Sept. 21, 2024 issue

Page 1


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Michael Adams

AUSTIN SPORTS JOURNAL

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5

QUESTIONS WITH...

CARLY KROTHE, LAKE TRAVIS TENNIS

What is your biggest tennis ick?

When an opponent does not give you a chance to warm up your serve in the 5-minute warm up before a match.

If you were given $1 million, what is the first thing you’d do, and you can’t say travel?

I would buy jet ski because I have always wanted one.

What would your last meal be?

Chicken pesto parmigiana like my mom makes.

Who is your favorite tennis player from the Austin area that’s not on your team?

Michelle McGarrahan from Westlake.

What are the first three songs you’re putting on a prematch playlist?

Better than Revenge by Taylor Swift, Heartless by Kanye West and Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun

Bonus question: If you could invite one person in the history of the world to dinner, who would you invite?

The carpenter who designed the staircase of the Laredo chapel in New Mexico because it is constructed defying physics.

Photo courtesy of Lake Travis tennis
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
The Round Rock Dragonettes dances in the bleachers as the band plays during a high school football game at Kelly Reeves Stadium on Friday in Austin.

1.

LAKE TRAVIS (4-0)

def. San Marcos 62-13 UP NEXT at Bowie

High School Football

2. WESTLAKE (3-1)

3.

4.

def. Cibolo Steele 41-16 UP NEXT Open

BOWIE (4-0)

def. Converse Judson 28-24 UP NEXT vs. Lake Travis

VANDEGRIFT (2-1)

Open UP NEXT vs. Vista Ridge

ROUND ROCK (4-0)

def. McNeil 45-14 UP NEXT vs. Cedar Ridge

Panther pursuit

1.

2.

3.

GEORGETOWN (3-0)

Open UP NEXT at Leander

WEISS (3-1)

def. Lehman 79-0 UP NEXT at Hendrickson

ANDERSON (2-1)

Open UP NEXT vs. A&M Consolidated

LIBERTY HILL (3-1)

def. Navarro, 78-0 UP NEXT at Elgin 4.

def. Connally 56-10 UP NEXT at Navarro (Thur.)

PFLUGERVILLE (4-0)

Navarro during a high school football game at The Pfield on Thursday in Pflugerville.

1.

2.

LBJ (3-0)

def. Dal. Episcopal 48-47 UP NEXT at SA Cornerstone

JARRELL (3-1)

Lost to Llano 21-14 UP NEXT at Smithville

WIMBERLEY (2-2)

Pflugerville is off to its best start in 17 years, and it should worry 11-5A-II

Up next

• PFlugerville at Elgin, 7:30 p.m., Friday

Lost to Lampasas 38-27 UP NEXT at Geronimo Navarro

THRALL (3-1)

Lost to Troy 68-20 UP NEXT vs. Johnson City 3.

LAGO VISTA (3-1)

def. Marion 41-7 UP NEXT vs. Salado

PFLUGERVILLE ¬– No one doubted the outcome of Thursday’s District 11-5A-II game between Pflugerville and Navarro.

It was almost a certainty the Panthers (4-0, 1-0) were going to come out victorious against and outmatched Vikings team with just 31 players on their roster.

Yet, the way Pflugerville dismantled Navarro on its home turf was reminiscent of a storied program and quite fitting on a night Panther great Alex Okafor was in attendance.

Are the Panthers back to the dominance of the days of

• Navarro vs. Liberty Hill, 7:30 p.m., Thursday at Nelson

Okafor and IK Enemkpali? Well… maybe.

It’s hard to gauge how good this Pflugerville team is based on its performance against an opponent that couldn’t match the Panthers’ size, speed or athleticism. But consider for a second that Pflugerville is 4-0 for the first time since 2007, which was also the same year the

Continued on page 5

Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
Pflugerville’s Kishan Ware (11) pursues Daniel Gallegos (6) of

High School Football

14

The Dragons get their revenge

Round Rock scores 31 unanswered points to defeat rival McNeil

Round Rock got its revenge Friday.

The Dragons (4-0, 2-0 District 25-6A) avenged last year’s 17-0 loss to McNeil with a dominating performance and cruising to a 45-14 win over the Mavericks at Kelly Reeves Stadium.

McNeil (1-3, 1-1) took an early 7-0 lead when Jacorian Hubbard scooped up a Round Rock fumble and returned it for a touchdown.

The Dragons answered on the ensuing kickoff when

Up next

• Round Rock vs. Cedar Ridge, 7 p.m., Friday at Dragon

• McNeil at Stony Point, 7 p.m., Friday at Kelly Reeves

Aiden Walker returned it for 74 yards for the score. Round Rock added another score on its next offensive possession on a run by Joaquin Maldonado.

McNeil answered when Jadon Sultz threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jarell Gary to tie the game at 14.

Round Rock scored 14 more points in the first half to take a 28-14 lead into the locker room at halftime and then added 13 more points in the second half to secure the win.

WEEK 4 SCOREBOARD

Thursday’s scores

Blanco 35, Ingram Moore 0

Pflugerville 78, Navarro 0

Akins 53, Northeast 8

Lake Travis 52, San Marcos 13

Bastrop 69, Crockett 6

Friday’s scores

Class 6A

Dripping Springs 49, Buda Johnson 34

Vista Ridge 38, Stony Point 35

Westlake 41, Cibolo Steele 16

Bowie 28, Converse Judson 24

Temple 52, Austin High 13

Manor 43, Hutto 36

Round Rock 45, McNeil 14

Cedar Ridge 35, Westwood 28

Copperas Cove 21, Del Valle 14

Class 5A

Hays 20, Cedar Creek 10

Weiss 79, Lehman 0

Hendrickson 35, Lockhart 11

Elgin 50, McCallum 26

Liberty Hill 56, Connally 10

Class 4A

Eastside 44, Schertz John Paul II 0 Travis 28, Luling 0

LBJ 48, Dallis Parish Episcopal 47 (OT)

Lampasas 38, Wimberley 27

Marble Falls 49, San Antonio Brackenridge 0

La Grange 35, Taylor 7

Caldwell 49, Smithville 24

Llano 21, Jarrell 14

Lago Vista 41, Marion 7

Salado 67, Little River Academy 39

Rockdale 26, Giddings 21

Burnet 22, Fredericksburg 15

Fort Bend Christian 70, LASA 0

Class 3A

Troy 68, Thrall 20

Class 2A

Comfort 21, Johnson City 14

Thorndale 51, Austin Achieve 0

Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
Round Rock’s Dylan Jaeger (29) and Reggie Hurley (7) celebrate a touchdown during a high school football game at Kelly Reeves Stadium on Friday in Austin.

High School Football

WEEK 3 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Thursday’s games

Crockett at Connally, 7 p.m. at The Pfield Manor at Westwood, 7 p.m. at Kelly Reeves

WEEK 5 SCHEDULE

Dripping Springs at Akins, 7:30 p.m. at Burger Stadium

Eastside at Travis, 7:30 p.m. at House Park

Liberty Hill at Navarro, 7:30 p.m. at Nelson Stadium

Friday’s games

Cedar Ridge at Round Rock, 7 p.m. at Dragon Stadium

McNeil at Stony Point, 7 p.m. at Kelly Reeves

Vista Ridge at Vandegrift, 7 p.m.

Cedar Park at Killeen Chaparral, 7 p.m.

Lake Belton at Rouse, 7 p.m. at Gupton Stadium

Glenn at East View, 7 p.m.

Georgetown at Leander, 7 p.m. at Bible Stadium

Weiss at Hendrickson, 7 p.m. at The Pfield

Pflugerville at Elgin, 7 p.m.

Jarrell at Smithville, 7 p.m.

La Vernia at Marble Falls, 7 p.m.

San Antonio Memorial at Blanco, 7 p.m.

Continued from page 3

Panthers reached the Class 5A-Division II state championship game.

However, also consider that the four opponents Pflugerville has beaten this season are a combined 6-9.

So, are the Panthers back?

All signs point to yes, and that should worry the rest of District 11-5A-II.

This week’s game at Elgin (1-3, 1-0) will be the first real test for Pflugerville.

The Wildcats snapped their three-game skid with a 50-26 win over McCallum on Friday.

However, both teams have a common opponent in the early season – Hays.

Pflugerville manhandled the Hawks in a 47-7 win in Week 2, just a week after Hays opened the

Lincoln Hossfeld

Salado, quarterback, senior Hossfield accounted for 393 yards of total offense and six touchdowns in the Eagles’ win over Giddings. He threw for 304 yards, completing 17 of 21 pass attempts without an interception. He was also the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football QB of the Week for Class 4A.

Past winners

Week 1: Vann Hopping, RB, Lake Travis Week 2: Zane Wooldrige, WR, Leander

Johnson City at Thrall, 7 p.m.

Hempstead at Thorndale, 7 p.m.

Granger at Bartlett, 7 p.m.

McDade at Burton, 7 p.m.

Lake Travis at Bowie, 7:30 p.m. at Burger Stadium

San Marcos at Buda Johnson, 7:30 p.m. at Shelton Stadium

A&M Consolidated at Anderson, 7:30 p.m. at Nelson Stadium

Del Valle at Austin High, 7:30 p.m. at House Park

McCallum at Bastrop, 7:30 p.m. at BISD Memorial Stadium

Cedar Creek at Lockhart, 7:30 p.m.

Taylor at Manor New Tech, 7:30 p.m.

Gatesville at Burnet, 7:30 p.m.

Giddings at El Campo, 7:30 p.m.

Navasota at La Grange, 7:30 p.m.

Salado at Lago Vista, 7:30 p.m.

LBJ at San Antonio Cornerstone, 7:30 p.m.

Wimberley at Geronimo Navarro, 7:30 p.m.

season with a 31-21 win over the Wildcats.

Take that for what it’s worth.

Should the Panthers get by Elgin, and then McCallum on Oct. 10, Pflugerville will be off to its best start in the last 25 years.

It would also set up an Oct. 18 showdown in the mecca that is The Pfield against powerhouse Liberty Hill that will have a playoff atmosphere and district championship implications.

That’s quite the turnaround for a team that last year made the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Welcome back, Pflugerville.

MORE COVERAGE ONLINE

See more photos with this story online at austinsportsjournal.com.

Photo courtesy of Salado athletics
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 Monday through noon, Tuesdays. The winner is announced each Wednesday online.

Records are as of Sept. 12

DRIPPING SPRINGS (33-2)

Volleyball

WESTLAKE DEF. AUSTIN HIGH

Up next: at Bowie (6:30p, Tuesday) 1.

Up next: at Lake Travis (6:30p, Tuesday)

2.

WESTLAKE (21-13)

AUSTIN HIGH (31-4)

Up next: vs. Akins (6:30p, Tuesday)

BUDA JOHNSON (28-6)

Up next: vs. Schertz Clemens (6:30p, Tue.)

VANDEGRIFT (18-13)

Up next: at Hutto (6:30p, Tuesday)

LIBERTY HILL (28-5)

Westlake flexes its muscles, snaps Austin High’s winning streak

2.

Up next: vs. Cedar Park (6:30p, Tuesday)

GEORGETOWN (26-7)

Up next: at Hendrickson (6:30p, Tuesday) 1.

WEISS (28-8)

Up next: at Liberty Hill (6:30p, Tue.) 3.

Up next: at Georgetown (6:30p, Friday)

CEDAR PARK (17-15)

MCCALLUM (19-14)

Up next: at Anderson (7:30p, Tuesday)

WIMBERLEY (26-2)

Up next: vs. Vet. Memorial (6p,Tuesday)

GATEWAY PREP (18-3)

School on Tuesday in Austin.

If anyone still doubted Westlake’s deceiving record, the Chaps would like a word.

getting better.

Austin High (31-4) played uncharacteristic volleyball. The Maroons, who are typically a strong offensive team, had a collective hitting percentage of .119 with 20 attacking errors. A lot of the reason for the miscues was Westlake’s tenacious defense at the net.

SALADO (25-6)

Up next: at Marble Falls (6p, Tuesday) 2.

Up next: vs. Lampasas (6p, Tuesday)

Up next: vs. Rogers (6p, Tuesday) 3.

JOHNSON CITY (21-7)

Up next: at Center Point (6p, Friday)

THRALL (17-7)

Visiting Westlake (13-11) –ranked No. 23 in Class 6A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association – commanded a 27-25, 15-25, 25-15, 25-21 victory Tuesday over rival No. 3 Austin High.

It wasn’t so much that the Chaps snapped the Maroons’ six-game winning streak, but how they did it by beating Austin High in every part of the game.

Outside hitters Chloe Kelly and Lily Davis combined for 31 kills and 25 digs to lead the way for Westlake. Kelly, a junior, had a match-high 16 kills with a .250 hitting percentage and 11 digs.

Senior libero Mallory Weyand led the defensive front with a match-high 21 digs.

“We really, really needed that win,” said Westlake head coach Miguel Sanez. “That win was a good measuring stick for us. We’re still not at our best, but we are

Junior outside hitter Riley Malloy was one of three players with a team-high nine kills, along with middle blocker Camille Presely and outside hitter Harper Luthy. After the match, Austin High head coach Kylie Woods acknowledged how Westlake beat them in every aspect of the game.-“They beat us, they beat us on both sides of the ball, on offense and defense,” Woods said. “We have to find a way to spread the ball around more and not be so predictable… This doesn’t negate what we’ve done all season. We have the opportunity to learn from this and get better.”

Westlake travels to Bowie on Tuesday. The next district home game is Oct. 1 against Lake Travis.

Austin High hosts Akins and Del Valle on Tuesday and Sept. 27, respectively.

Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
Westlake’s Clayton Kelly (22) blocks a kill attempt from Harper Luthy (3) during a volleyball match at Austin High

Volleyball

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Lexi Ankerstar

Round Rock, senior, setter

The Dragons senior setter had back-to-back triple doubles, including a 10 kill, 17 dig and 24 assist performance on Tuesday in Round Rock’s win over Westwood. In a loss to Vista Ridge, Ankerstar put down 16 kills, 14 digs and 31 assists. In both games she had seven service aces.

Past winners

Week 1: Laney Hennessee, Wimberley

Week 2: Takyla Brown, Weiss

Week 3: MC Brandl, Glenn

Week 4: Jesse Letts, Glenn

Game of the Week

MCCALLUM KNIGHTS @ ANDERSON TROJANS

16-9 20-14

6:30 p.m.,Tuesday at Anderson High School Gymnasium | Series record: Anderson leads series 15-1* Last meeting: Anderson won 25-14, 25-11, 25-19 on Sept. 26, 2023.

* Record as of 2009, according to MaxPreps

MCCALLUM PLAYERS TO WATCH: Greta Carlson, senior, outside hitter; Lexi Rosenblatt, junior, setter; Aanlya Thornton, junior, libero; Helen Rogers, senior, middle blocker.
ANDERSON PLAYERS TO WATCH: Parker Duncan, senior, outside hitter; Chloe Frizzle, freshman, outside hitter; Claire Nix, senior, libero; Bailey Santos, junior, setter.
McCallum’s Lexi Rosenblatt
Anderson’s Parker Duncan

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