Vandegrift Survives District Test Against Round Rock
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Updated: October 5, 2019
photos: Steve Thomas
Vipers extend regular-season winning streak to 16 games
For the second week in a row, District 13-6A featured a clash of unbeaten teams. Last week, the 4-0 Leander Vandegrift Vipers defeated 4-0 district rival Cedar Park Vista Ridge 31-12. This week the 5-0 Vipers faced an even tougher district test against the 4-0 Round Rock Dragons.. The Dragons featured a talented squad on both sides of the ball including wide receiver and Purdue commit Collin Sullivan.
Vandegrift Head Coach Drew Sanders compared the matchup and the atmosphere to a “third or fourth round 6A playoff game.” Similar to a playoff matchup, the game featured several key turning points and was indeed both teams’ biggest challenge of the season thus far.
On the opening drive, the Dragons used a running back tandem of Jordan Smart and Israel Morgan to drive 75 yards down the field. Morgan capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run to give Round Rock a 6-0 lead, but Vandegrift linebacker Jax McCauley blocked the extra point. The Vipers responded on their first drive when quarterback Dru Dawson connected with tight end Brady Middleton on a 20-yard touchdown pass, and the Vipers took a 7-6 lead. After the Viper defense forced the Dragons to punt following the touchdown, Dawson increased the Vandegrift lead to 14-6 with a 31-yard touchdown pass to receiver Trey Mongauzy. Following the score, the Dragons drove the ball to the Vandegrift 23-yard line; but Israel Morgan fumbled a backwards pass from quarterback Seth Ford which the Vipers recovered. The Vipers’ next drive culminated in Dawson’s 47-yard touchdown pass to running back Bowen Lewis, and the Vipers took a 21-6 lead. Turning to the ground game again, the Dragons cut the deficit to 21-13 on Ford’s 23-yard touchdown keeper.
In the third quarter, the momentum began to swing in favor of Round Rock. On the opening drive, defensive back Ty Dillon intercepted Dawson’s pass and set up the Dragon offense at the Viper 41-yard line. Israel Morgan found the end zone again on a two-yard touchdown run to cap off the drive, but the Dragons failed to convert the two-point attempt leaving them trailing 21-19. Despite Vandegrift driving deep into Round Rock territory on the ensuing drive, the Dragon defense forced the Vipers to settle for a field goal by kicker Charlie Fournier. Ford then connected with Collin Sullivan on an 18-yard touchdown pass to put the Dragons back in front 25-24 before failing the two-point conversion. In response to the Round Rock touchdown, Dawson connected with Middleton again on a nine-yard touchdown pass and then with brother Beau Dawson on the two-point conversion to give the Vipers a 32-25 lead. The Vandegrift defense held Round Rock to a net loss of four yards on the next drive.
After the Round Rock punt, Vandegrift appeared to be in position to seal the game early in the fourth quarter. The Round Rock defense, however, had other ideas. On the first play of the Vandegrift drive, the Dragons recovered Bowen Lewis’s fumble at the Viper 48-yard line. Despite the excellent field position, the Vandegrift defense held strong and forced the Dragons to turn the ball over on downs. From there, the Vipers were able to run out the clock and hang on for the vital district win.
After the game, Round Rock Head Coach Jeff Cheatham praised his team’s overall effort and credited his team for making several big plays. Cheatham also pointed out, however, that the outcome of the game ultimately came down to a few costly mistakes.
“In games like this, you cannot make mistakes when the margin of error is very small,” Cheatham said.
Cheatham also stated that a key focus for improvement was not giving up big plays on defense. Next week, the Dragons return home to Dragon Stadium to face the Leander Lions (0-6, 0-4.)
For his part, Vandegrift Head Coach Drew Sanders saw Friday night’s game as a critical learning opportunity for his team. “This is good development for us,” Sanders said.
Sanders praised his defense for giving up any big plays to the portent Round Rock offense, and he also praised Dru Dawson’s continued improvement. Sanders also reiterated that his team is focused on one week at a time.
“We’re going to enjoy this one tonight and then prepare for McNeil like it’s the Super Bowl,” Sanders said.
Next week, the Vipers will travel to Kelly Reeves Stadium to face the Round Rock McNeil Mavericks (1-4, 0-3.)
by Steve Thomas
Vandegrift Coach Drew Sanders Weekly Show
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