When you think you've figured out Texas high school football, you have a day or two like the first two game days of the 2019 season. It started with 2018 UIL 2A Division I state champ Mason losing 47-7 to UIL 3A Division I Wall at R. Clinton Schulze Stadium on Thursday, and continued with more shocking Austin area results on Friday.
The VYPE Game of the Week definitely had surprises in the form of Austin Vandegrift's (1-0, 0-0) 17-0 home win against Leander ISD rival Cedar Park (0-1, 0-0) at Ed W. Monroe Memorial Stadium. The Vipers made a statement with their margin of victory, but the final score doesn't show all the oddities of the game.
It started with the teams' rust out of the gate, which resulted in four combined penalties in the first three minutes and 11 seconds of the season.
"It was a first game," said Austin Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders. "Look at how many penalties they had too. The difference was we were able to overcome our mistakes."
Austin Vandegrift was able to find its form on the defensive side. The unit forced a first quarter fumble, and VYPE Player of the Game Kaleb Lewis added an interception in both the first and fourth quarters. The production was so effective that Cedar Park had three first downs in the first half.
"We were really prepared," said Lewis. "It was just amazing to shut 'em out. Big win."
The Vipers' offense also saw an opening, and scored in three of the four quarters. It started with Charlie Fournier's 31-yard field goal at the 1:58 mark of the first quarter, continued with Dru Dawson's 59-yard touchdown pass to Trey Mongauzy in the second quarter and concluded with Bowen Lewis' 54-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Other notable results included Lake Travis falling to Arlington Martin 35-14 in a flipped score of 2018's UIL 6A meeting, UIL 4A Division I Liberty Hill dominating UIL 5A Division II Leander Glenn 41-13 and UIL 3A Division I Rockdale upsetting UIL 4A Division II Giddings 48-24.
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