The varsity football team will begin their quest of returning to state when they hit the field this Friday, August 29, against the Dripping Springs Tigers. This marks the fourth year in a row where the Vipers’ season kicks off against the Tigers, with Vandegrift winning the last two meetings.
“The whole team understands the task ahead of us in the Dripping Springs game,” senior quarterback Miles Teodecki said. “But we also know that we just have to focus on getting better everyday during practice and learning the gameplan that the coaches will have for us.”
Teodecki returns for his senior season after a breakout junior year in his first year starting, where he scored a combined 52 touchdowns and threw for over 3,000 yards. In the state championship game against Southlake Carroll, he took home Offensive MVP honors after completing over 80% of his passes and throwing a pair of touchdown passes. On June 4, Teodecki announced his commitment to play college football at Kansas State University.
“Kansas State has a special culture and coaching staff that is rare to find in college football these days,” Teodecki said. “They have very similar hallmarks to Vandegrift so I feel that it’s a place that I can fit in well at.”
A potential challenge for this season is the fact that the team lost some key contributors on the offensive side of the ball. The Vipers lost their leading rusher Brendan Fournier, who is now at Columbia University, as well as two of their top four wide receivers, including leading receiver George Farley. Because of this, younger players will be filled into these crucial roles that were pivotal for success a season ago.
“I feel like there’s a lot of guys that we brought back as well, but I feel like all those guys that are going to step into those new roles will definitely succeed and do their thing, because we always lose players,” senior wide receiver Brock Chilton said. “And I mean, it’s always just a part of football at this point in high school. We always are prepared to replace guys when it comes to that point. [Some guys who can fill these roles are] Ontario Jackmon, Gavin Koester, Justin Moore, Preston James, I can go on and on. There’s plenty of guys that will be able to fill in those spots.”
Sophomore tight end Alexander Paulson is a younger player who is expected to play key snaps this year. Hudson Ratcliff, last season’s starting tight end, will not return this year, and Paulson, who played on the freshman team last year, is slated to help fill that role. As for all younger players, they must adjust from playing on the sub-varsity teams to playing on varsity.
“I think that it’s a big difference from freshman football, and the guys are a lot bigger, so I’ll have to definitely be on point with my plays and make sure I’m giving it my all,” Paulson said. “Then, I’m making sure I’m eating and sleeping enough so I can recover for the games.”
On top of losing some key contributors on the offensive side of the ball, the defense lost even more of its players from a year ago. The Vipers do not return any of their top five total tackle leaders, three of four interception leaders, and three of their five sack leaders. Like the offense, new players will need to emerge in order for the defense to replicate their success from last season.
“I think we can [have that same success as last year],” senior defensive end Hugo De La Vara Vazquez said. “We have some great coaches, we have a great community, we work as a family, and I think that it’s going to be a good year.”
The Vipers’ only loss last season came in a week two heartbreaking overtime loss against cross-town rival Cedar Park, marking the first time since 2020 where Vandegrift lost to their bitter rival. This year, the team will have a chance for revenge when the Timberwolves come to Monroe Stadium in week two.
“The Cedar Park game was the one game we lost last year and we are constantly reminded about that sour feeling,” Teodecki said. “We have revenge on our minds and are definitely going to be ready for that game.”
An often overlooked part about a deep playoff run is the lessons you learn that carry over to the following season. The Vipers nearly blew a comfortable lead against Cibolo Steele in the third round of the playoffs, and even trailed going into the fourth quarter of the state semifinals against Summer Creek.
“I think we learned just how to stay strong and rely on our teammates,” senior defensive back Brady Srncik said. “In the summer creek game we got down, but you know, we never gave up. We kind of relied on our teammates and we pushed through to win.”
Going into this season, the team is ranked six in the state in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Preseason Rankings and are viewed as one of the favorites to make it to AT&T Stadium in December. Recently in Texas high school football, it has been extremely difficult for teams to win back to back. Other than DeSoto in 2022-2023, no team has won back-to-back 6A Division II titles since 2014. The following years, opponents seem to have an extra motivation and edge when facing defending champions.
“We’re just going to take it week by week and focus on the current goals ahead of us,” Paulson said. “We know that we’re going to have a big target on our back, so we’re just going to stick to our game plan and not get too confident.”
Unless the Vipers want to fall into the same trap as most defending champions do, they will need to play with the same edge and toughness that was shown a season ago. If they are able to do that, then the sky is the limit for this season.
“I think that we can’t be complacent with where we are at,” Srncik said. “We’ve got to stay hungry and go do new things with this team and reach new heights.”
