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: Boerne Champion vs. Marble Falls

By Sam Bohmfalk

Boerne Champion (left) and Marble Falls (right) Offensive Production.  Click to enlarge.

When Marble Falls wins, they win big, as evidenced by their 28-point margin of victory in wins.  Conversely, when they lose they do it in a big way, generally finishing 24 points behind the opposing team.  Such was the case in week 4 when they fell to their area opponent Boerne Champion, 31-7.

In that game, Champion quarterback John Free bested Marble Falls’ Zed Woerner, completing an impressive 68% of his passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 42 yards on the ground.  Woerner, on the other hand, struggled to an 11-22 line with 128 yards, losing 31 yards on 16 rushes.

Thus far this season, Champion has relied on its offense to outscore the opponent, which is not a bad bet with a quarterback like Free.  On the season, Free threw for over 2,100 yards with an 8 : 1 touchdown to interception ratio, while adding 19 more touchdowns on the ground.  Free has been adept at spreading the ball around, with three separate receivers having at least 400 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

The onus will be on the Mustangs’ defense to stop the dual threat Free and his many weapons.   Last week, Marble Falls jumped out to a quick 26-0 lead, effectively shutting down the Crockett rushing game and forcing them to go through the air.  If Marble Falls wants a different result from their week 4 game, they’ll want to force the Chargers to become one dimensional.

Prediction: Different week, same result.  Woerner should have a little more success against a Chargers defense that has struggled of late, but John Free and Boerne Champion will simply be too much.  Boerne Champion 42, Marble Falls 14

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: Marble Falls vs. Crockett

By Sam Bohmfalk

Marble Falls attempts to pressure Lake Travis in a game earlier this year. Photo by jrandallc.

Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Marble Falls High School

The Marble Falls Mustangs alternated wins and losses throughout district play, sealing a playoff birth in the last week by virtue of a 21-6 victory over Vandergrift.  Statistically speaking, the Mustangs are led by junior quarterback Zed Woerner, who threw for over 1600 yards.  However, as the season progressed, Marble Falls began to rely more on the legs of running back Austin Sparks.  Sparks, a senior, saved his best game for senior night as he rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Vandergrift.

Against Crockett though, the Mustangs may have to turn back to the aerial attack.  In last week’s win over Travis, the Cougars shut down a Rebels rushing attack that had amassed the most rushing yards in the district.   Offensively, the Cougars are led by dual-threat quarterback Paul Wagner who rushed a season-high 26 times for 84 yards before throwing a game-winning touchdown to tight end Dylon Fleming with less than two minutes left in Crockett’s 10-7 victory.

Flashback – 2009: Crockett threw for 35 more yards, rushed for 75 more yards, was penalized for 32 less yards, and lost 51-6.  Marble Falls rushed, or more accurately pass, their way to a 51-point lead through three quarters.  Quarterback Zed Woerner was 11-12 for 254 yards and 4 touchdowns in a game that was never close.

Series: Last 5 Games

2009: Marble Falls 51, Crockett 6

2008: Marble Falls 27, Crockett 14

2007: Marble Falls 42, Crockett 14

2006: Marble Falls 34, Crockett 6

2005: Crockett 50, Marble Falls 37

Prediction: Crockett and Marble Falls had two common opponents, Dripping Springs and Vandergrift.  UPDATE: Against Dripping Springs, Crockett was blown out 49-0, while Marble Falls destroyed Dripping Springs, 46-10. Crockett fell to Vandergrift in week 4, 41-2, while Marble Falls needed the aforementioned 21-6 week 10 victory over the Vipers to make the playoffs.

Marble Falls 42, Crockett 13

Crockett Shocks Travis; McCallum District Champ

McCallum coaches will be busy drawing up schemes against the Knights' first round opponent, Lake Travis. Photo courtesy of aaronisnotcool.

Quarterback Paul Wagner connected with tight end Dylon Fleming from eight yards out with just 1:35 to go as the Crockett Cougars upset the Travis Rebels, 10-7.  The catch was Fleming’s first career touchdown and surprising on a night where the Cougars struggled to move the ball through the air.

The Crockett victory means the Cougars will represent District 26-4A as the Division II #1 seed, while Travis falls to the second seed.

The game-winning touchdown came after Travis had taken the lead earlier in the fourth quarter on a John Hernandez two-yard plunge.   The touchdown drive constituted most of Travis’ offense on the chilly Thursday night.

Travis quarterbacks Jonathan Sterling and Adam Solis struggled for much of the game, managing to go just 8-17 for 45 yards.  Wagner wasn’t much better for the Cougars, but came through when it mattered most.  Coach John Waugh said the reason Crockett threw was because they thought Travis would be expecting Wager to run.  And for most of the game, he had, amassing 86 yards on 26 rushes.

The win means the Cougars kick off their playoff campaign against District 25-4A fourth seed Marble Falls (5-5) on Thursday at Mustang Stadium in Marble Falls.  The Rebels’ first game will be Friday against Cedar Park Vista Ridge (8-2), at a site to be determined.

McCallum 55, Lanier 30

With a game against three-time defending state champion Lake Travis looming, the McCallum Knights limited the carries of star running back Michael Sorrells.  The running game still proved to be the Knights’ bread and butter, as they picked up 386 yards on the ground en route to a 55-30 victory over Lanier.  This win, combined with Travis’ loss to Crockett, means McCallum is the district champ–despite an equal record with LBJ–by virtue of their victory over the Jaguars in week 8.

LBJ 51, Reagan 14

It took just 34 seconds for LBJ to separate itself as the better team from its bitter rival, Reagan.  With Iowa State-commit Jaquarias Daniels sitting the game out, the Raiders never had a chance of keeping this one close.  LBJ had four different players rush for touchdowns and two others throw for scores as they took a 48-6 halftime lead.

LBJ will be opposed by Cedar Park (9-1) in bi-district action at a site and time to be determined.