The varsity football team has their biggest test of the year, as they face rival Cedar Park on Friday. Both teams have started the season off 6-0 and both appear to be contenders to win the 5A state championship. Last week, Vandegrift came back from a 42-14 deficit to win 63-55 against Vista Ridge. Cedar Park had an easier matchup last week, as they defeated Leander 51-14. There are certain things that the Vipers will have to execute during this game so they can defeat Cedar Park for a second straight year.

One of the main areas where Vandegrift needs to execute is the passing game, led by quarterback Alex Fernandes.

“We definitely have to execute through the air,” Fernandes said. “They have some talented players on the defensive side, but my receivers and I have trust with one another, so we can get it done. We also need to have a passing threat that will keep the defense on their toes, enabling us to score.”

Running back Travis Brannan has been awarded Ford Player of the Week for week one, and Friday Night Fanstand Player of the Week for week two. He has rushed for 1141 yards and 14 touchdowns this year, and the running game is a pivotal part of their offense.

“We need to move the ball to beat Cedar Park,” Brannan said. “Their defense forces opponents’ offenses into long yardage situations, so we need to move the ball and get positive yardage.”

The offense is not the only side of the ball that the Vipers must play well on, as the defense needs to play well to stop Cedar Park’s offense.

“We need to get a solid game plan for stopping the run,” junior defensive end Sam Brod said. “We mainly need to put pressure on the quarterback and force bad passes.”

Although the game is being played on the actual field, the student section has a major effect on the game, as they get the players pumped up.

“In order to pull off back to back victories against Cedar Park, the students and fans need to be loud,” senior and student section vocal leader Josh Rinn said. “In a rivalry game like this one, crowd involvement can be the difference between a win and a loss. Beat CP!”

Friday’s game between Vandegrift and Cedar Park is huge, as it is the Austin-American Statesman game of the week. This should be a matchup that is close until the clock reaches zero, but if the Vipers capitalize on their keys, they should win this matchup.