
Jogging into the endzone, Zayne Kimpland, senior, scores one of his two touchdowns against Fort Myers High
On Sept. 5 the CLHS Panthers traveled to Sam Sirianni Stadium to face their greatest rival: The FMHS Green Wave. A 20-7 win for the Panthers marks the first time since 2019 that the Cypress Varsity football team managed to get a win over the Green Wave, and the first time since 2006 that the Panthers stepped out of Fort Myers’ prized stadium victorious. Athletic Director Betty Rodriguez said of the night, “It was definitely special. As a Cypress alum, this rivalry is personal to me and to see Mendes and his boys take home this victory was incredible.”

To put it into perspective, there isn’t a student at Cypress who was even alive for the last win on Fort Myers’ soil, making this an extremely special victory for everyone at the school. The players in particularly deeply understood the significance of the win. Melvin Powell, a Sophomore defensive back who contributed a pass breakup and a blocked field goal during his playtime said, “Being a part of this win was an amazing experience, everybody was saying that we weren’t going to do it, and then we did.”
Nolan McKinnon, a junior wide receiver who has stepped up as a big part of this year’s team said, “It was great to make history. Even though I wasn’t happy with how I played, it felt good to help my team in such a big win. I’m proud of everyone out there, especially Zayne Kimpland who stepped up as tight end and secured us the game.”
The congratulations from McKinnon to Kimpland are not undeserved, the Senior former defensive end turned tight end caught two touchdowns as well as a two point conversion, ensuring Cypress’ domination of Fort Myers.