By Michael Adams
michael@otssports.com
Here are five things we learned from Week 4 games in Central Texas:
1. Vista Ridge’s defense is really good
Vista Ridge (4-0, 1-0) may be a contender District 25-6A. Vandegrift is still the outright favorite, but the Rangers’ defense puts Vista Ridge in the conversation.
The Rangers are allowing 9.5 points per game this season and have nine sacks and forced seven turnovers. Defensive end Josh Swartz has 3 of the Rangers’ nine sacks.
The Rangers and the rest of 25-6A are off this week. Vista Ridge back-to-back games at Kelly Reeves coming up against surging McNeil (2-2, 0-1) on Sept. 29 and Westwood (3-1, 0-1) on Oct. 6.
2. Big showdown coming up for Weiss
Weiss (4-0) opens District 12-5A action this week at Harker Heights (2-2). The Knights won a close game against Odessa Permian, 27-25, last week and lost to Cedar Ridge by one point the week before.
Weiss beat New Braunfels 52-50 win in Week 4. The score is closer than the game actually was. The Unicorns scored 20 unanswered in the fourth quarter after trailing 52-30 with 10 minutes to go in the game.
The Wolves offense had 517 yards, including 339 passing yards from Leighton Adams. The senior had three touchdowns and completed 58% of his pass attempts. Senior running back Tyree Johnson had 178 yards on 32 carries with three touchdowns.
3. District 25-6A may be a dogfight
As pointed out earlier, Vandegrift is a clear favorite and may be the best team in Central Texas. Vista Ridge may be the second best team in the district, but it may not be that simple. The only team with a record below .500 is Round Rock.
The Dragons (1-3, 1-0) handed Westwood (3-1, 0-1) its first loss with a 24-21 victory on a last-minute, game-winning field goal by Kai Haruki. You cannot count out the Warriors in the playoff picture, which may take some time to come into focus.
Manor (3-1, 1-0) trailed McNeil (2-2, 0-1) by 10 at halftime, but outscored the young Mavericks 28-7 in the second half to take the 42-31 home win. The game was closer than most expected. McNeil might be one of those sneaky teams that will cause a lot of problems in the playoff race.
4. You cannot overlook Hays
Hays (3-1, 1-0) is quietly making its case as a contender in District 12-5A-I. The Hawks opened district play with a 28-14 victory against San Antonio MacArthur on Saturday in San Antonio. Hays’ offense is led by the quarterback tandem of sophomore Tacoma Ames and senior Tyler McInvale.
We’ll learn if the Hawks are a contender this week. Hays has its first test of the season on Friday when the Hawks host undefeated Boerne Champion at Shelton Stadium on Friday in a key district game.
5. Bastrop gets back on winning track
After getting shell shocked 59-7 at home by Westwood in Week 3, Bastrop’s shine tarnished a bit after starting the season 2-0. The Bears (3-1) have been plagued with injuries, including starting quarterback Joyner Quintaelyn, who was injured in Week 2 in Bastrop’s 41-40 win over Leander.
Bastrop beat Pflugerville 48-42 on Friday in the Bears’ final non-district game before District 13-5A-II action begins this week. The Bears gauntlet of back-to-back tests begins Friday at Comal Pieper (3-1) before hosting Kerrville Tivy (4-0) on Sept. 29.