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Vandegrift Football off to great Start

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

The Vandegrift Vipers have already served notice to the rest of Class 6A that their program is an up-and-coming powerhouse in Central Texas.

While most teams hang their hats on an explosive air-raid attack or a dominant running game, Vandegrift is taking the opposite approach. Head coach Drew Sanders’ Vipers have become known for their suffocating defense, which has led to three district championships in the past four seasons.

Defeating Cedar Park this season 42-7 in week 1, Killeen Ellison 31-14 in Week 2 and San Angelo Central 45-13 in week 3 the vipers kicked off district play with a defeat of Stony Point 56-21 off to a 4-0 start.

During the pandemic-riddled 2020 campaign, Vandegrift finished second in District 25-6A behind a resurgent Round Rock team that stunned the state by taking out Lake Travis in the first round of the 6A Division I postseason. This year, Sanders and his retooled defense will look to regain their form following a fourth-round playoff exit against Hays in early January.

The Vipers graduated each of their top five tacklers from last season, but there’s no shortage of depth for Vandegrift. Along the front line, senior defensive end Tucker Harrison returns after a stellar year in 2020 that saw him register 79 tackles, five sacks and four forced fumbles en route to earning all-state honorable mention. Harrison will likely be joined at the point of attack by junior Oliver Yndo, senior Sterling Emerson, senior Lucas Cummings and senior Cristion Davis.

The linebacking corps will search for replacements for the trio of Austin Skoglund, Logan Arnold and Michael Mastrodicasa, who combined to make 342 total stops in 2020 while finishing as the team’s top three tacklers. 

However, there’s plenty of experience back in the secondary, which is led by senior Jaxon Oliver, senior Griffin Shaffer, senior Clayton Moore and versatile senior Reece Beauchamp, who might see more time on offense in 2021. Oliver tied for the team lead in interceptions last year with three.

Vipers Defense in 2020 gang tackel a Round Rock Dragon runner in last years game.

Beauchamp could end up taking the reins for 2021 graduate Ryan Back at quarterback — or perhaps it will be junior Brayden Buchanan. Whichever player settles into the signal caller role will allow the other to become an instant play-maker in a different spot, whether it be at wide receiver or in another position. 

The starting running back job appears locked up, as senior Ryan Sheppard returns after leading the team with 922 yards and six touchdowns as a junior. Sheppard is also a reliable receiver out of the backfield, as he made 13 catches a year ago.

Along the O-line, the Vipers will reload with one of the top groups in District 25-6A despite seeing only one starter — Ethan Barnard — return. Barnard is set to move from guard to center as a senior, and help is expected to be provided up front by senior Juan Gutierrez, senior Luke Collins and junior Ian Reed, who is a budding collegiate prospect at tackle.

When league play rolls around, the Vipers will look to battle past Round Rock and reclaim their familiar perch as district champs. Challenges from Hutto, Stony Point and Cedar Ridge are also expected, but Sanders’ team looks to have the inside track in the race for 25-6A’s top spot.

Vandegrift’s first 11 seasons of varsity competition have yielded an overall record of 94-40, and the Vipers’ 4-6 campaign back in 2010 — the program’s inaugural year — remains the lone losing season in school history. 

Vipers edge out Dragons

Written by Steven Ryan on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

Round Rock proved a worthy challenger for Vandegrift’s District 13-6A throne, but the defending league champs got a stellar game out of senior quarterback Dru Dawson and made a couple key defensive stops in the final frame to maintain their supremacy with a 32-25 win Friday at Monroe Stadium in Austin.

“We needed this,” said Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders. “This is good development for us, and I told the guys all week that this is going to be a playoff atmosphere. This is going to be like a 4th round 6A playoff game, and that’s exactly what happened.”

Dawson completed 17-of-20 passes for 275 yards with four touchdowns and an interception while adding 69 yards with his legs in by far his best game of the year. He also made a pair of big plays on a fourth-quarter touchdown drive to push the Vipers ahead for good.

After a 19-3 mid-game run allowed Round Rock to take a slim one-point lead, Dawson heaved a deep ball in stride to junior wide receiver Taylor Dumar for a 39-yard gain to the 15. Three plays later, he scrambled around to give his guys extra time to shake free and found senior tight end Brady Middleton wide open in the end zone for a go-ahead touchdown. 

“His improvement just continues to go up, and up, and up,” Sanders said. “He was so accurate tonight. He made one bad throw the whole night, really. Other than that, when he couldn’t throw it, he took off and ran. He had several nice runs for us, too. And then on the sideline when we had a little of that lull… I heard him over to the side talking to his guys and encouraging them, and that’s just what I need from my senior quarterback.”

Round Rock rolled up 348 rushing yards and 23 first downs, by far the most Vandegrift had given up in either category all season. But the Vipers succeeded in their game plan to take senior wide receiver Collin Sullivan out of the game. The Division I signee (Purdue) finished with just one catch for nine yards (albeit, a touchdown).

“We were not going to allow them to big-play us,” Sanders said. “We were going to bleed a slow death and our philosophy worked.”

After retaking the lead with Dawson’s fourth quarter heroics, Vandegrift’s defense stepped up on consecutive possessions with a three-and-out and a fourth-down stop in the red zone. 

“We’ve been in kind of an odd front the last several games. We had to go back at key points in our game and go back to our even front on defense, made some adjustments there and stopped them,” Sanders said. “A critical stop that we had that we needed, was because we went back to something we’ve been doing for years. We just haven’t done it much this year.

“It was nice to see us be able to adjust and do it immediately. Our kids, I always tell them, their secret weapon is how smart they are, and they were able to really adjust to what we were doing and make plays. It’s hard for a defense, when you stop everybody all year long, and you come against an offense like this, that is scoring on you, it’s hard for you to not get down on yourself, and those guys found a way to rally, keep themselves mentally pumped up, and find a way to win.”

The offense proceeded to run the final 5:21 off the clock with some bruising runs by junior running back Bowen Lewis (24 carries, 118 yards, 47-yard TD reception), a fantastic catch on a deep ball by senior wide receiver Trey Mongauzy (7 catches, 132 yards, TD, 32 yards rushing) and pivotal seven-yard run on third down by Dawson.

“Round Rock is going to have a great rest of their year. Hopefully, we do, too,” Sanders said. “To be able to win a third or fourth round 6A playoff game, like what tonight was, that just speaks volumes to our kids, coaches and everybody else.”

Vipers beat Raiders

Written by Steven Ryan on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

This story has been written before, and will likely be written again. Vandegrift’s mighty defense went up against a high-scoring offense, and like it usually does in these situations, shut it down. The Vipers used a solid game plan, maximum effort and near-flawless execution to keep Vista Ridge (4-1) off the scoreboard for the first two-and-a-half quarters in a 31-12 win Friday at John Gupton Stadium in Leander, TX.

“We knew we’d be depending on our defense tonight,” said Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders. “We felt it was strength versus strength because they came in averaging over 40 points a game and for us to do what we did tonight, shut them out in the first half really I thought set a tone to our guys. We had a great week of work. We didn’t play particularly well last week in a win over Hendrickson and everybody kind of got down on us. I think the kids took that personal, came out and played really well tonight.”

The outcome might’ve been different if not for some costly mistakes by the Rangers. Vista Ridge marched down the field on its opening drive before Vandegrift stiffened up right before the goal line. Facing 4th & goal from the 1, the Rangers surprised the Vipers with a perfectly drawn up pass play. The execution fell short, however, as the wide receiver dropped a ball that hit him right in the numbers. On the ensuing possession, Vandegrift punched the reeling Rangers right in the mouth with junior running back Bowen Lewis (23 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD) breaking loose for a 48-yard score.

“We worked all week on our train check,” Sanders said, “which is the adjustment to their big, heavy set, and we executed it to perfection, and so I was really pleased to see that. It was first & goal from the 1, and it just shows a lot of guts on our defense to, first of all, do what you’re coached to do and then stop them four downs in a row. Huge credit to our defense, just unbelievable heart.”

The Rangers also had two back-breaking mistakes on special teams and a pair of lost fumbles, while Vandegrift played a clean game with zero turnovers and only two penalties. Vista Ridge had a deep snap sail over its punters head to set-up a five-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Ryan Sheppard to open the second quarter. 

“That’s kind of what our defense does, it makes plays, and then our offense is opportunistic, and it’s also very specific and organized, and they do a great job of making the plays count,” Sanders said. “We’re not a super explosive offense, but we’re a very efficient offense that gets things done and it’s a recipe for winning ball games… I don’t know how people view us, but I think as I look at my own team I see us as a team that plays really sound, fundamental football. We don’t make many mistakes. We play good defense, we play efficient offense, we play solid special teams, and I think we’re a tough out for anybody we play.”

A lost fumble later in the period gave the Vipers another short field, which they took advantage of as senior quarterback Dru Dawson (8-for-13, 82 pass yards, 2 TDs, 48 rush yards) hooked up with senior wide receiver Trey Mongauzy for a 14-yard score. Vista Ridge opened the second half with another botched punt snap. The Vipers scored three plays later with Dawson finding Mongauzy (3 catches, 46 yards, 2 TDs) again to make it 31-0 and send the more casual fans scrambling to their cars.

“We get a great week of work in. We trust our coach’s game plan. They work really hard to put a great game plan in and we stay locked into the game. Good things happen when we stay locked in,” said senior defensive end Matthew Graham. “We (the defensive line) are not the biggest, but we play really hard, we believe in each other, we believe in our D-line coach, who’s an awesome guy, and we’re relentless. We always find a way.”

Rodney Vincent Vista Ridge Head Coach Talk with us on The Friday Night Countdown before facing the Vipers Defense.

Vandegrift beats Cedar Ridge

Written by Steven Ryan on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

Vandegrift allowed its first score of the season, but that was it as the Vipers corralled Cedar Ridge’s all-everything running back Duece Vaughn in a 28-7 victory Friday at Dragon Stadium in Round Rock.

“How you control someone like Duece Vaughn, because he’s a generational talent, he’s that good, is more than one person,” said Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders. “So we found a way tonight to get more than one person to the point of attack. So when he looked up there were two or three Vipers there, and that’s a credit to our coaches for great schemes and our players for executing.”

Vaughn, a dynamic 5-foot-7 dynamo committed to Div. I Kansas State, was contained to 118 total yards (99 rushing, 19 receiving) after going for more than 200 against the Vipers last season. The rest of the offense produced just 99 as Vandegrfit held Cedar Ridge to 217 yards on 50 plays for 4.3 yards per play.

Senior linebacker Jax McCauley was all over the place, as usual, but it’s always a team effort with the Vipers. The secondary held Cedar Ridge quarterbacks to 9-of-19 passing for 87 yards (4.6 yards per attempt) and intercepted a pass. Meanwhile, the defensive line was in the backfield all night with Matthew Graham, Jordan Cochran and Rickey Sweeney leading the way.

“Our D-line over the years, if anybody watches us, is kind of our calling card,” Sanders said. “We have a bunch of guys who aren’t super impressive physically, but we put just great athletes that our kinda strong there and we use (that) they are faster than the offensive lines. So that’s what we do well and you saw that on display tonight. Hopefully we can keep doing that, and then as the game went on, we increased our pressure because we felt like they were getting more tired and we just rotate a bunch of guys. We have a bunch of guys that go in. We have like five or six guys that can play and you can see the freshness as the fourth quarter happened.”

Vandegrift stole the momentum early when McCauley recovered a blocked punt in the end zone on the first drive of the game.

“We worked that all week. We found something studying tape,” Sanders said. “My special teams coordinator Coach (Ed) Wolkind found something so we worked all week that block. I told everybody we were going to go for that very first punt. To get it is fun for the kids to be able to do that, what a great start for us to be able to go three & out, blocked punt for a touchdown. It’s about as good as you could do. We just kind of sent a message that, you know what, last year wasn’t a fluke. Hopefully, we’re here to stay.”

From there the offense grinded Cedar Ridge down with the run game and hit on three big pass plays to put the game out of reach. Junior running back Bowen Lewis rushed for 107 yards on 22 carries, his third straight 100-yard rushing game, and hauled in a 47-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Dru Dawson and Taylor Dummar celebrate one of their 2 TD strikes in Friday Nights victory over Cedar Ridge of Round Rock in the handsome win 28-7. Photo Jenna Friedrich for Texas Sports Monthly

Junior wide receiver Taylor Dummar had the other two touchdowns. He got wide open for a 40-yarder in the second quarter to put the Raiders in a 21-0 hole and then made a more contested catch on 3rd and 10 in the third quarter for a 31-yard score that re-established Vandegrift’s 21-point lead. Senior quarterback Dru Dawson finished 7-of-12 for 153 yards with the three touchdowns and one interception.

“It started with our run game. Our run game opened up our passing and our coaches put in a good game-plan. It’s pretty easy for me when the guy is wide open,” said Dawson. “We put in a lot of motions and shifts that get the defense to change and that’s one of our pride and joys and it came out tonight and worked really well… Very proud of our team but we have so much potential to show. So that’s the exciting thing, but it was a great win all-around.”

Drew Sanders Vandegrift Vipers 2019 Preview

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

AUSTIN — The current era of football has become known as the golden age of offense.

However, Vandegrift head coach Drew Sanders isn’t ready to concede anything to the high-octane, spread-it-out attacks that have been piling on the points across the Lone Star State.

“We take pride in our defense at Vandegrift,” Sanders said. “We had the No. 1-rated defense in our district last year and we’re excited to see if we can do that again. It’s definitely a challenge. Every team we play has one to two to even three Division I players on the offensive side of the ball.”

The Vipers emerged as the District 13-6A champions last season behind a stingy defense that held opponents to a mere 13.8 points per game before allowing 56 in a third-round playoff loss to Longview. Vandegrift, which went 12-1 overall in 2018, will look to once again put the clamps on its district foes this season and will be led by all-state linebacker Jax McCauley, who made 156 tackles as a junior.

Sanders said McCauley is the complete package.

“Jax’s effort is tremendous,” Sanders said. “He never takes a play off, and because of his great effort he’s always around the ball because he’s equipped with some size and speed. Then there’s his preparation. The guy studies the game — he will actually watch tape every day of his opponent and will report back to us on what he finds out.”

McCauley is one of several returnees to the defensive side of the ball in 2019, along with defensive end Trevor Harrison and defensive backs Tyler Mongauzy, J.J. Parker and Kaleb Lewis. Sanders said junior defensive back Logan Arnold may also join the mix this season to add even more ability to the back end of the Vipers’ defense.

“Our secondary will be very experienced and athletic,” Sanders said. “We’ll have to replace some losses at linebacker and defensive line, but we feel good about the guys we have coming up.”

On offense, Vandegrift welcomes back quarterback Dru Dawson and his top target — wide receiver Trey Mongauzy. Junior running back Bowen Lewis, who is Kaleb’s twin brother, looks primed to step into a starting role. Sanders also said sophomore wide receiver Blake Youngblood could make his presence felt on the outside.

Up front, the Vipers have a pair of all-district offensive linemen in Harry Witt and James Collyer, who will try to pave the way for another balanced attack. Last season, Vandegrift averaged close to 200 yards passing and rushing in each contest while scoring just over 31 points per game.

Those impressive numbers helped the Vipers put together the best season in program history, but Sanders said no one is looking too far ahead as his squad prepares to tune up for an encore performance.

“We’d love to have continued playoff success, but in order to have playoff success, you’ve got to get there,” Sanders said. “A state championship is still the ultimate goal for us and we talk about that. We haven’t been there yet. We’ve been in the third round several times, the fourth round and even the fifth round one year, but we’ve had a hard time trying to get to that state game, so we’re striving hard to do that.”

The Vipers will once again compete against eight other foes in 13-6A. The field includes Cedar Ridge, Hendrickson, Round Rock, Stony Point, Westwood, McNeil, Leander and Vista Ridge.

Sanders said it certainly won’t be smooth sailing, but he also acknowledged one advantage of being in such a sizable league.

“Because you’re in a nine-team district, you can lose one and be a district champ,” Sanders said. “It isn’t just a top-heavy district — everybody is pretty good. You’ve got to make sure your preparation is really on point because you only have a couple of games to prepare for the ones that matter.”

Any Given Friday

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in Football, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. 2 Comments on Any Given Friday

Any Given Friday…A Behind the Scenes Look at Friday Night Lights-

by Keri Wootton

Is it just me or does everyone feel the electricity in the air under the Friday Night Lights?

Even at 2 pm when I arrive to begin preparing both the concession stands and spirit wear booth, I can feel the storm brewing within the walls of the high school, the explosion of energy just waiting for the team to hit the field. Is it the smell of the grill being fired up at the tailgate? The sound of the band warming up? The sight of the Legacies and cheerleaders lining up for the Viper walk? This Viper fan and volunteer says it’s all of those things, along with something most don’t see or know anything about; the incredible village of support for these nights made up of staff, coaches, and volunteers who put in countless hours to make our Friday nights so special.

A high school football game is much more than just the battle going on between two teams. Friday Night Football is a season of community, a gathering of friends from every generation; grandparents wearing their grandchild’s picture button; gaggles of middle school girls giggling in line at concessions; swarms of teammates’ little brothers and sisters, running themselves ragged in the grassy area while their parents high five, cheer, question calls, and support their kids out there under the lights.

But before all of that can occur, the battle plans are laid – our amazing coaches (fifteen in all) began preparing for our season long before we have brought out the sunscreen and swimsuits. Having coached our players all summer – four mornings a week at conditioning camp, then two-a-days, followed by morning & afternoon practice once school begins, they are well into their workday before we even think about brewing our first cup of coffee. Overseeing the players’ hydration, health, and that the equipment is in order are Chris Shivers & Linda Bowman and their team of student trainers.
Supporting the players, coaches, and trainers is our Football Booster Club, made up of parent volunteers, most of whom serve multiple years on the board. This crew assists Drew Sanders, Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator, with all of the financial, logistical, and practical aspects of running a 6A football program. When asked for his thoughts on the many volunteers that put in countless hours of support, he stated, “I am so appreciative to have so many dedicated parent volunteers in our community. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”

So, what goes into Friday Night Lights you ask? You would be surprised at the army it takes to host upwards of 5000-6000 fans each week. With six football teams and their games played on both Thursday and Friday nights, it literally takes multiple squads of parents and staff to execute the maneuvers required each week. Much of this planning begins in the summer as well; stadium to be renovated (Thank you LISD), uniforms to be ordered, meals and snacks for concessions to be planned, Viper swag to be designed & ordered, parking plans to be laid out, Viper Moms & Dads events to be communicated, food/drinks/hospitality for the Band & Vision – 450 members strong (enter all the food allergies for said students), freshman and JV football players, cheer teams, and legacies to be organized, Friday tailgate volunteers to be recruited, sponsors to be secured, and parent volunteers to be enlisted, trained, and mobilized. Many of these tasks continue week in and week out to make the Friday Night Lights experience what it is. No one but a few very lucky ones are part of the Angel Troops, spending hours fixing uniforms, stocking concessions, creating playlists (that fun music you hear during the game), ordering additional rain ponchos when they sell out the first rainy game of the season, drafting parents to bring Gatorade to each away game for our players as they get back on buses, organizing said buses….oh, then there is the other level of hospitality – feeding visiting coaches and staff for every game, not including the press box! Yup, all of this all happens long before Friday Night begins, many parent volunteers logging the hours of a full-time job just to finish all of the tasks by kickoff.

So, what does all this have to do with you? It is this mom, volunteer, and High School Football fan’s hope that you might enter Friday Night Lights with a new appreciation/perspective for that electricity you feel in the air when you pull onto McNeil drive to take your seat and experience what happens Any Given Friday. Being a part of Friday night lights has been one of the most meaningful endeavors I have ever experienced. After moving to Texas and attending Friday Night Football for many years, I enjoyed it but had absolutely no idea what went into these special events. I, like many, paid for my ticket, sat in the stands, and cheered on our Vipers without being aware of how it all came together. But over the last 2+ years, I have learned so much, not just about football, but about what can be accomplished when so many generous volunteers come together to give their time, talents, finances, and most of all, their heart for our community, school, and football program. I have said for a long time that the Four Points Community is special, but was unable to put my finger on what exactly “it” is that makes it special. I now realize that that thing I couldn’t put my finger on is most evident at Vandegrift High School. That Friday Night Lights electricity is the positive, get-it-done-with-fun energy of our Viper community. If you have never experienced the sense of belonging that happens every time we stand to honor our military heroes or the powerful voice of our crowd as our players take another “first and 10,” I encourage you to join us in the stands Any Given Friday. I can guarantee you will feel “it,” too.