Cypress Ranch Top Tier Defensive Lineup 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're halfway through the high school football season and there was a clash in Cypress, TX. On Friday, September 23rd, 2022 I saw Cypress Ranch vs Cypress Woods. Both teams are just coming off their bye week, therefore they're fully rested and ready for this game. Both teams have highly ranked athletes in Texas so I was ready for a great game. It was in the beginning, but towards the 2nd quarter and 2nd, half Cypress Ranch had all the momentum and couldn't be stopped. The final score of the game was 49-17 ending in a Cypress Ranch victory. Cypress Ranch has numerous amount of standouts on both sides of the ball I'll be discussing athletes on defense in this article.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#9 [player_tooltip player_id='259528' first='Ashton' last='Porter'] DE Sr 6'3 255 lbs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were two athletes I was looking forward to watching on defense and one of them was defensive end, [player_tooltip player_id='259528' first='Ashton' last='Porter']. Ashton is a slim and quick defensive end with the power to boot. Ashton just couldn't be blocked especially after setting the tone early in the game by catching an interception and getting a pick-six. It was incredible it's rare to see a defensive lineman catch an interception let alone score with it. Ashton proved that he is well deserving of being ranked top 50 in the state of Texas. Ashton is a top college prospect catching the attention of numerous amount of colleges and universities, but the college he chose to commit to was Northwestern University. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#44 [player_tooltip player_id='136153' first='Christian' last='Brathwaite'] MLB Sr 6'1 225 lbs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other athlete I was looking forward to watching was middle linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='136153' first='Christian' last='Brathwaite']. Christian is ranked #53 in Texas and top 10 in Houston as he should be. Christian as a linebacker is extremely tough and a great Blitzer consistently being in the backfield putting on the pressure throughout the whole game. Christian was patiently searching for where the ball was all night seeing where it would go and instantly attacks the ball holder. Christian is a top college prospect catching the attention of numerous amount of colleges and universities, but the college he chose to commit to was Baylor University.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#50 Kerrick Winters DT, NG Fr&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kerrick Winters is the only freshman on the Cypress Ranch varsity and got a chance to prove why. Kerrick wasn't one of the starters on the defensive line, but when he got on the field I was able to get a good glimpse of his strengths. Kerrick is big and vigorous making his presence known on the field even if he wasn't on it for very long. Kerrick had one good drive in him, but his last play with an explosive get-off, blasting through the offensive line, and getting into the backfield resulted in his 1st sack while on Cypress Ranch's varsity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#45 Royce Maloles DT Sr 6'2 240 lbs&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Royce Maloles is a strong defensive tackle. Royce was quick off the ball and would always stronghold his way into the backfield. Royce was resilient and a hard hitter having to deal with him and [player_tooltip player_id='259528' first='Ashton' last='Porter'] Cypress Ranch has an overwhelming defensive pressure. Royce currently has three college offers from Prairie View A&amp;M University, Grambling State University, and the University of Incarnate Word. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->