Rori Harmon & Kyndall Hunter Have Secured Their Place in Cougars History

Girls Basketball Guards Should be Regarded Among the Top Cypress Creek Student Athletes Ever & the All-Time Greats in Cy-Fair ISD Athletics

Harmon (left); Hunter (right) - Photo Credit Dave Fanucchi

We are just about halfway through the 2020-21 High School Basketball season, and both the boys and girls teams are rounding into form. Coaches are fine-tuning their lineups and strategies, while continuing to build their offenses and train for a playoff run. But Cypress Creek Girls Varsity Coach Jennifer Alexander is already three steps ahead of every other team her squad plays. All she needs to do is have her senior guards Rori Harmon and Kyndall Hunter, and their three senior starting teammates step out onto the court, and winning is all but a done deal.

In my over 12 years of personal experience covering high school athletics in Cy-Fair ISD either as the Sports Editor for Houston Community Newspapers or as a Play-by-Play announcer for Texan Live & TSRN, it has been an extremely rare occurrence when we’ve known the outcome of district games before they happen – when the athletes on one team are so much far and away better than everyone else, that they have zero chance of losing. But that is the situation we are currently witnessing with the Cy Creek Girls Varsity Basketball Program.   

Last week, Texan Live asked me to call the Lady Cougars home game on the broadcast as they took on 17-6A rival Jersey Village. Cy Creek entered the game with a 18-0 record and as the #1 ranked team in the state, while the Falcons were 15-0 and ranked #7. Under Covid-19 protocols, they gym was as full as allowed, and the coaches made it their Senior Night.

The game was never close. Harmon and Hunter controlled the tempo, pushed the ball up the court at a pace that no team in 17-6A can keep up with, and the Cougars dashed out to a 25-6 lead, cruising to a 92-31 win. Yes, you read that right. Cy Creek won the game by 61 points, against the 7^th ranked team in the State. Hunter scored 28 points, Harmon had 10 and post player Taylor Jackson added 16. Every player listed on their roster scored points.

Rori Harmon brings the ball up court - Photo Courtesy Houston Chronicle

This team only has one goal this year – WIN the 6A State Championship. Each game is one step closer to getting them back to San Antonio, for what would be the third time in their four high school years. As freshmen, Hunter & Harmon shocked the Houston-area and led the Cougars to their first ever Regional title and appearance at State. They went 34-5 overall but lost in the semifinals to Plano. They had another incredible year as sophomores but stumbled in the Regional title game when Harmon was playing on a banged-up ankle.

As juniors, they reeled off 40 straight wins, but with Harmon unavailable for the state title game, Duncanville handed them their only defeat of the season. Just that success alone – reaching the State 6A Basketball Championships twice – makes them the top two girls hoopsters in the history of the school. And you could argue they are already the two most successful team sport athletes in Cy Creek history, although it’s difficult to name one ahead of the other. This is all before we see what they are able to accomplish in the next 2 months, to finish this season.

The victory over Jersey Village pushed Harmon & Hunter’s overall win-loss record at Cy Creek to an astonishing 129-12. When you begin to discuss the all-time greats in girls basketball within Cy-Fair ISD, it begins with Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike of Cy-Fair HS, and the two State Championships they delivered in 2008 & 2010. Hunter and Harmon are not at that level, but they are the next closest thing.

Kyndall Hunter shoots a jumper - Photo Courtesy Houston Chronicle

Erica Ogwumike & Nancy Mulkey led Cy Woods to a state title in 2015, but that team was a one-year wonder, and those two players’ individual varsity careers and numbers don’t compare. Didi Richards led Cy Ranch to State in 2017, and Cy Falls made it there in 2012, but both teams lost in the semifinals. That’s pretty much all there is history-wise within the district, that you can put in the discussion bucket with what the Cougars have done and are continuing to do.

“I think Rori and Kyndall transcend the gender conversation, and you can just call them the best backcourt and two of the best players in the district – boys or girls,” said Houston Chronicle High School Sports Reporter Adam Coleman. “They are being referred to as the top ranked high school girls basketball backcourt duo in the nation right now. That’s the level of talent you are seeing.” How often are two guards from the same school afforded a scholarship opportunity to play at the next level, both to a major Division 1 program like the University of Texas? That is rare indeed.      

Cypress Creek has had a handful of graduates become pro athletes - football players Cameron Fleming and Sam Adams come to mind. Baseball player Paul Janish played a couple of seasons in the major leagues. Girls wrestler Amanda McAleavey just recently won back-to-back individual State titles in her weight class. Many others have earned collegiate scholarships to compete. But no other Cougars have ever accomplished four years of sustained success and placed their teams in the State Championship spotlight, more than Harmon and Hunter have.

I don’t know how many points or assists Rori and Kyndall have each accumulated to this point, but it is their collective talent that is most impressive. If you’ve not seen them play in person, or you are a parent of a Cy Creek student, do yourself a favor and make it over to the gym one night to watch them perform, before the season ends. You don’t want to miss school history right in front of your eyes.   

The Five senior players & student manager - Cy Creek Class of 21 - Photo Credit Dave Fanucchi

    

Senior Class of ’21 Leaves Their Mark on Cypress Creek Volleyball Program

When the core group of nine senior volleyball players walked off the court Monday night at the Merrell Center in Katy, they saw their impressive and often times challenging prep careers as Lady Cougars come to an end.

In the Area Round of the UIL Playoffs, Cy Creek ran into the 6^th ranked 6A team in the state in Seven Lakes, and the outside hitting of Under Armour All American Ally Batenhorst. Not many teams in the greater Houston Metro area have an answer for her talent, and the overall unit that the Spartans run out there. The Cougars battled and fought hard, going out by giving it their best effort as this group has always done. Nothing to be ashamed of – heads held high.

Senior Hitters Kat Betancourt, Maya Bhaidasna, Olivia Black, Charnae Houston & Kiara Thomas; Setters Hannah Hale & Madi Wheeless; and Defensive Specialists Avery Evans-Brooks & Hallie Shepherd all started their prep careers on the Cougars hardwood during Hurricane Harvey. They ended it during a worldwide pandemic. They are Head Coach Reagan Smith’s first group of players that she’s had in her program for all four years, since she took over in 2017.

Smith tweeted after the loss Monday night: “Tonight didn’t go our way, but we find joy and hope in celebrating the legacy that our nine seniors leave behind. Our kids are resilient, tough, hardworking, and a group that will make all of our tomorrows better. I am so proud of our Cougars!”     

Through an entire season of Covid Protocols and mask-wearing practices, Smith and Junior Varsity Coach Laurie Junewick guided the program to overall winning records at both the varsity and JV levels, and a 3-0 Bi-district playoff victory over Lamar. The group stayed disciplined, as they made it onto the court for all of their scheduled games and avoided having to forfeit or re-schedule any of them due to player Covid issues. That is success in and of itself.

Betancourt led the team with a .280 hitting % this season, converting 251 of 289 attack attempts. She added 119 kills and 30 blocks. Wheeless and Hale and were remarkably consistent and steady influencers, each contributing over 400 assists and 160 digs. Thomas led the squad with 379 digs and 44 service aces.

Despite losing so much talent to graduation, the future remains bright for the Lady Cougs. Junior hitters Lindsey Kriendler and Kayla Richardson will return as starters after each compiled huge numbers this year. Kreindler led the team in attacks (823) and kills (320) and had a .265 hitting % while also adding 41 service aces and 22 blocks. Richardson was second with 255 kills and had a .234 hitting %. Junior Joy Shalagan will also return as a setter.

Sophomore Middle Ashanti Butler saw plenty of court time and led the team with 42 blocks, and sophomore Gabby Espiricueta contributed 150 digs as a Libero. The Cougars have several more players in the Class of ’23 that should contribute, including Defensive Specialist Emma Fanucchi, Middle Sofia Grimm, Hitters Mailyn Harris & Cami Stephens, and Setter Grace Krohn. Those players all spent the season playing on the JV but practiced and played with Varsity in the playoffs.   

Look for the Lady Cougars to continue their steady play and winning ways next year, as they battle for a 4^th consecutive playoff berth in District 17-6A. The Core Nine from the Class of ’20 reached that goal each of the last three years, collecting Bi-district post-season victories in 2018 & 2020.         

Cy Creek Fab Five Stay in Texas After Hunter Commits to the Longhorns

Time sure flies when you're in high school. It seems like yesterday when I sat down to interview five freshman female athletes at Cypress Creek HS that were making headlines, and had earned roster spots on varsity teams in their respective sports. I referred to them as the "Fab Five" of the Cougars' Class of 21. 

Ayden Bridges - Soccer - Univ. of Houston
Rori Harmon - Basketball - Univ. of Texas
Kyndall Hunter - Basketball - Univ. of Texas
Jordan Peno - Softball - Sam Houston State
J'Naiya Thomas - Softball - Univ. of Houston

Well, now they have all become seniors, and as their last seasons at the high school level are about to begin, all five have earned that next step in their student-athlete careers - an opportunity to play in college. 

With Hunter's announcement on Sunday, October 4 that she was committing to the University of Texas, it completed the group's special place in Cy Creek athletic history - all five girls will remain in the State of Texas. Hunter will be joining her teammate Rori Harmon in Austin to play for the Longhorns. 

"To have two kids that changed the face of the Cy Creek Girls Basketball program for the past three years both wanting to continue their journey as teammates at the next level is really special," said Cy Creek Girls Varsity Basketball Coach Jennifer Alexander. "What makes me most happy is both Kyndall and Rori know they made the right decision for themselves individually. Coach Schaefer and his staff at Texas will continue to develop them as great people and great players, and that is exciting. But that will be after we finish what we started here at Cy Creek - we have one more thing to go and get." 

That one thing of course, is a State Championship. Harmon and Hunter have led the Lady Cougs to the State Final Four twice already, as freshmen in 2018 when they were defeated in the semifinals, and last year in 2020, when they lost the State Championship game.

Bridges has been a star on the soccer field since her freshman campaign, leading the Lady Cougs in scoring. Last season, she and her teammates were on the verge of a playoff berth, before the Coronavirus shut things down. But she is also looking forward to one final run for Cy Creek, before she heads downtown to UH. 

Pino & Thomas both had their softball seasons cut short last year, but they had accomplished enough to earn their chances at the next level. Pino will head to Huntsville and play for the Bearkats, while Thomas will join Bridges downtown at Houston. Maybe those two friends can become roommates as Houston Cougar athletes, after they are finished being Cy Creek Cougar athletes.   

One thing is certain. It all looks to be like another exceptional year for the Fab Five in the Class of '21 at Cy Creek. Watch for these ladies to make one last splash! 

    

Freshman Brad Jackson Emerges As Top QB Option for Cypress Creek Cougars

Highly Ranked Class of 24 Prospect Throws Four Touchdown Passes in his First Varsity Game 

By Dave Fanucchi - Texan Live Play-By-Play Announcer

Cypress Creek Head Coach Greg McCaig wasn't sure what he was going to get from a young and inexperienced roster Saturday night, when his varsity football team opened this Covid-protocol season at Pridgeon Stadium. But after his squad's 48-35 loss to Klein, he did get a clear cut answer. 

The Cougars returned just two starters on offense, and two more on defense after a highly successful core group of players that led the Cougars to back-to-back regional semifinal playoff appearances, all graduated. That included quarterback Julian Uwadia. 

So, since camp opened this year, everyone around the Cougar program has been wondering who might become the next signal caller for the Cougars. Candidates listed as QB's on the team roster include seniors Travis Alonge and Austin Diaz, Junior Carson Purdes, and Freshman Brad Jackson. All four saw action in the team's informal scrimmage against Foster last week. 

It's not often here in Texas that you see a freshman even listed on a 6A high school football varsity roster. Just the fact that Jackson made the Varsity team is impressive, because obviously the Cougar coaching staff saw some things that they liked from Jackson over the summer.  

When all four got a shot Saturday night, it was Jackson that emerged from the discussion as the clear cut top option for McCaig. The youngest of the four lead the Cougars on 4 of their 5 scoring drives vs Klein. 

Alonge started on the Cougars' first possession and went three and out. Jackson was then inserted after Cy Creek quickly trailed 14-0, and showed no signs of nervousness. He moved the Cougars down the field and calmly found slot receiver Brazos Gadler on a 3rd & goal from the 6, for his first career varsity TD pass. 

Highlights Here from ABC's Joe Gleason on Twitter 

Then on the Cougs next possession, Jackson wasted no time finding WR Ryan Nguyen down the right sideline, and Nguyen took it to the house for a 69-yard touchdown.  

Purdes and Diaz were each given opportunities to start a series, but Cy Creek failed to put any points on the board. Purdes was able to move the ball into Klein territory, and that drive resulted in an 11-yard TD run by Khalil Watts (my call of the play on Texan Live) to make it 24-21 Klein at the break.

In the third quarter, Diaz went three and out. Alonge also got a second series, but it went nowhere. 

So Jackson started the fourth quarter and finished a drive by finding receiver Cole Hess in the end zone for a score, to pull within six at 34-28. After Klein padded the lead again, Jackson followed up on their next possession by hitting Gadler on a crossing route, and the speedster broke free down the sideline for a long TD catch and run that made it 41-35. 

With five minutes to play, the Cougar defense forced a fumble deep in their own territory, and got the football back with a chance to win the game with a touchdown. But Jackson made his only mistake of the night, throwing a ball over the middle into coverage that was intercepted. It was a big ask for a freshman QB, to lead his team down the length of the field to win a game. 

Jackson - who is ranked 13th among Class of 24 quarterback prospects in the State of Texas by QB Hit List - simply outplayed his older competition at the position. Despite being young, Jackson clearly emerged Saturday and should see most of the snaps for Cypress Creek, as they continue to rebuild and develop their young core group of players.

After the game, Jackson tweeted: "It was fun tonight to go out there and play. We came up short, but we see potential to get better. We will get right back to work on Monday." 

The kid just understands the position at a higher level than the other three QB's on Cy Creek's roster, and he has the leadership qualities that you look for in a quarterback. And there's no comparison when it comes to his passing accuracy and his ability to read progressions and defenses. The future is indeed bright at the QB position at Cy Creek, for what looks to be the next four years.   

Cy Creek (0-1) next takes on Klein Cain (0-1) on Friday, October 2 at 7 pm at Klein Memorial Stadium.