Alzer's BBQ is a small place, but their barbecue has a great big taste. Cedar Park and Georgetown are two big teams and their game was great. Here's my video from this adventure. . .
I went to Gupton Stadium in Cedar Park to see the
Timberwolves tangle with their 5A district 19 rival, the Georgetown Eagles. Carl Abseck is in his third year as head
coach at Cedar Park. In his first
season, they went undefeated and won the state championship. In 2016, they reeled off another 12 straight
wins before their first loss under Coach Asbeck in the third round of the
play-offs. They come into this game
with a 5-1 record in 2017. Jason Dean
and the Eagles enter this game with a 6-1 record. Their only loss was to Hutto when the Hippos kicked a last second
field goal in the third week of the season.
It was 77 degrees at game time. there had been some rain in the Austin area on Friday morning, but that quit and the afternoon turned out nice, with a slight breeze coming out of the south.
But first let me tell you about the barbecue I had prior to the game. . .
The
Barbecue
I needed to find a new barbecue joint in the Cedar
Park area, so I checked on the Google and discovered Alzer’s BBQ. I looked at their web site and saw that they
are located at 1405 Whitestone Blvd (FM 1431).
Just to be sure, I called them early in the day and confirmed they would
be open for dinner. A couple of hours
before game time, I headed to Cedar Park.
I found their red trailer parked behind a Shell gas
station. I ordered my usual half pound
of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs.
They do not smoke pork ribs, so I got a couple of beef ribs instead. While my order was being readied, I walked
over to the smoking shed and met Naser.
A very friendly guy, he was happy to show me his pits. He popped the top and showed me some huge
turkey legs on one pit and a set of briskets on the other. The oak smoke billowing out of the cookers
sure smelled good.
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| Naser Alzer |
A nice young man brought out my order and sat it down
on one of the covered picnic tables. The
brisket was fantastic. Great outer bark,
deep smoky flavor. The best word to
describe it is buttery, so tender you don’t really need to chew it. Instead of the huge dinosaur ribs smoked by
many joints, the beef ribs served at Alzer’s were smaller and not as
meaty. They were tasty, but you had to
work to get the meet off the bone. It
dawned on me that Naser and his family might come from an ethnic tradition
where the people do not cook or eat pork and thus the beef ribs. My order came with a big squeeze bottle of
thick red sauce that was a nice addition to the meat.
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| Delicious brisket |
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| Short beef ribs |
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| Quail and lamb chop |
Naser’s lovely wife Veronica treated me to a sample of
something extra special you don’t normally see at Texas bbq joints: smoked quail
and lamb chops. The quail was tender and
tasty, with a nice spicy kick. The lamb
chop was incredible: very tender with a rich, smoky flavor. Oh my goodness. . .
Alzer’s has only been open for about five months and
they are serving up some incredible barbecue.
I can’t wait to see just how good this barbecue will be when these guys
get a little more experience and figure out what they are doing.
I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!
The
Game
Georgetown took the opening kick-off and began a long
drive into Cedar Park territory.
Quarterback Cooper Bell scrambled for big yardage. Caden Leggett took a direct snap and burst
through a hole for a four yard touchdown to give the Eagles an early 7-0 lead.
Caden Leggett scores from 4 yards out
The Timberwolves responded with a long drive of their own. Quarterback Mak Sexton found Payden Sawicki for
a first and goal from the four yard line.
On fourth down, Sexton scored from 1 yard out. The game was stopped for several minutes as
Sexton was doctored on. He was taken
from the field on a stretcher and given a standing ovation. We learned later that he had broken his left
leg and his season was over.
Mak Sexton is given a standing ovation as he is carted off
Later in the first quarter, the T’wolves quarterback Ryan
Fiala mishandled the snap, giving the Eagles a safety. After the free kick. Bell found Leggett over
the middle for a 49 yard touchdown. The
extra point try failed, leaving the score at 15-7.
Cooper Bell connects with Leggett for 49 yard touchdown
In the second quarter, the T’wolves fourth down punt
was blocked and trickled out of the end zone.
The Eagles were awarded another safety, giving them a ten point lead at
17-7.
Georgetown took the free kick and marched
downfield. Bell threw a strike to a
receiver on a post pattern good for a 19 yard touchdown. The extra point made the score 24-7.
With less than a minute before half time, Fiala’s
third down pass was intercepted on the Timberwolves 28. Bell’s pass to Nic Crombie moved the ball to
the 8. The Eagles 23 yard field goal was
good and they took a 27-7 lead into half time.
Cedar Park came out hot to start the third quarter. Fiala connected with Brandon Breed on a five
yard touchdown to cut the lead to 27-14.
Ryan Fiala throws to Brandon Breed for a 5 yard touchdown
Neither team could sustain a drive and they exchanged
punts as the game moved into the fourth quarter. Facing third and 8, Bell hurried a pass. It was intercepted by Cole Hollen and
returned 78 yards for a touchdown. The pick
six cut the lead to 27-21.
Cole Hollen's pick six cuts the Eagles lead to 27-21
Late in the fourth quarter, Cedar Park had to punt
from deep in their end of the field.
Brant McDonald boomed a 69 yard kick that was downed on the Georgetown 1
yard line. Ahead by six, the Eagles
needed to make a couple of first downs to eat up the clock and claim
victory. On third and 2, Eric Anderson
was tackled for no gain. Kicking into
the wind, the Eagles’ punt travelled only 12 yards, giving the T’wolves the
ball on the 21. With just 37 seconds
left in the game, Fiala found Drew McDaniel on the goal line for a 3 yard
touchdown. The extra point was good and
Cedar Park had their first lead of the game, 28-27.
Timberwolves sack Cooper Bell to preserve the 28-27 win
Georgetown tried to move into field goal range, but
Cooper Bell was sacked as time expired preserving the 1 point win for Cedar
Park.
I am expecting a phone call from the Georgetown coaching
staff asking that I quit seeing their games or at least leave them early. Their two losses on the season came in the
closing seconds of games I have attended.
Then again, I could get a call from Cedar Park. With Mak Sexton lost for the season, they
will need quarterback help. The Timberwolves
overcame three interceptions off Ryan Fiala to squeak out the one point
win. It helped that their defense
pitched a shut out in the second half.
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