Too much speed. Too many offensive weapons. And just too good. That is the summary from the Cypress High School and Buena Park High CIF first round matchup between the two local football teams.
Buena Park was just too good for the Centurions. And it wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate. Buena Park had everything clicking, while Cypress (8-3) tried to will its way to victory.
Unfortunately for the Centurions, the Coyotes from Buena Park were able to offset the one-man gang that is Quinten Pounds with a multitude of options to come away with a 43-34 win at Buena Park High School Friday, Nov. 14.
Pounds, a University of Washington commit, more than did his part in trying to carry the load for a Cypress squad that was forced to play much of the game without star quarterback Nick Buras, who was ejected from the contest. That left the burden to rest the game in Pounds’ hands against a formidable opponent.
Pounds did his best, but Buena Park’s multi-facet offense was too much for the senior and the rest of the Centurions to overcome.
Buena Park quarterback Zach Taylor went off, going for 337 yards through the air with five touchdowns. Of course, mercurial wide receiver Jaylinn Hawkins, one of the most coveted wide receivers in the state and the country, was a nightmare to handle all game.
Cypress High School and Buena Park High seemed liked a contest you’d want to see deep in the postseason. Unfortunately, for the Centurions that game came in the first round of the playoffs. The speedy Hawkins caught five balls for 127 yards and two touchdowns.
The other wideout for Buena Park, Max Rivera, burned the Centurions repeatedly with post routs, to the tune of three touchdowns. But Pounds did his best, rushing for over 100 yards and throwing three touchdown passes after Buras left the game.
If one were to judge the first series of the game, the conclusion would be that Pounds and the Centurions were going to have an explosive night on the offensive side of things. Hawkins, Taylor and the rest of the Buena Park offense, were just a little bit more explosive. On the Centurions’ first possession of the game, Pounds raced 69 yards on a sweep to put Cypress up on the Coyotes in a blink of an eye.
Hawkins and Buena Park came right back at Pounds and Cypress. Pounds, who covered Hawkins just about all night, went in for an interception of an underthrown Taylor pass, tipped the ball that went into the hands of Hawkins for the score.
The Coyotes would strike again before the first quarter would end as Taylor hit Rivera with a 77-yard touchdown strike down the middle of the field. Buena Park would add a field goal to go up 16-7 late in the second quarter. Cypress, mounting a potential scoring drive, saw Buras ejected from the game. The left-handed Pounds then came in and connected with wide receiver Sean Roberts on a deep throw to the corner of the endzone to give the Centurions some bit of life going into halftime.
Buena Park, however, would have the final say as far as momentum. The Coyotes came out of the locker room on fire as Hawkins raced to what appeared to be a 65-yard touchdown run. That play was negated because of a penalty. No worries. Taylor came right back with another scoring strike to Rivera.
Undeterred, Pounds hit Benny Morales in the endzone for his second touchdown throw of the night to get the Centurions close. Taylor then hits Hawkins with a 40-yard touchdown pass to give the Coyotes some breathing room. Cypress’ next series may have proved to be the dagger for the Centurions as Pounds fumbled while attempting to make a throw. Buena Park recovered.
The Taylor-Rivera combination worked again, this time on a 22-yard scoring toss. That scoring swing proved to be the difference in the game as Cypress was not able to recover.
