Homecoming Football Game
The Cypress Creek High School stadium was packed with the crazies from “The Creek”. On September 13, students watched the Cypress Creek Coyotes take on the River Ridge Knights.
The Creek’s hopes were high to come out with the win after starting off the season 0-3. Fans, players and coaches were stressed as the starting quarterback was not yet decided. Senior Trip Jackson and juniors Patrick Cognetta and Chris Chirp were all in the running for starting quarterback.
The game kicked off and the crowd erupted when the new quarterback Cognetta, formally from Wiregrass Ranch High School, took the field. The game field was soggy and as a result the Coyotes truned the ball over with a costly fumble on their own 17 yard line. Minutes later the River Ridge Knights scored from the one year line taking a 6-0. With the succesful point after the Knights were up 7-0 as the quarter came to a close.
Coyote Head Coach Mike Johnson said, “We played much better in the first quarter, however the turnover put us in a must score situation.”
Both teams exchanged several punts until with under three minutes left in the second quarter Jackson completed a long pass to Aidan Sutherland to put the Coyotes in scoring position. The crowd roared and leapt to their feet in excitement as Jackson completed a three yard touchdown pass to senior Robert Mesa. Aiden Hayes added the extra point to tie the score at 7-7.
While the Coyotes ran back to the locker room to prepare for the second half, the fans were in good spirits because the homecoming king and queen were to be announced.
“The student sections had amazing energy, and I was super excited to see who this year’s king and queen is,” said freshman Kylee Axcius.
After the homecoming ceremony, Cognetta returned to the quarterback position and completed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Pope giving the Coyotes the lead for the first time all season. The floor rumbled, and the screams from the student section echoed through the air. The Coyotes stopped River Ridge and gained possession. Shortly after that, Malachi Ford went on a long run and ended up beyond the Knights’ 15-yard line.
“I was hopeful that we were going to win and excited to see what was going to happen next”, said freshman Julianna Doherty.
On the next play, the ball was fumbled by Cypress Creek and was quickly returned by the Knights who tied the game at 14-14. Play after play, the Coyotes were unsuccessful in their attempts to take back the lead. River Ridge drove down the field and secured a field goal giving them a lead of 17-14. Cognetta went down with a knee injury and did not return for the rest of the game.
“I felt bad for Patrick because of his injury, but I was nervous about the outcome of the game,” said freshman Ariel Irwin.
Tensions were high when Jackson stepped back on the field in hopes of getting the team a victory. He launched the ball down the right side toward the endzone, but it was intercepted by the Knights defense.
The crowd was quiet. Players quicky transition to defense trying to stop the Knights, River Ridge’s play was unsuccessful giving the Coyotes a chance to win the game. Cypress Creek took this opportunity with less than two minutes left to score. A feeling of optimism filled the air as the Coyotes were in range for a touchdown. The crowd was silent, the breeze felt crisp and it seemed like time was frozen. The ball was snapped, Jackson was in possession. He assessed his options before launching the ball to the wide receiver but was once again intercepted by the Knights. The whistle blew as the fans were in disbelief.
The Coyotes lost their homecoming game 17-14.
