After a long week of major wildfires throughout Texas, high school football did not disappoint in Week 2 as we saw excellent matchups on Friday, September 9th such as Boerne against Vandegrift and 4A-Division I state champion Lake Travis taking on 4A-Division II state champion Aledo.
The Vandegrift Vipers held their first home game this season, hosting the Boerne Greyhounds, in a very close matchup with both teams having strong quarterbacks and offensive lines to protect them. Last year the Vipers beat the Greyhounds 21-14 in a fierce game that could have gone either way, increasing the intensity of Friday’s game.
Even with only one day of practice due to school cancelations, the Viper defense started the night strong, trading possessions with the Greyhounds multiple times and ending each series deep in Greyhound territory. With 3:48 left in the first, the Vipers drew first blood with a short five-yard pass from senior Dakota Prukop to put junior Dylan Hosek on the board for the first time this season. Before the quarter ended, Prukop and junior Mark “the Jet” Giles took advantage of penalties against Boerne to sneak in another touchdown with a goal line catch.
The Vipers led out of the first quarter up 14-0 with extra points by senior Rand Fredrickson.
Early in the second, Prukop jogged into the end zone for an easy six points to widen the Viper’s lead 21-0. Following a series of quick passes by Greyhound senior quarterback Wilson Amick, junior kicker Taylor Knopf puts up a short field goal to make the score 21-3.
After a controversial turnover, the Viper’s first turnover of the season, Amick was stopped inches from the end zone by junior James Hallonquist and again on the next play by junior Kyle Elliot, forcing Boerne to kick another field goal.
The Vipers came out of halftime 21-6 and full of energy as Prukop ran straight through the Boerne defensive line for his second touchdown of the night. In the last seconds of the third, Boerne kicker Knopf put up the final points of the game for the Greyounds with a third field goal.
The next series after an attempted field goal in the fourth quarter by Fredrickson, Prukop ran the ball 28 yards for his third touchdown of the night. Senior Brett Koster followed up with the final point of the game as the clock begins to dwindle. After a number of penalties, Vandegrift finally secured the 35-9 victory over Boerne. For additional information on the Viper Greyhound matchup, visit https://www.vandegriftvoice.com/?p=1521.
Making Texas high school football history, the Lake Travis Cavaliers, 4A-Division I state champions, went against the Aledo Bearcats, 4A-Division II state champions. With their reputation and major sponsors, including Under Armour, these schools attracted a crowd of 9,000 rowdy fans to Bearcat Stadium in Aledo, Texas. The Cavalier offense set the tempo with two quick touchdowns, claiming the first quarter as their own leading into the second at 14-0. Aledo responded with a long 18 play series, ending with an ironically easy six-yard run into the end zone by senior running back Johnathan Gray, bringing the game to 14-7.
Soon after, Gray put up another touchdown with an 82 yard run, displaying why the University of Texas recruited him. With a score tied 14-14, Cavalier junior quarterback Baker Mayfield made a 59 yard completion to senior wide receiver Zach Austin. Halfway through the second, Aledo senior kicker Tyler Caudle added a field goal to the scoreboard but was soon answered by a 13-yard Baker pass to senior wide receiver Griffin Gilbert.
After multiple possessions and a scoring frenzy by Aledo snuffed by the Cav’s superior offense, Lake Travis took a 35-25 halftime lead. With hopes still high, Aledo started the third quarter with a successful field goal, but was soon shut down by multiple touchdowns from the Cavs, putting victory out of reach for the state champion Bearcats.
Lake Travis claimed the game at 62-35, but Aledo’s Johnathan Gray broke the record of career touchdowns at 147, ending the night at 148 touchdowns. Lake Travis quarterback Baker Mayfield ended with an astonishing 434 passing yards over 27 competitions and six touchdowns for Lake Travis. The Cavs are proving to be a dangerous opponent this year.
This week the Rouse Raiders were hosted by the Hendrickson Hawks, obtaining their first loss of the season at 30-41 and the only loss in District 25 this week. The Raider offense was mostly on the ground, with only 167 total passing yards between junior quarterback Justin Pelt and senior quarterback Michael Bottelo. Raider senior running back Ed Butts had 130 rushing yards over 23 plays, earning Rouse two much needed touchdowns.
The Cedar Park Timberwolves took on the Leander Lions at District 25’s shared Bible Stadium, where the T’Wolves continued to attract mixed feelings about their season. Even after a strong initial drive, Cedar Park was still kept at bay by the Lion defense. Lions senior quarterback Andres Barrera threw for a 92 yard completion into the end zone and sophomore defensive end Michael Epley forced a safety against the T’Wolves. At the end of the night, Cedar Park barely held out against Leander, winning 18-16.
With high hopes to gain their first win of the season, the Vista Ridge Rangers took on the Del Valle Cardinals at their own Gupton Stadium. Both teams battled it out evenly in the first quarter, making for a great game as the Rangers got the first and only points of the half late in the second with a short pass from senior quarterback Blake Estes to senior linebacker Austin Heath. Estes ran 3 yards into the end zone in the third and again in the fourth, followed by another Lion touchdown courtesy of senior running back Mason Thom. The Cardinals were completely shut out by the Ranger defense, giving Vista Ridge the well deserved 27-0 win, and their first victory of the season.
The Dripping Springs Tigers went to Manor, Texas to play the Manor Mustangs, who have yet to win a game this season. With a score of 42-34, the Tigers rose victorious over the Mustangs after losing to them 33-30 last year.
The Marble Falls Mustangs hosted the Burnet Bulldogs, winning 35-21 and remaining undefeated. The Mustangs have been holding their own in non-district play and, as they were last year, will show to be a respectable opponent.
