Cinco Ranch football made a name for themselves after they qualified for the 3rd round of playoffs last year for the first time in 4 years. Their success continued on into the current season after they defeated the 5A D1 State champions, Paetow High School 35-24 and qualified for playoffs. 

“We expect our kids to come each and every day with passion and effort,” football head coach Christopher Dudley said. “We expect them to be coachable. We expect them to be there for each other and pick each other up. We expect them to be really a player led team. It can’t mean more to the coaches than it does to the players. And that’s all part of our culture that we’ve had these last four years, and our kids buy into that, and that’s the reason we’ve been successful.” 

A success story doesn’t come without its challenges. Cougar football faced different obstacles this season, but learned to work past them and adapt to the changes that have been made. Whether it’s facing different styles of defense or offense, they try their best to adjust their game plan. Staying united through challenges has proved to be successful for the team.

“They know they’ve got to stick together through the challenging times, and we’ve been able to do that,” Dudley said. “It’s really a tight knit team of family, and they’ve gone through those struggles together and come out the other end better for it”. 

Although Dudley has close bonds with his athletes, his high expectations and discipline still remain in order for them to be successful. Cougar football follows a very structured regimen that follows through during the week, Dudley said.

 “Your preparation shouldn’t be dictated upon if you’re playing a good team or a bad team,” he said. ”You need to go out and do what you need to do to get better, and the rest will take care of itself.”

In football, games may not go the way you want them to. Many teams make mistakes and players often put pressure on themselves for not playing up to their expectations. Losses can be very difficult to process, but the players use them as motivation to try and secure a win for the next game. 

“You must be able to make those adjustments for that next game, and you have to learn from your mistakes,” Dudley said. “That’s what good teams do. When they fall short, they learn from mistakes and they make sure they don’t happen again. We’re all competitors. We want to win every game, but the other team practices too. And there are some good teams around our district, around the state”.

As Cinco Ranch football continues to grow, the students from the school have developed a supportive community. Cinco Ranch football is continuing to work hard and strive for excellence with the support of their classmates, family, and coaching staff. Their legacy is important to the athletes, and it motivates them to keep on going even if challenges lie ahead of them.

 “What i’ve told the seniors this year is that this is your team, It’s not our team as coaches”. Dudley said. “When the 2022 team leaves us, that’s your memories, your legacy, because guess what? We have another one coming.”