2017 - Cedar Ridge vs Hendrickson

A  look at the barbecue served Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue in Pflugerville and a recap of the district game between the Cedar Ridge Raiders and the Hendrickson Hawks.  

My video from this adventure:

I went to the Palace on Parmer, the Kelley Reeves Athletic Complex in Round Rock to see the Cedar Ridge Raiders in action in a district game against the Hendrickson Hawks.  Sam Robinson is in his first season at the helm of Cedar Ridge.  He was their defensive coordinator last year when they claimed their first district title.  Their only loss in 2016 was in overtime to Klein Collins in the second round of the play-offs.

Chip Killian leads the Hendrickson Hawks.  They missed the play-offs in 2016, but reached the second round of the play-offs the previous two years.  

Autumn has fallen on Texas.  It had been raining for a few days before the game, but there was no rain in the forecast for this night.  The temperature was around 72 degrees, with a slight breeze.

Cedar Ridge enters this game with a 3-1 record and is tied with Stony Point for first place in the district.  Henderson trails Cedar Ridge by one game in district play even with a 2-2 record on the season: two loses at home and two wins on the road.  They were the visiting team this night and were hoping there road win magic would continue.  

Raiders vs Hawks, it should be a good one.  Before I describe the game, let me describe the barbecue I ate earlier. . .

The Barbecue

Tucked into a small strip shopping center off W. Pecan Street in Pflugerville, you will find Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue at 15608 Spring Hill Lane, suite 105.  There were a few cars in the parking lot when I arrived around dinner time.  There wasn’t much of a line when I walked in and I was greeted warmly as I walked up to the cash register.

I got my standard half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs.  As my order was being prepared, I helped myself to the homemade pickles and pickled onions from a side serving table and grabbed a squeeze bottle of barbecue sauce.  The brisket was outstanding.  Thick slices that were tender and moist, with a great outer bark and a deep smoky flavor.  The ribs were meaty with a nice outer char.  The meat easily bit from the bone and tasted great.  They served a typical red sauce, kind of sweet and not too spicy, that went well with the meat.

After I ate, I had a chance to meet and talk with John Brotherton.  He’s a gregarious guy with a big smile.  While he had not prepared my order, he knew exactly what I had eaten.  I complimented him on how good the barbecue was and he was very appreciative of my patronage.  He told me they try to prepare as much as they can in-house from fresh ingredients, including the kimchi and brisket pastrami used on some of their specialty sandwiches.  John talked about his passion for barbecue.  He has travelled around Texas and has already sampled thirty of the spots on the 2017 Texas Monthly Top 50 list that was published only last June.  All this while still running his own business.  I might have found someone who loves barbecue even more than I do.

John Brotherton

If you want really good Texas barbecue in Pflugerville in a warm, friendly place, you need to go by Brotherton’s Black IronBarbecue.  I need to go back there myself and sample some of those sandwiches John described.

The Game

Early in the first quarter, Cedar Ridge fumbled a punt and Hendrickson recovered.  Two plays later, the Hawks returned the favor.  A poor hand-off exchange between quarterback Blaine Barker and running back James Hester led to a fumble.  The loose ball was picked up by Stephen Berman and ran back for an apparent 65 yard touchdown.  A block in the back penalty gave the Raiders the ball on the Hawks 11.  Simi Bakare carried to the 1 and the Raiders scored on the next play to make it 7-0.

                                                          Stephen Berman's fumble return

Khayree Somerville fielded the kick-off on his seven yard line, found a crease in the coverage, and ran down the sideline for a thrilling 93 yard touchdown.  The extra point tied the game at 7 all with 9:04 to play in the first quarter.

                                                   Khayree Somerville takes it to the house

                                                         
The Raiders began their next drive from their 20.  Cash Rugely picked up 23 yards on a jet sweep, then quarterback Ezekiel Coss lofted the ball to Jaylen Ellis on a post pattern for a 36 yard touchdown.  The extra point gave the Raiders a 14-7 lead.

The Hawks could not move the ball and were forced to punt.  It sailed 60 yards and was downed on the Cedar Ridge two yard line.  After picking up a first down, the Raiders were forced to punt.  The kick was blocked by Curley Young and ran back for a touchdown by Anthony McKeel.  The first quarter ended with the score tied at 14.

                                 
                                                      Hawks score on blocked punt return

Hendrickson was again forced to punt and their special teams once again downed it on the Raiders 2 yard line.  Coss connected with Ellis over the middle for a 50 yard gain to the Hawks 31.  Bakare broke through a big hole opened by his line and out ran the defense for a 31 yard touchdown to cap a 98 yard drive.  The Raiders were once again up by 7 at 21-14.

                                               Simi Bakare runs 31 yards for a touchdown

The Hawks managed first down on their next series, but Barker’s third down pass was intercepted and returned to the 25.  The Raiders got creative.  Rugely threw a pass to Joseluis Berlanga on a reverse for a touchdown.  That made the score 28-14 with 9:42 to play in the second quarter.

Neither team could sustain a drive and they exchanged punts for the remainder of the second quarter and well into the third quarter.

With just 0:16 to play in the third quarter, the Raiders connected on a 58 yard scoring bomb, but the play was negated by a holding penalty.  Facing third down and 21, Coss was hit as he threw. His pass was picked off by Clifton Styles and returned 41 yards for a touchdown to end the third quarter.  Instead of being ahead by 21, the Raiders lead had been cut to 28-21.

                                                       Clifton Styles scores on a pick six

The Raiders fumbled the ensuing kick-off and the Hawks recovered on the 36.  Blaine Barker connected with Jacob Lee for a critical first down on the 17.  Gage Mahoney was all alone in the corner of the end zone, but Barker’s third down pass hung in the air too long allowing the defense to recover and break up the pass.  On fourth and goal from the 8, Barker threw a dart to Lee for a touchdown to make it 28-27.  The extra point would tie the game, but the holder dropped the snap.  Trey Williams picked up the bouncing ball and scored giving the Raiders two points.  Instead of being tied at 28, the Raiders led 30-27 with only 9:00 left to play.

                                                        Raiders return failed extra point

The Raiders began their next series on their 33.  Coss threw to Caden Hinistroza for a big gain to the Hawks 12.  Bakare carried to the 5 on a toss sweep, then scored on the same play to make it 37-27 at the 6:48 mark in the fourth quarter.

Hendrickson picked up a first down on their next possession, but Stephen Berman once again made a huge defensive play.  He blew up an attempted reverse, picked up the fumble, and rambled to the 7 to give the Raiders first and goal.  Cedar Ridge moved backwards for three plays, but on fourth down Coss threw to a wide open Jaylen Ellis for a touchdown.  The extra point was missed, leaving the score 43-27.

Any hopes Hendrickson had of making a last minute comeback were dashed by two late interceptions.  Cedar Ridge claimed the victory 43-27.

Hendrickson will need more offense than what they showed this night.  Twenty-one of their points came off plays by the special teams or defense.  Their anemic offense could not sustain drives and contributed only six points and that had been set up by a fumbled kick-off.  Cedar Ridge scored 14 points off turn overs from the two big plays made by Stephen Berman. The Raiders let the Hawks get back in the game at the end of the third quarter, but their strong fourth quarter sealed the win.