It was an important home game for the Wimberley Texans regardless of the record of the Jarrell Cougars.
Not only were the Texans kicking off district play at home, but it was also homecoming for Wimberley meaning many of the alumni had come back to visit with their fellow classmates and enjoy athletic events going on that day.
Needless to say, it was important for Wimberley to come out with a statement win. Using their vaunted rushing attack, the Texans churned up 384 yards rushing including a 141 yard performance by Johnny Ball who scored four touchdowns as Wimberley rolled to a 73-14 win over the Cougars.
For head football coach Doug Warren, it was imperative that Wimberley set the tone early in the ballgame against a team the Texans have no history against.
“I was really pleased with the kids, because we set the tone early,” Warren said. “We had never played these guys, so we had to make sure that we were physical on both sides of the ball. We came out and established the run early, and once you do that it opens things up.”
The Code Red defense had a tough assignment ahead of them as the Cougars have been capable of lighting up the scoreboard during non-district play.
Not only that, but Wimberley also needed to start off district play at 1-0 with the playoffs coming.
“This team is very explosive on the other side,” Warren said. “Those skill guys can go every time, so we told the kids after tonight that there are going to be three teams sitting on top of district play at 1-0. That was our ultimate goal.”
“We felt like it was our physicality up front that they (Jarrell) couldn’t match it,” Warren said. “We wanted to set that tone, and I think we did. We had two tight ends to start off, which is something we hadn’t shown all year. We came out and smashed them a little bit to put them on their heels.”
One of the keys to the rushing attack improving has been the return of some of the offensive lineman who have come back from injury and getting back into the groove playing live competition.
“We continue to get better up front,” Warren said. “We are getting guys healthy, and by doing that our offensive line gets a little more comfortable working together and they play a lot better. When you are getting those big runs, you know you are doing something right.”
Tristian Herring, one of the senior offensive lineman, has been a major contributor to success of the rushing attack.
For him and the entire offensive line, the success the offense has been having can be attributed to the Texan coaching staff, offensive line depth and hard work.
“It’s all coaching,” Herring said. “It’s the only reason we are as good as we are…We have depth, and we have been working really hard. We have been down some guys, but it’s the mantra of the next man up.”
With Wimberley coming off a bye week before starting district, Herring talked about getting back to the simple stuff while also resting up.
“We rested a little bit and took everything slower,” Herring said. “We made sure we had everything down so nothing was too crazy or new. Just getting down to the basics.”
The result was two rushers gaining over one hundred yards rushing with Johnny Ball leading the way with 142 yards rushing and Cody Stoever rushing for 141 yards.
The duo combined for six rushing touchdowns, more than half of Wimberley’s scoring attack.
Wimberley will be on the road next Friday as they make the trip up to the Austin area and battle the Manor New Tech Titans.
