 5-2 in district (Lost to Tomball in bi-district)

Cypress Woods Key Players and Storylines

Cypress Woods has now made the playoffs the playoffs each of the last five seasons. However, the Wildcats haven’t won a playoff game since 2019.

This season, head coach Cody Simper is expecting his team’s offense to take a step forward with six starters returning. The Wildcats will need that offense, which averaged just over 25 points per game last year, to lead the way early on this season as the defense replaces eight starters from last year’s team.

Senior quarterback Aiden Horton (1,330 passing yards and 12 TDs; 295 rushing yards and 2 TDs) will lead the offense this year. He has some promising underclassmen receivers at his disposal, including junior Kyler Singletary (372 receiving yards and four touchdowns). Offensive lineman Ace Perez will provide stability up front after earning first team all-district honors last season.

The defense will take some time as the Wildcats must replace all seven players that earned all-district honors last season. But while it will be young, Simper said it will be athletic. He expects the unit to improve as the year goes on.

He believes defensive lineman Jason Hemphill, linebacker Darnell Rogers, and defensive back Gideon Strickland will be the most important players on the unit this season.

A year ago, the Wildcats couldn’t keep up with Cypress Falls and Cypress Ranch as they finished just a game out of the top position in the district. However, with much of the offense returning this season, Simper hopes that the Wildcats can put enough points on the board to carry them not only into the playoff picture but into the district title conversation again this season.

Langham Creek Lobos

Head Coach: Todd Thompson (15th season)

Last Season: 5-5; 4-3 in district

Langham Creek Key Players and Storylines

Langham Creek experienced tremendous heartbreak on the field last season. In two of their four district defeats, the Lobos lost on the final play of the game. If they had turned either one of those losses into a victory, they would have clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2018.

When the game is on the line, the Lobos will need gamebreakers like quarterback Braylon Scott and Texas commit tight end Jordan Washington to deliver in clutch moments. They’ll lead an offense that returns six starters, including center Cole Molina, who was a second team all-district honoree last season.

However, while the offense often had no trouble putting points on the board last season, averaging nearly 35 points per game, the defense will be looking to improve on a campaign where it allowed over 32 points per game.

The return of six starters on that side of the ball means the Lobos will have the experience needed to improve. The front seven will be the area of the unit to watch with defensive lineman CJ Anizor and linebackers Corion Powers and Sam Adebowale primed for big seasons in 2023.

Langham Creek learned firsthand the fine margins between winning and losing last season. Longtime head coach Todd Thompson said it’s now up to his players to use 2022 as motivation to set last season’s wrongs right when they take the field this fall.

“The difference in winning and losing is right in front of us every day,” Thompson said. “Hopefully, we will do what it takes this year.”

 

CLICK HERE to listen to the Texas HS Football Podcast, with Taylor Arenz

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