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HOUSTON CYPRESS RANCH

FOOTBALL

Cy Ranch edges Fort Bend Austin, 21-19

August 30, 2010

By MICHAEL SUDHALTER This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Updated: 08.28.10 The Band, the Drill Team, the Color Guard and the fans were ready. And apparently so was the Cy Ranch High football team. The Mustangs’ running game and run defense carried the team through its first-ever varsity game until one big play action pass proved to be the difference. Quarterback Justin Monsour, who split time in the pocket with Ryan Ferguson throughout the game, connected with wide receiver DeAndre Liggins for a 70-yard touchdown pass -- on just his second completion of the game. “We saw the middle of the field was wide open - we just connected,” Monsour said after the Mustangs’ 21-19 victory over Fort Bend Austin at Ken Pridgeon Stadium. That play gave Cy Ranch a 21-13 lead, and Dylan Kotach - who had blocked a punt just minutes earlier - deflected the game-tying two-point conversion pass. Sophomore Keith Ford took care of the rest. He carried the ball 41 yards to the Bulldogs’ 8-yard-line to effectively end any chances of an Austin comeback. Ford finished with a game-high 19 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown. “I was kind of nervous at first, but I kept getting more comfortable with the game,” Ford said. “(On the last play), I saw it open and I just ran.” Cy Ranch did struggle with its pass defense as Bulldogs quarterback Taylor Woods (251 yards and three touchdowns) frequently looked for Justin DeLoach (four receptions for 158 yards) on long routes; they connected on two touchdown passes, and another two scores were waived off on penalties. “We had a breakdown in coverages -- we didn’t know where we were supposed to be, and we didn’t get there,” Mustangs coach Gene Johnson said. Cy Ranch, however, did limit Bulldogs’ running back Brelynn McNary to 10 carries for 38 yards. Johnson called Friday night “a historic victory” and told his players to “enjoy the victory and come back on Monday with a purpose of improving.” Cy Ranch will have a bye week before facing Jersey Village on Sept. 10 at the Berry Center in both teams’ Class 5A-District 17 openers; Austin will host Manvel on Friday.