After the Dripping Springs Tigers scored 21 unanswered points in the first quarter, Vandegrift’s homecoming game last Friday night looked to be a repeat of the painful blow-out against Cedar Park the previous week.
“We came out flat, but showed a lot of maturity not giving up when we were down 21-0,” quarterback Dakota Prukop said.
The Vipers rallied in the second quarter with a 20-yard field goal by Brett Koster and a touchdown on a quarterback keeper by Prukop.
“The biggest turning point was getting on the board right before the half. To be down 11 points was a reasonable goal to come back from,” head football coach Drew Sanders said. “Defensively, after those first three drives, we played really well. We just had to wake up a little bit. The kids were confident on defense, and that usually flows to the other side of the ball.”
“The changes that were made during halftime allowed us to come back the second half and pick up the tempo we played at,” linebacker Kyle Elliott said.
Those halftime adjustments made it clear the Vipers came to play. Between the second and third quarters, the young team scored 23 unanswered points, entering the 4th quarter with a 23-21 lead.
“As a team we started out slow, but then we picked it up, playing with full effort after the half,” receiver Brandon Brown said.
Early in the fourth quarter, Dripping Springs regained the lead, running the ball into the end zone and successfully completing the conversion.
A 63-yard return on a fumble recovery by Kyle Elliott gave the ball back to Vandegrift. A 31-yard pass by quarterback Forrest Threadgill to receiver Brandon Brown resulted in a late touchdown and a 30-29 Viper lead with less than a minute left in the game.
Dripping Springs kicked a 29-yard field goal late in fourth quarter to secure a 32-30 lead, ending a Vandegrift comeback attempt with less than ten seconds remaining in the game.
“We never expect to lose. That’s one of the things we talk to the young men about,” Coach Sanders said. “We were disappointed, but we realize we’re going to take some positive things from the game and move forward.”
Next week, the Vipers take on defending 4A state champions Lake Travis at Cavalier Stadium.
“We just have to fix our mistakes and start strong against Lake Travis,” Brandon Brown said.
