Fast start helps Western crush rival Cypress Bay, take control of district

In just a blur the Western football team had complete control in its rivalry game against Cypress Bay.

The 35-point lead at the half ensured the Wildcats a blowout victory in the District 13-4M game Friday night at Cypress Bay.

Sophomore running back Robert Ortega had a field day with touchdown runs of 17, 19 and 32 yards just in the opening half that eventually led to a 56-0 victory.

Dating back to 2016 Western has defeated Cypress Bay eight consecutive times, while outscoring the Lightning 295-56. The Wildcats are virtually assured of winning the district title assuming they beat 1-6 Coral Glades on Oct. 27th or finish ahead of them and Cypress Bay in the FHSAA’s power rankings. The victory is expected to vault Western over Cypress Bay in said rankings this coming week.

Ortega and junior running back Sinorice Moss Jr. combined for four touchdowns and 123 yards rushing on just 10 carries.

“I couldn’t of asked for a better ending if I were writing a movie,” Western coach Adam Ratkevich said. “You just beat a rival to become district champs and secured home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. That was exactly what we came here to do tonight.”

Not including the COVID year in 2020, Western figures to qualify for the state playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.

The Wildcats (4-3, 2-0 in district) defense imposed their will on the Lightning offense early and often through the opening half.

After receiving the opening kickoff, Cypress Bay’s offense was pushed backward by the Western defense with a pair of sacks and a recovered fumble in the endzone for a touchdown by Wildcats defensive tackle Joey Podubynsky just 1:22 into the game.

That was an indication a rout was in the making. The 56-point margin of victory was the largest in the series between the two teams dating back to 2004.

The shutout loss also snapped a streak of 32 games without being blanked on the scoreboard. The last time Cypress Bay (6-2, 2-1 in district) was shutout came on Oct. 25, 2019, against Plantation 40-0.

“We came in with the mindset of dominating our opponent tonight,” said Ortega, whose three touchdowns in a game was a career high. “We did what we came to do and left with a district title.”

Cypress Bay junior quarterback Devin Gonzalez, perhaps the heart and soul of the Lightning offense, left the game with a possible concussion midway through the second quarter.

His absence all but squashed Cypress Bay’s chances of producing any points.

Second half touchdowns came on a 35-yard pass from Davi Belfort to Koby Howard, a six-yard run by Howard and a one-yard run by Aiden Harris with less than a minute to play in the game.

Cypress Bay seeks to get back into the win column when they play at Cooper City on Thursday. Western plays at Miramar next Friday.

This story was originally published October 14, 2023 at 12:57 AM.