Vandegrift Overpowers Cedar Park

By Chris Doelle
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: September 3, 2023

Leander Vandegrift over Cedar Park 083123 by Steve Thomas

photos: Steve Thomas

Vipers make it three straight over Leander ISD rival Timberwolves

When the Vandegrift Vipers are clicking, few teams can stop them. Last week against Dripping Springs, the Vipers used a fast start to jump out to a 27-0 lead by halftime and held on for a 27-7 win. This week against their Leander ISD rivals, the Cedar Park Timberwolves, the Vipers had another dominating first-half performance. Using their quick-strike offense and stifling defense, the Vipers raced out to a 34-3 lead at halftime and ultimately prevailed for a 41-17 victory.

In the first half, the Vipers were nearly flawless in their execution. As Vandegrift Head Coach Drew Sanders said of the offense, “They couldn’t be stopped.” Quarterback Deuce Adams threw two touchdown passes to his brother Eli Adams and threw two touchdown passes of 64 and 68 yards to perpetual deep threat Miles Coleman. Running back Zaid Oliver also added a one-yard touchdown on the ground. Defensively, the Vipers held the Timberwolves’ offense in check forcing multiple punts and an interception on a fake field goal. Kicker Andrew Giguere scored the Timberwolves’ lone points on a 43-yard field goal.

As with last week, the Vipers did show some weak points in the second half; but Cedar Park also demonstrated resilience. The Timberwolves’ defense, for example, adjusted some of their schemes and were able to get additional pressure on Deuce Adams. This, in turn, forced Adams out of the pocket on multiple occasions and also forced him to make several hurried throws. On offense, Cedar Park quarterback Ayden Arp was able to take advantage of the Vandegrift secondary’s youth and complete more of his throws. In the second half, Arp scored a touchdown on a one-yard keeper and also connected with receiver Blake Suber for a 17-yard touchdown pass. With less than two minutes left in the game, running back Diego Sequera scored one last touchdown for Vandegrift on a six-yard run.

After the game, Coach Sanders praised his team’s overall performance. He said that he was pleased that his guys were able to “come together again in a big game and step up and have a 30-point lead at halftime.” Sanders acknowledged that his team does still have areas in need of improvement, but he also said, “It’s always nice to work on things after a three-score victory.” While Sanders praised his offensive line’s performance, he also acknowledged that penalties were still a major issue. For the game, the Vipers had eight penalties for 108 yards. With the win, the Vipers improve to 2-0 overall and improve to 6-8 all-time against Cedar Park. Next week, the Vipers travel to Mary Hardin-Baylor’s Crusader Stadium in Belton to take on Waco Midway (0-2.)

For his part, Cedar Park Head Coach Michael Quintero praised his team’s resilience in the second half. He praised his team for being physical throughout the entire game and not giving up. He was also encouraged by some of the big plays his team was able to make which he saw as positive signs for the rest of the season. Ultimately, Quintero said that the biggest obstacle for his team was self-inflicted mistakes. The Timberwolves fall to 1-1 and will return home to Gupton Stadium next week for a Thursday showdown against Round Rock (0-2.)

by Steve Thomas

Players Pictured

Vandegrift