Enter the ASJ’s contest to find the best student section in the Austin area
The Austin Sports Journal is on a quest this high school football season to find the best student section in the Greater Austin Area.
Send us video or photos from your student sections or tag the Austin Sports Journal (@ASJSportsATX) on social media posts that show your school’s student sections during the game. We will take your submissions, pick the best 10 and poll our readers each week to decide who was the the title of Best Student Section in Austin for that week.
You can email submissions to madams@austinsportsjournal. com. Deadline for submissions is Sundays at 5 p.m.
Voting will begin on Monday and continue for 24 hours. The winner will be announced on Wednesdays. We will present your school with a plaque the following week at your pep rally, if you’ll have us!
(ISSN: Pending) is published weekly on Saturdays by The Sports Journals, LLC. Reproduction or use without permission of editorial or graphic content in any manner is strictly prohibited. Subscription rates are $29.99 annually (52 weeks) or $5.99 monthly. Subscriptions automatically renew, but can be canceled anytime. Readers may purchase subscriptions at austinsportsjournal.com.
STORY IDEAS
Send tips to publisher Michael Adams at madams@ austinsportsjournal.com.
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CORRECTIONS & CLARRIFICATIONS
Fair and accurate reporting is at the heart of what we do at the Austin Sports Journal. Contact Publisher Michael Adams at madams@austinsportsjournal.com about anything that is incorrect or needs clarification.
5
QUESTIONS WITH...
AVA MONCADA, WESTWOOD VOLLEYBALL
What is your biggest volleyball ick? A rat tail ponytail or bun.
If you were given $1 million, what is the first thing you’d do, and you can’t say travel?
Give some of the money to my grandma so she can retire and then I’d hire a personal pilot.
What would your last meal be?
Pad see ew (Pad Thai)
Who is your favorite volleyball player from the Austin area that’s not on your team?
Weiss setter Takyla Brown
What are the first three songs you’re putting on a pregame playlist?
200FORLUNCH by Gunna; Shabooya by Hitkidd; Child’s Play by Drake
Bonus question: If you could invite one person in the history of the world to dinner, who would you invite?
Princess Diana. She seems very interesting and would have a lot of stories.
THE PUBLISHER
Awell-keptsecret is that today, Aug. 31, is the Austin Sports Journal’s birthday.
I came home after covering a game for the Dallas Morning News and mapped out an idea on a piece of paper.
The next day, I bought the URL for onthesidelinessports.com, created a logo and started posting things to a website. I just built everything as I went along through trial and error. (More error than I’d like to admit)
I took out a few hundred dollars from my savings and bought a camera, video equipment and a microphone.
My initial plan was to cover all sports in the Austin area and provide an alternative to traditional sports coverage. That proved to be a little tougher than I thought it would be.
So as the football season went on, I narrowed down my coverage plans to high schools and put the focus on
highlighting the talented athletes in the Austin area.
And it grew.
And grew some more.
And then some more.
It grew so fast that I had a hard time keeping up.
If the current traffic trends continue, the Austin Sports Journal website will hit its one millionth lifetime page view sometime in late October or early November.
A lot has changed in the last year.
I re-branded from On the Sidelines Sports to the Austin Sports Journal to more align with what I really wanted this to be – a newspaper, albeit a digital newspaper.
The irony is, I never really considered publishing an e-paper or magazines when initially putting all this together. It’s just sort of evolved into all this.
And we are with the first issue of the Austin Sports Journal on the company’s first birthday!
I can’t thank you all enough. If it wasn’t for each and everyone of you, I wouldn’t be here.
Photo courtesy of Westwood volleyball
MICHAEL ADAMS PUBLISHER
High School Football
1. WESTLAKE (1-0)
2.
def. Prosper 35-14 UP NEXT vs. San Benito
LAKE TRAVIS (1-0)
def. Arl. Martin 51-12 UP NEXT vs. Rockwall
VANDEGRIFT (1-0)
Lost to Weiss 42-41 (OT) UP NEXT at Lake Belton 3.
DRIP. SPRINGS (0-1)
1.
2.
3.
def. Drip. Springs 31-14 UP NEXT at. Cedar Park
Lost to Vandegrift 31-14 UP NEXT vs. SA Wagner 4. MCNEIL (0-1)
CLASS 5A
WEISS (1-0)
def. McNeil 42-41 (OT) UP NEXT at San Marcos CLASS
LIBERTY HILL (0-1)
Lost to Cibolo Steele 49-26 UP NEXT vs. Rouse
CEDAR PARK (0-1)
Lost to H. Heights 45-43 (OT) UP NEXT vs. Vandegrift
4. BASTROP (1-0)
5.
def. Alvin 41-6 UP NEXT vs. China Spring
ANDERSON (1-0)
def. McCallum 57-40 UP NEXT at Elgin
Anson Gonzales
tackles Thorndale quarterback
Ferguson
1. WIMBERLEY (1-0)
def. Canyon Lake 46-0 UP NEXT vs. Fredericksburg
2. LBJ (1-0)
def. Sam Houston 56-7 UP NEXT Open
3. BLANCO (0-1)
Lost to Hondo 49-40 UP NEXT at Randolph
GRANGER (0-1)
Lost to Johnson City 34-22 UP NEXT at Thorndale
def. Burnet 23-20 UP NEXT vs. Waco Connally 4.
5.
LAGO VISTA (1-0)
By Michael Adams madams@austinsportsjournal.com
during the Battle of 79 rivalry football game between Thrall and Thorndale on Friday, Aug. 30 at Tiger Stadium in Thrall. Up next
THRALL ¬– It took nearly two quarters of football Friday for Thrall to take the lead over their bitter rivals. When the Tigers finally did, quarterback Chance Parker put the offense in turbo mode and went on to defeat Thorndale 50-29 in front of a packed house at Tiger Stadium.
Thrall (1-0) outscored the Bulldogs 21-7 in the second half.
However, the Battle of 79 rivalry game between the two schools separated by five miles along U.S. Highway 78 was closer than the final score suggest.
Thorndale (0-1) started the game recovering an onside kick but failed to capitalize on the opportunity.
However, with 7:44 left in the first quarter Thorndale got a safety and then scored on the ensuing possession on
• Thrall vs. Rosebud-Lott, 7 p.m., Friday
• Thorndale vs. Granger, 7 p.m., Friday
a 7-yard run by senior running back Noah Crabtree, who scored all three of the Bulldogs first half touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs had to play catchup.
Parker ran in an 11-yard touchdown with 4:37 left in the first quarter and the two-point converstion try was good to tie the game at eight.
Thorndale scored on back-to-back possessions to take a 22-8 lead early in the second quarter, but Parker cut the lead to seven with a 26-yard toss to Nick Trueter on the next possession.
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
Thrall’s
(8)
Gunner
(10)
High School Football
Vikings hold on to beat Burnet
on Friday, Aug. 30 at Bulldog Stadium in Burnet. The Vikings held on for a 23-20 victory over the Bulldogs.
Continued from page 7
Parker then ran in touchdowns for 45 and 7 yuards to give Thrall a 29-22 lead going into the locker room at halftime.
Thrall has won the last three meetings in this storied rivalry game that some argue is the best in Central Texas, if not the state.
Thorndale has lost 12-straight games with their last win coming on Nov. 10, 2022 against Johnson City in the Class 2A-I playoffs.
The Bulldogs will look to end their losing streak next week at home against nearby Granger. Thrall will host Rosebud-Lott. Both games are slated for 7 p.m.
ROUNDUP
Vandegrift 31, Dripping Springs 14: Quarterback Miles Teodecki threw for 223 yards and three touchdwons to lift the Vipers over Dripping Springs Friday at Monroe Stadium. Running back Brendan Fournier rushed for 93 yards and scored one touchdown for the Vipers (1-0), who led 31-7 at halftime.
Dripping Springs (0-1) couldn’t get their offense going against a stingy Vandegrift defense that gave up just 68 rushing yards, with 58 coming from Tigers’ running back Jack Tyndall.
Lake Travis 51, Arlington Martin 14: The Cavaliers tallied 380 total yards and outscored Arlington Martin 34-2 in the second half to defeat the Warriors in Arlington Friday night.
Quarterback Chaston Ditta threw for 146 yards and two touchdowns for the Cavaliers (1-0). Running back Vann Hopping rushed for 183 yards and had five touchdowns.
Georgetown 54, Victoria West 14: Jeff Walker rushed for 192 yards and scored two touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Kaleb McDougle threw for 202 yards, completing 11 of 18 passes, with five touchdowns to lift the Eagles to a season opening win over Victoria West.
Rockdale 42, Smithville 27: Rockdale scored 21 first quarter points and held off a Smithville comeback to win Friday night in Rockdale.
See more coverage at austinsportsjournal.com.
Thursday’s scores
Weiss 42, McNeil 41 (OT)
Westlake 35, Prosper 14
Anderson 57, McCallum 40
Stony Point 28, East View 22
Hendrickson 14, Belton 0
Friday’s games
Class 6A
Waco Midway 43, Westwood 7
Vista Ridge 31, Killeen 21
Vandegrift 31, Dripping Springs 14
Buda Johnson 28, Cedar Ridge 14
Hutto 63, San Marcos 8
Round Rock 22, Killeen Shoemaker 14
Lake Travis 51, Arlington Martin 12
Travis 24, Akins 0
Austin High 45, New Braunfels Canyon 35
Bowie 40, Manor 27
Del Valle 54, Cedar Creek 21
Class 5A
Bastrop 41, ALvin 6
Pflugerville 54, Leander 28
Hays 31, Elgin 21
Rouse 57, Connally 10
Georgetown 54, Victoria East 14
Glen 21, Medina Valley 7
Killeen Chaparral 12, Lehman 6
Harker Heights 45, Cedar Park 43 (5 OTs)
Navarro 14, Eastside 0
Cibolo Steele 49, Liberty Hill 26
Victoria East 30, Lockhart 7
Class 4A & below
Wimberley 46, Canyon Lake 0
Troy 49, Salado 28
LASA at Manor New Tech
Gatesville 42, Taylor 27
Northeast at St. Andrews
New Braunfels Christian 63, Austin Achieve 0
Marble Falls 56, Crockett 0
Rockdale 42, Smithville 21
Lago Vista 23, Burnet 20
Jarrell 20, Giddings 14
La Grange 52, Cameron Yoe 49
LBJ 56, San Antonio Sam Houston 7
Hondo 49, Blanco 40
Johnson City 34, Granger 22
Thrall 50, Thorndale 29
McDade 24. Copas Rose Legacy 6
Bosqueville 21, Bartlett 12
Burnet’s defense lines up across Lago Vista’s offense during a high school football game
Photo courtesy of Martelle Luedecke
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
Thorndale running back Noah Crabtree scores a touchdown.
Thursday Football Rewind
42 41 Freshman QB leads Wolves to win over McNeil
By Steve Thomas Special to the Austin Sports Journal
Weiss senior quarterback Jax Brown revealed Thursday on X prior to the Wolves season opener with McNeil that he would be out for the season after suffering a knee injury in the Wolves’ scrimmage against Waco University last week.
That meant freshman Jaxson Schad would get the start for the Wolves (1-0), and he didn’t disappoint.
Schad willed Weiss to a 42-41 victory in overtime at Kelly Reeves Stadium, fighting off a resilient Mavericks team that was out to prove 2023 wasn’t a one-trick pony.
Trailing by seven points in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks rallied to tie the game at 35. McNeil had a pair of chances to win the game, but the Mavericks missed two field goal attempts.
Continued on page 7
Anderson quarterback Max
Texas on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024.
Trojans outgun rival McCallum in Taco Shack offensive shootout
By Michael Adams madams@austinsportsjournal.com
Max Gerlich waited for this moment all summer. And he took full advantage of it.
Anderson’s senior quarterback produced 446 total yards of offense Thursday night in front of a packed house at House Park Stadium to push the Trojans to a 57-40 win over rival McCallum in the annual Taco Shack Bowl.
Gerlich, a UTSA pledge, threw for seven touchdown passes – three to TCU commit Ed Small – and ran for another in his first game since suffering a serious knee injury. Of his 446 yards, 308 were through the air to his favorite targets Small and Zayden Sharp.
Up next
• Anderson at Elgin, 7:30 p.m., Friday
• McCallum at Travis, 7:30 p.m., Friday at Burger Stadium
Not to be outdone, McCallum’s Luke Dunham got into a duel with his Anderson counterpart. The senior quarterback scored four touchdowns while throwing for 326 yards and rushing for another 150. Running back Mark Sanchez Jr. had a spectacular night as well, rushing for 104 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Anderson (1-0) has won four of the last five Taco Shack Bowls, with McCallum (0-1) last getting the win in 2021.
TACO SHACK BOWL
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
Gerlich (3) steps back to pass during the annual Taco Shack Bowl at House Park Stadium in Austin,
Ursula Rogers for the Austin Sports Journal Weiss running back Nick Johnson scores a touchdown during a football game at Kelly Reeves Stadium in Austin on Thursday.
Football Look Ahead: Week 2
SCHEDULE
Thursday’s games
Leander at Hendrickson, 7 p.m. at The Pfield
McNeil at Lake Belton, 7 p.m.
Akins at Cedar Creek, 7:30 p.m. at BISD Memorial Stadium
Westwood at Austin High, 7:30 p.m. at House Park
Bowie at Vista Ridge, 7:30 p.m. at Gupton Stadium
Pflugerville at Hays, 7:30 p.m. at Shelton Stadium
Friday’s games
Vandegrift at Cedar Park, 7 p.m. at Gupton Stadium
Cedar Ridge at Waco Midway, 7 p.m.
McNeil at Lake Belton, 7 p.m.
Hutto at Converse Judson, 7 p.m.
Taylor at Connally, 7 p.m. at The Pfield
China Spring at Bastrop, 7 p.m.
Blanco at Randolph, 7 p.m.
Burnet at East View, 7 p.m.
Georgetown at Belton, 7 p.m.
Glenn at Copperas Cove, 7 p.m.
Manor at Harker Heights, 7 p.m.
Granger at Thorndale, 7 p.m.
Rosebud-Lott at Thrall, 7 p.m.
St. Anthony’s at Austin Achieve, 7 p.m.
McDade at Hubbard, 7 p.m.
Rockwall at Lake Travis, 7:30 p.m.
San Benito at Westlake, 7:30 p.m.
San Antonio Wagner at Dripping Springs, 7:30 p.m.
Anderosn at Elgin, 7:30 p.m.
Stony Point at Buda Johnson, 7:30 p.m. at Shelton Stadium
Round Rock at Temple, 7:30 p.m.
Weiss at San Marcos, 7:30 p.m.
Travis at McCallum, 7:30 p.m. at House Park
Lockhart at San Antonio Southwest, 7:30 p.m.
Lehman at San Antonio Jay, 7:30 p.m.
Del Valle at Schertz Clemens, 7:30 p.m.
Rouse at Liberty Hill, 7:30 p.m.
Navarro at Northeast, 7:30 p.m. at Nelson Stadium
Crockett at Canyon Lake, 7:30 p.m.
Giddings at Smithville, 7:30 p.m.
LASA at Eastside, 7:30 p.m. at Burger Stadium
Fredericksburg at Wimberley, 7:30 p.m.
Bartlett at Bruceville Eddy, 7:30 p.m.
Marble Falls at Jarrell, 7:30 p.m.
Johnson City at Senora, 7:30 p.m.
La Grange at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
Waco Connally at Lago Vista, 7:30 p.m.
Lampasas at Salado, 7:30 p.m.
Big School Game of the Week
VANDEGRIFT VIPERS
7 p.m.,Friday at Gupton Stadium | Series record: Cedar Park leads 8-6 Last meeting: Vandegrift won 41-17 in 2023 at Vandegrift
VANDEGRIFT TO WATCH: DE Deshon Morgan; DB Aidan Jones; RB Brendan FDournier; DB Hollister Stephens; WR Brock Chilton; OL Will Wood; LB Parker Davis
Who has the advantage?
OFFENSE
LB Lockan
DB
OL Jacob Slaughter; QB David Cooper
If you love smashmouth football, you’ll be in for a treat. The big offensive names in this game are both at the running back position. The Vipers will rely on RB Brendan Fournier to carry the load as they still mold a young quarterback. The Timberwolves are in a similar situation, as RB Trae Hill will carry the load. Cedar Park has a slight advantage at running back and a big offensive line should be the difference.
DEFENSE
Defense is the trademark of Cedar Park football, but the Timberwolves’ are very young on that side of the football. Vandegrift, on the other hand, has a lot more experience. There’s a bit of role reversal with these teams, as the Vipers are known for the offense. However, Vandegrift has the advantage here.
INTANGIBLES
This game will be played at Gupton, which should give the Timberwolves home field advantage. But not so fast! Vandegrift has dominated this series the past three seasons, winning by an average of 34.7 points. The Vipers have won five of the last six meetings, so recent history is on their side.
OVERALL
This game has a history of being a high scoring affair. These teams have met 14 times, but only three times have there been fewer than 20 total points scored. This might be one of those years because we think defense will decide this game. If that’s the case, the Vipers will extend the current streak to four games.
Small
7 p.m.,Friday at Tiger Stadium | Series record: Giddings leads series 14-6* (last 20 meetings) Last meeting: Smithville won 35-34 in 2023 at Giddings.
CEDAR PARK PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Trae Hill; LB Jahiem Porter;
Wicketts;
Garrett Nichols;
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
The Vandegrift Vipers.
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal Cedar Park head coach Michael Quintero
Records are as of Aug. 28
Volleyball RANKINGS
Up next: at San Marcos (Tue.) 1.
DRIPPING SPRINGS (22-0)
Up next: vs. Hays (Tue.)
2.
AUSTIN HIGH (21-1)
BUDA JOHNSON (16-4)
Up next: at Anderson (Tue.)
ROUND ROCK (16-6)
Up next: at Vandegrift (Fri.)
WESTLAKE (12-8)
Up next: at San Antonio Brandies (Tue.)
LIBERTY HILL (21-0)
Ready to pounce
Up next: vs. Liberty Hill (Tue.) 1.
Up next: at Georgetown (Tue.)
Up next: vs. Ann Richards (Tue.) 2.
GEORGETOWN (19-1)
WEISS (18-4)
MCCALLUM (10-10)
Up next: vs. Northeast (Tue.)
GLENN (10-11)
Up next: vs. Bowie (Tue.)
WIMBERLEY (15-2)
Up next: vs. Blanco (Tue.)
SALADO (18-4)
Up next: vs. Troy (Tue.)
GATEWAY PREP (11-2)
Up next: at Hendrickson (Fri.)
MARBLE FALLS (13-5)
Up next: at Llano (Tue.)
JOHNSON CITY (13-7)
Up next: vs. Copperas Cove (Tue.)
Jaguars exceeding expectations; emerge as contender in 29-6A
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
BUDA – The Buda Johnson volleyball team had a relatively quiet offseason.
There wasn’t a lot of preseason attention.
The Jaguars weren’t showing up on “teams to watch” lists, nor were they anywhere on anyone’s preseason rankings list. By most accounts, Buda Johnson was just another team getting ready for a new season, but without the glitz and glam of say Dripping Springs or Liberty Hill.
An 0-2 start to the season with losses to Smithson Valley and Class 4A powerhouse Wimberley surely didn’t help draw attention to the Jaguars.
Maybe they were just waiting on the right time to pounce.
“There’s a lot of talent on this team, but I think we know who we are as a team, we know our strengths and we know
“ We’re not the most physical team, but we do a really good job of playing defense and capitalizing on our offensive opportunities.”
– Thomas Kane, Johnson head coach
our weaknesses,” said head coach Thomas Kane. “We play really hard, and I think that surprises teams. We’re not the most physical team, but we do a really good job of playing defense and capitalizing on our offensive opportunities.”
It starts with senior setter Brooklyn Myers, who is essentially the floor general. Myers picked up her 2,000th career assist on Tuesday in Johnson’s win over upstart Bowie. The match wasn’t as close as some might have expected.
Continued on page 9
BUDA JOHNSON
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
Buda Johnson’s Mya Ibarra (17), Kate Tietz (15) and Brooklyn Myers (1) celebrate a point during a volleyball match on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024 at Johnson High School in Buda, Texas.
Volleyball Look Ahead
AUSTIN AREA VOLLEYBALL
Takyla Brown
Weiss, setter., senior
Brown helped the Wolves win the bronze bracket of the Pflugerville ISD VolleyPfest and was named to the all-tournament team. She recorded her 3,000th career assist on Tuesday in Weiss’ loss to Austin High.
About the selection process: Each week, the Austin Sports Journal selects five players from Austin area schools that had standout performances during the previous week of action and let readers vote on the winner. Voting takes place Thursday through noon, Fridays. The winner is announced each week in our e-paper and online on Sundays.
TUESDAY
Hays at Dripping Springs
Westlake at San Antonio Brandies
Hendrickson at Del Valle
Austin High at San Marcos
Hutto at Westwood*
McNeil at Vandegrift*
Cedar Ridge at Stony Point*
Canyon Lake at Akins
Liberty Hill at Georgetown
Lake Travis at Cedar Park
Buda Johnaon at Anderson
Travis at Elgin
Ann Richards at Weiss
Lockhart at Pflugerville
Connally at Cedar Creek
Northeast at McCallum
Chaparral at East View
Bowie at Glenn
Blanco at Wimberley
Troy at Salado
Copperas Cove at Johnson City
Crockett at Eastside
Austin Achieve at Prairie Lea
Fredericksburg at Burnet
Bartlett at Somerville
Lampasas at Lago Vista
Marble Falls at Llano
Manor New Tech at Fayetteville
Giddings at Taylor
Jarrell at La Grange
LBJ at Thrall
FRIDAY
Dripping Springs at Waco Midway
Westwood at Vista Ridge*
Manor at Cedar Ridge*
Georgetown at Westlake
Round Rock at Vandegrift*
Rouse at Stony Point
Hutto at McNeil*
Elgin at Akins
San Marcos at Anderson
St. Michaels at Glenn
Ann Richards at Connally
Lake Belton at East View
Buda Johnson at Pflugerville
Killeen Chapparal at Lehman
Bastrop at Lockhart
Eastside at McCallum
Travis at Crockett
Gateway at Hendrickson
Salado at West
Manor New Tech at Granger
Bartlett at Rosebud-Lott
Troy at Taylor
Giddings at Columbus
La Grange at Sealy
Lago Vista at Thorndale
Rogers at Jarrell
Fredericksburgh at Johnson City
Burnet at Wimberley
Austin Achieve at Marble Falls
Del Valle at LBJ
Game of the Week
6:30 p.m.,Tuesday at Eagle Gymnasium | Series record: Liberty Hill leads 5-3 Last meeting: Liberty Hill won 25-17, 25-22m 25-23
LIBERTY HILL PLAYERS TO WATCH: Taylor Gaines, Sr. outside hitter; Annie Witt, Sr., outside hitter; Brooklyn Escobar, Sr., libero; Ava Kostroun, Sr., middle blocker; Aubrey Hughes, Sr., middle blocker.
Georgetown has future Texas Longhorn Addison Gaido on the outside, but there’s a strong supporting cast with Sadie McCauley and Molly O’Shaughnessy. Liberty Hill is also pretty solid on the outside with Taylor Gains and Annie Witt. Depth is the biggest difference here and Georgetown has more of it than Liberty Hill.
MIDDLE DEFENSE
This match may likely be decided by who’s middle defense can step up to slow the other’s offense. Liberty Hill has the advantage here with a little more height in the middle with the trio of Aubrey Hughes, Evie Bruce Ava Kostroun. McKenzie Bernard and Sophia Jazesf are good, but don’t matchup well with Liberty Hill’s middles.
PASSING & BACK LINE DEFENSE
Both teams have standout liberoes. Reagan Ramirez leads the way for the Eagles, while Brooklyn Escobar, an all-state soccer player, mans the back line for the Panthers. The setter position might be where Liberty Hill has the advantage. Senior Ava Hight and sophomore Addison Betzen give Liberty Hill good depth at that position.
INTANGIBLES
The Panthers have made back-to-back state tournament appearances, while the Eagles haven’t made it out of the second round the last two years. Liberty Hill has won the last five meetings, only giving up one set in three matches and sweeping the other two.
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
Liberty Hill’s Aubrey Hughes
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal Georgetown’s Sadie MacCauley
In overtime, McNeil answered Weiss’ score, but elected to go for two instead of kicking the game-tying extra point.
The Wolves’ defense stopped junior wide receiver Jarell Gary just short of the goal line and escaped with the win.
“I told my players they almost gave me a heart attack,” said Weiss head coach Vernon Hughes.
On the opening drive, Weiss moved the ball methodically and took a 7-0 lead on a one-yard touchdown run my Nicholas Johnson.
On their next two drives, however, penalties and mistakes killed the Wolves’ momentum.
Early in the second quarter, McNeil quarterback Jaden Sultz tossed a 38-yard touchdown to Joshua Williams to tie the game.
Weiss responded with a one-yard touchdown run by Schad to retake the lead at 14-7.
On the ensuing McNeil drive, the Wolves forced the Mavericks into a third and 12, but Sultz tied the game with a 46-yard touchdown to Aden Taylor.
Daniel Berry returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to retake. the lead for Weiss a 21-14 lead.
After trading punts to open the second half, Weiss intercepted Sultz and capitalized with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Schad to Adrian Wilson to put the Wolves up by 14.
Johnson (16-4) surprisingly dominated the first two sets over a taller Bulldogs team. The Jaguars were clearly the better team, and they continue to prove just how good they are over and over again.
“We’re playing really good as a team, right now,” Myers said. “We work hard in practice and had a great offseason and its showing. I think we’re going to surprise a few people this season.”
A 6-1 showing in the Garland Tournament after the two season-opening losses earlier got the season back on track However, last week, Myers and the Jaguars lived up to that promise of surprising people with an impressive four-set win over traditional Austin power Lake Travis.
Myers had 13 kills and 27 assists, wile senior outside hitter Zaniah Hoskins tallied a match-high 26 kills to lead the Jaguars.
Johnson rode that momentum into this past weekend’s Pflugerville ISD’s VolleyPfest Tournament, where they reached the championship match and lost to red-hot Austin High. In fact, all four of Johnson’s losses have been to ranked teams.
“We come into the gym every day and work hard,” said Hoskins, who recently committed to the University of
Louisiana-Monroe. “I think we’ve really come together as a team, and what you see is the result of that and our hard work.”
The Jaguars play in the Smithson Valley Tournament this weekend and have three non-district games remaining before starting District 29-6A play. One of those non-district games is a rematch with Austin High on Sept. 10 at Austin High School.
With a strong start to the season, Johnson will likely not be able to sneak up on their new district opponents, which includes perennial powerhouse New Braunfels Canyon, San Marcos, Cibolo Steele, Schertz Clemens, San Antonio East Central and Converse Judson.
It’s a far cry from the district competition the Jaguars have played the past two season in 26-6A, which included Westlake, Dripping Springs, Lake Travis and Austin High. Some coaches refer to 26-6A as the SEC of Texas high school volleyball.
“Playing in (26-6A) the past two years has prepared us for what we are going to see this year,” Kane said. “That’s why I kept some of those teams on our non-district schedule this year, because I think those teams challenge us the way our new district. They are doing just that, and I love how my kids are rising to the challenge.”
In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks put together a methodical drive and took advantage of several Weiss penalties.
Willams scored his third touchdown to trim the Wolve’s lead to 8 after a failed two-point conversion try. Sultz capped off a late drive with a one-yard touchdown keeper, and Aden Taylor converted a two-point conversion to tie the game.
With two seconds left in the game, McNeil kicker Cesar Baza missed a 39-yard field goal attempt, but Weiss was flagged for roughing the kicker. On the second try, kicker Jackson Edwards missed a 24-yard field goal.
On the opening drive of overtime, Nicholas Johnson punched in the ball from two yards for a touchdown to give Weiss the lead.
Gary responded with a spectacular catch in the end zone on the first play of McNeil’s possession. Rather than extend the game to a second overtime, the Mavericks decided to go for the win.
Up next
• Weiss at San Marcos 7:30 p.m., Friday
• McNeil at Lake Belton, 7 p.m., Friday
Continued from page 7
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
Buda Johnson’s Macy Phillips (12) sets the ball during a volleyball match on Tuesday at Johnson High School in Buda.
