Cypress Ridge High School head football coach and campus athletic coordinator Andrew Shanle, second from left, and Cypress Ridge senior Joe Gaines III, center, pose with representatives from the Touchdown Club of Houston and Texas Association of Sports Officials Houston football chapter after the Rams tied for third place among Class 6A teams at the organization’s 18th annual Comerica Bank High School Sportsmanship Luncheon.

Jan. 31, 2023—The Cypress Ridge High School football team tied for third place among Class 6A schools for the Touchdown Club of Houston’s Sportsmanship Award. The Rams joined Cypress Park and Cypress Woods high schools and 37 other area teams in being honored as finalists Jan. 26 at the Bayou City Event Center during the Touchdown Club’s 18th annual Comerica Bank High School Sportsmanship Luncheon, presented by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Cypress Ridge finished third in voting alongside The Woodlands College Park and Grand Oaks high schools. Stratford High School was named the first-place winner in Class 6A ahead of Alvin Shadow Creek. The voting is conducted by the Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) Houston football chapter.

The finalists were chosen based on six criteria:

• actions of the football team;
• actions of the coaches;
• actions of the support groups at games, including parents, band and other auxiliary groups;
• respect of the American flag;
• a score based on the number of personal fouls incurred during games; and
• a score based on the number of unsportsmanlike conduct fouls.

“It is an honor for the men and women associated with Cypress Ridge football to be recognized as a finalist for the Touchdown Club of Houston; an award reflecting our foundational values of love, trust, commitment and respect,” Cypress Ridge Head Coach Andrew Shanle said. “We are thankful to have a supportive team of coaches, athletic trainers, student assistants, teachers and administrators. We are proud to be led by Principal Stephanie Meshell and Athletic Director Ray Zepeda as they encourage our pursuit of academic, athletic and social excellence. Without TASO, none of this is possible. I am grateful to the Texas Association of Sports Officials and the opportunities they provide kids to compete.”

Head football coaches and team representatives from Cypress Park, Cypress Ridge and Cypress Woods high schools join Raymond Zepeda, CFISD director of athletics, right, at the Touchdown Club of Houston’s 18th annual Comerica Bank High School Sportsmanship Luncheon, held Jan. 26 at the Bayou City Event Center. The three football programs were among 40 Houston-area football programs honored at the event.

Cypress Park was a finalist for the third time in program history, while Cypress Woods was honored for a second time since 2016.

A CFISD team has won or placed second three times in the last five years. Cypress Springs High School earned top Class 6A honors in 2019, while Cypress Falls and Cypress Ranch high schools placed second in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

In all, nine different CFISD football programs have been recognized as finalists over the last five years. Cypress Lakes and Cy-Fair high schools both earned the nod twice.