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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
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
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
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
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.
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
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.