from the Cypress Creek Mirror

Top 10 CFISD sports moments from 2011-2012

This was my first year covering District 17-5A and I couldn’t be happier now that I know I’ll be covering this district for a while.

This year was an outstanding year for 17-5A athletics. There were a handful of great memories, so I’ve decided to put together a Top 10 list of sports moments and achievements from this year.

Some great moments were left out. Four in particular I was worried about leaving out: the Cy Ranch girls’ basketball team making it to regional semis with basically no seniors, Cy-Fair softball continuing its dominance in 17-5A, the outstanding season Cy Creek swimmer Jacob Wallace had and Langham Creek football getting back into the postseason. But there were so many great moments, it was hard to narrow it down to the Top 10.

At any rate, let me know what you think, if I missed something or if this is on point. And let’s hope next year is just as exciting.

10. Cy Creek’s Matt Dunn finishes second at state golf tournament

Cy Creek’s Matt Dunn had already been turning heads on the golf course, but being the only 17-5A representative at the state golf tournament in Austin was an accomplishment in its own right. Dunn took it a step further and nabbed a silver medal at the tournament, which was packed with extremely talented golfers from across the state. Dunn, of course, wanted to finish first, but the fact he played a solid two days of golf with the best of them and left Austin with a medal was a big-time moment.

9. Cy Ridge girls’ wrestling wins 10th straight district championship

Cy Ridge coach Tim Ray had been preaching ‘A Decade of Excellence’ to his wrestlers and that’s exactly what happened. The Cypress Ridge girls’ wrestling team won its 10th consecutive district team title at the District 21 Wrestling Championships. Cypress Ridge won the girls’ title with 150 team points and continued its dominance for yet another year.

8. Cy Woods’ Craig Nowak caps off outstanding career at state track and field meet

Cy Woods has had its fair share of solid athletes, but none may be bigger than Craig Nowak. The cross country/track and field star was at the top of his game in each race during his career and his final meet as a high school student was the same. Nowak took first in the 3200-meter run and the 1600-meter race at the state track meet, nabbing two gold medals and adding to his illustrious career. Nowak was one of the few athletes with three gold medals in one year. He won the UIL Class 5A cross country championship in the fall, too. He’ll be running at Oklahoma State next year.

7. Cy Falls girls’ basketball makes first trip to state

Cy Falls athletics already was having an outstanding year, but it was taken up another notch when the girls’ basketball team made it to the state tournament for the first time in program history. It seemed like there were no weaknesses on this team and the addition of transfer Loryn Goodwin gave the Golden Eagles a versatile player who was a dangerous shooter and solid defender. There also was Sadalia Ellis and Kit Metoyer and head coach Jim Stephens, who’s one of the best in the state. Cy Falls couldn’t top Duncanville – a famed program for girls’ basketball – at the state tournament, but the Eagles’ season was a very special one.

6. Cy Falls volleyball tops Cy Woods to get to state

There were few teams better than Cy Woods volleyball in the state, not just Houston. The Wildcats quickly built up a juggernaut of sorts with an extremely talented and well-balanced roster that eased its way to the district championship and the regional final. The opponent for that regional final? That was none other than district rival Cy Falls. The Golden Eagles nabbed a win they’d never forget by knocking off the best team in the state to get to the state tournament. It was a major upset of a team that had much higher aspirations, but Cy Falls found a way to do what most teams had trouble doing for the majority of the season and the Golden Eagles did so in the biggest match of the year.

5. Cy Springs boys’ basketball makes impressive run to regional tournament

To be honest, Cy Springs athletics hasn’t had a lot to be proud of lately. But there was one positive note this year. The Cy Springs boys’ basketball squad ended up as the last 17-5A team standing in the playoffs. The Panthers made it to the regional tournament after beating some top-notch opponents: Alief Taylor, Strake Jesuit and Bellaire. The Strake Jesuit win was the most impressive. The Crusaders were the heavy favorite. But Cy Springs had Richard Benedyth, who made a living shooting the lights out every night. Cy Springs ran into mighty Fort Bend Travis in the regional semis and lost, but this was a great moment for a school that’s been short on great moments in athletics lately.

4. All four 17-5A playoff baseball teams make it to regional quarterfinals

District 17-5A baseball made history this year when all four of its playoff teams made it to the regional quarterfinals this year. Cy Woods, Cy Creek, Langham Creek and Cy Ranch all took out the 19-5A counterparts in impressive fashion and had to face each other in the next round. It was the first time all four playoff baseball teams got to that point from the district. Then, Cy Ranch beat Langham Creek and Cy Creek beat Cy Woods. Coaches were glad the spotlight was on the district, but disappointed two teams had to lose. The games were well-attended by all in the Cypress community, too, not just fans of the team. That was good for the sport in the community.

3. Cy Ridge boys’ soccer makes surprising run to regional final

Probably the most improbable playoff run of any CFISD sports team this season came from the Cy Ridge boys’ soccer team. No one had this team going anywhere except home for the postseason, but the Rams didn’t just sneak into the playoffs. Cy Ridge finished a solid third place in a tough 17-5A when the Rams were picked to finish eighth. Then they went on a run that captivated the school and the community, making it to the regional finals. The run gave the program some respect in a district filled with teams that had already been there before and it was a high point for Cy Ridge athletics this season.

2. Cy-Fair football’s historic season

The Cy-Fair football team went from bottom of the totem pole in District 17-5A to the top in a hurry and the Bobcats did it in incredible fashion, too. Two seasons prior to the 2011 football season, the top spot in the district had been reserved for other teams while tradition-rich Cy-Fair was going 0-10. But in 2011, with a talented and deep class of seniors, Cy-Fair turned it all around and posted the school’s first perfect regular season with a 10-0 record. The perfect regular season gave Cy-Fair the district championship and a lot of momentum heading into the postseason, where the Bobcats made it to the regional semifinals.

1. Cy Ranch baseball wins state

Cy Ranch baseball was largely unknown before it got to the playoffs this year. The program was just three years old, the school was just four years old and the district was competitive. Cy Ranch made sure it knocked down the door this season and made the playoffs for the first time in school history as a No. 3 seed. What happened after that was magical. The Mustangs beat Alief Hastings, Seven Lakes, Langham Creek, Clements, Kempner, Arlington Martin and A&M Consolidated to win the program’s first state championship. There were so many great storylines to this. There was the fun-loving team that went from underdogs to favorites and John Pope, who got a state championship ring as a head coach after winning one as an assistant at Cy-Fair five years ago. The state title gave the school recognition like it never had before, considering it’s still in its early stages and in a district filled with outstanding athletic programs.