This past week held lots of excitement for Cypress Creek, as it hosted our first ever Madden Football Bowl! With over 150 students in attendance, it was a huge success for both attendees and players; and many students are hoping it becomes a tradition. This year’s competition hosted players Noah Smith (12th grade) Seattle Seahawks, and Trevor South (12th grade) with the Kansas City Chiefs. While Noah came out victorious with a final score of 33-19, it was an eventful game with students in the audience supporting both sides.

If you are unfamiliar with Madden NFL, it is essentially a digital version of live Football. Able to be played on mobile devices or game consoles, players compete against rival teams by choosing every move that is made and buying or earning power-ups and skills. Outside of competitions like this that are strictly for fun, it is very serious in the real world; with professionals and cash competitions. Noah has competed in some of these competitions and has been playing the game since he was a little kid. Meanwhile, Trevor has approached the sport as more of a passion and hobby. Both players put up a great fight and utilized their experience to play.

In the past several weeks during both D and C Lunches, Coach Davis has been hosting the playoffs to determine who competed today. In C Lunch, the following students competed: Noah Smith, Terrance Williams, David Willins, Joseph Nash, Dom Kruse, Willie Lillie, CJ McKinney, Gavin Simpson, Angel Romero, Arion Medlock, and Big Mac. And for D Lunch: Trevor South, Jason Cruz, Elijah, Jehlani Warren, Isaac, Kyle Cantwell, Dylan Brown, Jalen Warren, Jovanni Addison, Ameen, Adam, Akeem Wilmot, Anthony Kline. The proceeds of this fundraiser went to our Coyote Football Team, who happily were able to exceed their goal. However, for Coach Davis it was more than just raising funds; it was about having an incredible student experience. Getting the idea from his days in college football, he remembered how the team would hang out and play Madden in their spare time, and he wanted to be able to bring that experience to Cypress Creek. “My goal was to create a nostalgic atmosphere that could begin a tradition & an event for the students to look forward to, with music, student interaction, food & the CCMHS band. Additionally, getting the Coyote Den more exposure so high school students will begin to spend more time in the beautiful area the Administration has created for them” Davis said. All the work put in definitely paid off judging from the high attendance rate and student interactions at the event.

Talking to our champion, Noah, he had a lot to say about Madden and encourages students to try it. When asked what he thought was the coolest thing about Madden NFL, he said, “Madden definitely connects people who love video games and people who like football. A lot of people are like ‘Yeah I play football, I love football’ but when you play it on a video game it’s completely different. It just kind of creates a unique community. It’s really just fun for everybody”. Noah, who has also played live football, was really enthusiastic to see Madden coming to Cypress Creek. It has played a huge part in his life and has been popularized worldwide. He also had some great advice for people interested in competing in Cypress’ Madden Bowls in the future, “I would practice before you jump right in since it’s different than a normal video game. There are some people who practice hours a day, so it’s good to start small. When you’re playing the game, just be yourself and be unique. Learn to make your own plays and style, and really just go for it”. The experience was equally enjoyable for our student spectators, boys and girls alike. Sydney (9th grade), said: “Even if you’re not into football, it’s still really fun to come to hang out with your friends and watch it.” While some were there just to watch and relax, others really looked forward to the competition and plays. Jalen Warren said “I’m really into football, so this is cool to come back to when you’re done playing football in real life. This is honestly super lit and anyone would enjoy it, but especially if you’re into football.” When asking students about what they think the future of the Madden Bowl will be, Owen (10th grade) said, “There is a lot of value in this, and I think it’s really fun; it gets a lot of students to come out together.”

We look forward to the future of Cypress Creek’s Madden Bowl. Congratulations again to all of this year’s competitors!