Dripping Springs and LBJ in first round play-off
action. Plus a look at the barbecue
served at Payne's Bar-B-Q Shak in Burnet, Texas. Here's my video of this adventure:
I went to Kelley Reeves Athletic Complex in Round
Rock to see a first round play-off game between the Dripping Springs Tigers and the LBJ Jaguars. Galen Zimmerman has been the head
coach of the Dripping Springs Tigers since 2015. He leads a team that was undefeated on the
season at 10-0 and won the 5A District 26 title.
LBJ has a unique coaching situation. Andrew Jackson has been the head coach of LBJ for the past five seasons, but he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Demosesneeds Odems is an LBJ alum and serves as the on-field coach when Coach Jackson is unable to attend. Between the two of them, the Jaguars finished third in 5A
District 25 with an overall record of 7-3.
The weather for this game was absolutely
gorgeous. The temperature was in the low 80s at kick-off. There had
been a good breeze coming out of the south all day, but weather wasn't going to
have much of an impact on the game.
The play-off format is very simple. Win six games and your team puts the big hardware
in the trophy case at school. Lose any
one game and your team is out. Their season came to a screeching halt. Dripping Springs made it to the fourth round
last year, LBJ was eliminated in the first round in 2016. Both teams hope to go further this year. Tigers and Jaguars. . . it should be a good
one.
Before we talk football, let me show you the barbecue I enjoyed previously. . .
The
Barbecue
Since this was the opening weekend of the football play-offs,
I thought I’d go on a quick road trip. I
talked my wife into joining me for a short drive to Burnet, Texas. I had heard good things about Payne’s Bar-B-QShak and they made the Texas Monthly Top 50 list published this year. This should be good.
Payne’s is located at 616 Buchanan Drive (Texas
Highway 29) in Burnet in a long, low building just off the road. When you first walk in, the dining area is to
your left. A set of picnic tables lined
end to end down the middle and a long counter against the window. To your right is the serving area. I ordered a half a pound of moist brisket and
a couple of pork ribs. My wife ordered a
slice of smoked turkey and some lean brisket. They have a variety of self service side
dishes and offer a scoop of beans for free.
We found a spot at one of the picnic tables in the
dining room and dug in. The brisket was
a bit dry and flaky, but was very tender with a deep smoky flavor. The ribs were very tasty, with the tender
meat easily biting from the bone. I also
enjoyed the bite of turkey I stole off my wife’s plate. Payne’s serves a typical tomato based red
sauce that was thick and savory. It went
well with the brisket and the complimentary beans went down real good.
As my wife and I ate, Robert Payne walked through the
dining room, greeting and talking with people.
Super friendly and outgoing, he had a good word for everybody. When I finished eating, he gave me a tour of
his smoking shed and his pits. He and
his wife Penny opened the Bar-B-Q Shak in 2011 when he retired. When they first opened, everybody who worked
there was family: kids, grandkids, etc.
They have been in business long enough now, they’ve had to hire family
friends. Robert started off using
mesquite wood, but the locals didn’t like the after taste, so he switched to
using nothing but oak. Business had been
doing well and has gotten even better after the write-ups in Texas Monthly. Had his wife not called him back to work, I
might still be talking with Robert.
 |
| Robert Payne |
Truly good barbecue prepared and served by super
people is always a winning combination in Texas. Payne’s Bar-B-Q Shak excels at both and has
made Burnet a barbecue hot spot.
I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!
The
Game
Unfortunately for LBJ, this game was affectively over
by half time. Dripping Springs got the
ball for seven possessions in the first half.
They scored touchdowns on the first six.
They scored through the air: quarterback Trevor Greenman threw to Keith
Mitchhart for a thirty yard touchdown to open the scoring. After Ryland Kinnard intercepted a pass from
LBJ quarterback Brian Batts, the Tigers scored on the ground as Greenman ran
forty yards to make it 14-0.
Trevor Greenman throws to Keith Mitchhart for the first score of the game
LBJ tried to get back in the game late in the first
quarter. Batts completed a couple of big
passes to Donte Bourgeois. The Jags
scored on a three yard run by Deon Collins to make it 14-7. After a 75 yard scoring drive by the Tigers
(capped off by a 28 yard touchdown pass to Johnny Hoyle), LBJ racked up six
points on a short run by Batts. The
extra point try failed, leaving the score 21-13.
Dripping Springs scored on their next three
possessions: a 63 yard touchdown pass from Greenman to Hoyle, a four yard run by
Jake Cox, and a 65 yard strike to Parker Alford.
Greenman throws deep to Parker Alford for a 65 yard touchdown
Leading 42-13 late in the second quarter, the Tigers
recovered a fumble for their seventh possession of the half. Greeman was sacked by the Jaguar defense and
fumbled. But the Tiger defense made up
for it. Reed Beverly Intercepted another
pass off Batts and returned it 84 yards for a touchdown. The pick six made the half time score 49-13.
Reed Beverly takes a pick six 84 yards to score for Dripping Springs
The Tigers got the ball to start the third quarter. Greenman picked up big yards on the ground,
then found Mitchhart alone in the end zone for another touchdown to extend the
lead to 56-13. I started packing up my
stuff. Dripping Springs got the ball back and started a drive that ended with a
32 yard field goal. At 59-13, I headed
for the exit.
LBJ would score twice in the second half to make the
final score 59-29. Their defense had no
answers for the Tiger offense. Trevor
Greenman completed only 11 of 16 passes, but for five touchdowns and 249
yards. He and Jake Cox each ran for 132
yards as the Tigers rolled up 304 on the ground (553 total yards). Dripping Springs will play Foster in the
second round.
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