Cypress Creek senior quarterback Julian Uwadia paid his dues to become the leader of a highly productive Cougars offense.
A first-year starter under head coach Greg McCaig, Uwadia has been instrumental in Cy Creek’s rise from a dismal 0-3 start to a three-way tie for second place in the 17-6A standings. As of press time, the Cougars were riding a three-game winning streak to the tune of about 53 points scored in each victory.
McCaig told Texas Scorecard that the 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound Uwadia is filling the role of Cy Creek’s primary signal-caller quite nicely.
“He’s been pretty good all year long, and he’s been very stable,” the coach said. “He’s done a really nice job for us in terms of throwing the ball, being very accurate. He’s been very careful with the ball and makes good decisions. He’s mobile enough to provide a run threat, which makes it much more difficult for the defense. He’s got a cool demeanor about him when he’s out on the field and has made a lot of big plays. As a first-year starter, we’re impressed.”
Uwadia was the starting quarterback for the Cougars’ freshman and junior varsity teams. Elevated to the varsity roster in his junior year, he saw some action while occupying the spot behind then-starter Julian Brown on the depth chart. Brown, who graduated last May, led Cy Creek all the way to the fourth round of the playoffs.
Uwadia emerged out of Brown’s shadow to put the Cougars just a mere game away from first place in 17-6A going into their Oct. 11 game against Cypress Ridge. The senior has thrown for over 1,100 yards and more than 20 touchdowns against four interceptions in what is widely considered a breakout season for him.
“This is his real first extensive playing time, and I’ve been more than pleased,” McCaig said.
The Cougars began Uwadia’s first and final season as field general with losses to Klein, Spring Klein Oak, and Cypress Falls. But a resounding 53-9 victory over Houston Jersey Village on Sept. 20 triggered Cy Creek’s resurgence towards a current 3-1 district mark.
Offensively, Cy Creek amasses close to 400 yards a game while it gives up no more than 290 yards per contest.
McCaig attributed the Cougars’ stumble out of the gate earlier in the season to special teams miscues and commended the team for addressing those issues. According to the coach, Cy Creek “is on the upswing,” yet the playoffs are the last thing on the Cougars’ minds right now.
“You want to improve every week,” he said. “Good teams are the ones that get better and better every week, and I think we’ve made some incremental progress. But certainly, we’re not looking ahead of the game. We’re not thinking about the playoffs. When you start looking too far out into the future, it could create some issues with your own guys and you don’t want to do that.”
McCaig added that his team “will keeping grinding away” toward more success. And count on Uwadia to continue to help push Cy Creek forward.
“Julian is a great young man,” McCaig said. “He’s got good grades and comes from a good family. He’s doing a superior job for us, and we’re proud of him.”
