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Leander Vandegrift knocks off Pflugerville Hendrickson

Steve Thomas Leander Vandegrift vs Pflugerville Hendrickson

photos: Steve Thomas

Rain Can't Stop the Vipers

Last week, the Leander Vandegrift Vipers showed tremendous resilience rallying to beat the defending District 13-6A champion Round Rock Cedar Ridge Raiders in overtime. This week, the Vipers faced another critical in their quest for a district title against the preseason favorite Pflugerville Hendrickson Hawks. Both teams entered the game undefeated. Vandegrift entered the game at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in district. Hendrickson, meanwhile entered the game at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in district. The Vipers held off a 14-point second-half rally by Hendrickson and waited through a two-hour lightning delay to defeat Hendrickson 29-20.

In the first half, the Vipers were in complete control. Kicker Matt Barney netted a 20-yard field goal, and wide receiver Ryan Merrifield caught a 29-yard touchdown pass to give Vandegrift a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. After a holding penalty wiped off a Hendrickson touchdown, Vandegrift recovered Hendrickson quarterback Blaine Barker’s fumble at the Viper 35-yard line. Running back Isaiah Smallwood scored a 28-yard touchdown run on the following drive, but the Vipers missed the extra-point attempt to give them a 16-0 lead.

Hendrickson wide receiver Kamryn Nobles responded with a 54-yard touchdown catch for the Hawks, but the Hawks failed the two-point-conversion attempt bringing the score to 16-6. Late in the second quarter, Vandegrift linebacker Ryan Arnold returned another
Barker fumble 24 yards for a touchdown which gave the Vipers a 23-6 lead going into halftime.

On the opening drive of the second half, turnovers again plagued the Hawks. Hendrickson had driven all the way inside the Vandegrift ten-yard line, but the Hawks fumbled the ball again. The Vipers could not capitalize on the turnover, however; and Hendrickson running back Timieone Jackson narrowed the gap to 23-13 on the following drive with a two-yard touchdown. Following the touchdown, Tim Barney connected on a 33-yard field goal to give Vandegrift a 26-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing drive, wide receiver James Hester narrowed the deficit to 26-20 with a 14-yard touchdown catch.

Late in the fourth quarter, a Hendrickson miscue on fourth-down-and-one gave Vandegrift the ball at the Hawks’ 19-yard line. The Vipers proceeded to bleed clock and set up Barney for a 38-yard field goal attempt. Barney missed the kick, but a personal foul on Hendrickson gave the Vipers a fresh set of downs from the Hawks’ 11-yard line. Following the penalty, the Vipers ran plays to bleed clock and set
up Barney for another field goal. Before the Vipers could line up for the attempt, however, the game entered a lightning delay with 2:17 left in the game. Two hours later, play resumed and Barney once again put the ball through the uprights to give Vandegrift a 29-20 lead. Defensive back Reese Watson then sealed the game for Vandegrift with an interception on the next drive.

After the game, Vandegrift head coach Drew Sanders praised his team’s performance throughout the game and the season. He especially praised his offensive line for handling another difficult defensive front and his kicker for making a crucial field goal for the second-consecutive week.

With the win, Vandegrift improves to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in district. The Vipers return home to Monroe Stadium next week to host the Cedar Park Vista Ridge Raiders. The Raiders are 0-4 overall and 0-2 in district following a 27-7 loss to Round Rock Westwood. Hendrickson, meanwhile, falls to 2-1 overall and 1-1 in district. Next week, the Hawks travel to A.C. Bible Stadium in Leander to take on the Leander Lions. The Lions are 1-3 overall and 0-2 in district following a 63-21 loss to Round Rock Cedar Ridge.

by Steve Thomas

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