The Vandegrift Vipers stunned the Cedar Park Timberwolves Friday night as the T-Wolves headed into the locker room at the half with no points on the scoreboard during their first 24 minutes of district play.
The hard fought game by the Vipers ended in overtime 29-28 as Cedar Park took the final points of the night.
“I knew it was going to be trench warfare, but we strongly felt we were going to give Cedar Park the fight of their lives,” senior varsity football captain James Gonzalez said. “And that is exactly what we did.”
Despite being the seventh ranked 4A team in the state, the Timberwolves played a sloppy first half without starting quarterback Brian Hogan, failing to put any points on the scoreboard and turning the ball over multiple times.
“My honest expectations were that Vandegrift is a good team,” senior Cedar Park quarterback Brian Hogan said. “They have proven it by winning their first 4 games. CP knew that we had to play good to win that game.”
The Vipers gained the momentum early in the game, as running back Yuron Shears’ 78-yard run gave the Vipers the first down they needed for Prukop to connect on a pass to junior wide receiver Dylan Hosek for the first touchdown of the night. The extra point attempt by senior kicker Rand Frederickson was no good.
On the following kick off, Vandegrift recovered an onside kick from Koster at the Cedar Park 41-yard line, eventually resulting in a failed field goal kick by Koster.
The Timberwolves’ five first-half fumbles resulted in three turnovers for the Vipers, one of which put the Vipers at their own 38-yard line. Senior running back Yuron Shears gave the Vipers a first down, and Prukop scored on a quarterback keeper with 2:47 remaining in the half.
The Vipers headed into the locker room with a 13-0 lead against the Timberwolves and 165-68 total yard advantage.
Cedar Park found the talent they needed to put points on the board when quarterback Brian Hogan entered the field early in the second half with a shoulder injury suffered in their previous game.
With 6:55 left in the third, Hogan scored on a 10-yard run for the first Timberwolf touchdown of the night.
Thomas Middleton gave Cedar Park the lead when he scored in the third, putting the Timberwolves ahead 14-13.
The Vipers suffered multiple penalties in the second half, many of which were a result of false starts.
As the Timberwolves took over the ball, Hogan gave CP a 21-13 lead, scoring the third CP touchdown (and Hogan’s second TD of the half) with 8:00 left in the fourth quarter.
“Cameron Harris getting the fumble in the end zone, giving us a touchback, was the game changer for us,” senior wide receiver Brandon Brown said.
As the clock wound down, a Viper comeback seemed like a long shot, but momentum shifted again when Prukop connected with wide receiver Brandon Brown on a 48 yard reception. Brown ran it into end zone, bringing the score to 19-21 with 43 seconds left in the game.
“This game showed that we can compete with the best,” Brown said. “We definitely have a really good season ahead of us.”
The Vipers attempt for a two-point conversion from Prukop to junior wide receiver Mark Giles was successful, tying the score and forcing the game into overtime.
“I felt proud that we held our own against them,” said Giles, who ended the game with 24 yards receiving on 2 receptions, both of which were key plays in the game.
After losing the coin toss, Vandegrift had first possession of the ball in overtime. Shears ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown on the first play. Koster’s extra point kick was good, and the Vipers took a 28-21 lead.
On the second drive in OT, the Timberwolves received the ball. Middleton scored a touchdown with a run through the Viper defense, and CP followed it up with a daring but successful conversion attempt, also completed by Middleton, giving the T-Wolves the 29-28 win.
“After the game, I felt relieved at pulling away with a win and proud of the way CP came back,” Hogan said after the close win.
In a game that was as emotional as it was physical, the Vipers walked away with a 4-1 record but a sense of pride in the fight they put up against a state ranked team who topped them just a year ago by over 50 points.
“We left everything on the field,” Gonzalez said.
“I felt proud that we held our own against them,” Giles said.
In the huddle after the game, Coach Sanders “told the young men that I’ve never been prouder to be their coach.”
“From the back-ups scoring on us last year and losing by 53 points, to fighting all the way to overtime in one year? Hard work pays off and we are a program on the rise,” Sanders said.
