The talent that Lufkin, Texas has put out of over the decades is undisputable.
Dez Bryant and Keke Coutee are household names having played with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, respectively. But names like Ken Houston (NFL Hall of Fame), Reggie McNeal, Jorvoskie Lane, Terrence Kiel, Rex Hadnot and Carrington Byndom all hail from the Deep East Texas town.
So, who could be the future?
At 6-foot-2 and over 210 pounds, junior RB Caleb Berry could be the next Big Man on Campus to wear the purple and gold. He has rushed for over 600 yards and has 11 scores entering the postseason, and coach Todd Quick is going to need him to tote the rock in clutch situations during the playoffs.
Berry pulled his first offer last week from the University of Arkansas. While there may be some uncertainty with Razorback coach Chad Morris being fired, there is no uncertainty that Berry will be a high-major DI back.
The state's No. 5 Class 5A DI team faces Texas High School in the first round of the playoffs. With winning their district, they host the Texarkana school on Friday at Abe Martin Stadium.
The VYPE Thursday Night Showdown powered by Daspit Law Firm returns on the @spacecityhn main channel as we have a great week three matchup between the Ridge Point Panthers and the Bridgeland Bears!
Cedar Park and Rouse have been going at it since Rouse opened its doors in Leander ISD in 2009. Those matchups have all recently been at the 5A level, where both the Raiders and especially the 2015 State Champion Timberwolves have seen considerable success. This Friday night (10/2) will mark their first clash as 6A foes when Cedar Park meets Rouse in a District 24-6A showdown at Gupton Stadium in our VYPE Central Texas Game of the Week.
All signs point to a plethora of points at The Gup. Sixth year head coach Michael Quintero’s Timberwolves (1-0, 5-0) have lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 50.8 point-per-game throughout the first half of the season. Senior quarterback David Cooper (86-114, 1,344, 15 TD, 0 INT) has picked apart opposing defenses through the air while tacking on just under 200 yards and 4 more touchdowns on the ground.
Senior Brayden Jahns (35-545, 15.6 YPC, 3 TD) has been Cooper’s favorite target, supported by fellow seniors Jonah Johnson and Kysen Pham. Lucas Viloria (93-455, 4.9 YPC, 8 TD) paces the T’wolves’ ground attack.
It’s been feast or famine on the other side of the ball. The vaunted Black Rain defense has shown signs of its championship heritage in back-to-back shutouts of Leander and Neu Braunfels and a 7-point effort vs. Clark. Yet they’ve also given up 35 points to A&M Consolidated and 34 to Midway. Senior Deshaun Stewart (50 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 Sacks) and junior C.J. Rogers (42 tackles, 2.0 TFL) anchor a unit that could help propel Cedar Park to a long playoff run with a little more consistency.
New Rouse head coach Mark Hopkins, who took over from founding coach Joshua Mann, has the Raiders (1-0, 3-2) thinking playoffs. Senior Chase Whitten (59-88, 724 Yds., 9 TD, 2 INT) guides a Raiders offense that will test Cedar Park’s defense, averaging 33.8 points per game. Like Cedar Park’s defense, the Rouse offense has been hit or miss, piling up points in wins over Georgetown, McNeil and Vista Ridge – but getting shut out by Midway and scoring 16 vs. Cedar Ridge.
Sophomore Amauri Dickson (55-531, 9.7 YPC, 6 TD) and senior Aubryn Davis (42-413, 9.8 YPC, 4 TDs) have gashed opponents on the ground with Davis also leading the team in catches and receiving yards.
Junior Dylan White (68 tackles, 5.0 TFL, Sack) and senior Greyson Simpson (51 Tackles, 9.0 FTL, 7.0 Sacks) drive a defense that’s allowed 23.4 points per game.
Each district game takes on added importance with just seven teams in the newly reconfigured District 24-6A. Just a little added significance for longtime rivals Cedar Park and Rouse.
What: Cedar Park vs. Rouse When: 6:45 Pregame, 7:00 Kickoff Where: Gupton Stadium Who: Josh Willard, Brad Cone, Cecil Coconougher Watch:https://www.vype.com/7pm-football-cedar-park-vs-ro... and also streaming on the KVUE+ App
