Tag Archives: Viper football

Vipers beat McNeil, stays undefeated in District 13-6A

By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Photos by ERIN SEITZLER

Vandegrift Viper football continues to be undefeated with a decisive 42-14 win over McNeil on homecoming, Oct. 12. VHS goes 7-0 overall and 5-0 in District 13-6A.

“We’ve never been 7 and 0. It’s pretty cool,” said Drew Sanders, VHS head football coach.

The team had to settle into the game a bit before it started putting up points. Isaiah Smallwood ran the first two touchdowns in later in the first quarter and then into the second quarter. Smallwood rushed for 76 yards during the game.

“They (McNeil) just beat Westwood, they’re a quality team,” Sanders said. “They did some new things we hadn’t seen and we had to adjust to that.”

Continue reading

Vandegrift rallies late to beat Round Rock, stay undefeated

The Vipers converted three 4th downs on the game-winning drive, including the game-winning touchdown run

Vandergrift quarterback Dru Dawson (4) in the pocket against Round Rock at Dragon Field on October5, 2018.

By ZACH SMITH, Four Points News

Photos by GREGG CESTARO

The home side of Dragon Stadium was packed Friday night and the cowbells were out in force. A maroon wall of noise thundered towards the Vandegrift sideline and was at its loudest three times in the final five minutes of the game.

The Vipers never panicked. Continue reading

Vandegrift goes 4-0 after last night’s win over Hendrickson

Vandegrift Vipers sophomore Kaleb Lewis (35) tackles Hendrickson Hawks junior Nathaniel Davenport (15) during a high school football game between Hendrickson and Vandegrift on Friday, Sept. 21, 2018 in Pflugerville, Texas.

By ZACH SMITH, Photos by SCOTT W. COLEMAN

Mother Nature couldn’t slow down Vandegrift, even if it allowed Drew Sanders to have his post-game meal a little early.

The Vipers outlasted a two-hour weather delay to beat Hendrickson 29-20 on Friday night thanks to a suffocating defense that forced five turnovers and solid kicker in Tim Barney, who hit a 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Viper football coverage brought to you by Kim Krant of Engel & Volkers. Thank you Kim!

Continue reading

VHS rallies to beat Cedar Ridge, Smallwood rushes two 4th-quarter touchdowns, Barney hits field goal in OT

Thank you Kim Krant for this Vandegrift Viper coverage.

By ZACH SMITH, Four Points News
Photos by SCOTT W. COLEMAN

Tim Barney spent the first part of his Friday watching game-winning college football field goals on YouTube.

His extra time watching film paid off.

The senior kicker nailed a 33-yard field goal in overtime to lift Vandegrift to a district-opening 17-14 win against two-time defending district champions and state semifinalist Cedar Ridge on Friday night.

“Obviously I was nervous,” Barney said. “I knew it was going to be a close game. Right before halftime, my teammates were telling me I was going to get my chance. We all did our jobs. When I go out and kick on the weekends, I’m counting down to clock.”

Vandegrift Vipers running back Isaiah Smallwood (15) and quarterback Dru Dawson (4) during a high school football game between Vandegrift and Cedar Ridge on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

Cedar Ridge scored on its first drive of the game and doubled its lead on the first play of the fourth quarter. Senior receiver Jaylen Ellis was ejected for targeting with more than five minutes left in the game.

The Vipers rallied with a pair of touchdown runs by senior Isaiah Smallwood, including the game-tying touchdown with just over a minutes to go in regulation.

“If you stay within striking distance the entire game, you have a chance and that’s exactly what happened,” Vandegrift head coach Drew Sanders said. “The defense was unbelievable tonight. That doesn’t show up in the stat sheet, but (Cedar Ridge) was on the positive side of the field and they came away with just one score.”

Smallwood finished the game with 70 yards.

“We just stayed patient and kept believing in the coaches and the gameplan that we had,” Smallwood said.

Vandegrift quarterback Dru Dawson finished 11 of 21 passing for 123 yards with one interception and ran for 87 yards. Senior Ryan Merrifield led the Vipers’ receiving corps with four receptions for 42 yards.

Ellis finished the game with four catches for 107 yards and a touchdown for the Raiders, and running back Deuce Vaughn rushed for 137 yards on 27 carries. Quarterback Jalen Brown completed 8 of 16 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.

“It’s going to be hard to go through this district without a loss,” Cedar Ridge head coach Sam Robinson said. “We opened up against one of the top teams in the district and we’ve still got a lot of tough teams ahead of us. This one is over and we’ve got to move on and learn from it.”

On the first drive of the game, Vandegrift made an error in the defensive backfield and Ellis got wide open in the end zone, catching a 41-yard pass for the first touchdown of the game.

Neither team moved the ball much in the first half. Aside from the 41-yard bomb, the longest play of the half for Cedar Ridge was a 33-yard pass and Vandegrift’s longest play was an 18-yard run in the second quarter.

The Vandegrift defense came up big in the third quarter as they stuffed the Raiders’ offense deep in the Vipers’ red zone twice and only allowed them to score on a 2-yard rush by Brown on the first play of the fourth quarter.

But the rally started on the next drive when Smallwood took a direct snap in from a few yards out. The game-tying 10-yard touchdown run by Smallwood capped off an 8-play, 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter.

Tyler Mongauzy and Trevor Harrison combined for a sack on 3rd down and Jax McCauley got into the backfield on fourth down in overtime to keep the Raiders off the board.

“We started pushing them around at the end, it was nice to see our conditioning take place,” Sanders said. “Cedar Ridge is a very good team.”

Vandegrift continues district play on at the Pfield against Hendrickson on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m., while Cedar Ridge plays host to Leander.

“We just made some self-inflicted mistakes that gave them a chance,” Robinson said. “(Vandegrift) fought their butts off and took advantage of it.”

Follow @ByZachSmith and @HCNSports on Twitter and Instagram for the latest news on all local and regional sports. Email: sports@hillcountrynews.com 

The Vandegrift Vipers student section during a high school football game between Vandegrift and Cedar Ridge on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

Cedar Ridge Raiders junior quarterback Jalen Brown (11) runs for a touchdown during a high school football game between Vandegrift and Cedar Ridge on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

Cedar Ridge Raiders junior defensive end Tyler Swanberg (43) attempts to corral Vandegrift Vipers junior quarterback Dru Dawson (4) during a high school football game between Vandegrift and Cedar Ridge on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

Vandegrift Vipers head coach Drew Sanders during a high school football game between Vandegrift and Cedar Ridge on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

Cedar Ridge Raiders junior quarterback Jalen Brown (11) attempts to elude Vandegrift Vipers junior Jax Mccauley (21) during a high school football game between Vandegrift and Cedar Ridge on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

Continue reading