District 25-4A teams took the field October 28th, 2011, for Week 9 of Texas high school football and the second to last week of district play. With a 28-42 loss against Vandegrift, the Rouse Raiders were eliminated from the playoff running for good. Dripping Springs fought Cedar Park for standing position but was unsuccessful, and Marble Falls and Vista Ridge have one last chance of staying in the light of playoffs if they win next week.
The Vandegrift Vipers battled the Rouse Raiders for their last home game of the regulation season and possibly the last of the entire season (depending on playoffs) in a bitter rivalry, fueled by last year’s 40-38 win for Vandegrift, which was secured at the last second with a field goal from now-senior Brett Koster. To accompany the rivalry, Friday was also Homecoming Night, featuring the Viper’s first full homecoming court. Mr. John Vandegrift, father of Vandegrift High School’s namesake, Matthew, gave a pre-game speech to the Vipers in the locker room.
The Raiders started the night with possession, only to be forced to punt the ball away after facing the strong Viper defense. With a screen pass to senior Brandon Brown from senior Dakota Prukop, Vandegrift began the trek up field. Unable to hold against the Viper offense, the Raiders slowly retreated after Prukop and senior Yuron Shears converted three fourth down plays, followed up by an 8-yard reception for a touchdown by Brown. The Vipers set the tempo, and after a good extra point by senior Rand Fredrickson, led 7-0 halfway into the first quarter.
After a fair kickoff return by junior wide receiver Logan Kinder, the Raiders were quickly thrust into fourth down, where they were forced to turn the ball back over to the Viper offense for the second quarter. From their own 30-yard line, the Vipers forced their way to the Raider’s 28 with a pass to junior Dylan Hosek and a run by Shears. Soon after, Prukop made a 28-yard run for a Viper touchdown. Following an extra point by Fredrickson, the Vipers led 14-0.
Rouse responded with a hard offensive drive, including receptions by senior wide receiver Brady Spencer a run by senior running back Ed Butts to put the Raiders in Viper territory. The Raiders scored on a long 38-yard run by junior quarterback Justin Pelt to cap their drive, followed by a successful extra point by junior kicker Sergio Benitez. Pressure was put back on Vandegrift as the score became 14-7.
Starting from their own 23-yard line, the Vipers were moved 28 yards up field after a run by Shears. Breaking multiple tackled, Shears ran again for a big gain, putting the Vipers in the red zone. After penalty flags against both teams, Prukop scampered 11 yards for a diving touchdown. After another point by Fredrickson, the Vipers extended their lead 21-7 over the Raiders.
Rouse responded immediately with a 36-yard kickoff return by junior running back Aivery Scheffer, easily penetrating the Viper’s kickoff team. The Raiders pushed hard for yardage, gaining six to eight yards a play as they inched up field. Pelt ended the short drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Wesley Lewis. Following a successful extra point, the Raiders brought the score to 21-14.
The Vipers started their next drive from their own 20 yard line after a long kickoff, but were forced to punt after a short three plays. Unfortunately, the punt was shanked and gave the Raiders excellent field position at the Vandegrift 44-yard line. But, despite the field position, Rouse just couldn’t break the Viper defense and were forced into a field goal. Be it wind or the hold, the 37-yard field goal attempt by Benitez fell short, giving the Vipers possession with a minute left in the half.
The Vipers were unable to score on their last drive of the half despite a run by Shears and pass to Brown and led 21-14 into the half.
Maintaining possession, the Vipers started over from their own 19-yard line. Brown put the Vipers in a good spot with a 29-yard reception. Following runs by Prukop and Shears, junior wide receiver Tristen Paffe made a 15-yard reception for another Viper touchdown. Fredrickson brought the score to 28-14 with a successful extra point.
After kickoff, the Raiders started their drive again with good field position at their own 35-yard line. After runs by Butts and Pelt, the Raiders setup for a touchdown. With aid from a penalty against the Vipers, Rouse wide receiver Lewis managed a 25-yard reception and put the Raiders in the red zone. On a quarterback keep, Pelt ran the ball in for a short touchdown. After the proceeding extra point by Benitez, the Viper lead was condensed to 28-21.
Vandegrift started on their own 34-yard line after a return by senior Keller Wylie. With yet another long reception, Brown brought the Vipers out of their territory and onto Rouse’s 49-yard line. Soon after two offsetting personal fouls, the Vipers were forced into punting, giving the Raiders possession on the Rouse 19-yard line.
The Raiders, with a pass to junior wide receiver Logan Kinder and runs by Butts and Pelt, got within field goal range to close out the 3rd quarter. The Viper defense held strong as the fourth quarter started. Benitez attempted a 32-yard field goal but the kick was wide left and no good, maintaining a 28-21 scoreboard in favor of Vandegrift.
Vandegrift was forced into another punt after an unsuccessful drive, only to get the ball back on their own 8-yard line after the Viper defense continued to hold the line. Following short runs by Prukop, Shears made a long run to set the Vipers up on their own 46-yard line and then two more runs totaling 17 yards. On the heels of Shears, Prukop pushed his way into the end zone for another Viper touchdown to cap off a 92-yard drive. After a good kick by Fredrickson, the Vipers led 35-21 with only three minutes left on the clock.
Rouse started their drive strong with a long reception by Kinder, quickly followed up by a touchdown from Pelt to Lewis to end their 2 play, 15 second drive. As the Viper defense readjusted, Benitez put up another good kick to bring the score to 35-28.
Looking for another fast drive, the Raiders attempted an onside kick but were unsuccessful as senior Garrison Gregory came out of the pile, ball in hand for the Vipers. After a 30-yard run by Paffe, Shears ran the final 26 yards into the end zone for a Viper touchdown with two minutes left on the clock. Fredrickson extended the lead again to 14 points with a successful extra point, setting the score 42-28.
Hoping for another touchdown, the Raiders drove hard and fast into Viper territory only to be stopped at the 14-yard line by the Viper defense featuring major hits by Garrison Gregory. The Vipers took possession and ran the clock out for a 42-28 district win over the Rouse Raiders.
The Vipers ended with 162 passing yards, all by Prukop, versus Pelt’s 252 passing yards for the Raiders. Vandegrift made up yardage on the ground with 385 yards, 243 from Shears, while Rouse had 231 yards. This win officially eliminated Rouse from the playoff race, making their final game against Vista Ridge next week. To clinch their playoff slot the Vipers must beat the Marble Falls Mustangs next week in Marble Falls, or else it’ll come down to district points between Vandegrift, Marble Falls and Vista Ridge.
The Dripping Springs Tigers hosted the Cedar Park Timberwolves in a fight for better playoff ranking. Wanting to maintain their standing, the T’Wolves allowed Dripping Springs a mere 92 yards receiving, mostly by junior quarterback Kyle Johnson, and 99 yards rushing. The Timberwolves started strong, coming out of the first quarter winning 14-0. Followed by touchdowns by senior wide receiver Joey Herrick and junior wide receiver Cole Rogers, the Tigers stayed in the game until senior Cedar Park quarterback Brian Hogan broke loose with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Cedar Park won 35-14 with only 118 yard passing and 198 yards rushing. Dripping Springs will remain in third place in district standings as Cedar Park holds 1st. Next week the T’Wolves will face off against Lake Travis for a major battle at Gupton Stadium.
At home, the Lake Travis Cavaliers hosted the Marble Falls Mustangs for a clearly one-sided matchup. The Cavs started out by forcing a safety, followed up by two touchdowns and an extra point to take a 15-0 lead in the first quarter. Lake Travis widened the deadly lead 36-0 going into the half, and finished the game with an easy win of 57-0 over the Mustangs, dominating every aspect of the field even though there was no score in the fourth quarter. Despite the high score, Lake Travis led with only 246 total offensive yards. The Mustangs managed to cross the 50-yard line once throughout the game. Despite the heavy loss, the Mustangs can still stay in the playoff race if they win big against Vandegrift in Week 10.
