Class 4A Playoff Schedule – Week 4: Quarterfinals

Austin area schools will be in bold.

By Luther Xue

Friday, December 3

7:30 PM	Wylie (10-3) vs. Tyler John Tyler (12-1)	Wylie ISD Stadium
7:30 PM	Corpus Christi Calallen (12-1) vs. Boerne Champion (12-1)	Alamodome
7:30 PM	Aledo (13-0) vs. Stephenville (8-5)	Floyd Casey Stadium (Waco)

Saturday, December 4

1:30 PM	Cedar Park (13-0) vs. Lake Travis (11-2)	DKR Memorial Stadium
2:00 PM	Wichita Falls Rider (9-4) vs. Denton Ryan (13-0)	Collins Athletic Complex (Denton)
2:00 PM	Bastrop (10-3) vs. Mesquite Poteet (11-2)	Waco ISD Stadium
2:00 PM	LaMarque (9-3) vs. Manvel (11-2)	Wildcat Stadium (Angleton)
7:00 PM	Montgomery (12-1) vs. Friendswood (12-1)	Rice Stadium

Lake Travis Romps, Setting Up Rematch with Cedar Park

By Sam Bohmfalk

Lake Travis had no problem finding the end zone against Victoria East.

For an eight-minute stretch of time between the third and fourth quarters, Victoria East showed why it was a playoff team. For the other 40 minutes, it was all Lake Travis.

As the final horn sounded, Victoria East was left to ponder a season that no one saw coming, while Lake Travis was already gearing up for a rematch with district foe Cedar Park.

Things started off on the wrong foot for Victoria East, as they muffed the opening kickoff, giving Lake Travis a short field to work with. The 26-yard drive would end with quarterback Michael Brewer rushing it in from 4 yards out, his first of three on the day.

Much like in the Cedar Park-Weslaco East game, the opposition would hit right back. For Victoria East, it was Jonathan Garner who took the ball 75-yards to pay dirt, tying the game at 7.

But the next 15 minutes for Victoria East were, in a word, hell. Colin Lagasse caught sandwiched two touchdown catches around a Brewer 7-yarder and a Dannon Cavil 17-yard run as Lake Travis took a 35-7 halftime lead.

Victoria East was plagued by a bevy of mistakes after their first touchdown, including a fumble and penalties that derailed drives. Quarterback Ervin Yates tried to right the ship, especially after Garner left the game with an injury, but he didn’t have the ability to carry the team.

Looking deflated as the third quarter started, the Titans quickly surrendered two more touchdown runs as the Cavaliers pulled their starters.

For eight minutes, Victoria East looked like a team that belonged as Yates connected on a 74-yard touchdown to Steve Martinez and two separate 9-yarders to pull the Titans within 21 with 7 minutes remaining. The ensuing onside kick just eluded the Titans, who didn’t have enough left in the tank to stop Lake Travis from scoring twice more.

The win by Lake Travis sets up a fourth round matchup with district rival Cedar Park, a team to whom the Cavaliers fell earlier this year, 35-21.

Timberwolves Trounce Wildcats, 48-7

By Sam Bohmfalk

Click the visualization to see how Cedar Park spread the ball around against Weslaco East

The stat sheet may show that Brian Hogan has been Cedar Park’s most important player this season, and maybe he has. But don’t let that fool you, because the Timberwolves have had more balance than any other team in the state all year long.

With Hogan nursing a knee injury on the sideline, coach Chris Ross called not on one player, but the team to step up. And step up they did.

How’s this for balance? Nine different players had at least three rush attempts for the Timberwolves, which had success on the ground all day, running for 393 yards on 49 carries.

That, combined with Cedar Park’s always-stingy defense, was more than enough as the Timberwolves romped, 48-7.

In last week’s 28-23 closer-than-it-should-be victory, Cedar Park fumbled six times; against Weslaco East, Cedar Park didn’t seem to want to relinquish the pigskin. Ryan Roberts’ 39-yard fumble return just before halftime was the figurative nail in the coffin for Weslaco East, as the Timberwolves took a 35-7 lead into half.

Cedar Park didn’t do anything fancy to get to that point. Ethan Fry scored the first of his three touchdowns early in the first quarter to put Cedar Park up. The lead was only brief though, as Weslaco East marched down the field before Aaron Munguia ran one in from 23-yards out. It was the only sustained offense for the Wildcats on the night.

While Cedar Park seemed content to change running backs every two plays, Weslaco East was a one-trick pony. Bobby Gonzalez, Weslaco East’s star running back, got his yards—138 of them—but he didn’t have enough help around him to move the chains consistently.

Sandwiched between Fry’s first two touchdowns for the Timberwolves, were scores from Efren Collier and Michael Watterfield. Watterfield was the Timberwolves’ leading rusher on the night, springing for a season-high 124 yards on just 12 carries.

The win by Cedar Park sets up a re-match with district foe Lake Travis. In a week 10 match-up, the Timberwolves handed the three-time defending state champions their first loss since 2007, 35-21.

Regional Round Preview: Cedar Park vs. Weslaco East

By Sam Bohmfalk

Saturday November 28, 4 p.m., Alamodome

Click to see how Bobby Gonzalez has faired against the competition this year

Over the last five years, the state of Texas became enamored with the spread offense passing game. These two teams, however, buck the trend, as they combined to only average 19 passes per game.

Weslaco East relies on the legs of senior Bobby Gonzalez. Whereas most running backs aim to gain 100 yards per game, Gonzalez sets a goal at averaging 200. And he accomplished that goal nine times this year, and thus has over 2,600 yards rushing this season. The Wildcats will depend heavily on Gonzalez, as quarterback John Arevalo has just 155 yards passing over the last four games combined, throwing no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Unfortunately for Weslaco East, stopping the run is Cedar Park’s specialty. In last week’s area round game against Smithson Valley, the Timberwolves held the Rangers’ running backs to 34 yards on 22 carries. Smithson Valley had limited success through the air, but was given short fields to work with due to Cedar Park’s inability to hold on to the ball.

While Gonzalez guns for 200 yards per game, the Timberwolves tend to give up less than 100 yards rushing per game. The last opponent to break 100 on Cedar Park was Dripping Springs, and they had to grind out 33 carries on the ground at 3.8 yards per carry to do that.

The Timberwolves offense is heavily dependant on the run itself, with quarterback Brian Hogan proving to be somewhat of a dual threat. Hogan left last week’s game against Smithson Valley, and his status for this week’s game is up in the air. If he cannot go, the onus will most likely fall on Matt Posey.

Cedar Park will attempt to grind this game out on the ground, using their rusher-by-committee that has seen eight different players rush for over 170 yards this season.

Series: Neither team has ever made it this far, and the two teams have never played.

Prediction: Weslaco East’s defense has proven time and time again that they are able to stop the pass, but Cedar Park’s downhill running approach will be too much. Cedar Park 40, Weslaco East 21

Cedar Park Stumbles On; Vista Ridge, Marble Falls Fall

By Sam Bohmfalk

Click to see how area quarterbacks stacked up.

Cedar Park 28, Smithson Valley 23

The Cedar Park Timberwolves rumbled, bumbled and fumbled their way into the third round, beating Smithson Valley 28-23 in a game in which the Timberwolves almost beat themselves. As they’ve done all year, the Cedar Park defense made the opposing offense look inept. Smithson Valley completed just 40% of its passes and rushed for only 34 points, but managed to stay in the game thanks to a Timberwolves rushing game that was all to happy to put the ball on the ground.

The Timberwolves exhibited a ground-it-out approach from the get-go—rushing 51 times on the night—but put the ball on the ground six times, losing three of those. The Timberwolves’ problems started late in the second quarter, when quarterback Brian Hogan injured his knee on a 1-yard touchdown run. Matt Posey, who had attempted just 16 passes all season, calmed the offense down and led it to 14 second-half points, just enough to overcome the Rangers.

San Antonio Alamo Heights 52, Vista Ridge 24

Alamo Heights scored 28 unanswered over a 12-minute span over the third and fourth quarters to turn a close 24-17 game into a route. Mules’ quarterback Steven Elder had his best game of the year, completing a remarkable 25 of 28 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns. Down 31-17 in the fourth, Vista Ridge had three consecutive drives end in interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns as they fell to the Alamo Heights Mules, 52-24.

Boerne Champion 42, Marble Falls 28

When Marble Falls stacked the box against the Travis Rebels in their bi-district game, the Rebels were not able to take advantage through the air. Boerne Champion is no Travis, however. Quarterback John Free completed just seven passes, but three went for touchdowns including two in the last three minutes of the second quarter that re-established the Chargers’ 14-point lead, one that the Mustangs could not overcome for a second time.

The Mustangs made the game much closer than many thought it would be, considering the Chargers’ 24-point victory early in the season that was hardly close.  In this game, the Zed Woerner to David Morgan connection was working, but it was not enough for Marble Falls to overcome their foes from Boerne.

Area Round Preview: Cedar Park vs. Smithson Valley

By Sam Bohmfalk

Cedar Park warms up before a game. Photo by 50%chanceofrain.

LBJ quarterback Darius Collins proved that there are some holes to be found in the Cedar Park defense, as he rolled up 330 yards and a touchdown in last week’s game. The Timberwolves’ offense proved though, that it really doesn’t matter.

Cedar Park turned a 14-14 game into a laugher, riding the legs of quarterback Brian Hogan who finished with 299 yards and four touchdowns on the night. It was all part of a Cedar Park effort that saw the Timberwolves rack up 521 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

Points might be hard for Cedar Park to come by this week, as they are opposed by a Smithson Valley team that hasn’t allowed an offensive touchdown in five games, a span in which an interception return by Lockhart is the only blemish on a string of goose eggs. The Rangers held five of their eleven opponents under 100 rushing yards, a feat that may be hard to accomplish against the run-heavy Timberwolves.

The Rangers are a rush-first team themselves, with over 64% of their offense coming on the ground. They are led by running backs Lach Labanna and Lawrence Mattison, who have combined for 1905 yards and 31 touchdowns this season. The offensive gameplan is reminiscent of one from an earlier age, as both teams use the run to set up the pass. Quarterback Parker McKenzie may need to play like he did against Uvalde (11-12, 177 yards, TD) as the Cedar Park defense has proven to be adept at stopping the run this season.

Series: The two teams have never played.

Prediction: Cedar Park’s defense may be just as good as Smithson Valley’s, but I think their offense is what sets them apart. Cedar Park 27, Smithson Valley 21

Class 4A Playoff Schedule – Week 2:Area Round

Austin area high schools will be in bold.

Thursday, November 18

7:00 PM

Saginaw Boswell (7-4) vs. Waco Midway (11-0)

Cowboys Stadium (Arlington)

Friday, November 19

6:00 PM	Sherman (10-1) vs. West Mesquite (9-2)	Cowboys Stadium (Arlington)
7:00 PM	Carrollton Smith (6-5) vs. Dallas Carter (6-5)	Irving Schools Stadium (Irving)
7:00 PM	Houston Worthing (5-6) vs. Pearland Dawson (7-4)	Wildcat Stadium (Angleton)
7:00 PM	Humble (10-1) vs. Beaumont Central (7-3)	Thomas Center (Beaumont)
7:00 PM	Houston Washington (6-5) vs. Manvel (9-2)	Butler Stadium (Houston)
7:30 PM	Vista Ridge (9-2) vs. Alamo Heights (9-2)	Bob Shelton Stadium
7:30 PM	Port Lavaca Calhoun (8-3) vs. Edcouch-Elsa (8-3)	Wildcat Stadium (Corpus Christi)
7:30 PM	Highland Park (11-0) vs. Dallas Hillcrest (8-2)	Highlander Stadium
7:30 PM	Sulphur Springs (9-2) vs. Bastrop (8-3)	Panther Stadium (Waco Midway High School)
7:30 PM	Frisco Liberty (11-0) vs Dallas South Oak Cliff (10-1)	Hanby Stadium (Mesquite)
7:30 PM	Fort Worth Southwest (8-3) vs. Stephenville (6-5)	Ram Stadium (Mineral Wells)
7:30 PM	Clint Horizon (7-4) vs. Canyon Randall (9-2)	Wigwam Stadium (Seminole)
7:30 PM	Aledo (11-0) vs. Waco (5-6)	Bearcat Stadium (Aledo)
7:30 PM	El Paso Riverside (6-5) vs. Hereford (8-3)	Grande Communications Stadium (Midland)
7:30 PM	Lake Travis (9-2) vs. Kerrville Tivy (10-1)	Heroes Stadium (San Antonio)
7:30 PM	Cedar Park (11-0) vs. Smithson Valley (10-1)	Bobcat Stadium (San Marcos)
7:30 PM	Houston Wheatley (6-5) vs. Friendswood (10-1)	Galena Park ISD Stadium (Galena Park)
7:30 PM	Wylie (8-3) vs. Dallas Kimball (9-2)	Standridge Stadium (Carrollton)
7:30 PM	Birdville (8-3) vs. Mansfield Summit (9-2)	Pennington Field (Bedford)

Lake Travis Stymies McCallum at Goal Line for 28-20 Win

By Sam Bohmfalk

McCallum fans may have to wait awhile before they find another Michael Sorrells. Photo by aaronisnotcool.

He was a decoy for much of the game, but when it came down to a 4th and goal from the 2, everyone in the stadium knew who was getting the ball. Needing a score and a two-point conversion to tie the game, quarterback Colton Lusson handed the ball to star running back Michael Sorrells who was stopped short of the goal line. The stand allowed Lake Travis to run out the clock, escaping House Park with a 28-20 win.

The Knights attacked early, jumping to a 10-0 lead after one quarter, in large part due to the legs of Lusson and his 43-yard run. Lusson finished with 103 yards on the night, more than in any regular season game.

Equally impressive was Cavaliers’ quarterback Michael Brewer. The dual threat quarterback, who was pressured on just about every pass, finished with three touchdowns and 125 rushing yards of his own. His pass to Tanner Gillette early in the fourth quarter proved to be last blow for a McCallum team that many thought would be blown out.

Cedar Park 70, LBJ 20

The Jaguars were just the third team all year to break double digits on the Cedar Park defense. Unfortunately, Brian Hogan and co. combined for 521 yards rushing in an effort that simply overwhelmed the Jaguars’ defense. Cedar Park outscored LBJ 56-6 in the last three quarters en route to a 50-point victory.

Marble Falls 53, Crockett 21

Austin Sparks set the tone for Marble Falls early, taking a rush down the sideline, reversing the field, and then going up the middle for a touchdown. The Crockett defense, which seemed to have all the right answers against Travis last week, couldn’t do much of anything to stop the Mustangs who rolled 53-21.

Vista Ridge 41, Travis 6

Vista Ridge’s penchant for the big play reared its head early as the Rangers struck early in the first on a Chris Showels 80-yard run and once again early in the second quarter on Jaylen Harris’ 88-yard touchdown reception. After getting behind early, Travis had to rely on the aerial game—a problem on such a rainy, windy night. The Rangers defense has an answer for just about everything the Rebels tried, holding them to a season low 6 points en route to a five touchdown victory.

Bi-District Preview: LBJ vs. Cedar Park

By Sam Bohmfalk

Cedar Park Cornerback Ryan Roberts makes a tackle in last year's game against Round Rock. Photo by Henry Huey.

Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Gupton Stadium, Leander

After a slow start to the season, LBJ hit its stride winning 5 of its last 6 contests. LBJ has a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, and must get out in a hurry if they are to keep up with Cedar Park. Much of the onus will fall on quarterback Darius Collins, who accounted for over 1400 yards passing, especially if star running back Dante Price remains out.

Key for the Jaguars will be containing their emotions, a problem for a team that was penalized over 100 yards in just one half in last week’s game against Reagan. They won’t want to give free yards to an explosive Cedar Park offense that scored at least 31 points in all ten games. Offensively, the Timberwolves are led by the legs and arm of quarterback Brian Hogan, who accounted for 25 touchdowns (13 passing, 12 rushing) this season. Against Lake Travis last week, Hogan struggled through the air managing a paltry line of 6-19, but ground out 159 yards on the ground en route to a 35-21 upset.

Hogan shouldn’t have much difficulty against an LBJ defense that looked vulnerable against Reagan backup quarterback Robert Crawford last week. Although the Raiders managed just 14 points, Crawford passed for 276 yard and 2 touchdowns in his quarterbacking debut.

All time series: The two teams have never met.

Prediction: Cedar Park 52, LBJ 13

Bi-District Preview: Vista Ridge vs. Travis

By Sam Bohmfalk

Vista Ridge fans will be out en force for the game against Travis. Photo by 50%Chanceofrain.

Friday, 7:30 p.m., Nelson Field

The Vista Ridge Rangers matched their win total from their first four seasons combined as they improved on last year’s 1-9 campaign by going 8-2 this season. The Rangers played most of their games close this year, with seven of their 10 games being played within 10 points. In those affairs, the Rangers went 6-1.

The Rangers will have to deal with a diverse Travis attack that suffered its worst offensive output at the hands of Crockett last week. In the game, quarterbacks Jonathon Sterling and Adam Solis were held to a combined 45 yards, while running back CJ Herrera missed his second straight game.

The Vista Ridge Rangers have been a new team ever since Blake Estes took the helm. The dual threat quarterback was the Rangers’ leading rusher over the last six games, and pitched in 289 yard and 211 yard passing performances against Vandergrift and Cedar Park. The Rebels haven’t played against many dual threat quarterbacks this season, but they looked vulnerable against LBJ’s Darius Collins (137 passing, 85 rushing).

The key for Travis will be holding onto the ball. In losses against Lampassas and LBJ, the Rebels turned the ball over a combined seven times.

The only common opponent the two teams played was McCallum. The Rangers drubbed the Knights 31-6, while the Rebels handed the Knights their only district loss, 36-33.

Prediction: Vista Ridge 28, Travis 20