My video of this week's adventure:
I went to A.C. Bible Memorial Stadium in Leander where
the Rouse Raiders hosted the Cedar Park Timberwolves in a District 19-5A game. This stadium was once known as Barrett
Stadium in Odessa and was the stadium featured in H. G. “Buzz” Bissinger’s classic book
Friday Night Lights. The stadium
was built in 1947. In 1981, the decision
was made to build a larger stadium in Odessa.
Barrett Stadium was disassembled and the pieces put into storage. In 1985, Leander decided they needed a new
stadium due to large growth in the area.
They bought the components of Barrett Stadium and had them trucked 300
miles to Leander. That is recycling at
its best.
Rouse entered the game with a 2-1 record. They are coached by Joshua Mann. Their one loss was to Round Rock Westwood,
but they were 1-0 in district play. Carl
Abseck brought in a Timberwolves team with a perfect 4-0 record for the season. Cedar Park was riding a twenty game winning
streak and are the defending 5A Division 2 state champions, currently ranked #5
in Texas 5A football. The teams were tied for the lead in their district.
Before the game, I stopped off at Bigcat BBQ to sample
their wares.
The
Barbecue
Big Cat BBQ is located at 401 Whitestone Blvd in Cedar
Park. I had called ahead earlier in the
day and the friendly staff was busy putting together my order when I walked
in. In addition to the moist brisket and
pork ribs, they gave me generous helpings of pickles, onions, jalapenos, and sauce.
The brisket was very juicy and tender, but a little
fatty. It had a good smoky flavor, but
the slices I got did not have any bark.
The pork ribs were a bit chewy, but had a sweet glaze that was very
tasty. Their sauce was sweet and spicy
and was an excellent compliment to the brisket.
Big Cat is a friendly place that serves good
barbecue. I believe they smoke their
meats in a gas fired smoker rather than the big pits found at other barbecue
joints. While there are better places in
the Austin area, the barbecue served at Big Cat is definitely better than what
is served at some of the “fast food” BBQ joints in the area. If I were in the Leander/Cedar Park area, I
would take friends and family to eat at Big Cat. My rating of this barbecue: one Hook ‘Em.
The
Game
Cedar Park received the opening kick-off to begin the
game. They were unable to pick up a
first down. A short punt into the wind gave
Rouse the ball on the Timberwolves 35.
This might have been the deepest penetration into Cedar Park territory
the Raiders would make in the game and they
promptly started moving backwards with penalties and tackles for loss. The Raider punt went into the end zone for a
touchback.
The referees incorrectly gave Cedar Park the ball on
their 25. Touchback punts are placed on
the 20, touchback kick-offs are spotted on the 25. Either way, it took the T’wolves just two
plays to score. They picked up 35 yards
on a wide receiver screen to Hayden Craig.
Omar Alzer burst through a big hole in the Raider defense and went 40
yards for the score to make it 7-0.
 |
| Hayden Craig picks up 35 yards on a wide receiver screen pass |
Later in the first quarter, the Timberwolves started
on their own 35 after a raider punt. Quarterback
Mak Sexton found Payden Sawicki open on a slant pattern over the middle for a
big gain. Tyler Lavine capped off the
drive with a 11 yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 14-0. The Timberwolves took that fourteen point
lead into the locker room at half time.
The Raiders started the third quarter on their 25
after the kick-off sailed into the end zone.
They picked up a couple of first downs, then started going backwards again. Quarterback Gavin Sharp ran to the 47 to set
up third and 9. The center snapped the
ball over Sharp’s head and he was tackled for a huge loss. The punt set up Cedar Park on the Raider 45.
 |
| Gavin Sharp runs for a Raider first down |
The T’wolves picked up a first down on the 34. On second down, Sexton’s pass was almost
intercepted and could possibly have been returned for a quick six. Cedar Park went for it on fourth and 10. Sexton lofted the ball deep for Daniel
Rosenthal in the end zone. The extra
point kick was blocked. With 6:58 to
play in the third quarter, Cedar Park led 20-0.
 |
| Daniel Rosenthal catches a TD pass from Mak Sexton |
The Raiders started their next possession on the 25
after a touchback. They went three and
out and were forced to punt. This time
the ball was snapped over the punter’s head.
He was tackled in the end zone by Tyler Lavine for a safety. The T’wolves were up 22-0 with 6:38 remaining
in the third quarter.
Cedar Park returned the free kick to midfield. They were unable to move the ball and lined
up to punt on fourth and 10. Instead of
kicking, the punter took off around end and picked up a big first down. The Raiders were guilty of a face mask
penalty on the play which put the ball on the Rouse 12 yard line. Two runs by Hayden Craig extended the lead to
29-0.
The T’wolves started a drive from their 21 as the
fourth quarter opened. The moved into
Raider territory, but faced fourth and 21.
Sexton’s pass was intercepted on the Raider 2. On second down, the Rouse center once again
snapped the ball over Sharp’s head. He
chased the ball down in the end zone and tried to pass to avoid a sack, but was
called for intentional grounding. The
offensive penalty in the end zone was ruled a safety which made the score 31-0. The teams traded possessions as the clock
wound down to zero.
Rouse had averaged 49 points in their first three
games, but they were suffocated by the Cedar Park defense. The Raiders offense never got untracked,
slowing themselves down with costly penalties and mistakes (dropped passes, dropped
interceptions, etc.). Two bad snaps by
the Raider center led to safties and four points for Cedar Park.
The Cedar Park offense was not very special in this
game, committing two fumbles and giving up an interception. They ran the ball for 246 combined yards and
Sexton threw for another 132 yards, but he has performed better. The story of the game was the Timberwolve defense. They were spectacular. In five games, the Timberwolves have pitched
three shut outs. With the win, Cedar
Park extended their winning streak to 21 games and are in first place on the
District 19-5A leader board.
No comments:
Post a Comment