Cy-Ranch Clinches Playoff Berth behind play of Sophomore QB

The Cy-Ranch Mustangs have clinched a playoff berth over the Cy-Park Tigers. It was sophomore quarterback <strong>Blake Baker</strong>’s first Varsity start, he started in place of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60612" first="DJ" last="Ciers"]</strong>. Which means the coaches know he has something special because DJ was one of our players to watch in last week’s preview. <strong>Jarred Sample</strong> also had his first varsity touchdown on a 100 yard kickoff return! <strong>Ashton Porter </strong>stepped up big on the defensive line. Senior, <strong>Kash McCray</strong> had a big day alongside <strong>Kameron Burton. [player_tooltip player_id="60685" first="Edwin" last="Smith"]</strong> had a touchdown. The Mustangs really picked up a notch after a slow start led by the Tigers’ <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60701" first="Harold" last="Perkins"] and Nathan Livingston.</strong> The Mustangs bounced back from multiple long touchdowns from Cy-Park. Cy-Ranch impressed with how they were able to maintain composure and stick to the gameplan and solidly beat the Tigers for a playoff spot. Ranch seems like it will be led by <strong>Blake Baker</strong> now and it is important to note that [player_tooltip player_id="60612" first="DJ" last="Ciers"] is still healthy and the captain. Blake must have impressed in practice for the team to make the quarterback move. Blake is a sophomore who is very athletic for his height and weight standing over 6’ and 200 lbs. He is an impressive quarterback with mobility and throwing range. He is able to dissect the defense and have his way willing. The Tigers played Cover 4 to contain the offense but it did not work. Ranch was able to answer the bell to 5 Cy-Park turnovers! Ranch seemingly had the ball on every possession. It was a fun first game to watch for Baker. He led another WR/H-Back <strong>Jarred Sample</strong> into his first game as well. Sample popped up on the scene with a 100 yard touchdown. Jarred then step into the role of playing H-Back in the Pistol set for the Mustangs, it was fun to watch the creative ways the coaches were able to get him the ball in space. Sample was the fastest on the field by a long stretch with how nimble and swift he was on the jet sweeps. Sample seems like he has stepped up into a playmaker role on this team and will be an important contributor to the Mustangs’ offense come playoff time. With 1 district loss its the perfect time for Jarred to establish himself on the varsity scene with his fellow teammates. The potential that Baker and Sample have as sophomore is going to be fun to see how they matriculate and materialize into a wonderful connection for the remainder of their time at Ranch. They are two players who really stood out this game and should have an impact for this team in the next couple of weeks. <strong>Ashton Porter </strong>stepped up big time on the defensive line this game for the Mustangs as he was able to stop [player_tooltip player_id="60701" first="Harold" last="Perkins"] and Nathan Livingston. He was important to the counteraction the Mustangs provided. He was able to make a name for himself on Saturday and more importantly be a starter on this playoff team. Ashton surely impressed early and often with TFL’s and gap penetration. He was able to make the game look easy against Cy-Park and was apart of the underclassmen who came to play for the Mustangs. It was impressive to watch how Porter ran his stunts and went through the his progressions through the offensive line. I was surprised by his strength and was reminded of how early athletic development takes place now in the high school ranks. It was imperative to see that Porter is going to be a key piece for Ranch for the next couple of years and for the home stretch this season. He has to make more plays to get propelled onto the D1 offer scene but big things are in store for Ashton and the Mustangs! The seniors who impressed were <strong>Kash McCray and [player_tooltip player_id="60685" first="Edwin" last="Smith"], </strong>the RB and WR tandem definitely had a night to remember with Smith scoring first and McCray putting the game away. Kash had 3 touchdowns on only 7 attempts, it was electrifying to watch! McCray came in for relief for <strong>Kameron Burton</strong> and split carries with Sample. Edwin was able to score on a fade route on man to man coverage in the back of the endzone early. Smith was featured in our preview for Park and Ranch. It was great to see that Smith contributed more than the boxscore could project but he was key in taking the pressure off of Blake Baker. Baker understood that he could rely on the read option to win the game and that is exactly what happened in this one. Kash was extremely impressive in this competition as well and is trying to make a case for more touches in this dynamic offense. McCray sprung free on 3 handoffs and was terrific in the open field making sure defenders missed and he scored. I was impressed with his nonchalant attitude about not starting the game. That type of sportsmanship and teamwork goes without noting. Kash is another player who adds the element of surprise to the Cy-Ranch gameplan. McCray was lighting quick in the open field and will definitely be on my watch list come playoffs! With their playoff berth this mix of underclassmen and upperclassmen should gel for a playoff level football come late November. Cy-Ranch has always put themselves in the playoff mix for 6A and this year is no different. Stay tuned on prepredzone.com for all of the CFISD coverage this playoff race!