Vandegrift has played a number of close games over its two consecutive perfect regular seasons. Six of its wins, in fact, have been decided by a touchdown or less. With that said, it should be no surprise the Vipers are built for the fourth quarter. That showed true Friday, as Vandegrift scored back-to-back touchdowns in the final period to shock Bridgeland for a 14-13 comeback win at Monroe Stadium in Austin.
“I’m not sure if there’s any one moment that changed, but our guys’ consistent fight, I think you’ve seen that over the years. We’re never out of the game,” said Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders. “I’m just impressed with our fight. I always am. We’re never, ever, ever out of a game, and it just proved it once again tonight, and we’re happy to celebrate with a gold ball.”
“It’s good to have that experience in our belt,” senior linebacker Jax McCauley added about the recent history of close wins. “It builds a great team, having to face a little bit of adversity, so we were used to that coming in. This team never quits and that’s what I love about this team. We just keep fighting until the very end.”
The first three quarters weren’t pretty as Bridgeland dominated possession and took a 13-point lead that felt larger. Before Vandegrift began its comeback, the Bears had run 71 plays to the Vipers’ 20 and were crushing them in the total yardage department (327-90).
But the Vandegrift defense was in prime bend-but-don’t-break mode and had seven fourth-down stops to keep Bridgeland from pulling away. Then, with the Vipers down to their last breaths, the offense came alive. First an 11-play, 76-yard drive ended with senior quarterback Dru Dawson tossing a 29-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wideout Blake Youngblood (6 catches, 82 yards) on a fake wide receiver screen to make it 13-7. Then, Dawson put the dagger through the heart with a 29-yard touchdown pass up the seam to senior Trey Mongauzy (4 catches, 72 yards) with 1:27 remaining to cap a 7-play, 75-yard scoring march.
“We made second-half adjustments,” McCauley said. “Coach Sanders is a great coach. He came into the locker room. He talked to us about what we have to do better and we made adjustments, dug down deep, and found a way to stop them.”
“It was a crazy game but we stuck together and that’s the main thing. We never gave up. Great overall win,” added Dawson. “We kept playing together and we kept trusting the play calls. We really just came down to executing our stuff, playing wishing our game, and our coaches put us in good position to move the ball, and we’re just clicking on all cylinders that last quarter.”
The one-point differential was possible because of a blocked extra-point by McCauley near the end of the first half, which Sanders pointed out as one of the most important plays in the game.
“One of the things I’d like to call attention to is we blocked the extra point right before half,” Sanders said. “We were favored. Everybody’s telling us we were good, whatever, and then we’re down it’s really easy to pout, and for our guys to come and fight and block that extra point. It ended up being the difference in the game so I really think that guaranteed is one of the turning points.”
“Coach Sanders called a block middle and Bridgeland is a unique team,” McCauley said. “They take a step sideways on the blocks instead of stepping straight and I just found a seam and just hit it there.”
Cedar Ridge clinched a playoff spot with its win against Westwood Friday night, but Warriors’ junior quarterback R.J. Martinez didn’t make it easy. The magnificent Martinez accumulated 784 total yards (609 passing, 173 rushing, 2 receiving) and 10 touchdowns (7 passing, 3 rushing) in a 77-69 defeat.
Cedar Ridge was equally amazing on offense as senior running back Duece Vaughn racked up 352 total yards (302 rushing, 50 receiving) and five touchdowns (4 rushing, 1 receiving). The Raiders seemed to have the game put away at multiple instances, but Westwood recovered three onside kicks to stay in it until the end. The Warriors’ ultimate undoing was four turnovers (two fumbles lost, two interceptions) to Cedar Ridge’s zero.
The outcome served as bad news for Round Rock, who needed Westwood to win by at least seven points to make the playoff Elsewhere in District 13-6A, Vandegrift finished off its second straight perfect regular season with a 20-17 win against Stony Point. The Viper defense bent, but didn’t break, allowing 400 total yards but only two trips to the end zone. The offense, meanwhile, got a big game out of senior wide receiver Trey Mongauzy (eight catches, 112 yards, 1 TD) and a steady 210 yards on 42 carries as a team.
According to the Austin-American Statesman, Vandegrift is just the third team in city history (at 5A or 6A) to pull off back-to-back 10-0 seasons. The other two (Lake Travis, Cedar Park) both won state titles in one of those years. Vandegrift begins its quest for a first state championship next Friday when it hosts Bridgeland.
Out in Pflugerville, Weiss fell short in its bid for a full worst-to-first turnaround in District 13-5A Div. II with a 38-21 loss to Brenham. The Wolves were winless last year in their first season as a varsity program. A big reason for that is they were playing without a senior class. With everyone back this year, Weiss rolled through district and had a chance at an outright district crown going into Friday night, but the Cubs spoiled the party with 24 unanswered points to finish the game.
Vandegrift Vipers QB Dru Dawson avoids a Cedar Park Defender in a home game in Week 1 to kick off the 2019 season. Vipers will host a home game this week against Bridgeland on Friday Nov 15th first round playoff contest.
Weiss still does get to share the district title, but will go into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed and is set to host Lockhart in its postseason opener. Down in District 25-6A, Bowie clinched the final playoff spot with Anderson’s loss to Lake Travis. This will be the Bulldogs’ 13th straight playoff appearance and possibly its most improbable during that streak. Bowie came into the season with only four returning starters and then lost its star quarterback, Trinidad Sanders, early in district play. But head coach Jeff Ables is considered one of the best in Central Texas for a reason and guided the ship to the postseason anyways. Bowie joins Lake Travis, Westlake and Hays and the playoff teams in that district.
LBJ clinched the No. 2 seed in District 12-5A Div. I with a 42-17 win against Sequin. Junior Andrew Mukuba returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and had two receiving scores to guide the Jaguars, who scored 28 straight points to close the game. LBJ will avoid a road trip to Hutto and instead host Georgetown in the first round of the playoffs thanks to the victory.
Down in the small school ranks, Lampasas beat Fredericksburg 47-35 to earn its first district title since 2011. The Badgers outscored the Battlin’ Billies 33-13 in the second and third quarters to pull away for the win. Lampasas senior quarterback Ace Whitehead threw for 317 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for 91 yards.
Stony Point has been a second-half team all year. In a
late-season, high-pressure game with huge playoff ramifications, that
came in handy. The Tigers broke open a close contest with 21 straight
points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Westwood for a 45-28 win
Friday night at Dragon Stadium in Round Rock, TX.
The victory jumps Stony Point into a tie for second in the
district standings at 5-2 and in good position to make the playoffs
entering the final week of the season. A loss would’ve put them in a
four-way tie for third and made things much more dicey considering its
final opponent is district leader Vandegrift.
“We talk to our guys all the time, ‘we’re going to win the
second half,’” said Stony Point coach Craig Chessher. “That’s always
been our mantra. To be up three points at halftime, kind of feeling our
way through it, I felt like we got a little momentum and really kept our
foot on the gas. Offense took advantage of some opportunities that we
didn’t the first half. But I will say this year if you’ve been keeping
up with us, we are a second-half football team, and that’s’ served us
well. I’d like to get off a little bit of a quicker start, but I’m just
real proud of our guys.”
The second half charge came with a shift in offensive
philosophy. Stony Point, a devout running team, mixed in 10 passes with
18 runs in the first half and moved the ball decently but had trouble
finishing drives. In the second half, however, the Tigers stayed
completely on the ground, and the results were glorious.
Senior running back Kendall Thomas rushed for touchdowns of 40,
59 and four yards to finish with 265 yards on 24 carries, with 179 of
those yards coming after the break. Sophomore Jaden Leonard (8 carries,
102 yards) also scored from seven yards out as the Tigers found the end
zone on four straight drives to finish the game. It also helped that the
defense had two fumble recoveries to stymie Westwood’s prolific offense
“At halftime, we were real disappointed. We left I don’t know
how many points on the board,” Chessher said. “Coach Lewinski, our
offensive coordinator, it was tough on him at halftime. He’s such a good
person. I’ve known him 25 years. He’s done such a great job. I just
said ‘guys, let’s just see if we can run the football,’ and Kendall and
Leonard and (quarterback Kyle) Overton, to a degree, played extremely
well. Our O-line really did well, and keep in mind, we’re without two
starters on their offensive line… Just real proud of our offense. We
came out and said we got to run the football. they were playing us a
little different coverage and we weren’t really functioning that well
throwing the football. Real proud of our offense and the defense played
lights out as well in a tough game.”
A rivalry for the ages took place in Burger Stadium on Friday night as the Austin High Maroons took on the Bowie Bulldogs in a hard fought matchup. The intensity of fierce competition has been brewing between both teams for decades and this was the time to gain bragging rights. Austin who had not beat Bowie since 2006 came out with an electric determination, while Bowie was looking for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The game was a nail-biter as both teams traded punches back and forth. It came down to the wire in the fourth quarter, Austin High was up by two points, Bowie had a chance to retake the lead but they could not handle Austin High’s defensive line. At long last Austin High prevailed as the new kings of this rivalry beating the Bulldogs with a score of 28-26.
Austin received the ball to start what would be a hard-fought game between both sides. The game started with an 8-yard screen to senior receiver Matt Ruiz who was coming off of a breakout game against Anderson in which he racked up three touchdowns and 138 yards. Backed up due to a holding penalty, quarterback Charles Wright took off on a 35-yard quarterback keeper. Austin was held out of the end-zone and forced to punt after not being able to move the chains.
Recognizing an opportunity Bowie
seized the momentum with their first play from scrimmage. Junior
receiver Jason Gaines lined up at running back for the first play as he
received a screen in the backfield. Gaines somehow bobbed and weaved
through the entire Maroon defense as he took it the full 75 yards for a
Bulldog touchdown.
On their next drive, Austin was not able to
recapture the momentum. On their side of the field, the maroons went for
it on 4th and 1. Senior running back Grayson Davis tried to push
through the Bulldogs defense, though they were too strong and tackled
him in the backfield for a forth down stop.
The Bulldogs put
together an incredibly time consuming drive that only resulted in about
30 yards, this was due to multiple penalties and
timeouts. Ultimately Austin High held them in the red zone, the Bulldogs
sent on the field goal unit for what would be considered an automatic
field goal. The Bulldogs found out otherwise as the kick bounced off of
the goal post. The Austin High sideline went insane with excitement.
Needing
to put together a scoring drive captain Charles Wright took it upon
himself to move down the field. On the same play that earned Charles
35-yards, he picked up another 52-yards putting Austin inside Bowie’s
10-yard line. After multiple penalties, Austin found themselves in a 4th
and goal situation from the 12-yard line. Going for it Charles Wight
dropped back, scanning the field he found Matt Ruiz in the back of the
endzone for an Austin High touchdown.
“I told him [Charles
Wright] on Thursday that it would be awesome if he rushed for 100yds and
threw for 400yds. He is a really good runner and he was able to
demonstrate that last week. He is a gunslinger, so his first thought is
to scramble and throw the ball. We have been talking to him about using
his legs more and he was able to get a lot of positive yardage running
the ball. With the defense loading up to stop Grayson, it allows Charles
more room to pull the ball and make plays”, said Austin head coach Michael Rosenthal
Bowie
continued to sustain long drives but to no avail as Austin forced them
to punt. The Austin High Maroons drove the ball down the field and with
28 seconds left on the clock, capped the drive off with a jaw-dropping
play. Charles Wright scrambled out of the pocket lobbing up a perfect
pass to Nick Anderson who made the miracle catch while tapping his foot
an inch from the line for a 25-yard touchdown.
“I think there are a few plays that really stick out in my mind”, said Michael Rosenthal.“I
think a lot of our momentum started with some defensive stops early in
the game. We gave up the big play early, but then we were able to settle
into the game defensively and we did a good job of tackling after that
first play. The touchdown to Nick Anderson right before half was big.” Heading
into halftime both teams needed to improve their offense. For Austin,
it was about getting senior running back Grayson Davis going. On the
flipside, Bowie had to finish drives, they drove down the field but
could never cash in.
Bowie took the advice as they drove down the field and scored on a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Diego Tello. After missing a field goal earlier things only got worse for the Bulldogs special teams as Austin blocked the kick, safety Carlos Tiemann scooped it and returned it to the house for 2 points.
At this
point the Austin sideline was on their feet for the rest of the game.
Jumping, cheering, rilling up the crowd, this team was on fire and
weren’t about to quit.
Bowie was not going to play it safe as they went for it on 4th and short and were stuffed by the Austin defense. Next drive they attempted a fake punt which was blown up in the backfield for a big loss and a turnover on downs. Johnny Jenkins Bowie was not going to play it safe as they went for it on 4th and short and were stuffed by the Austin defense. Next drive they attempted a fake punt which was blown up in the backfield for a big loss and a turnover on downs.
Austin
capitalized on the 4th down stop as Charles Wright launched a rocket to
Nick Anderson for a 20-yard score. Bowie came right back scoring a
touchdown but failed to convert on a two-point conversion. Looking to
put the game away Wright through a fade up to Johnny Jenkins who climbed
the ladder to make a spectacular grab for an Austin High
score. Answering the call, Bowie came right back and scored on a quick
slant pass to Jason Gaines.
All of the sudden scoring was coming
play after play neither offense could be stopped in the late third and
early fourth quarters. All Austin needed to do was hold onto their
two-point lead. During a broken play, Wright compounded a bad situation
with a bad decision as he threw an interception giving Bowie the ball
back.
It was 4th and 7 with the game on the line. Bowie had no
choice but go for it. Austin brought a three man rush, one of who was
defensive lineman Abrion Bordeaux who had been making plays all year.
This game was no different as he strip-sacked the Quarterback
essentially ending the game.
In the end Austin took the victory
in a big rivalry matchup against Bowie. Austin High will face Akins for
the final game of their season. “I am looking to build on our
defensive performance against Bowie and have another strong defensive
effort. Offensively, we need to run the ball more effectively to keep
the defense on their heels”, said Micheal Rosenthal. “The fourth down stops were huge by our defense.”
Bowie
has a favorable matchup with the Lehman Lobos this Friday, a win for
Bowie could lead to a tie in the division for 4th place with Anderson.
Anderson finds themselves in a tough matchup with the Westlake
Chaparrals.
Proud of his team Rosenthal said, “It means a
tremendous amount to our program. We haven’t beaten them [Bowie] since
2006. We came close a few years ago, but we could never get over the
hump. It is a great victory for our players. We have had an up and down
year and this was a memorable win for them. It is a game that they will
never forget.”
For the second straight year, Hays went into the Westlake game
undefeated and within reach of a district title. And for the second
straight year, Westlake turned it into a laugher. The Chaps scored
touchdowns on each of their first nine possessions and got another
outstanding game from their defense in a 65-7 route Friday night at Bob
Shelton Stadium in Buda, TX.
After spending the season’s first eight weeks rotating
quarterbacks, Westlake finally handed the keys to senior Kirkland
Michaux. The tall righty showed exactly why the coaches put their trust
in him by completing 15-of-23 passes for 287 yards with four touchdowns
and no interceptions. He also added a touchdown on the ground.
“There comes to be a point where you have to give one of them
more reps than the others,” Westlake coach Todd Dodge said of the
quarterbacks. “Kirkland has been in our quarterback room since he was a
freshman. A lot of people don’t remember, but he was the guy that was a
play away during his freshman season, so he’s been around a long time… I
thought he played really well against Lake Travis before his injury. He
led us on some big-time drives, ran the ball well, was very accurate
and he continued it tonight.”
Most of Michaux’s completions went to senior wide receiver Ryan
Lindley, a crafty slot-man who finished the night with nine receptions
for 111 yards and a touchdown. Arkansas commit Mason Mangum – also a
senior – had two touchdowns on his three catches for 62 yards. Freshman
Jaden Greenhouse (3 catches, 62 yards, TD) continues to flash talent
beyond his years and junior running back Zane Minors (10 carries, 87
yards, 3 TDs) gave the running game a punch that will come in handy as
Westlake chases down a state title.
“We’re becoming harder to defend by personnel. We’re spreading
the ball around to a lot of different people. Our running game is
starting to pick it up,” Dodge said. “We’re getting so many more people
involved, not only in the passing game but in the run game. Grey Nakfoor
and Zane Minors are really stepping up at the running back position.
It’s a nice little 1-2 punch. Our quarterbacks are running the ball
well. A lot of the night tonight, even though he made some big plays,
they chose to double Mason Mangum and we went in some different
directions and spread the ball around, so that’s where we are. We are
getting a lot of production from a lot of different people.”
Hays came into the game averaging almost 400 rushing yards a
game with its old-school slot-T offense. The scheme is so different from
what most kids are used to that it can cause major problems, even for
the most talented defenses. Westlake’s resistance, however, was ready
for what came at them. Hays mustered only 112 yards on the ground on 2.4
yards per rush. The Chaps also got a blocked punt from senior Jackson
Coker and an interception from senior defensive end Austin McClendon
deep in Hays territory to set up easy touchdowns.
“Absolutely great preparation. This is a tough team to prepare
for because of the slot-T. You only see it probably once a year, and I’m
so proud of our defense,” Dodge said. “It’s just about kids just being
gap sound, being unselfish. You really have to be unselfish when you
play a team like this. The defensive line, we tell them, if you don’t
make a tackle, you could play a great game just by holding up, not
getting trapped, staying in your gap, getting hats to the ball. In
today’s era of spread offenses, our kids are pretty physically. But,
boy, you have to really turn it up against a team like this and put your
big boys pants on in this kind of physical matchup.”
Westlake has taken an impressive leap this 2019 season, when they score at least 30 points they are undefeated. Lake Travis is there lone loss during the season when they barely lost 26-25.
The Chaps are rolling this season otherwise. Kirkland Micheaux leading behind center has taken his team to dominant wins over Lehman, Del Valle, Akins, and Austin High. Standing at an impressive 6’5 the senior has played smart football throwing less than 5 interceptions so far in the middle of the season and has 14 touchdowns under his belt. A 73% completion rate at a little over 13 yards per completion it’s amazing to think that for every pass he gains a first down on every drive.
There are three receivers that have over 350 yards this season all averaging over 13 yards per catch. When you pass to Lindley, Greathouse, and Mangum you will get a first down. It’s nice to think that you have three receivers you can rely on to assist in moving the ball down the field against opposing defenses in the Central Texas area. They will be relied on heavily as the season goes along. Micheaux last season had a taste of playoff football before losing to the West Brook Bruins in the Semifinals. A game away from state, he has experienced the playoff atmosphere and is more than ready to lead them deeper in the playoffs this season. A state championship is ready for the taking, can they take that next step?
After loosing Senior QB Taylor Anderson last year to injury late in the season; Coach Todd Dodge has tried a different strategy in 2019. This year he has kept defenses on edge playing three Quarterbacks in the trio of Kirkland Michaux, Cade Klubnik and Drew Willoughby. Should any player go down then all three have had plenty of playing time this season and will be ready for NEXT MAN UP football Friday Nights in late November and December this year.
Micheaux carries his leadership from last season giving Westlake another hope of the prized State Championship in 2019. Coach Dodge has kept his program at an elite level for years reloading with players across the board. With just a few weeks before playoff time Kirkland Micheaux can’t lay off the intensity and therefore must give his team hope into the playoffs. Texas football takes it to another level when the playoffs start. Teams are either pretenders or contenders. This Chaps team along with their quarterback will contend come playoff time.
As the sun set and the lights came up on House Park the Anderson Trojans took on the Austin High Maroons in a high octane shootout. Anderson looked to further themselves in the playoff race while the Maroons looked to defend their home field. Anderson came away with a win 70-49 over the Austin Maroons in a game where both teams combined for over 1000 yards. Anderson, who received at start of the game, employed a similar tactic to Hays high school, as they loaded the offensive line and ran the ball on 1st and 2nd down. After that proved unsuccessful, Anderson took to the air by throwing a 38-yard pass from senior quarterback Carsten Gross to senior receiver Jason Seager. After running the ball five consecutive times junior running back Joseph Baran was finally able to cross the goal line.
Attempting to get right back in the game, Austin High went for it on 4th & 7 from their own 26-yard line. Ultimately not getting the 1st down set Anderson up in fantastic field position. Anderson capitalized on the short field as Gross connected with wide receiver Grose Kiel on a contested end zone catch that put Anderson up by two scores.
Matters only got worse for Austin High on special teams. Anderson, looking to keep the momentum flowing called for an onside kick. Muffed by Austin, Anderson recovered setting them up with excellent field position once again. Anderson took full advantage of it, as 6’4” quarterback Carsten Gross powered his way into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown putting Anderson up by 21.
Forcing Austin to punt, Anderson could seal the game away with a score right here. Austin’s Defense was going to put a stop to that as they forced and recovered a fumble. Iowa commit quarterback Charles Wright needed to make a play if he wanted his team to stay in the game. He did just that finding Matt Ruiz on a 17-yard score, just like that Austin was back in the game.
Both teams continued to score matching blow after blow. The Trojans scored as senior receiver Grose Kiel climbed the ladder on a 19-yard jump-ball touchdown. Carsten Gross scored on a 3 yard QB keeper. Sophomore Colin Page hit the sideline and crossed the goal line for a 15-yard rushing touchdown.
Austin was also productive as they moved the ball downfield at a fast pace. Talking about fast-paced, Matt Ruiz scored again off a WR screen in which he ran up the sideline for a 48-yard touchdown. Austin scored on another big play as Charles Wright found Nick Anderson over the middle for a 59-yard touchdown. On the final play of the second half, Charles Wright found Grayson Davis on a wide-open swing pass for a two yard score. Heading into halftime Anderson was in the lead, though Austin was fast approaching. Both teams needed to improve their defense as neither offense could be stopped. For Austin, it was about winning jump balls and stopping quarterback Carsten Gross who trampled the Austin defense play after play. For Anderson, it was about limiting big plays. The majority of Austin’s Scores came on either a big play or were set up by one. If Anderson could limit this, their defense would be more effective.
“We have to do a better job stopping the run”, saidAnderson head coach Daniel Hunter. “People may look at how many passing yards we gave up and think we need to improve on our coverage but real football people understand that if we stop the run than we don’t allow as many 1st downs and a byproduct of that is less opportunities to throw the ball downfield. We have given up 300 yards passing and Won the game, but we have never given up 300 rushing and Won a game. Rushing the football and stopping the run, is still the most important part of football.”
Despite any adjustments, the coaches made at halftime both offenses could and would not be stopped in the second half. Carsten Gross threw for two Touchdowns and ran four in, totaling 185 passing yards and 114 rushing yards. On the receiving end, Grose Kiel caught both touchdowns and totaled 98 receiving yards in the game. Colin Page lead the team in rushing as he went for 159 yards and two scores on the ground.
Coming into the game Trogan’s Carsten Gross and running back Joseph Baran were tied with 59 carries on the season. It was not uncommon to see Gross on both designed and improvised runs, which proved to be an effective strategy when Austin shut down Anderson’s passing attack. Both run games were firing on all cylinders as Anderson totaled over 400 rushing yards and had a total of eight rushing touchdowns. Austin’s Grayson Davis also put in work as he ran for over 160 yards and made a difference in the receiving game with two touchdowns.
“I thought Charles Wright was a game-changer on Friday night”, said Austin Head Coach Michael Rosenthal. “(Wright) He had 6 TD’s and threw for over 350 yards. He took care of the football. Matt Ruiz also had a great game as well. He had 9 catches for 138 yards and 3 TD’s It was by far his most productive game of the year. I am looking for our physicality to improve. I think we have had moments on both sides of the ball this year where we have blocked well and tackled well. We are looking for more consistency and to put a complete game together. We need all 3 phases to have their best games against Bowie and Akins.
I think this year’s team has had to deal with more adversity throughout the year. We have gotten very close at times to getting over the hump, but we just need to find a way to make one more play and we haven’t done that yet. I am looking forward to the final two games to see our best effort each and every play.”
From here Austin has a matchup with Bowie and Akins to finish out the season. Anderson finds themselves in a different situation as they are fighting Bowie, Hays and Del Valle for the remaining two playoff spots. Anderson will look to beat Lehman in what could be considered a favorable matchup.
“We felt good running the ball with our backs and the quarterback run game”, said Anderson Head Coach Hunter, when asked what was the most effective part of the game he could attribute this win to. “We threw in some reverse passes when we felt like they had became frustrated and started blitzing. All in all our offense had a great night, and our defense got the stops we needed to put some distance between the scores. Austin High has a great offense and we knew they would score some points on us we just came in with the mindset to jump on them early and create distance on the scoreboard”
Cedar Park’s 20-16 win over Hutto Friday night at John Gupton Stadium in Leander, TX, was far from a masterpiece. But as the Timberwolves have shown many times before, grit goes a long way in the game of football. Cedar Park hung around with defense while its offense had an off night. Then, when it mattered most, that same offense flipped the switch with a decisive late touchdown to win the game and put the Timberwolves in the driver’s seat of District 11-5A Div. I.
“They just stuck with it,” Cedar Park coach Carl Abseck said of his team. “It’s a game of ebbs and flows. You’re going to have some good things happen and some bad things happen, but our guys stuck through it and fought until the end… We did enough at the end to pull it out but I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Going into its final drive, Cedar Park had just 140 yards of total offense on 49 plays for less than three yards per play. The run-game was nonexistent and junior quarterback Ryder Hernandez was misfiring left and right. But with less than three minutes left, no timeouts and the game on the line, Hernandez fired darts of 15, 11 and 20 yards to juniors Josh Cameron, Gunnar Abseck and Preston Scott. A facemask penalty on the last of those got Cedar Park into the red zone, where Hernandez broke through the middle on a quarterback draw for the 15-yard game-winning touchdown. “We just had to overcome a lot of adversity. (Hutto had) a great squad over there. It was a great game throughout the four quarters. We just came out on top at the end. It’s just a testament to what our coaches are about there. We just had to finish the game out,” Hernandez said. “Their front came after me the whole game. They did a great job of that, and I think on that last drive we were just getting out quick, letting the playmakers make plays.”
The Cedar Park defense did a magnificent job throughout, holding the Hippos to 271 yards on 57 plays for 4.8 yards per play and 4-of-15 on third downs. They also forced back-to-back three-and-outs before the game-winning touchdown drive, ensuring the offense got the ball back with enough time to score.
The unsung hero of the game was senior defensive back Caden Combs, who chased down Hutto senior wide receiver Dajon Harrison on a long pass play to prevent a touchdown in the third quarter. The next play, senior Ronald Caldwell got around the edge for a strip-sack fumble that was recovered by sophomore defensive lineman Murray Robinson and returned to almost midfield. Without that sequence, the Timberwolves almost surely would’ve taken a loss.
“Defensively, I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Abseck said. “(Harrison is) one of the fastest players in Williamson/Travis County, and Caden’s pretty fast, too, but what he didn’t do was give up. To chase him down and make them snap it again and get the turnover, that’s huge… A lot of people don’t remember that. They just think, oh, the fumble happened right after that. But they don’t realize that that kid ran 60 yards to catch one of the fastest guys around.”
Every school has expectations, but the ones in Austin remain as high as the Texas sky.
Just ask Rick Barnes.
Longhorns men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart will find out exactly how tough it is to coach on the hot seat this season after Texas won the NIT a year ago to salvage a topsy-turvy 2018-19 campaign. There’s only one acceptable tournament to be invited to this time around — the Big Dance in March.
Smart himself acknowledged that fact last March, and UT athletic director Chris Del Conte echoed the sentiment even after the Longhorns won the NIT, saying “we’re not where we want to be, but we’re making progress.”
Texas pulled in another solid crop of recruits this year after snagging three of the top 75 prospects in the nation — shooting guard Donovan Williams, center Kai Jones and homegrown product Will Baker, who played center for Westlake while rising up the ranks to become the No. 35 overall recruit in the country.
Baker is expected to start at center this season, while Williams and Jones have opportunities to work their way into valuable roles.
The Longhorns’ starting lineup for 2019-20 is also projected to include guards Matt Coleman and Courtney Rainey, who averaged 9.8 and 8.1 points per game last year, respectively. Coleman, who was the only Texas player to start all 37 games a season ago, added 3.4 assists per outing and was the lone Longhorn to earn preseason acclaim from the Big 12 after taking home honorable mention.
Rainey returns after shooting a team-best 38.6% from beyond the 3-point arc and proving to be another capable scorer. The same can be said for wing player Jase Febres, who knocked down 37.2% of his 3s while putting in 8.9 points per contest.
Jericho Sims is expected to lock down the starting power forward spot and has shown plenty of athleticism during his time on the 40 Acres. Sims has even drawn comparisons to current NBA players Mo Bamba and Jaxson Hayes, but he still has to show that he can turn potential into reality.
The biggest fan favorite on the team will undoubtedly be guard Andrew Jones, who touched the hearts of many Longhorn fans as he took time off to battle Leukemia last season. Jones was cleared to return to basketball activities in early August, and his comeback story will be one of the best in all of college hoops.
Meanwhile, wing player Gerald Liddell and big man Kamaka Hepa will likely fight for minutes as reserves.
Texas was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 during the preseason coaches’ poll behind Kansas — no surprise there — Baylor and Texas Tech. Bringing up the rear were West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas State and TCU.
But before the Longhorns begin conference play on Jan. 4. 2020, Texas will look to navigate an early portion of the schedule that includes games against Purdue, Georgetown and Providence. The Longhorns and Aggies will even reprise their old rivalry on the hardwood during a Dec. 8 meeting in Fort Worth for the Lone Star Showdown.
Smart should be able to get away with a loss to a rival here or there, though. After all, this isn’t football. But it’s still Texas, and another season without March Madness will be viewed as a colossal failure.
AUSTIN, Texas –
Westlake High School celebrates its 50th anniversary and Homecoming
with several events beginning Friday. The weekend of events includes
tours of the school, a former WHS staff lunch. an alumni association
tailgate and culminates with the Homecoming volleyball game against Del
Valle at 6:30pm and the football game at 7:30pm (SOLD OUT).
Saturday, the Eanes Education Foundation will host the Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Brunch, which will recognize:
Rich Riley ’92 Former CEO of Shazam & Co-Founder of HomePoint
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) speaks after an NFL divisional playoff football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. The Saints won 20-14 to advance to the NFC Championship. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Drew Brees ’97 Super Bowl MVP-Winning Quarterback & Philanthropist
Alexis Jones ’01 Author, Activist & Founder of I Am That Girl & ProtectHer
Outstanding Young Alumni
Matt Nader ’07 Advocate of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness
The event will be hosted by KXAN meteorologist and WHS alum, David Yeomans, with guest speaker, WHS alum Alexis Jones.
A
full list of 50th anniversary/ Homecoming events is below and attached.
Westlake junior Ryan Mulcahy created the 50th-anniversary logo
(attached) after a school-wide logo contest.
Friday, Oct. 18, 2019
12:09pm – 1:45pm
Former Westlake HS Teacher Luncheon – WHS Courtyard Former WHS teachers are invited to a free, come-and-go, live music event with lunch provided
5pm
Westlake HS Tour – Front entrance of WHS on Westbank Dr. (near stone marquee)
Alumni are invited to tour the campus, see old hangouts and hear about new student programs
5pm – 7pm
EEF / Alumni Association Tailgate – Across from WHS in Dr. Brian Smith’s parking lot
Free, come-and-go EEF event to gather, recognize and welcome alumni
6:30pm
Homecoming Volleyball Game vs. Del Valle HS – Competition Gym
Tickets required
7:30pm
Homecoming Football Game vs. Del Valle HS – Chaparral Stadium SOLD OUT; reserved seating for alumni and former teachers
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019
9:45am
Westlake Tour – Front entrance of WHS on Westbank Dr. (near stone marquee)
Alumni are invited to tour the campus, see old hangouts and hear about new student programs
10:30am-12pm
EEF Distinguished Alumni Brunch – WHS Commons
EEF
complimentary brunch (RSVP required) to recognize inaugural class of
WHS Distinguished Alumni and unveil the new Alumni Wall with Founders
Circle in the Commons. All alumni invited to attend.
For
50 years, Westlake High School has been lauded as one of the top high
schools in Texas and the nation. The school was constructed after two
contentious community elections proposed separation from Austin ISD and
the construction of a high school dedicated to Eanes students. The first
vote was in favor of the split, 708-564. After disgruntled residents
challenged the election, another vote passed in favor, 1,000-601. In
1969, Westlake High School opened making Eanes ISD a K-12 school
district.
For information on the history of Eanes ISD and Westlake High School, visit http://ehc.eanesisd.net/.
For information on Westlake High School’s 50th-anniversary events, visit www.eanesisd.net/WHS50.
