Know Your Enemy: Cypress Springs Panthers

Week 3: Cy Woods Wildcats @ Cy Springs Panthers
7:00 PM, Friday, September 9, 2016
Pridgeon Stadium

Previously on Cy Woods Football...

The Wildcats were soundly trounced 42-14 on Opening Night by Klein Collins. The 120 yards of offense that they recorded was the second-lowest amount in a single game in team history. Jack Barrientez was one of the few bright spots on what was otherwise a rough Saturday for the Cats, rushing for 55 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

And now, the real season begins. The Wildcats will open up district play against the team they beat in the 2015 season finale. Cy Woods and Cy Springs have typically met in the middle of the season, or at the end, but this will be the first time that they will play each other in September.

The Enemy: Cypress Springs Panthers

2015 record: 3-7, 2-7 (t-8th) in District 17-6A

Did not qualify for playoffs

The Panthers began their 2016 campaign with a 55-42 victory over Conroe. James Brooks and Taye Barber both ran for three touchdowns; Barber, who ran for 190 yards, also completed seven of his 17 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns.

All-Time Series

Cy Woods leads 8-0.

Previous Meetings

November 7, 2015: Woods 49, Springs 39

November 6, 2014: Woods 70, Springs 44

October 4, 2013: Woods 57, Springs 14 (Homecoming VI)
October 5, 2012: Woods 48, Springs 13
November 5, 2011: Woods 47, Springs 0
November 6, 2010: Woods 51, Springs 41
October 16, 2009: Woods 23, Springs 13
October 17, 2008: Woods 48, Springs 14 (Homecoming I)

Players to Watch

QB Taye Barber, RB James Brooks, WR/DB Jah'marea Sheread, WR O'Shae Clark, OL/DL Marcus Royal, DL Kolbi Lewis, DB Leon O'Neal, LB Jared Simon

2¢ on Springs

The Panthers have been regarded as a sleeping giant, but two straight 3-7 seasons following two years of improving win totals may have stagnated their momentum somewhat. Springs is still loaded with tremendous upside, but moral victories don't guarantee a playoff berth. In order to end the district's longest active playoff drought, they will have to, well... actually win the games. One thing is for sure, though... these are not the Cy Springs Panthers who routinely brought up the rear in Cy-Fair ISD football.

The Panthers' offensive attack all starts with Taye Barber. Apparently, he was not at full strength last year, and yet, he still put up outstanding numbers as a sophomore. (How was he not the Offensive Newcomer of the Year, again?) Barber's skill set is highly reminiscent of D'Eriq King, the former Manvel standout who is now at Houston. Donell Dunn and Drake Carter may have moved on, but he still has proven weapons out wide with O'Shae Clark and Jah'marea Sheread, who may also see some time in the secondary. Marcus Royal is a three-year starter who will play on both sides of the line.

Springs' struggles last season could be partially attributed to Barber having to carry them on offense nearly every week. James Brooks scored three touchdowns on the ground against Conroe, so his emergence will really take some of the burden off of Barber.

Although Springs won two weeks ago, they still gave up 42 points, and a significant portion of the damage that Conroe inflicted against them came on the ground. Last season, the Panthers were the worst team in 17-6A against the run, and no team in 17-6A allowed more points than they did. For the first game, at least, their run defense was once again a weak point. That's not to say that the Panther defense is devoid of talent; Royal will be joined by Kolbi Lewis, who possesses an imposing presence in the trenches. Leon O'Neal racked up 14 tackles from his safety spot against the Tigers, and Simon will lead the Panthers' linebacker corps. No doubt, they will be looking to tighten up on that side of the ball in order to give Barber more chances to operate.

Last Time These Two Teams Met

In the 2015 season finale for both squads, the Wildcats outscored the Panthers 22-6 in the final quarter and came away with a 49-39 victory on a rainy November afternoon. C.J. Jones spent the majority of this game at quarterback and only completed four of his ten pass attempts, but he recorded 155 yards on those four completions, and three of them resulted in touchdowns. In addition, he also ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

Sub-Varsity Game Information

Freshmen are at Springs, while the JV will play at Woods. Game times, as always, are 5:00 for the Gold and 7:00 for the Cardinal.

For Freshmen Games: Location of Cypress Springs High School

Graphic Novel Review: Princeless Vol. 2 + Princeless Vol. 3

If you are looking for a fun children graphic novel series featuring diverse characters, strong female characters, a message of empowerment, and full of action and humor then look no further than Jeremy Whitley's Princeless series.

Description: A new collection of the adventures of everyone's favorite runaway princess, the incomparable Adrienne. This time she's out to rescue her older sister Angelica, the most beautiful princess in the world. It won't be easy though. Not only does Adrienne have to deal with Angelica's legions of admirers and their sibling rivalry, but the King has hired a band of ruthless mercenaries to track her down. Can she save Angelica? Does she want to? And how will she deal with these deadly knights who are after her head?

Review: Volume 2 has a different spin on the damsel in distress trope. Adrienne has been so focused on saving her sister Angelica and has gone through several hoops including being on the most wanted posters of her kingdom. When Adrienne spots her sister, she believes convincing her would be super easy until her plans go awry. Angelica has absolutely no intention to be saved and taken away from her admirers. She is very happy being admired for her beauty and treated like a goddess. She feels as if she is actually doing her a community a service by staying put. Adrienne is starting to get the hang of this adventuring thing, and heads off to rescue older sister Angelica. Her plans go awry when she finds that Angelica doesn't want to be rescued at all. While it is sad to see Angelica behave this way, it is clear that being raised to be an object of admiration has shaped who she is and it would be an interesting discussion with younger girls to see if they agree with her that beauty is the most important thing of all. Towards the end there is action as Adrienne run into mercenaries who are trying to capture or kill her for interfering with the King's (also known as her father's) plan. 


Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 3 and up.


If you like this book try: Delilah Dirk series by Tony Cliff, Chronicles of Claudette series by Jorge Aguirre, Far Out Fairy Tales series by Joey Comeau

Description: Adrienne has been on the run and working to save her sisters, but when she finds another princess locked away in a tower, she decides to spring her! But Raven Xingtao, the daughter of the Pirate King, is more of a handful than Adrienne could have ever expected. Before she knows it, Adrienne is off on a whirlwind adventure to complete Raven's quest for revenge!

Review: In this volume, princesses Adrienne and Bedelia find and are introduced to a new spunky character who dances on the edge of a heroine and a villain. Raven Xingtao is the daughter of the feared Pirate King. She idolizes her father and could easily be the next Pirate King, however, her jealous brothers convinced their father that Raven should be treated as a princess because she is a girl and should be locked in a tower until she is rescued by a prince. I liked how Raven is unpredictable and her motives are unclear, which gives this volume its action and suspense. There is also a nice development on the relationship between Adrienne and Raven as they evolve from enemies to friends and then sisters in a common cause. The illustrations are bright and colorful much like the narrative of the graphic novel. Another thoroughly enjoyable volume in this series.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 3 and up.

If you like this book try: Chronicles of Claudette series by Jorge Aguirre, Far Out Fairy Tales series by Joey Comeau

Winner & Top 3 327

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So many wonderful entries for us to view.Thank you for joining us :)

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13. Helen

Here's the Top 3...

8. A Crafty Divaz Creations

178. Cheremane

210. miranda k.

You Know Me Well

Description: Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed. That is, until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night.
  Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way. When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other—and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Review: You Know Me Well is a short and quick read, giving us a peek into the slice of life of two teens in their senior year. It's Pride Week in San Francisco and Mark and Kate have much to figure out about themselves, including how out-and-proud they want to be. Told in alternate point of views, we have to parallel running subplots. Mark hooks up sometimes with his best friend Ryan, but Ryan won't talk about it and open up about his sexuality. Kate keeps running away from opportunities in her life such as meeting Violet, her best friend's cousin, who has always intrigued her as a love interest. 
  Mark and Kate share the same Calculus class, but they decide to be friends when they spot each other at a gay club and each could use a confidante. Mark is much more open, wears his heart on his sleeves, and is easy going as evident in his fluid chapters. It does, however, take time to get use to Kate which I think is stylistically intentional. Kate has a lot of barriers, insecurity, and very critical of herself, but once she is able to work through her flaws and take control of her life, we can really see her personality shine.  
 Even though there is a romance discussed in the book, I really like how friendship between Mark and Kate take center stage in the novel. Mark and Kate quickly become close and help each other toward bravery, showing their vulnerability and flaws, as well as advising one another in their own romantic situations. Both of the characters are introspective, funny, and do not necessarily have all of the answers about their future even when graduation is on the horizon. Mark is still pondering who he is and who he wants to be and Kate is finally honest about her lack of enthusiasm for college and wanting to defer a year. It is also important to note that both teens are open about their sexual orientation and they move beyond the coming-out trope allowing them to just be like any other teen, which makes Mark and Kate even more relateable. I would recommend picking You Know Me Well up if you are a fan of Nina LaCour or David Levithan's work or if you ever wanted to try their books.

Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: There is some language, scenes of underage drinking, and allusion to sex. Recommended for Grades 9 and up.

If you like this book try: The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Aire Saenz

Challenge 328 ~ Always Anything Goes

Welcome to Craft Your Passion :)

It was super to share all your lovely creations and comments last time.

 Thank you :)

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The artist behind The East Wind digital images is known as Unky LaStrange. Unky makes her home in British Columbia, Canada with her wonderful daughter, Aurora, the love of her life and source of much inspiration. She has been creating art since she was a child always allowing it to reflect her interests, humour, and love of all that is quirky. Her unique images run the gamut from the darkly humourous and sometimes creepy through the world of fashion-forward Lucy Loo to the sweet Aurora and Baby Aurora where life and people are good and beautiful. There are images to suit every taste, occasion, or whim at The East Wind 

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Always Anything Goes

Here's some amazing inspiration from Design Team B

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Fiki

Patti

with 2 cards!

Carolyn

 

Michelle

Shamita

Lynn

Bonnie

Rina

Denitsa

using her own supplies

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Winner & Top 3 326

Hi everyone :)

So sorry.I've just got back from my holiday and my internet connection is really bad making me even later with this post than I wanted to be :(

Anyway,huge thanks for taking part in the challenge and
for your lovely comments :)

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36. Suze



Please contact Lisa at craftyourpassion@gmail.com with Challenge 326 Winner in the subject line within (7) days to claim your prize. Any prize not claimed by 09/11/2016 will be given to a new winner!

Now for the Top 3...

15. Suzi McKenzie


123. Tanja - Little Art Cottage



148. Jana K.

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Welcoming the Cy Park Tigers

While the elder Wildcats had a bye week, the freshmen took part in history; they were the first opponents of the Cypress Park Tigers, the newest high school in Cy-Fair ISD.

With the spotlight all to themselves, the Class of 2020 did not disappoint as they swept the Tigers on Thursday. The B-team came out on top by a score of 28-8, and the A-team romped to a 61-8 win. Despite the lopsided scores, there was definitely excitement in the air and the newly-minted Tiger faithful cheered on their team until the end.

For me, it felt like stepping back in time to when Cy Woods began its journey ten years ago. (Now that I think about it, I can't believe that it has been ten years since Cy Woods opened its doors. I'm old, guys.) Getting an opportunity to build a tradition from the ground up is not something that comes often for kids entering high school, and I hope that the first class at Cypress Park High School embraces this opportunity to build a tradition and set the standards that future Tigers will be expected to uphold. Although the results were not what they expected, I hope that being a part of the first game in their high school's history is a moment that they will fondly remember. I also hope that Thursday's results do not dampen the Cy Park fans' enthusiasm for their new team. As the old adage goes... Rome was not built in a day.

Good luck to Cy Park in their inaugural season. We'll look forward to formally welcoming them to the big stage in 2018. 

Now, back to Cy Woods. I do not know all the kids in the freshman class, but one kid who definitely bears watching is Christian Scott. He is the A-team running back and wears #2. I had a chance to get a glimpse of what he brings to the table during the two-day freshman mini-camp earlier in the summer, and he made all of the drills look effortless, and the coaches, particularly Coach Whitmore, raved about his ability. He reminds me of Samuel Stewart when he started at Woods.

Christian looks like he is well on his way towards becoming the next in a lineage of outstanding Cy Woods running backs, and believe me, there have been plenty of fine running backs who have worn the crimson and gold. On Thursday, he made short work of the Cy Park defense, and when he opened the scoring in the A-team game, I have to say that I was momentarily shocked, because it felt like all eleven defenders bounced off of him as he slashed and dashed to the end zone. He would go on to score two more times and added a two-point conversion for the Cats. I will refrain from making any sweeping declarations, but it is probably safe for me to say that Christian Scott is Cy Woods' #1 football prospect for the Class of 2020.