Houston Lamar And Cy Fair To Square Off

Photo via www.lamarfootball.net

By: Tristan Tippet

November 9th, 2016

One of the marquee games of the first round of the 6A playoffs will feature a second place team from 6A Region III District 17 in the Cy-Fair Bobcats who are 8-2 and the first place district champions of 6A Region III District 18 the Lamar Texans who are 9-1.

The Bobcats’ two best performances may have come in their two losses on the season. Their only non-district game was a three-point loss on Aug. 26 to the Woodlands, 23-20. The Bobcats actually led the Highlanders 14-10 at halftime, but 13 points allowed in the third quarter cost them the game. They almost won despite four interceptions by junior quarterback Cameron Arnold.

The Bobcats lost by seven points to the best team in their district Cypress Ranch 24-17 on Sept. 22. They kept the game close despite being out gained in total yards 482-330 and in all-purpose yards 572-385.

They controlled the five games against the lower teams in the district. Cy-Fair blew out Cypress Lakes 44-13 on Sept. 9 and Cypress Springs 57-21 on Sept. 15. Their most lopsided victory was on Sept. 30against Jersey Village 45-3. Then on Oct. 21 they beat Cypress Woods 35-17 and on Oct. 29 beat Cypress Falls 35-6. Their three best wins came on Oct. 15 against Cypress Creek 27-20, last week in a blowout 56-28 win over Langham Creek and Oct. 8 against Cy-Ridge 35-16.

The win over the Rams was the best win for the Bobcats, who finished third in the district. They won thanks to a standout performance by junior running back Trenton Kennedy, who ran for 228 rushing yards on 42 carries and four touchdowns and they also held the Rams to 90 passing yards.

The 9-1 Lamar Texans controlled their lackluster district and didn’t lose a game. The Texans’ closest district game came on Oct. 14 against Houston Heights 44-13. They dominated their two games against the moderately successful teams in the district, including a 45-7 blowout over Westside on Sept. 30 and a 62-23 blowout over Bellaire on Oct. 29. They also blew out Westbury last week on Nov. 3 51-7, Houston Math Science & Tech 61-7 on Oct. 22 and shutout Chavez 49-0 on Oct. 6. They also had two lackluster non-district wins over Alief Elsik 31-6 on Sept. 16 and Fort Bend Hightower 51-0 on Sept. 2.

The Texans’ best win was their first game of the season against Westfield on Aug. 25. They beat the 7-3 Mustangs 38-28 in a game that was pretty much even through three quarters with Lamar trailing 21-16. The Texans rallied with 22 points in the fourth quarter. A quick 38-yard touchdown pass completed by Owen Holt to Ta’zhawn Henry four minutes into the quarter put the Texans ahead 22-21, who would strike again three minutes later with a 70-yard rushing touchdown by Henry. The Texans also had two interceptions to win the game.

The best team they played was Klein Collins on Sept. 9, in which the Texans lost a defensive battle 14-9. The Texans managed a field goal and a touchdown with a failed two-point conversion, however Klein Collins ran for 417 rushing yards.

Lamar’s advantages aside from the better record is that the game will be played at Delmar Stadium, which is supposed to be a home field advantage and they also have the better quarterback in Holt. However, this game will come down to which team runs the ball more physically. Lamar likes to run the ball with their top running back Henry, who has 929 rushing yards on 103 attempts but averages nine yards per carry.

Cy-Fair’s best player is their running back Kennedy, who runs behind a deep offensive line and has 1,265 rushing yards and a standout 20 rushing touchdowns. The Bobcats have also played a tougher schedule.

Cy-Fair wins 22-10.