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On the sidelines photo of the week
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5
QUESTIONS WITH...
CALEB ALEXANDER, GLENN CROSS COUNTRY
What is your biggest cross country ick? Cutting me off then slowing, down, you’re just ruining the race for both of us.
If you were given $1 million, what is the first thing you’d do, and you can’t say travel?
I’d buy a car real quick, likely some kind of SUV.
What would your last meal be?
I need to have some BBQ ribs, specifically from Texas Roadhouse or Terry Black’s, there’s almost too much to love about them.
Who is your favorite runner from the Austin area that’s not on your team?
Out of all the people I’ve met, Harvey Flynn has been probably the most supportive runner I’ve raced against, always congratulating me after a race even though he’s faster, he’s someone I’m trying to catch up to for sure.
What are the first three songs you’re putting on a prerace playlist?
“Zero” by Smashing Pumpkins, “Bang Bang” by Green Day and “Black Boy Fly” by Kendrick Lamar
Bonus question: If you could invite one person in the history of the world to dinner, who would you invite?
I’d pick the artist, Tyler, the Creator, who seems like a really fun person to be around, so I think I’d enjoy my time at that dinner. His music’s great, too.
Photo courtesy of Glenn athletics
Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal
A member of the Bowie Silver Stars cheers on the Bulldogs as they run onto the field before a high school football game at Burger Stadium on Friday in Austin.
HOW OUR POWER 5s FARED
1.
LAKE TRAVIS (5-0)
def. Bowie 44-6 NEXT Open
High School Football
2.
WESTLAKE (3-1)
Open NEXT vs. Akins (Th.)
3. BOWIE (4-1)
Lost to Lake Travis 44-6 NEXT at Del Valle
Lake Travis runs over the Bulldogs in 26-6A opener
4. ROUND ROCK (4-1)
Lost to Cedar Ridge 21-20 NEXT at Manor
VANDEGRIFT (3-1)
def. Vista Ridge 38-7 NEXT at McNeil
1.
GEORGETOWN (3-1)
Lost to Leander 38-35 NEXT vs. Killeen Chaparral
2. WEISS (4-1)
PFLUGERVILLE (4-1)
Lost to Elgin 38-34 NEXT Open 4.
5.
LIBERTY HILL (4-1)
def. Navarro 63-0
def. Hendrickson 63-20 NEXT at Cedar Creek
ANDERSON (3-2)
Lost to A&M Consol. 56-28 NEXT at Lehman (Th.) at Shelton
2.
LBJ (4-0)
def. Cornerstone 32-12 NEXT vs. Travis at Nelson
def. Smithville 35-14 NEXT vs. Lago Vista 1.
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
LAGO VISTA (4-1)
JARRELL (4-1)
def. Johnson City 62-28 NEXT vs. Hempstead 3.
def. Salado 34-24 NEXT at Jarrell 4.
THRALL (4-1)
LA GRANGE (4-1)
def. Navasota 34-30 NEXT Open
Lake Travis reminded the Austin area just who the Cavaliers are Friday night.
In a show of defensive power and speed, Lake Travis took the bite out of the previously unbeaten Bowie Bulldogs and cruised to a 44-6 win at Burger Stadium.
The Cavaliers (5-0, 1-0 District 26-6A) got a trio of touchdowns from running back Vann Hopping and another three from passes from Chaston Ditta to Lark Sidle.
Lake Travis’ quarterback threw for 303 yards against the Bulldogs, while Hopping had his fourth game of 100 or more yards rushing with 118 yards on 16 carries.
Not to be outdone, Lake Travis’ defense completely dominated Bowie’s offense.
Defensive end Gus Cordova tipped a pass that led to an interception by Lawson Watkins that set up Hopping’s
second touchdown of the game late in the second quarter.
Cordova, a USC commit, also blocked a Bowie field goal attempt right before the half.
However, what really stood out was that the Cavaliers held Bowie (4-1, 0-1) to just 54 yards rushing, which was the Bulldogs lowest output on the ground for the season.
The Cavaliers have a bye week next week while Bowie travels to Del Valle.
Lake Travis’ Van Hopping (5) makes a run during a high school football game at Burger Stadium on Friday in Austin.
Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
High School Football
Resurging Elgin hands Pflugerville first loss
Westwood slows down Mustangs
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
A week after Manor’s offense exploded for 465 yards in a win over Hutto, the Westwood Warriors figured out the formula to stop the Mustangs.
Westwood (1-4, 1-2 District 25-6A) kept Manor out of the endzone in the second half and outscored the Mustangs 15-2 to get a 28-16 win at Kelly Reeves Stadium.
Manor (1-3, 1-1) took a 14-13 lead at halftime after a pair of touchdown passes from Cam Huff to Jordan Clark.
Manor’s DaRion Godley (0) runs onto the field while holding a red smoke canister before a high school football game at Kelly Reeves Stadium on Sept. 26, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)
The duo connected for three touchdown passes in the Mustangs’ win over Hutto last week, but the Warriors’ defense stymied the athletic combination for most of Friday’s
game.
Westwood started the game with a field goal in the first quarter and got seven more points on a touchdown pass from Cooper Waits to Drew Norrell.
The Warriors took the lead for good on a touchdown run by Xavion Sutton midway through the third quarter and added insurance in the final minutes on Norrell’s second score of the game.
Manor got a safety in the fourth quarter, but Westwood’s defense kept the offense out of the endzone to secure the Warriors’ first win of the season.
Westwood travels to Hutto next week, while Manor will host unbeaten Round Rock.
WEEK 4 SCOREBOARD
Thursday’s scores
Westwood 28, Manor 16
Liberty Hill 63, Navarro 0
Travis 55, Eastside 8
Dripping Springs 63, Akins 0
Connally 63, Crockett 7
Friday’s scores
Class 6A
Lake Travis 44, Bowie 6
Vandegrift 38, Vista Ridge 7
Austin High 23, Del Valle 6
Buda Johnson 49, San Marcos 19
Cedar Ridge 21, Round Rock 20
McNeil 55, Stony Point 30
Class 5A
A&M Consolidated 56, Anderson 28
Lockhart 50, Cedar Creek 0
Cedar Park 44, Killeen Chaparral 12
College Station 66, Lehman 0
Leander 38, Georgetown 35
East View 46, Glenn 42
Rouse 63, Lake Belton 20
Weiss 63, Hendrickson 20
Bastrop 39, McCallum 32
Elgin 38, Pflugerville 35
Class 4A
Falls City 47, LASA 7
LBJ 32, San Antonio Cornerstone 21
Burnet 23, Gatesville 16
La Vernia 34, Marble Falls 14
Taylor 44, Manor New Tech 13
Northeast 61, Austin Achieve 0
La Grange 34, Navasota 30
Wimberley 47, Geronimo Navarro 21
Jarrell 35, Smithville 14
Lago Vista 34, Salado 24
El Campo 56, Giddings 7
Class 3A
Blanco 40, San Antonio Memorial 14
Llano 37, Comfort 23
Thrall 62, Johnson City 28
Class 2A
Thorndale 49, Hempstead 14
Granger 43, Bartlett 23
Burton 35, McDade 0
Elgin’s Jonathan Richard (13) celebrates with Jalen Ownes (17) after Owens scored a touchdown against Pflugerville in a high school football game at Wildcat Stadium in Elgin on Friday. The Wildcats, who have won back-to-back games, handed the Panthers their first loss of the season.
Julia Bullock for the Austin Sports Journal
High School Football
Blowouts show a large gap among area football teams
WEEK 4 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CAM HUFF
Manor, junior, quarterback
Huff completed 17 of 31 passes for 341 yards and threw five touchdowns with one interception in the Mustangs’ win over Hutto last Friday.
WEEK 6 SCHEDULE
Thursday’s games
Akins at Westlake, 7:30 p.m.
Anderson at Lehman, 7:30 p.m. at Shelton Stadium
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
There were five games on Thursday’s high school football schedule in the Austin area.
Four of them were essentially decided at halftime.
Both Liberty Hill and Dripping Springs both won their games Thursday by a score of 63-0 over Navarro and Akins, respectively.
Connally also put up 63 points in their 56-point win over Crockett.
A week after snapping a 51-game losing streak, Eastside was on the wrong end of a 55-8 loss to Travis at House Park.
It was the second straight week where blowouts were the theme of Thursday games.
In Week 4, Lake Travis blasted San Marcos 62-13, Akins blew out Northeast 53-8, Bastrop walked by Crockett 69-6 and Pflugerville thumped Navarro 78-0.
There have been 15 games in the past two weeks decided by 40 points or more heading into Friday night’s games, showcasing a large gap between programs across the area.
There’s several reasons for the imbalance between the haves and the have nots.
One of those reasons is the rapid growth in the suburban parts of the Austin metro area, specifically in the Hill
Country and northern Williamson County.
Other reasons are the more noticeable ones, such as disparities in resources, roster depths, smaller coaching staffs and community involvement.
Take Navarro, for example.
The Vikings, who play in District 11-5A-II, have only 30 players on its varsity roster. That means several players are playing on both offense and defense.
Navarro’s last two opponents ¬– Pflugerville and Liberty Hill – had rosters nearly twice that size. Pflugerville has 54 players on their varsity roster, while Liberty Hill has 55.
This disparity is seen in several districts around the area.
In District 26-6A, Westlake and Lake Travis have dominated the south Austin district over the past three decades.
Dripping Springs entered the chat when the Tigers moved up to Class 6A in 2022 and has been competitive with their neighbors in west Austin.
However, the disparity with the rest of the district is very visible as evident by the Tigers’ 63-0 win over Akins Thursday.
The disparity is a growing issue across the state, not just Austin.
As the state continues to grow in population and new schools get built, the disparity will continue to get worse.
Friday’s games
Cedar Ridge at Stony Point, 7 p.m. at Kelly Reeves
Vandegrift at McNeil, 7 p.m. at Dragon Stadium
Westwood at Hutto, 7 p.m.
Round Rock at Manor, 7 p.m.
Rouse at Cedar Park, 7 p.m. at Gupton
Killeen Chaparral at Georgetown, 7 p.m.
Leander at Glenn, 7 p.m. at Bible Stadium
East View at Lake Belton, 7 p.m.
College Station at Hendrickson, 7 p.m. at The Pfield
Marble Falls at Devine, 7 p.m.
Smithville at Gonzales, 7 p.m.
Blanco at Yoakum, 7 p.m.
Thrall at Hempstead, 7 p.m.
Milano at Granger, 7 p.m.
Bartlett at McDade, 7 p.m.
Austin High at Dripping Springs, 7:30 p.m.
Bowie at Del Valle, 7:30 p.m.
Buda Johnson at New Braunfels Canyon, 7:30 p.m.
Schertz Clemens at San Marcos, 7:30 p.m.
Lockhart at Hays, 7:30 p.m. at Shelton Stadium
Weiss at Cedar Creek, 7:30 p.m. at BISD Memorial Stadium
Manor New Tech at Eastside, 7:30 p.m. at House Park
Travis at LBJ, 7:30 p.m. at Nelson
Geronimo Navarro at Salado, 7:30 p.m.
Austin Achieve at Taylor, 7:30 p.m.
Lago Vista at Jarrell, 7:30 p.m.
San Angelo Lake Creek at Burnet, 7:30 p.m.
Akins running back Junior Carter (21) is tackled by a pair of Dripping Springs players during a high school football game at Burger Stadium on Thursday in Austin.
Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
Photo courtesy of Manor ISD athletics
RANKINGS
Volleyball
DRIPPING SPRINGS (35-2)
Next: vs. Del Valle (6:30p, Tuesday)
Next: vs. Lake Travis (6:30p, Tuesday) 1.
WESTLAKE (22-14)
Built with a bond
AUSTIN HIGH (34-4)
Next: vs. Dripping Springs (5:30p, Oct. 4)
BUDA JOHNSON (29-6)
Next: vs. Judson (7p, Tuesday)
VANDEGRIFT (21-13)
Next: vs. Westwood (6:30p, Tuesday)
CEDAR PARK (17-14)
Next: at Glenn (6:30p, Tuesday)
Next: vs. Cedar Ridge (6:30p, Tuesday) 1.
2.
GEORGETOWN (28-7)
LIBERTY HILL (28-6)
Next: at Lehman (6:30p, Tuesday)
Next: at Pflugerville (6:30p, Tuesday) 3.
WEISS (29-8)
ANN RICHARDS (17-14)
Next: at McCallum (7:30p, Tuesday)
WIMBERLEY (26-2)
Next: vs. Davenport (6p,Tuesday)
SALADO (27-6)
Next: at Lampasas (6p, Tuesday)
GATEWAY PREP (19-4)
Next: vs. Jarrell (6p, Tuesday)
JOHNSON CITY (21-7)
Next: at Center Point (6p, Friday)
THRALL (17-7)
Next: vs. Little River Academy (6p, Tuesday)
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
In volleyball, a team is only as good as its outside hitters. An outside hitter, however, is only as good as her setter.
Luckily for McCallum, the chemistry between senior outside hitter Greta Carlson and junior setter Lexi Rosenblatt has the Knights (20-16, 3-1 District 24-5A) right in the district title conversation.
That chemistry began developing two years ago during Rosenblatt’s freshman season.
“We’ve spent a couple of years now building a pretty good connection,” Rosenblatt said. “I like to say I
followed in (Greta’s) footsteps. We played for the same club team, and I would come to her games when she was a freshman at McCallum. I once said, ‘I want to be setting that girl.’”
Think of the setter in volleyball like the quarterback in football.
The setter’s job is to run the team’s offense and get the ball to the outside hitter to score (a kill), much like a quarterback’s job is to pass to a wide receiver or hand off to a running back to move the ball into the endzone.
Much like how the quarterback works with his wide receivers to build timing and rhythm, a setter and outside hitter also have to build that timing and rhythm.
“We’ve practiced for hours to get that setter-hitter connection down, which got us to the point we’re at today,” Carlson said. “In tough moments, I know I can
McCallum’s Lexi Rosenblatt (9) pats the back of teammate Greta Carlson (16) after a point during a volleyball match at Anderson High School on Tuesday in Austin.
Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
MCCALLUM
Volleyball Trojans maintain dominance over Knights
By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal
Anderson’s volleyball team can only claim ownership of just a few teams.
One of them just happens to be the Trojans’ next-door neighbor, and bitter rival, McCallum.
Anderson (17-9, 4-0 District 23-5A) on Tuesday notched their 16th victory in the last 17 meetings with the Knights with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-17 win over their rival. It was the best birthday gift the Trojans could give head coach Shalanda Byers.
In front of a packed gymnasium at Anderson High School, senior Parker Duncan drilled a team-high 15 kills to lead Anderson’s offensive effort and reach the 1,000 kills milestone.
On the other side of the net, a young and scrappy McCallum (22-16, 3-1) held early leads in every set behind the dynamic duo of senior outside hitter Greta Carlson and junior setter Lexi Rosenblatt.
Carlson had a team-high 15 kills to go with 14 digs with Rosenblatt assisting on all of them as part of her 16 assists for the match.
Anderson’s experience was a big difference.
In each set, McCallum put together early rallies to claim sizable leads. However, the net defense freshman Chloe Frizzle’s six blocks kept the Knights at bay.
The win moves Anderson into a tie with Ann Richards (16-14, 4-) for first place. The Stars defeated Crockett Tuesday and are winners of six straight. The Trojans and Stars met Friday at Ann Richards School.
McCallum moves into third place and hosted Cedar Creek on Friday. The Knights host Ann Richards on Tuesday.
This week’s top performers
From staff reports
Here are standout performances from this past week’s volleyball action around the Austin area to include games from Sept. 20 and Sept. 24.
Greta Carlson, McCallum: The senior outside hitter had back-to-back games with 15 kills for the Knights in a win over Crockett and a loss to Anderson. She had a double double against Anderson with 18 digs.
Parker Duncan, Anderson: The senior outside hitter had 25 kills and 20 digs in the Trojans’ win over Cedar Creek this past Friday. She followed that up with 15 kills and 18 digs in Anderson’s win Tuesday against McCallum.
Henley Anderson, Dripping Springs: The junior outside hitter had 21 kills and 18 digs in the Tigers’ win over Westlake this past Friday. She followed up that performance with 11 kills and 10 digs in a win over Lake Travis on Tuesday.
Christa Wilburn, Dripping Springs: The junior outside hitter had 10 kills, nine digs and a service ace against Westlake and a team-high 17 kills and 10 digs against Lake Travis.
Joy Udoye, Cedar Park: The junior outside hitter had 23 kills and 11 digs in the Timberwolves’ win over Liberty Hill Tuesday. Prior to that, Udoye had 10 kills, three blocks and 14 digs in a win over Hays.
Anna Kurz, Cedar Park: The sophomore libero had a match-high 27 digs in the Timberwolves’ win over Liberty Hill. She had 17 in the win over Hays.
Jade Key, Rouse: The senior outside hitter had 18 kills, 20 digs and two service aces in the Raiders win over Glenn this past Friday. On Tuesday, she had 15 kills and 10 digs in Rouse’s win over Lockhart.
Brooklyn Myers, Buda Johnson: The senior setter had 24 assists, 18 digs, four service aces and four kills in the Jaguars win over Schertz Clemens on Tuesday.
Zaniah Hoskins, Buda Johnson: The senior outside hitter had 24 kills and three blocks in the Jaguars win over Schertz Clemens on Tuesday.
Taylor Gaines, Liberty Hill: The senior outside hitter had back-to-back double doubles in the Panthers’ win over Leander this
past Friday and Tuesday’s loss to Cedar Park. Gaines had 16 kills and 12 digs against Leander, and 21 kills, 14 digs and six blocks against Cedar Park. She had a hitting percentage above .400 in both games.
MC Brandl, Glenn: The senior outside hitter had 12 kills, 14 digs and four blocks in the Grizzlies’ win over Lehman Tuesday. She had 11 kills, 10 digs and two blocks in Glenn’s loss to Rouse. Lily Davis, Westlake: The senior had 15 kills and 19 digs in the Chaparrals’ win over Bowie on Tuesday. In this past Friday’s loss to Dripping Springs, Davis led the Chaps with 18 kills and 15 digs.
Jasmin Dion, Vista Ridge: The senior setter had 56 assists, three aces, two blocks, two digs and a kill in the Rangers’ win over Stony Point this past Friday. In Tuesday’s win over Manor, Dion had 19 assists, four kills, three digs, three aces and a block.
Merrick Hammel, Vista Ridge: The senior libero had 33 digs, nine assists and an ace in the Rangers’ win over Stony Point on Friday. Against Manor, she had 12 sigs, three aces and three assists. Amelia Robinson, Llano: The senior outside hitter had 31 kills, 17 digs and two blocks in the Yellowjackets win over Blanco on Tuesday. IN a sweep of Brady this past Friday, Robinson had 20 kills, two blocks and 13 digs.
TACO SHACK RIVALRY
Anderson’s Piper Poage (13) gets her shot past Helen Rogers (10) and Piper Adair (12) of McCallum during a volleyball match at Anderson High School on Tuesday in Austin.
Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
TAYLOR GAINES
Volleyball
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
PARKER DUNCAN
Anderson, senior outside hitter
Duncan had 25 kills and 20 digs in the Trojans’ win over Cedar Creek this past Friday. She followed that up with 15 kills and 18 digs in Anderson’s win Tuesday against McCallum.
She won a tight race with 28.9% of the vote, edging out Buda Johnson’s Brooklyn Myers (23.2%), Llano’s Ameila Robinson (23.1%) and Cedar Park’s Joy Udoye (19.1%). Liberty Hill’s Taylor Gaines was also up for the honor.
Past winners
Week 1: Laney Hennessee, Wimberley
Week 2: Takyla Brown, Weiss
Week 3: MC Brandl, Glenn
Week 4: Jesse Letts, Glenn
Week 5: Lexi Ankerstar, Round Rock
DAVENPORT
Game of the Week
WOLVES @ WIMBERLEY TEXANS 27-2 27-7
6 p.m.,Tuesday at Wimberley High School Gymnasium | Series record: Davenport leads series 5-4* Last meeting: Davenport won 26-24, 25-19, 26-24 on Nov. 11, 2023 in Class 4A, Region IV final.
DAVENPORT PLAYERS TO WATCH: McKaleigh Mattson, senior, outside hitter; Emily Williams, senior, middle blocker; Alexis Dahl, junior, setter; Logan Strong, senior, libero/outside hitter; Kylie Dahl, freshman, setter.
WIMBERLEY PLAYERS TO WATCH: Laney Hennesssee, senior, outside hitter; Mariah McCoy, junior, outside hitter; Addison Parks, junior outside hitter; Rhagen Masur, senior, libero; Carson People, junior, setter.
Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
Laney Hennessee (10) of Wimberley gets a dig in action during the 2023 high school volleyball season.
Photo courtesy of KJ Toso
Volleyball
DISTRICT STANDINGS
Continued from page 6
trust Lexi to give me a set I can put down.”
The 5-foot-10 Rosenblatt embodies the role of a setter.
She commands the court, often chasing loose balls to set up the offense.
Last year, as a sophomore, she was quietly one of the Austin area’s top setters, with 813 assists, ranking in the top 10 in the Austin Sports Journal’s coverage area. This year, Rosenblatt already has 513 assists with a month left in the regular season, with many of those assists going to Carlson, who leads the team with 364 kills.
“We have so much fun playing together,” Rosenblatt said. “I know I can always trust her to take care of the ball. I have confidence in her no matter what, and I love playing volleyball with her.”
Both players recently reached career milestones.
Rosenblatt surpassed 1,500 career assists, while Carlson hit the 1,000 career kills mark—both last week.
Their chemistry and leadership extend beyond just the two of them, benefiting a relatively young McCallum team with only three starting seniors: Carlson, Sophie Koch and Helen Rogers.
It’s part of the reason the Knights have found success this season.
“Our team is very similar to last year’s, so we have that foundation of chemistry built in,” Rosenblatt said.
“I know I
–
“Everyone on our team has a good relationship with each other, which also helps.”
Tuesday’s game against rival Anderson didn’t go as McCallum had hoped.
The Trojans swept the Knight and moved into a tie with Ann Richards at the top of the district standings. However, McCallum remains right in the mix as the first round of district play wraps up next week.
The Knights played Cedar Creek on Friday and host Ann Richards Tuesday — two key games that could determine if McCallum starts the second round in the title race or facing an uphill climb.
“It can be tough to build camaraderie and trust with such a young team, but we’ve had that from the start of the season,” Carlson said. “I still feel like we haven’t reached our full potential, but that trust and communication have carried us to this point as we chase the district title.”
McCallum’s Lexi Rosenblatt (9) hugs teammate Greata Carlson (16) during a volleyball match at Anderson High School on Tuesday in Austin.
Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal
Lexi Rosenblatt, McCallum setter on teammate Greta Carlson
