Week 5 kicked off the 2^nd week of district play for District 25-4A on Friday, September 30^th, resulting in an easy win for Cedar Park, a tough loss for Rouse, and a hard fought but unfortunate loss for Vandegrift. District 25-4A is one of the most competitive districts in Texas High School 4A football, boasting state champion contenders like Cedar Park and Lake Travis.

 After a close loss to Cedar Park last week, the Vandegrift Vipers moved on for a road trip to Dripping Springs to matchup against the Tigers. Having lost to the Tigers 30-32 last year by a last minute field goal, the Vipers were seeking to make their presence known and balance their district record.

 The Vipers started out with the ball, ending their first drive 3 n’out with a long punt. The Tigers started their first offensive drive with multiple hail Mary passes from junior quarterback Kyle Johnson, one of which was received for an early touchdown by senior wide receiver Joey Herrick, after he shoved Viper senior Cameron Harris to the ground. Offensive pass interference was called, retracting the touchdown and bringing the ball back. The Tigers lost possession after a 4^th and long attempt.

 Viper junior Mason Hargreaves recovered a Tiger fumble soon after, followed immediately by a pass from senior quarterback Dakota Prukop to junior Tristan Paffe for a 40-yard touchdown. This gave Vandegrift the first points of the game over Dripping Springs. After a blocked extra point attempt by senior Rand Fredrickson, the scoreboard remained 6-0 as the Tigers got the ball back. With help from junior wide receiver Cole Rogers, the Tigers made their way slowly up to the Viper 1 yard line. Dripping Springs senior running back Omar Pereyra took the ball up the middle for a touchdown, followed up by a successful extra point by sophomore kicker Matthew Wylie, giving the Tigers a 6-7 lead into the 2^nd quarter.

 With 4 minutes left in the half, the Tigers made it back to the Viper 1 yard line with a 15-yard reception by Herrick, followed by a quick run into the end zone for a touchdown, also by Herrick. With an extra point from Wylie, the Tigers extended their lead over the Vipers 6-14. The Vipers started their next possession deep in Tiger territory, trying for a better field position but unable to break the Tiger defense, and were forced to punt the ball away as halftime neared. The Vipers got the ball back with a minute left on the clock after Dripping Springs was unable to take advantage of their excellent field position. With 29 yards to go, and memories of last week’s game changing missed field goal against Cedar Park, Fredrickson successfully completed the Viper field goal, closing the gap 9-14 as Dripping Springs led into the half.

To start the 3^rd quarter, the Viper defense shut down the Tiger offense, forcing a punt, but immediately lost possession after an interception. Soon after the switch, a pass from Johnson to Herrick put the Tigers in a 1^st and goal situation. Vandegrift’s defense held again, with yet another tipped ball by junior Jordan Sonnier that forced the Tigers to attempt a field goal from the Viper’s 6 yard line. The kick by Wylie, from the hold of senior wide receiver Ty Scott, was no good, giving the Viper defense a break as their offense took the field with the score still 9-14. Unfortunately the Viper offense was unable to advance; punting the ball away only to come back onto the field after the Tiger offense missed a 50-yard field goal to end the 3^rd quarter.

 After another possession switch, the Vipers intercepted Johnson’s 3^rd down throw and followed up with a run by senior Yuron Shears and plays by Prukop. With a well-sold fake to Shears, Prukop kept the ball and charged up field for a 33-yard touchdown. A two point conversion ran by Shears put the Vipers up 17-14. Dripping Springs answered with a slow but strong drive, ending with an 11-yard touchdown pass caught by Herrick. With a successful extra point from Wylie, the Tigers secured their final point on the game with a score of 17-21. The Vipers, with passes to senior Brandon Brown and Paffe, were unable to penetrate the Tiger defense and were sent off the field. The Viper defense held strong against the Tigers in the last minutes of the game, looking to give their offense a final drive. Vandegrift’s offense worked to get up field with three timeouts but was not successful, ending the game with an interception caught by Dripping Springs defender Scott. As the game clock ran out, the Vipers fell to Dripping Springs 17-21.

 Vandegrift, now 0-2 in district, will head into Week 6 at the bottom of district rankings against Lake Travis. Playoff hopes are still alive though, just as they were last season where the Week 10 game against Marble Falls was the final straw against the Viper’s playoff chance. Now the Vipers must win 3 of the 4 upcoming games to be 4^th in the district and carry on to post-season play.

 The Rouse Raiders traveled to Marble Falls where they faced the Mustangs for their first district game this year after coming out of a bye week. After a long 1^st quarter, Marble Falls got on the board first with a long pass by senior quarterback Taylor Cauble, caught by senior wide receiver Ryan Garcia for a 62-yard reception, ending an 80 yard drive. The score remained 0-7 with the Mustangs up until the Raiders scored late in the 3^rd quarter with a 23-yard reception by junior wide receiver Wesley Lewis, which was followed by a blocked extra point that kept the score to 6-7. The Mustangs answered late in the 4^th quarter with a 1-yard carry by Garcia, followed by an extra point, which brought the score to 6-14. The Rouse defense was called back on to the field after Marble Falls intercepted the ball. With great field position, Mustang senior quarterback Zed Woerner ran the ball in for a 28 yard touchdown. After a successful extra point, Marble Falls had secured their win over Rouse with a score of 6-21.

 The Cedar Park Timberwolves hosted Vista Ridge Rangers at their shared stadium, Gupton, expecting another district win to top off last week’s victory over the Vipers. The T’Wolves prevailed, rising 42-14 over the Rangers, who fought hard and endured through the Cedar Park offense led by senior quarterback Brian Hogan. The Rangers held their own in the 1^st quarter, but lost it after that, going into the half down 28-7. Vista Ridge ended the game on a successful final drive with a touchdown run by senior quarterback Blake Estes.