By LONNIE KING  |  © 2025, Big Daddy’s Texas Sports

It’s hard for me to believe we’ve completed five weeks of the 2025 Texas high school football season. Maybe that’s because I’ve renewed my acquaintance this year with the teams I covered for a long time in younger days and immersed myself in the joy of working very close to home. 

Time flies when you’re having fun.

And fun was one thing I thought I’d be certain to have when I got my Week 5 broadcast assignment—the District 16-6A opener for the Cypress Ranch Mustangs and Cypress Springs Panthers. 

Living and calling games in this area, I’ve gotten to know the football stories of both Cypress Springs and Cypress Ranch. And while the schools share a district, their paths on the gridiron couldn’t be more different.

Cypress Springs, the older of the two, opened its doors in 1997 and fielded its first varsity team in 1998. Success, though, has been hard to come by. In nearly three decades, the Panthers have reached the playoffs just three times — first in 2003, and then not again until head coach Oji Fagan arrived and guided them to back-to-back postseason trips in 2023 and 2024.

Springs came into this game with recent momentum, having beaten Ranch each of the last two years.

Cypress Ranch, meanwhile, is the younger program, playing its first varsity season in 2010. After missing the playoffs in those first two seasons, the Mustangs built a pedigree quickly — qualifying in 12 of the next 13 years. Their peak came in 2014, when they reached the Class 6A state championship game, falling to perennial powerhouse Allen.

Ranch has worn the “football school” label ever since, the kind of reputation Springs has always been chasing.

So Friday night carried more than just district implications. It was pedigree versus chip-on-the-shoulder. Ranch with the résumé, Springs with the recent head-to-head edge. A matchup layered with history and urgency, and one that promised to be interesting from the start.

Trading Blows in the First Quarter

Both teams came out swinging, but neither offense found traction on their opening drives. Ranch and Springs each turned the ball over on downs in the first quarter, feeling one another out and setting a physical tone.

Then came the first spark: Springs struck first behind Paris Melvin Jr., who burst through for a touchdown run that gave the Panthers a 7–0 lead. For a moment, it felt like Springs had seized momentum.

That moment lasted about fourteen seconds.

On the ensuing kickoff, Ranch answered immediately with a 101-yard kick return to the house by Tromane Harris, knotting things at 7–7 late in the first.

Breaks That Went the Wrong Way

What happened next foreshadowed the night for Springs. On the kickoff following Ranch’s score, the Mustang kicker sent a low line-drive kickoff into the up-front blocking line. The ball glanced off the helmet of Joseph Batiste’s helmet as he retreated, shot sideways into a scrum, and was recovered by Ranch special-teamer Gabriel Moreno.

Just like that, possession swung right back to the Mustangs without their defense even needing to take the field.

Springs’ defense bent but eventually broke, and Ranch punched it in to go up 14–7 early in the second quarter. That score would hold as the game moved toward halftime.  And there were critical plays on both sides of the ball that helped the score remain there.

The Call That Changed the Half (and the Wrong Player)

First, Springs’ defense settled down and earned a key third-down stop with Ranch facing fourth down. An incomplete pass should have forced a punt, giving Springs the ball and a chance to tie the game midway through Q2.

Instead, the flag came.

The referees announced an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Paris Melvin Jr., gifting Ranch a fresh set of downs. The penalty seemed questionable in a heated district matchup.  But, on its own, it was a sufficient blow to momentum for the Panthers.

Still, there would be some insult added to the injury.

Video evidence told a different story after the game. Melvin wasn’t the instigator—in fact, he appeared to be stepping in to separate players. The real confrontation was between Melvin’s teammate Faris Lababdeh and a Ranch wide receiver, who went helmet-to-helmet in a heated exchange.

If anything unsportsmanlike occurred, it should have been flagged there. And it may have been what the official in the vicinity actually saw or heard.  Unfortunately for Cy Springs, though, Melvin was wrongfully identified to the crowd and broadcast audience as the offender who cost his defense a chance to get off the field.

The result was costly: Ranch extended the drive, drained minutes, and protected its lead. They would actually miss a field goal on that possession, but would get the ball again on sophomore Panther quarterback Myles Hamilton’s first interception.

By halftime, the Mustangs had stretched it to 21–7, and the Panthers were left chasing both the scoreboard and a sense of injustice.

Melvin’s Second-Half Takeover

Maybe the sting of that penalty contributed to the mood of Springs in the locker room at the half.  Maybe the other mistakes and missed opportunities did too.  Whatever it was, they came out for the second half a more-focused squad.

And no one embodied that more than Melvin.

After the break, Springs turned to their star. Hamilton, making just his second career start, was visibly overwhelmed by the Mustangs. But, that’s when Melvin took over.

Even with Ranch stacking the box and knowing he was the only option, the senior triple threat hammered away. He finished with 13 carries for 180 yards and two touchdowns, plus 47 receiving yards—an astonishing 227 yards from scrimmage.

His willpower kept Springs alive when the game looked on the verge of slipping away.  His 59-yard TD run was the only score for either team in the third quarter and provided a one-score margin heading into the final 12 minutes of play.

Hamilton’s Redemption

Melvin’s effort steadied the Panthers long enough for Hamilton to regroup. On a massive 4th-and-9 with a little over ten minutes of game time remaining, head coach Fagan put the ball back in his young QB’s hands. Hamilton responded—finding Lababdeh on a drag route, who turned it into a 42-yard, game-tying touchdown.

The play electrified the Springs sideline and their fans and briefly tilted momentum back their way.

Closing the Door

But Ranch answered. Quarterback Braden Baker (15-25, 184 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT; plus a rushing score) was steady all night, leaning on short throws and quick reads. His top target, Konner Dandridge, hauled in six catches for 94 yards, including both of Baker’s touchdown passes.

Dandridge’s second score proved to be the difference—the go-ahead and ultimately game-winning touchdown. Ranch closed it out with three kneel-downs, grinding out a 28–21 victory.

Game MVP Decision

To me, there were three clear offensive stars:

• Konner Dandridge (Cy Ranch): 6 catches, 94 yards, 2 TD — including the decisive game-winner.
• Peyton Thomas (Cy Ranch): 21 carries for 102 yards, plus 52 yards receiving — the Mustangs’ steady workhorse.
• Paris Melvin Jr. (Cy Springs): 227 total yards and 2 TD for Springs, who almost singlehandedly dragged his team back to victory.

My pick went to Dandridge, whose second touchdown sealed the night. Thomas was consistent, Melvin was heroic, but Dandridge finished drives when it mattered most. Baker, while efficient, wasn’t flashy—his receivers did much of the heavy lifting with yards after the catch.

Final Word

This game was a showcase of everything that makes high school football compelling: the emotional swings, the fine margins, the stars rising to the occasion. It also underscored how one officiating call—especially when it wrongly identifies the player at fault—can tilt not just momentum, but the narrative of a game.

For Cypress Ranch, the story is about playmakers like Dandridge and Thomas stepping up when it mattered. For Cypress Springs, it’s about Melvin’s grit and Hamilton’s redemption moment—even if the final score left them short.

Friday night in Cypress delivered it all: controversy, comeback bids, and clutch plays that will be remembered long after the lights go out.