Cy Ranch, Cy Creek take aim at District 17-6A supremacy

Taco Bell and Dave Campbell's Texas Football have teamed up to feature one must-see Texas high school football matchup each week in the Houston area. This week: Cypress Ranch vs. Cypress Creek, 7 p.m. Friday night at Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union Stadium.

A week after losing its first district matchup since Sept. 20, 2014 Cypress Ranch enters this week’s matchup against Cypress Creek in a unique position. Until last week, the Mustangs had won 27 straight games in District 17-6A play. A 21-3 loss to Cy Fair snapped that streak, and now Cy Ranch is looking to get back on track. The Mustangs are currently in a three-way tie for third place in the district standings, trailing Cy Fair and Langham Creek. Cypress Creek is one of those teams in the third-place logjam, giving this week’s Taco Bell Road Tour important playoff implications. The Mustangs have defeated the Cougars fairly handedly in each of the last three seasons, and Cypress Creek hasn’t won a game in the series since a 32-28 victory in 2013. Cypress Ranch will need to get going offensively without its leading rusher, Willie Eldridge, who went down with an injury last week. After managing just three points in that game, the Mustangs will look to take advantage of a Cypress Creek defense that’s giving up an average of more than 31 points per game. On the other side, the Cougars are coming off a 47-41 overtime win over Cy Springs. Their offense is averaging almost 40 points per game, which has helped to make up for the defensive struggles through three games this year. Quarterback Mateo Renteria continues to shine, having thrown for at least 260 yards and three touchdowns in every game thus far. WR Miles Battle will be a tough matchup for the Cypress Ranch secondary, as he caught five passes for 100 yards and three touchdowns last week. While Cypress Ranch has controlled this matchup in the past, the Cougars offense is firing on all cylinders this season. The Mustangs will have to find a way to keep up offensively, as the winner will be in a much better position during the playoff push as the season continues.