Vandegrift High School entered district play Friday night with a 59-3 loss to Cedar Park High School.

   On Saturday, at the VHS dedication ceremony, Athletic Coordinator and head football coach Drew Sanders spoke briefly about Friday’s game. “If you were at the game last night, you saw that big brother definitely beat up on little brother. But all I’ve got to say is that little brother eventually grows up. Our time will come.”

   Despite some seeming obvious advantages, like size and experience, Cedar Park prepared hard for the competition.

   “Going into the game, we took it like a playoff game. We wanted to go out like it was a must -win, because all district games are like that. We played good, but made some mental mistakes. Vandegrift played hard also,” CPHS quarterback Brian Hogan said.

   Early in the first quarter, Vandegrift answered a Cedar Park touchdown with a quick field goal. When Cedar Park quarterback Brian Hogan failed to connect on a pass to Michael Waterfield, defensive back Dakota Prukop intercepted the ball, resulting in a first and goal for Vandegrift. Unable to push forward past the Cedar Park defensive line, VHS settled for a field goal by kicker Brett Koster.

   “It felt good getting points on one of the best defensive lines in the state,” Koster said.

   Koster’s field goal would be the last time Vandegrift scored Friday night.

   “Our team did our best but we were outsized. I think we put up an extremely good fight,” defensive lineman Nate Heitman said.

   “I’m very happy they didn’t give up. They showed a lot of courage and class,” Charlie Little, VHS principal, said.

   Cedar Park Athletic Coordinator and head football coach Chris Ross agreed. “The young men played extremely hard for four quarters. It’s clear to see that they are well coached and that they believe in each other,” Ross said of Vandegrift’s team.

“The first thing that stands out is that our young men continued to try their very best regardless of the score,” Coach Sanders said. “One of the things we’re going to be known for is how hard we play. Over the years, the talent level will ebb and flow, but one thing that won’t ever change is our strong work ethic.”

   “I felt great after the game on Friday. As a team I felt like we had a few mistakes on both sides of the ball. But as a whole, we didn’t give up and we continued to make Cedar Park work hard for every yard,” linebacker Kyle Elliott added.

   Vandegrift goes into Friday’s homecoming game against Dripping Springs with a 3-2 record.