The Cy Woods Wildcats (1-2, 1-1 in district) fell to a strong Cy Ridge team 36-21 after a close battle for almost the entirety of the game. Small mistakes plagued the Wildcats and eventually led to bigger mistakes. Quick drives forced the defense to stay on the field and led to a plethora of tired players.

Quarterback Jacob Kainer tossed a couple of interceptions and lost a couple fumbles on missed pitches. He did, however, have a couple of really nice deep throws but it just was not enough to topple the overall lackluster performance of the offense. They totaled just over 240 yards and a third of the points came from the defense.

I continue to be impressed by Semaj Trehan who seems to be on the field every play of the game. This time out, he had an interception which he returned 88 yards for a touchdown and did more than just hold his own against a Cy Ridge receiver who towered over him. But he was not the only one who had a stand out performance, senior defensive end Cody Eggleston seems to be heading for the sack record this year and was in the backfield constantly.

I saw a defense that played with a lot of heart and vigor, but was so belabored by the end of the game that they simply had no more to give. Had the offense been able to catch the ball and extend the length of their drives, the game could have very much shaped into a big win for Cy Woods.

The first half ended 13-8 in favor of the Wildcats and at one point in the third quarter it was 21-8 but 28 unanswered points by the Rams was just too much for the rather dismal offense to overcome. Turnovers seemed unavoidable and the interceptions that were thrown looked like grenades being thrown by Jacob Kainer. He overthrew a wide open wide receiver late in the third quarter that perhaps could have pumped some life into the offense, something fairly uncharacteristic for a very bright young Quarterback.

It was an uncharacteristic night for the offense who had over 500 yards and 69 points in their previous match against the Cy Springs Panthers. A general inability to catch the ball and get up field was quite opposite of the team we saw last week. I do not expect this trend will continue. Offensive Coordinator Curtis Neill and coach James Whitmore know how to call plays and followed their typical pattern tonight, but were handicapped by the amount of dropped balls and forced throws.

Special teams were almost embarrassing in the first quarter when the Wildcats very first drive after going three and out, the snap was launched well over the head of punter Luis Reyes and out the back of the end zone. Then just a few plays later after Trehan’s aforementioned pick six, the hold on the PAT was botched and Reyes could not connect with the ball and sent it straight into the belly of a Ridge defender making the game 6-2.

The Wildcats not so patiently await the return of star running back CJ Jones from the injury he received week one against Klein Collins. Jack Barrientez has done a fine job thus far, and Bobby Dodson has been an adequate back, but they lack the experience and serious speed that Jones has.

The Wildcats look to rebound next week vs Jersey Village in their 100^th game and improve to 2-1 in district. Expect them to fix whatever holes were apparent tonight in practice in time for that game.