Texan football began their regional semi-final game against the Jarrell Cougars in an impressive fashion.
The offense scored touchdowns on six of their seven first half possessions. Their fourth drive was the only one that faltered, punctuated by Wynston Burttschell punting for the first time in four games. This one punt said more about Texan football this postseason than any single statistic: the team is playing at a high level on both sides of the ball.
Quarterbacks Cody Stoever and Dane Hennessee spread passes to eight players, combining for fifteen catches on nineteen attempts. The first half possessions against Jarrell displayed the offense’s efficiency. Of the six scoring drives, three lasted two plays, another was a single play and one took five plays. The offense sustained one drive covering eighty-five yards in eleven plays, taking 4:28 off of the game clock. Each resulted in touchdowns and a 42-0 Texan lead at halftime.
“We’re one of the last eight standing, which was our goal,” said head coach Doug Warren. “It wasn’t as clean as I wanted it to be by any means but at the end of the night, we’re advancing. We rushed for nearly 400 yards the first time we played them so we knew they would do some things differently and we knew it might take us a series or two before we figured it out. They loaded up the box and played man coverage on our receivers so we hit big passes on them and scored. I’m just pleased with the overall effort.”
As always, the unsung group on the offensive line deserved all the credit for opening lanes for the run game and creating time for the quarterbacks. Johnny Ball, Jack Boyle and Cody Stoever consistently applaud their linemen for offensive success – as do the coaching staff. It has translated into 259 points scored in four games.
“It’s always a group effort,” Warren commented. “We had a lot of big plays that we were able to get past the defense because of the way they were playing. We knew it was a possibility if the O-line gave us time and you gotta give it to all of them. I thought they all played well.”
For their part, linemen see the success of their “skill players” (running backs, receivers, and quarterbacks) as their success.
“I’ve known Johnny (Ball) since we were four years old. To see him cut off a big run right behind me has been a dream come true for me,” said right guard Kaeden Coltharp. “We have a chemistry together. We’re smiling, laughing and just having fun with each other on the bench.”
“We’ve faced a lot of adversity like losing a lineman,” center Kaedon Gonce insisted. “We’ve had players step up and help out. We trust each other to get our assignments done. Our backs trust in us to block, knowing their hole is going to be open, so they take off. We’re just great working together as a unit.”
Unit: the root word from which the word ‘unity’ is derived. Corny as it may sound, it has served as a hallmark for this team this season.
What makes them special?
“I gotta go with the fact that this group is all about love. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. And every day I love it,” mused right tackle Tristan Herring. “That makes our jobs a lot easier. When we see a big run, we feel good about ourselves and our running backs.”
“We trust each other. We’ve had a lot of injuries this year and no matter who plays, we always trust each other,” said right tackle Caden Romo. “Our backs – Ball, Boyle, Ty Thames and Wyatt Franchione – dogs! Every one of them.”
Left guard Shay Shroyer echoed Romo’s sentiment.
“Those guys run their hearts out and I love them for it.” Shroyer continued, “We put in a lot of hard work. We make mistakes, but we try to fix those mistakes each week. It’s worked out really well for us and led us this far. We’re just a big unit and we love each other.”
Good line play was rewarded with Stoever completing fourteen of seventeen passes for 262 yards and six touchdowns. Stoever added eleven rush attempts for forty-eight yards and a score, having a hand in seven of the Texans’ nine touchdowns for the game. Quarterback Dane Hennessee completed one of two passes and added two rushing touchdowns on five carries for seventeen yards.
Texan backs compiled ninety-five yards on thirty attempts. The Cougars keyed on Johnny Ball and Jack Boyle — who had a combined total of ten carries resulting in twenty-four yards. Parker Doss broke open a carry for twenty-one yards late in the contest.
Junior Noah Birdsong had a great night, leading all receivers with four catches, 128 yards and two touchdowns. Lane Patek also scored twice on two receptions, covering 69 yards. Cayden Heatly scored once (two catches, 38 yards), as did Tru Couch (two catches, 10 yards.) Ryan Shaw caught two, hauling in the game’s longest reception on a 72-yarder from Hennessee. Eli Dubuisson, Boyle and Ball also recorded a catch.
Not to be outdone, the Texans’ Code Red defense allowed a miniscule six points in the last four games. The defense contributed to scoring during the playoffs with fumble recoveries in the endzone, interception returns, safeties and something special this week as Hansen Collie returned a fumbled two-point conversion 85 yards for Texan points.
“I think players trust their reads, playing fast, getting downhill and believe that if they do their job, the ten other people are going to do theirs,” Coach Wes Lambert said of his defense. “They’re playing as a unit, not just going out there and trying to do their own thing but playing as a team. I would say these guys are ‘three star talent, five star character.’ They don’t care about who’s getting the glory, they don’t care about who’s making the plays or getting their number called. They just want to win and they’re doing everything they can to do it.”
Troy Heugly ended the game with multiple quarterback pressures and two and a half sacks. Jack Riser got the other half sack while Owen O’Neal remained active on the line, collecting a fumble and multiple tackles. Collie recovered two fumbles including the two-point conversion scoop and score.
Wimberley’s 64-6 win propels them to the regional final to face another district opponent, Lago Vista. The Vikings beat Geronimo Navarro 27-7 to avenge their district loss against the Panthers to advance. The Vikings held the Texan offense to 31 points while scoring 28 in their Week 10 match-up. Both teams have gained experience, maturity and an understanding that records – and the previous meeting – mean little now. The consequences are simple: win or go home.
“They’ve got some good skill guys, and their quarterback makes it tick,” Lambert said. “He’ll touch the ball on every play. He’s the guy you must be aware of, he’s a big factor in what goes on. Just knowing he’s got the legs to make a big play is important.”
Coach Warren is high on his team, yet remains grounded about this week’s opponent.
“They’re a really good football team. They’re big up front on both sides of the ball. We went toeto- toe with them over at their place and were able to come out with a win,” Warren shared. “They do a great job coaching those kids up so they’ll be ready. It’ll be a tough, hard-nosed football game Friday night.”
The Texans and Vikings meet Friday, 7:30 p.m. in Hutto at Hutto Memorial Stadium, 573 Chris Kelley Blvd.
