Kennedy’s heroics carry Bobcats into state semis
Trenton Kennedy’s late fumble — when he already appeared to be down — helped Langham Creek pull within three points with nine minutes left.
Questionable call? Maybe. But the Cy-Fair senior running back’s response was indisputable.
Kennedy supplied two of his four rushing touchdowns in the final 2:46, including a game-clinching 36-yarder, sending the Bobcats to a 31-14 win over district rival Langham Creek in the Class 6A Division II Region III final Saturday at Cy-Fair FCU Stadium.
“I just said, ‘That’s my only one, so let me make it up to my teammates and not let them down,’ ” said Kennedy, who finished with 182 yards on 32 carries.
Now the Bobcats (13-0) are heading to the state semifinals for the first time since 1985. They will face Austin Westlake or Cibolo Steele in the 6A Division II semifinal next Saturday at NRG Stadium.
“We’re going to the state semifinals, so this feels great,” Kennedy said. A triumphant return
Cy-Fair lost to Odessa Permian 10-7 in its last trip to the state semis, and coach Ed Pustejovsky remembers it well. The 37-year Cy-Fair ISD veteran was the Bobcats’ offensive line coach at the time.
“Any time you can keep moving, it’s special,” Pustejovsky said. “I was a young man in ’85, and I’m an old man now, so that was 32 years ago. But we’ve been to (the regional final), this is the fourth time, so it’s nice to be able to advance past this game.”
Cy-Fair advanced by beating Langham Creek (112) for the second time in five weeks.
The Lobos pulled within 17-14 with 9:41 remaining after Kennedy’s fumble led to Chris Mehn’s 10-yard touchdown run. Then they forced the Bobcats to a three-andout and got the ball back with 7:57 left.
But Cy-Fair’s defense was there to pick up Kennedy.
Langham Creek went backward on the ensuing drive, punting on fourthand-26 after Jaylon Washington sacked Chris Herron.
Then Kennedy came back with a 9-yard scoring run for a 24-14 lead with 2:46 to go.
“That was a big turnaround right there, when we got the ball back and were able to put some points on the board,” Pustejovsky said.
After the Lobos turned the ball over on downs, Kennedy scored from 36 yards out with two minutes left.
“He bounced back (from the fumble),” Pustejovsky said. “I told him, ‘We’ve got a lot of ball left, and it’s still in our hands, whether we win the game or lose the game,’ and he responded very well.”
Cy-Fair led Langham Creek 16-0 at halftime on Nov. 11, when both teams were 8-0 and playing for the District 17-5A title. The Bobcats went on to win 30-21.
The Lobos didn’t give them as big a head start in the rematch, answering CyFair’s first touchdown with one of their own as both teams scored on their second series for a 7-7 tie after the first quarter. Making the big plays
Eddie Sumler took a reverse 22 yards, and then Kennedy broke free for a 25yard score nine minutes in.
The Lobos answered after Bobcats defensive back Grant Hawkins leaped in the air to try to knock down a deep pass and missed, allowing Golden Eke to haul it in at the 1-yard line.
Two plays after that 48-yard gain, Mehn, who rushed for 83 yards on 16 carries, waltzed in from 6 yards out.
But the Bobcats took a 14-7 lead into halftime after turning a short field into a 2-yard touchdown run by Kennedy with 4:31 left.
Herron came in with 1,251 rushing yards but finished with minus-13 yards on eight carries Saturday.
“That was a big key, because his ability to run is what stretches defenses and kills you, plus he throws the ball well,” Pustejovsky said.
Langham Creek had only 183 total yards and eight first downs.
“We tried to make adjustments, they were just better than us (Saturday),” Lobos Creek coach Todd Thompson said.“Nobody expected this out of us this season, so it hurts right now, and it’s going to hurt for a little while,” Thompson added. “But they’re going to look back on it and take a lot of pride in what they did.”