Cypress Christian dominates McKinney for 1st state title
Warriors Win!
Thomas Bingham
12 December 2017
Originally appeared on Vype.com.
Cypress Christian (13-1) entered Friday’s TAPPS 11-Man Division III state title game as one of the state’s hottest teams, and wrapped up its first championship season with a 68-34 win against McKinney Christian (9-4) at Hewitt’s Panther Stadium.
“It’s really a blessing,” said VYPE Player of the Game Josh Holl. “This program’s really given back to me, and help me grow as a man.”
The Warriors, who ended the season with 13 straight wins, had another big first half. Holl kicked off his six-touchdown outing with early passes to Joseph Carbone and JT Mounce.
Their success continued with Christian Fleischhauer, who was a force on both sides of the ball. His rushing touchdowns extended the Warriors’ lead to a margin McKinney could not overcome, and he also slowed down the Mustangs in the secondary.
The defense also wanted a piece of the pie. It forced five turnovers in the game, including two key stops in the 44-21 first half. The first was a fumble at the end of Will Baxter’s 14-yard run, which set up Fleischhauer’s second score. The other was a 25-yard pick six by Drue Hirth.
The complete team effort wasn’t a surprise for coach Jacob Spenn. He’s seen it from his players all year.
“We keep battling,” he said. “It wasn’t just the title game. That’s every day.”
McKinney’s only first half answers came in the opening and closing minutes. Baxter used his legs to even the score at 7, and later found Ford Dossey and Ren Willis on touchdown connections.
The Mustangs had all the momentum, especially with the second half kickoff going to them, but the Warriors didn’t let them get any closer. Holl bookended the half with a pair of touchdowns to Reid Chapman, and used another lengthy connection to set up Ian Jones’ second field goal.
Even though Baxter found Dossey for their second and third scoring connections, Holl wrapped up the win with his fifth and sixth touchdown passes. He found a new target in Braden Barbisch, who scored from 17 yards out in the closing minutes of the third quarter. He also connected with Mounce again at the eight-minute mark in the fourth.
If you enjoyed the recap, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEPrivates) on Twitter.
NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”
Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.
This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.
To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.
Number crunching
When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.
Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.
The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.
If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.
Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.
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