Bobcats prove too much for injury-riddled Panthers
Solid running game, defense provide formula for reaching regional semis
The first half was contested, but the second was a smothering like many as Cy-Fair has handed out before.
The Bobcats defeated Ridge Point 31-0 on Friday at Rhodes Stadium. Last year's Class 6A Division II champions are in the Class 6A Division I regional semifinals this year.
The defenses came to play early, but Cy-Fair held strong in the second while an injured Ridge Point team was broken by the run game.
“Defensively, (the players) did what they were supposed to do, played hard and played well,” CyFair coach Ed Pustejovsky said.
Cy-Fair is rounding into form in a tough playoff bracket that includes North Shore and Katy. The Bobcats will play Dec. 1 against the Atascocita-Hastings winner, which will be determined Saturday at NRG Stadium.
On Friday, it was only a 10-0 halftime lead for CyFair (10-2).
Cy-Fair senior Christian Richmond returned a punt 45 yards to Ridge Point’s 1yard line. It was a simple matter for senior quarterback Ryan Nelub to run through and score the Bobcats’ first touchdown. CyFair junior Jake Ruiz also nailed a 29-yard field goal after the team marched up a short field.
Ridge Point was missing its starting and secondstring quarterback as well as its starting running back. The injuries forced sophomore quarterback Parker Menefee to come up from junior varsity and junior running back John Norman III to take most of the carries. With Ridge Point’s offense struggling, its defense was forced to be on the field more often than its Cy-Fair counterpart, which eventually wore the team down.
Bobcats sophomore running back L.J. Johnson said the team was not bothered by the slow start. Johnson was the first to get through the Panthers’ defense with a 31-yard touchdown rush in the third quarter.
“It was the same play (from earlier in the game), but we just executed it like we did in practice,” Johnson said. “We knew we had to come out in the second half and go get it.”
Johnson scored again in the third quarter, this time on a 35-yard rush to make it 24-0. He finished the game with 15 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior running back Jaelon Woods scored the final touchdown on a 1-yarder after the kind of slow and steady drive that has become Cy-Fair's trademark.
Ridge Point (10-2) answered questions this year about how good it could be after losing 45 lettermen from last year. The Panthers won a fifth straight district title.