Houston Chronicle

Cougars hope to finish strong

Undefeated in 2016, Cinco Ranch knows toughest tests still to come

- By Jason McDaniel

Cinco Ranch is perfect in Week 10 for the first time in five years.

The Cougars clipped Seven Lakes 24-12 last Saturday to move to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in District 19-6A play. “It’s a challenge because of all the competitio­n that’s out there,” coach Don Clayton said. “We’ve been real fortunate that the kids have done a good job of making plays when we need to make plays.”

That’s why they’re still undefeated for the first time since reaching 9-0 in 2010.

The Cougars lost one non-district game each of the last four years, and also fell 38-35 to Morton Ranch in 2012, but this year handled returning Class 6A state finalist Cypress Ranch (27-24), Jersey Village (30-27) and Memorial (27-9) before taking care of business through five weeks of district.

“It’s hard to compare teams because it’s also the other teams that you’re playing that are different as well,” Clayton said. “Bottom line on this group is it’s a good, hard-working group that plays hard.

“They prepare well and play hard.”

That’s why they’ve yet to take a loss through nine weeks.

Of course, Cinco Ranch isn’t the only undefeated team in the Houston area. Katy, Klein Collins and Dickinson all are 8-0, too – and Pearland’s 9-0 – but Cinco may be the least talked about unbeaten.

And that’s fine with Clayton.

“I don’t worry too much about that,” he said. “196A and Strake Jesuit are all we’re concerned about right now.

“What other people think of us, that’s their business.”

Cinco Ranch seems to be handling its business without generating the kind of stats that grab people’s attention.

It doesn’t have a 1,000yard rusher or a bunch of shutouts on defense.

But the Cougars are staying in games in the first half, battling throughout and giving themselves a chance.

In other words, they’re finding ways to win.

“We’ve had three that have come down to the last minute and fortunatel­y we’ve been able to take care of business at the appropriat­e time,” Clayton said.

The Cougars’ 24-20 win over Katy Taylor two weeks ago is a prime example.

They allowed 320 passing yards, which caused them problems, but rallied on quarterbac­k Russell Morrison’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Colby Bradshaw with 1 minute remaining in the game.

“There was a lot of adversity in that game, from things that happened that you can’t control, and it gave (Taylor) some opportunit­ies to put points on the board,” Clayton said. “Fortunatel­y, the last time they did, we bounced right back and were able to get down and retake the lead at the end.

“That’s a big plus for the kids to know that their hard work and perseveran­ce pays off.”

The payoff last week was clinching a spot in the playoffs.

The Cougars overcame poor weather conditions and three costly turnovers to sink Seven Lakes 24-12.

Clayton credited special teams and defense, especially against the run.

Cinco held running back Brock Sturges to 58 yards on 18 carries, with 31 coming on one big rush, and forced five turnovers, and linebacker Dami Ilesanmi supplied 15 tackles and one fumble recovery.

That defense will be tested again this week.

The Cougars on Saturday take on Strake Jesuit, which was averaging 42.9 points per game before running into Katy last week.

The Tigers took that matchup 56-0.

“The rain probably affected their passing game quite a bit, and Katy’s defense is very good against the pass,” Clayton said. “So somehow they got affected, and I’m sure they didn’t play the game they thought they were going to play, and they ran into a real good football team.

“(But) we expect them to bounce back this week and come after us.”

Jason McDaniel is a freelance writer who can be reached at jasonrmcda­niel@outlook.com.

 ?? Diana L. Porter / For the Chronicle ?? Seven Lakes quarterbac­k Cameron Thomas is sacked in the backfield by Cinco Ranch’s Dami Ilesanmi during the Cougars’ win last weekend.
Diana L. Porter / For the Chronicle Seven Lakes quarterbac­k Cameron Thomas is sacked in the backfield by Cinco Ranch’s Dami Ilesanmi during the Cougars’ win last weekend.
 ??  ?? Clayton
Clayton

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