Veteran Rams get ready for fall run
Missed flood days no big deal for experienced Cy Ridge squad
Cypress Ridge lost two days of spring football to the Tax Day Floods, but with 53 seniors on next season’s roster, coach Gary Thiebaud didn’t lose any sleep over two missed days of practice. “It’s spring football, so we get 18 days and we never use that many anyway,” Thiebaud said. The Rams wrap spring ball with their spring game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Cy Ridge.
With so many returning lettermen, the Rams spent less time on developing skills and more on developing the right mentality.
“We wanted to go into spring and really focus on effort in practice in everything that we do – just great effort, fanatical effort – (and) toughness,” Thiebaud said. “There are areas we’ve identified we’ve got to get tougher at, both physically and mentally, we felt like cost us some games last year.”
After going 4-6 last year and missing the playoffs for the second straight year, the veteran coach wants them return to the success they enjoyed previously, with the high-water mark their 11-2 run in 2007.
“We have something to prove,” Thiebaud said.
“We’ve been a pretty strong program in this district, but we’ve been up and down here lately, so that’s another area where we wanted to take the position that we’ve all got something to prove – coaches, players, everybody – so let’s go to work.”
Their work on the practice field started with the quarterback.
Junior Tyson Williams is the projected starting QB, but he was the starter coming out of last spring, too. Then he broke the thumb on his throwing hand, opening the door for graduating QB Cody Canady.
“He needs a lot of reps and practice because he missed the whole year, and I like the way that’s going and what he’s doing, so we’re progressing there,” Thiebaud said.
The talent is there – if he stays healthy.
To help in that department, the Rams aren’t allowing their QBs to go live in scrimmages for the first time.
“He has good running skills,” Thiebaud said.
“He’s a good pocket thrower, but he can also get out on the edge and run and move the chains.”
Thiebaud said they’re coming along on the offensive line, where sophomores Victor Curne and Tyrese Williams are transitioning from reserve roles to starters at right tackle and right guard, respectively.
“They’ve really taken off this spring,” Thiebaud said.
Cy Ridge also has a new weapon in freshman slot receiver/running back Noah Smith, the younger brother of Trelon Smith.
Thiebaud called Noah, who played on JV last year, a “total package.”
“He’s a real physical kid with unbelievable ball skills – catching it, (and) how he handles the football,” Thiebaud said. “He’s played quarterback some as a youngster, and he’s real, real football savvy.”
Defensively, the Rams are replacing cornerback D’Angelo Ellis and safety Darsham Newsome, who both signed with Rice.
That’s still a work in progress, Thiebaud said.
Sophomore Melik Owens, who’s coming up from JV, is a rising star at D-end, and junior Yusuf Sham is returning to linebacker, where he spent his first two years, after playing tight end last season.
“He’s a big-bodied kid who can run, he’s really vocal, and just has a real good motor about him,” Thiebaud said. “He’ll probably be an H-back in college, but he’s going to help us coming back to the defensive side.”
Thiebaud said they’ll treat this week’s spring game as a final scrimmage before summer.
“It’s a practice day for us,” he said.
“We’re not splitting into two teams. It’s offense vs. defense, and that’s what we’ve been doing every Thursday. When we’re doing different segments in practice, it’s always offense vs. defense.
“So it gets them on the field without the coaches out there, and puts them more in a game environment. They have to run it and communicate with each other, since the coaches aren’t out there with them.”