One Tweet sent shockwaves through H-Town volleyball as quick as a key stroke.
"The 'Kats Sweep The Woodlands #EarnIt" – it read
The Klein (27-4) volleyball team is putting the city on notice after knocking off the No. 1 team in Houston – the Highlanders – in straight sets.
"In my opinion, we had them scouted," coach Kate Zora said. "We watch a lot of film with the kids and knew them pretty well. We expected a dog-fight, but we defended the serve and just played our game."
One match does not make a season, but these 'Kats are a little different.
"We are a young group," Zora said. "I see us coming together more and more each game. Last year we had four Division I players. They all graduated. We had a great team, but this team is better.
Annie Antar is headed to North Florida
"It's all attributed to leadership. This team outworks any team I've had at Klein. They know what they want and handle pressure a little better. They have a real competitive spirit."
The Bearkats have been to back-to-back Regional Semis, but this team hasn't ever thought about defining their season.
"Usually we lay out these goals for the season like winning district or making it to state," she said. "That hasn't even come up. We are just going one game at a time and seeing where that leads us."
The beauty for Zora is that these 'Kats are babies. Their studs Annie Antar (North Florida) and Devan Taylor (Clemson) are juniors; sophomores Kierstyn McFall and Gaby Mansfield are national recruits as sophomores and Ariana Brown and Mikala Sampson are freshman.
"I don't want to peak yet," she laughs. "I think our best volleyball is in front of us, just because of the leadership. Their ability to want and listen is just different."
There are plenty of marquee football matchups this week in the Austin area. Plenty of folks will be curious to see how Cedar Ridge holds up against Lake Travis or just exactly how many points Cedar Park and Hutto are going to score between them in their battle for 24-6A lead.
But the vast majority of games each week slip under the radar, largely unnoticed by anyone except the teams themselves and their fans. That doesn’t make those games any less important. And this week’s VYPE Central Texas Game of the Week between McNeil and Stony Point at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex is a perfect example.
There are similarities between these two longtime Round Rock ISD rivals. Both are operating under new head coaches. And both are trying to build new cultures around those coaches and return to playoff form.
McNeil’s journey has been the most harrowing of the two. The Mavericks (0-2, 0-6) returned to the playoffs in 2024 and were one freakish play away from repeating that accomplishment last season under former head coach Scott Hermes. The program then went through the process of replacing Hermes twice, ultimately landing Jerry Gardner from Wylie East late in the summer.
Between the late change and seriously rebuilding after losing a ton of talent to graduation, the Mavericks have gotten off to a slow start. Senior quarterback Orion Covault has worked through the air (52-100, 646 Yds., 5 TD, 3 INT – stats through 5 games) while tacking on 261 rushing yards with a touchdown. Senior Zylen Hall (48-255, 9.5 YPC, 4 TD) has provided a spark on the ground with young receivers Quincy Sampson (13-194, 14.9 YPC, 2 TD) and sophomore Jeremy Powell (12-143, 11.9 YPC, TD) emerging as his favorite targets.
It’s a similar, if more conventional story at Stony Point (1-1, 2-4). Former Hutto offensive coordinator Dustin Pleasant travelled west along Hwy. 79 to land in Tigerland, taking over from legendary head coach Craig Cheshire. Unlike McNeil’s recent playoff appearance, the Tigers haven’t been to the postseason in a minute or two. And while the path to postseason is difficult in a district with Lake Travis, Westlake, and Round Rock, the path potentially exists with a win over Cedar Ridge (or a huge upset of either “Lake” team.)
Senior quarterbacks Brady Davis (49-89, 670 yds., 5 TD, 2 INT) and sophomore Kadin Smith (29-55, 324, 2 TD, INT) have both seen time behind center while junior Aiden Lloyd (98-475, 4.8 YPC, 8 TDs) anchors the running attack. Senior Olamide Aroworade (28-456, 16.3 YPC, 3 TD) has been the Tigers’ leading receiver.
It’s easy to hype the drama between two powerhouse teams. These two – McNeil and Stony Point – each have their own goals and agendas. At the most basic level, McNeil is simply looking for their first win of the season and of the Coach Gardner era; a chance to reap the rewards after months of hard work.
The Tigers’ slender playoff path relies on winning all their game against the rest of the district while punching one of the favorites in the nose down the road.
But mostly, it’s just one of the 10 nights these kids get to experience the thrill and joy of playing Texas High School Football. The fact that it’s our VYPE Austin CenTex Game of the Week is just icing on the cake.
The scuttlebutt heading into last week’s District 24-6A showdown between Cedar Park and Rouse was this: Cedar Park’s high powered offense should score a lot of points; the jury was still out as to how well the Timberwolves’ defense would hold up against a Rouse offense that was more than capable of scoring points of their own.
Question asked; question answered as Cedar Park gradually pulled away in the second half for a convincing 37-23 win over Rouse in the VYPE Austin CenTex Game of the Week.
Senior Lucas Viloria (22-147, 6.7 YPC, 2 TD) set the tone on Cedar Park’s opening drive, capping off a 6-play, 75-yard drive with a 35-yard touchdown run. Senior David Cooper’s toss to senior Wesley Hebert put the T-wolves up 8-0. They scored again after the Black Rain defense recovered a fumble. This time it was a 24-yard pass from Cooper (10-17, 123 Yds., 2 TD, INT) to senior Brayden Jahns followed by another conversion pass to senior Jonah Johnson to make it 16-0 Cedar Park.
The defenses dug in for a while before the Raiders finally got untracked. After a previous 18-play drive stalled on the Cedar Park 5-yard line, Rouse’s senior quarterback Chase Whitten (26-37, 245 Yds., 2 TD) connected with senior Aubryn Davis from 11 yards out to pull Rouse within 16-7 at the half.
The teams traded scores in the 3rd quarter. Cooper’s second touchdown pass, this one a 27-yarder to Hebert, helped Cedar Park open up a 23-7 lead. But the Raiders’ Davis (15-65, TD rushing; 10-47, TD receiving) scampered in from 7-yards out to cap off a 9-play, 67-yard drive as Rouse pulled within one possession at 23-15.
And then the Timberwolves took command.
A 75-yard drive ended with Viloria punching it in from 1-yard out to nudge the lead back to 30-15. The Black Rain forced a punt to break serve before senior Kycen Pham’s 18-yard run midway through the 4th quarter put the game away.
Whitten, however, connected with senior Coen May (8-159 Yds., TD) on a 45-yard touchdown to make the score look more respectable.
Rouse (1-1, 3-3) looks to rebound at Bible Stadium against Leander Friday night (10/9). Cedar Park (2-0, 6-0), meanwhile, puts its undefeated record on the line against powerful Hutto (2-0, 5-1) in a game that may see 100 points scored. VYPE Live will broadcast that game.
