Leander Vandegrift Survives Pflugerville Hendrickson

By Chris Doelle
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: September 21, 2019

photos: Steve Thomas

Vipers Overcome Hawks Defense for Second District Win

Following their 28-7 rout of Round Rock Cedar Ridge last week, the Leander Vandegrift Vipers hosted the Pflugerville Hendrickson Hawks. Last week, the Hawks lost a 28-27 nail-biter to the Round Rock Westwood Warriors in their district opener.

Despite their 1-2 record, the Hawks featured a sizeable defense and several imposing weapons on offense. As with last year’s matchup, the game was a physical back-and-forth affair which came down to the wire. Despite struggling at times with Hendrickson’s physicality, Vandegrift was able to make adjustments and find a way to secure a 28-21 victory.

On the opening drive, the Hendrickson defense struck first when defensive end Gabriel Hunter intercepted Vandegrift quarterback Dru Dawson’s pass and returned it to the Viper 24-yard line. Four plays later, quarterback Isaiah Moore connected with wide receiver James Hester for an eight-yard touchdown pass. The Vipers tied the game on the next drive when Dawson connected with receiver Trey Mongauzy on a 24-yard touchdown catch.

The Hawks responded with another touchdown on the following drive when Isaiah Moore found the end zone on the ground this time with a nine-yard keeper. After both teams traded three-and-outs on their next respective drives, Vandegrift tied the game again with receiver Beau Dawson’s four-yard touchdown run on a direct snap. Late in the second quarter, the Vipers capitalized on defensive back Logan Arnold’s interception and took their first lead of the night when Dru Dawson connected with receiver Taylor Dummar on a 40-yard touchdown pass.

In the second half, the Vandegrift defense came up big with defensive back JJ Parker’s interception at the Hendrickson 29-yard line. Despite the excellent field position, the Viper offense was unable to capitalize after failing to convert on fourth down. Late in the third quarter, The Hawks tied the game again when running back Jasiya Demps scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Needing a score to break the deadlock and to run time off the clock, the Vipers responded with an eight-minute drive which Beau Dawson capped of with a one-yard touchdown run. Despite getting the ball back with four minutes left in the game, the Hawks were unable to respond. Wide receiver Jaden Williams was stopped five yards short of the first-down marker on fourth and fifteen turning the ball over on downs with 12 seconds left.

After the game, Vandegrift head coach Drew Sanders called the game a “teachable moment” for his players to show that there are no easy games in the district. “Everyone else is crowning us champions already, but we’re not,” he said. The focus for Sanders and his team has been taking the season one week at a time. A sentiment which quarterback Dru Dawson echoed. Sanders also praised his teams’ focus and ability to adjust to the challenges that Hendrickson presented.

With the win, Vandegrift improves to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in district. Next week, the Vipers will travel to Gupton Stadium to face the Cedar Park Vista Ridge Raiders. The Rangers are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in district following a 49-43 win over Round Rock Westwood (2-2 overall; 1-1 district). Hendrickson, meanwhile, falls to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in district. The Hawks return home next week to host the Leander Lions. The Lions are 0-4 overall and 0-2 in district following a 49-27 loss to Round Rock Cedar Ridge (2-2 overall; 1-1 district).

by Steve Thomas