The football team began district play Friday, defeating Marble Falls (now 3-2) 6-0 at Gupton.
“We had a great week of practice and were focused all week on the task at hand,” senior wide receiver Chris Schneider said.
The game was a defensive struggle, with each defense having two interceptions, and the only points coming from two field goals by Chris Nichols. Linebackers Mason Thom and Jamison Geracci led the team with 16 and 14 tackles each, respectively. Senior Cooper Foster also had two sacks.
“The defensive staff’s goal is to be the best defense in the district,” senior Ricky Anciola said. “With that being said, there is a standard of effort and pursuit of perfection that we are always trying to achieve. This standard pushes all of the defensive players to excel every game, and this has been showing on the field. “
Senior quarterback Blake Estes completed 10 passes for 141 yards, 44 of which came on a screen pass to Schneider.
If there was an offensive silver lining, it was the running game. Blake Estes had 17 attempts for 70 yards, and sophomore running back Stedman Mayberry had 10 runs for 51 yards. All in all, five backs combined for 162 yards on 34 attempts.
“We’re not so individualistic this year, and it’s more team-oriented,” Schneider said. “We still need to learn how to finish games and to be more enthusiastic at practice.”
The team improved its record to 2-3 with Friday’s win.
The team plays cross-town rival Cedar Park tonight at Gupton. Cedar Park is 4-1, with its only loss coming to a much-improved Westwood squad. Still, Cedar Park is ranked 41st in the state.
“Cedar Park is very well coached team overall,” senior Ricky Anciola said. “The strength of their offense is definitely the quarterback position. He runs the offense really well, and we are going to have to stop the run. Offensively, we are going to have to make plays and be consistent.”
The team hopes the season will be better than last year, and is preparing for another playoff run.
“The team chemistry we have is very impressive,” Anciola said. “We all support each other in all aspects and have bonded through all the hard work.”
