By Michael Adams
michael@otssports.com
Each week, On the Sidelines Sports picks five games we deem worth watching, or keeping an eye on.
Our Austin Area Game of the Week didn’t disappoint. You can read about Dripping Springs’ 24-6 win over Lake Travis here. As for the other four, there were some let downs and two teams kept their playoff hopes alive.
Here’s a recap of the remaining four games. We’ll start in Elgin.
Elgin 44, Pflugerville 17: With both teams facing must-win situations, the Elgin Wildcats (4-5, 2-3 District 11-5A-II) rose to the challenge with a blowout win over Pflugerville at Wildcat Stadium in Elgin.
Quarterback Nathan Lewis threw for three touchdowns and finished with 168 total yards for Elgin. The Wildcats defense forced three Panther turnovers and stymied Pflugerville’s offense.
The loss eliminates the Panthers (1-7, 1-3) from playoff contention, while Elgin moves into a tie with Kileen Chaparral for fourth place. However, Chaparral defeated Elgin 42-26 and holds the tiebreaker. For the Wildcats to make the postseason, they will need to beat Rouse in their season finale and have Chaparral lose to Belton next week.
Hutto 38, Copperas Cove 34: The Hutto Hippos kept their playoff hopes alive with a record-setting night on Friday at Bulldawg Stadium in Copperas Cove. Wide receiver Alex Gleen broke a school record for receiving yards with a 184-yard performance with 13 catches and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Will Hammond completed 29 of 38 pass attempts for 415 yards and rushed for 54 yards on 12 carries.
The win puts Hutto (3-5, 2-2 District 12-6A) into a tie with Bryan for the final playoff spot in the district. The Hippos and Vikings meet next week in Hutto in a game that will likely determine who claims that playoff spot.
College Station 69, Georgetown 21: The College Station Cougars got five touchdowns from running back Aydan Martinez-Brown to defeat Georgetwown at Cougar Stadium in College Station on Friday. Martinez-Brown rushed for 193 yards on 20 carries. With the win, College Station clinched the District 11-5A-I championship.
Georgetown (5-3, 4-1) still clinched a playoff spot despite the loss.due to losses by Hendrickson and East View. The Eagles will look to get back on the winning track next week in a home game with Glenn.
Waco University 27, Rouse 19: The Waco University Trojans took a 15-3 lead at halftime on Friday and held off a late comeback attempt by Rouse (6-2, 3-1 District 11-5A-II) to defeat the Raiders at Bible Stadium. The win puts Waco University in the driver’s seat for the district championship.
Rouse quarterback Logan Morgan completed 14-of-24 passes for 138 yards. Running back Justin Cannon scored both of Rouse’s touchdowns and finished with 88 yards on 28 carries.
The Raiders take on Pflugerville Friday at The Pfield in Pflugerville. Rouse will clinch a playoff berth with a victory.