Leander Vandegrift Routs Cedar Park

By Chris Doelle
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: August 28, 2021

Leander Vandegrift - Round Rock Cedar Ridge Steve Thomas

photos: Steve Thomas

Vipers dominate Timberwolves in season opener

“Little brother has grown up.”

Since Leander Vandegrift opened in 2009, the Vipers has faced the Cedar Park Timberwolves in every season of varsity football. Early on, the Timberwolves dominated the series. Combined with the fact that Vandegrift drew from Cedar Park’s attendance zone, the series budded into a sibling rivalry.

Prior to 2018, the Vipers had only beaten the Timberwolves once in seven seasons. Since 2018, however, the Vipers had beaten the Timberwolves two out of the past three seasons. Last year, the Timberwolves beat the Vipers 21-7 to open a campaign that ended with them falling to Denton Ryan in the 5A D1 championship game.

This year, however, the Timberwolves faced a number of major changes. First, long-time head coach Karl Abseck left his position at the end of last year. Replacing him was former Red Oak coach Michael Quintero. Quintero had previously served as Cedar Park’s defensive
coordinator from 2007 to 2015. In addition to the coaching change, the Timberwolves also had to replace several key starters from last year including standout quarterback Ryder Hernandez. The Vipers also had to replace a few starters but also returned a number of starters from last year’s team, especially on defense.

Seizing the opportunity, the Vipers notched another win against their “big brother” with a 42-7 thrashing of the Timberwolves on Friday night.

From the beginning, Vandegrift dominated both sides of the ball. In the first quarter, the Vipers forced two Cedar Park fumbles; and quarterback Brayden Buchanan connected with receiver Reece Beauchamp on a 40-yard and a 36-yard touchdown pass which gave the Vipers a quick 14-0 lead. In total, the Viper defense forced five turnovers including three fumbles and two interceptions.

In the second quarter, Beauchamp demonstrated his versatility on the field with a 24-yard touchdown pass to tight end Charlie Oliver. Later in the quarter, the Timberwolves forced a turnover of their own when they recovered running back Ryan Sheppard’s fumble at the Viper 17-yard line. Two plays later, Cedar Park quarterback Joshua Pell scored his team’s lone touchdown of the night on a five-yard scramble.

In the second half, the Vipers quickly extended their lead to 28-7 when Buchanan connected with Beauchamp a third time on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Later in the third quarter, the Vipers extended their lead to 35-7 with a 25-yard hook-and-ladder play from Buchanan to receiver Grayland Spring to receiver Jack Nelson. Early in the fourth quarter, Buchanan found the end zone again. This time, he scored on a 24-yard touchdown keeper which gave the Vipers a 42-7 win.

After the game, Vandegrift Head Coach Drew Sanders praised his team’s effort on both sides of the ball. He was complimentary of both Buchanan and Beauchamp at quarterback and said that he will likely play both of them at quarterback again next week to further evaluate them. He also complimented his defense’s performance, especially the turnovers.

On beating Cedar Park, Sanders expressed his delight at beating three out of the past four years. Next week, the Vipers will host the Killeen Ellison Eagles. The Eagles are 1-0 following a 12-7 win over Liberty Hill.

For his side, Cedar Park Head Coach Michael Quintero stressed the importance of reducing mental mistakes in future games. Quintero observed that the team’s mental mistakes were what hindered them throughout the game, especially the turnovers. After the game, he also stressed to his players the importance of putting this game behind them and preparing for their next game. At the same time, Quintero also praised his team for playing a physical game and never quitting. Next week, the Timberwolves will take on the Round Rock Cedar Ridge Raiders. The Raiders are 1-0 following a 45-14 win over Killeen.

by Steve Thomas