A recap of
the second round play-off game between Lake Travis and Converse Judson and I
shine the barbecue spotlight on Micklethwait Craft Meats. Here's my video from this adventure:
For this game, I went to Darrel K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, the
home of the Longhorns. This grand
old stadium has witnessed many great football games. This day it was the site of a second round play-off game between the Lake TravisCavaliers and the Converse Judson Rockets.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous:
temperature in the high 70s, blue skies, not much wind. A great day for
football.This is the kind of game that makes the
play-offs so much fun. . .
This is the kind of game that makes the play-offs so
much fun. . .
These two teams are both perennial powers of Texas
high school football. Lake Travis is the
only Texas school to win 5 state championships in a row, doing that from 2007
to 2011. Hank Carter was the head coach
for the last of those two in 2010 and 2011. He coached his third championship team and Lake Travis' sixth state championship when
the Cavaliers won last year.
Converse
Judson can also boast of their six state championships, the last coming in 2002. Sean McAuliffe is a graduate of Judson and has been the head coach of the
Rockets since 2014. He is looking for his first state title.
The Cavs and Rockets know each other well. Judson was the only team to beat Lake Travis
in 2016 as the Cavs claimed their sixth championship. The Rockets won again this year in a rout in
the season opener. It’s awful hard to
beat the same team three times in a row, especially twice in the same
season. Let’s add in the pressure of the
play-offs just for fun. One team moves
on, the other goes home. Cavaliers and Rockets.
. . It should be a good one.
I also had some real good barbecue I want to show you. . .
The
Barbecue
OK, let’s see now. . .
Play-off game in Austin at DKR. Lots
of super barbecue places in town, but I should find a joint close to the
stadium. I haven’t been to Micklethwait’s
in a long time. They made the Texas
Monthly Top 50 list last June and are near the UT campus. Sounds good, let’s give ‘em a try.
Micklethwait’s Craft Meats is located at 1309 Rosewood
Avenue, east of I-35 and just off 11th Street. They have been serving barbecue out of a
trailer at this location for several years now.
They have upgraded their spot with shade canopies since my last visit.
I ordered my standard half pound of moist brisket and
a couple of pork ribs. I found a place
to sit at one of the picnic tables. The
brisket was outstanding: great outer bark, deep smoky flavor. The thick slices were so tender they easily
cut with a plastic fork. The ribs were
some of the best I’ve eaten. Served
warm, the meat was juicy and tender. It
bit easily from the bone and had a great smoky taste. The barbecue was served with crunchy,
homemade pickles, sliced red onions, and a side of sauce. The sauce had a touch of mustard and a nice
sweet flavor that went well with the meat.
The staff at Micklethwait’s was very friendly and good
to chat with, but part of my fun is getting a chance to talk with some of the
other patrons while standing in line.
This time around I met a wonderful family from Texas that now lives in
South Carolina. They were here to enjoy
some classic Texas barbecue. We enjoyed
swapping tales of great barbecue eaten and football games seen. Great way to spend time on a beautiful afternoon
in Austin.
Micklethwait’s Craft Meats smokes some great barbecue
and their spot on the Texas Monthly list is very well deserved.
I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!
The
Game
Judson had two long drives into Lake Travis territory
to start the game and came away with no points.
On their second drive, quarterback Matthew Baldwin threw to Hudson Card
who outraced the defense for a 55 yard touchdown to give the Cavs an early 7-0
lead. The Rockets answered with a 31
yard field goal to make it 7-3.
Matthew Baldwin throws to Hudson Card for a 55 yard touchdown
The Cavs stormed back, capping off a drive with a 15
yard touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson to extend the lead to 14-3.
Then it was time for the Julon Williams show. He ran a quarterback draw 72 yards for a
touchdown. A fumble by the Cavs was
recovered in the end zone by Baldwin to give Judson a safety. After the free kick, Williams ran 9 yards for
a touchdown and Judson took the lead at 19-14.
A pass by Baldwin was intercepted on the Cavs 35. Williams threw to a receiver diving into the
end zone to push the lead to 26-14. Cameron Dicker connected on a 48 yard field
goal late in the second quarter and the teams went to half time with the score
26-17.
Julon Williams goes 72 yards on a quarterback draw for a Judson touchdown
The teams traded scoring passes early in the third
quarter. Baldwin connected with Garrett Wilson
for a 73 yard touchdown. The two point
conversion made the score 26-25. Julon
Williams threw a 42 yard touchdown pass to Kishaun Fisher to push the lead to 33-25.
The Cavs returned the kick-off to midfield. On third down, running back Kyle Wakefield
hurdled over a tackler to get a critical first down. Baldwin threw to Garrett Wilson for a 6 yard
touchdown. The try for two failed
leaving the score 33-31.
Garrett Wislon scores one of his four touchdowns on the day
After Lake Travis missed a 46 yard field goal, Julon
Williams’ threw deep, but his pass was intercepted by Nathan Parodi. The Cavs scored on an option pitch to Hudson
Card. Baldwin threw to Card for the two
point conversion to make the score 39-33 midway through the fourth quarter.
The Rockets were
forced to punt on their next possession.
The snap sailed over the punter’s head, giving the Cavs first and
goal. Garrett Wilson scored from five
yards out. Another two point try moved
the Cavs to a 47-33 lead with 5:18 left to play.
The Rockets only needed two minutes to go 75 yards, with
Julon Williams running the last 9 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, leaving the Cavs
ahead by eight at 47-39 with 3:15 in the fourth quarter.
The Rockets must get the ball back if they have any
hopes. Their onside kick was successful
and Judson took possession at midfield. Facing
third and 19, Julon Williams pass was incomplete. For Judson, their season came down to one
play. Williams scrambled, but was sacked
by Kade Langston. The Cavaliers ran out
the clock and claimed the victory.
Kade Langston sacks Julon Williams to seal the win for Lake Travis
Congratulations to Converse Judson for the fine season
they had. Good luck to Lake Travis as
they go on the road to face Los Fresnos in third round play-off action next
week.
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