It’s the time of year that we have all been waiting for! Texas High School Football is back, and the Cy Creek Cougars open up on the road against a very talented team in Katy Jordan.
This is year 2 for Coach McKinney and staff, and the Cougars are looking to improve on last year’s 2-8 record. The Cougars showed promising signs last year ending the season with 2 straight wins which included a blow out win over Jersey Village to end the year.
District 17-6A is always one of the most competitive districts in the Houston area, and this year will be no different.
We sat down with our coaches to get a preview of the year, and this is what we learned.
How did the 2nd offseason with the kids differ than the first? And how did the kids respond?
We were actually able to have an offseason. The year before we didn’t get in until the end of April, beginning of May and had to replace 10 coaches late into the coaching change season. It felt like we couldn’t really get our feet under us. So it was good for us to get into the offseason running, and the kids handled it great. You could almost immediately see the changes physically and mentally, and the growth and strength gains were incredible.
Can you talk about the overall program and #s as compared to last year?
When we came in in late April last year our frosh to be sophomore class only had around 35 kids in it. Last year as a whole we were around 165-170 total student athletes in the program. This year we are just under 100 frosh in the program and 220 kids total. Its growing. The excitement around the program is growing and we owe a huge thanks to our middle school coaches from our 3 feeders for helping to foster those relationships where kids are excited to be Cougars again.
What are some strengths that fans can look forward to this year?
We’ll be an improved team as a whole and we’ll put a better product on the field for the fans to see. Year 2 is always a step up from year 1, so we are excited for the fans to see the growth in our kids and the hard work they’ve been putting in for the last 9 months.
17-6A is always competitive, how do you feel like we stack up this year?
It’s always hard to tell. All of the schools in our district are very well coached and loaded with great athletes, so you know you’re always in for a battle. Our goal will always be to make the playoffs and win our last game.
What has you most excited about the year and what has you most worried?
The most excited is to see how far our seniors can take us. We have a group that has worked extremely hard, so I’m excited to see them reap the rewards of their hard work.
Most worried: you can’t always control the outcome, but to see our kids come up short of the goals is probably what worries me the most. I want our kids to walk through those doors the last time with no regrets knowing they left a lasting legacy as Cougars.
Then anything you want the fans to know when they come to support you?
Enjoy the game and watching your kids play it, because those moments are fleeting. And know that the coaches are trying to do their very best by all 220+ kids in the program.
