Focused Cypress football sprints past Katella to continue sizzling start

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ANAHEIM — A few weeks have passed since Cypress football posted one of its biggest upsets in recent memory. If there were concerns of the success going to the Centurions’ head, they continued to debunk that theory Thursday.

Senior running back Tomas Ramirez rushed for three first-half touchdowns and wide receiver Matthew Morrell also finished with three scores as a focused No. 13 Cypress defeated Katella 42-7 in a nonleague game at Western.

Cypress (3-1) scored on its first six possessions and led 42-0 going into the fourth quarter, breezing to Coach Rick Feldman’s 50th victory since taking the reins in 2014.

The Centurions have defeated Anaheim Union district rivals Western and Katella by a combined 82-20 since stunning then-No. 8 San Juan Hills 29-27 in overtime on Aug. 27.

“They’re hungry,” Feldman said of his team. “We always kind of feel like the underdog. … They stayed focused. They want to finish. We didn’t finish in 2019. We won 13. We lost that last one. They want to finish. They want to get a ring.”

Cypress quarterback Dylan Eldredge, a 6-foot-2 senior, completed 15 of 21 passes for 246 yards and two scores. Morrell, a 6-foot-3 junior, had five catches for 102 yards, including two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score.

Ramirez rushed for 60 yards on seven carries.

Cypress’ defense showed plenty of quickness, recording several tackles for loss in the first half to neutralize the trio of quarterback Daunte Bell and running backs Gabriel Dawson and Aaron Ruiz.

Linebacker Rocco Burdett led the way with two tackles for loss while fellow linebackers Nathan Schneider and Muhammad Hassoneh also had tackles for loss.

Katella’s only first down in the first half came via penalty.

Ramirez scored on his first two carries, reaching the end zone from 4 and 22 yards less than five minutes into the first quarter. On both scoring runs, Ramirez ran left around senior tackle George Iyalomhe.

Morrell sparked Cypress’ opening possession by hauling in a 51-yard reception from Eldredge to the Katella 4-yard line.

Ramirez scored on his 22-yard run after Cypress’ Carson St. Amand recovered a pooch kickoff at the Katella 37.

About five minutes later, Morrell took a reverse and zigzagged 46 yards for a touchdown as Cypress led 21-0 with 2:21 left in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Cypress turned a blocked punt into a 20-yard touchdown toss from Eldredge to Morrell. Miles Weber added the PAT and the Centurions led 28-0.

Eldredge also connected well with senior Devin Cobb (three catches for 77 yards) and junior Trevor Monteleone (four catches for 40 yards).

Katella (2-3) snapped the shutout with a 19-yard touchdown run by Ruiz with a 5 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Next week, Cypress plays at Capistrano Valley while Katella travels to Diamond Bar.