Three 25-5A teams ranked in latest state poll,
Cedar Park football coach Carl Abseck had mixed feelings when he learned that two other teams from the No. 1 Timberwolves’ district were ranked in the latest Associated Press Class 5A state poll, released Monday.
“It’s pretty cool to have three teams in the top 10,” he said, “unless you look up and know that you still have to play them all.”
There’s no shortage of competition in District 25-5A, which boasts top-ranked Cedar Park, No. 4 Vandegrift and No. 10 Vista Ridge.
Only three other districts in the state had as many as two teams in the weekly AP poll. In Class 6A, Lake Travis and Westlake were listed for 14-6A, and 25-6A had Cibolo Steele and Converse Judson. The Class 2A poll contained both Shiner and Refugio from District 15-2A, Division I.
Competing in arguably the toughest district in the state at any level, 25-5A teams are 20-4 against non-district opponents this season.
They also boast a tradition of recent postseason excellence.
Cedar Park won the Class 4A, Division II championship in 2012, beating Lancaster 17-7. The Timberwolves fell just short of another crown last year, losing to Ennis 38-35 in the 5A, Division II final.
Georgetown reached the Class 4A, Division I title game in 2012, losing to Jerrod Heard and Denton Guyer 48-37. Vandegrift reached the state semis last fall in Class 5A, Division I before falling to Temple.
A couple of other notes at the midpoint of the high school football season:
Right now, these three standouts have a slight edge in the race for All-Central Texas player of the year honors:
Sam Ehlinger, QB, Westlake: A junior, the University of Texas pledge has led the Chaparrals to a 4-0 start while totaling 19 touchdowns — 10 rushing, nine passing.
Travis Brannan, RB, Vandegrift: The reigning All-Centex player of the year, Brannan has scored 11 rushing touchdowns while averaging 222 yards a game on the ground.
Tyler Herrick, QB, Hutto: A dual-threat senior, Herrick has averaged 314 yards a game —196 passing, 118 running — and has accounted for 23 touchdowns.
Over the next five weeks or so, here are five must-see games:
Vandegrift at Cedar Park (Oct. 16): Fourth-ranked Vandegrift has averaged 47 points per game, while top-ranked Cedar Park has yielded just 13 points per contest.
Round Rock at Cedar Ridge (Oct. 16): Defending district champion Round Rock will face a rival that’s unbeaten after five games.
La Grange at Giddings (Oct. 23): The District 11-4A, Division II title probably will be on the line. La Grange has averaged 35 points per game, five fewer than Giddings.
Lake Travis at Westlake (Oct. 23): The last time Westlake beat Lake Travis, former Cavaliers quarterback Garrett Gilbert was a junior. He’s now in his second NFL season.
Cedar Park at Vista Ridge (Nov. 6): The winner just might claim the District 25-5A championship on the last night of the regular season.