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Ridge Point senior quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr.
Emanuel leads spirited effort for Ridge Point in rout of George Ranch
ROSENBERG—'Fight,' 'finish,' 'effort.' Those were some of the words Ridge Point coach Rick LaFavers used in describing his team's 44-14 win over George Ranch in a pivotal District 20-6A showdown Thursday at Traylor Stadium.
"I'm proud of our guys," LaFavers said. "We gave up some plays, but they finished, and I was very proud of that."
The Panthers' 6-1 record, 4-0 in 20-6A, and plus-29.4-point differential may look gaudy, but LaFavers' boys are relying on grit, toughness and resilience these days with three key starters out for the season due to injury.
Oh, and Bert Emanuel Jr. Ridge Point is relying a whole lot on the star dual-threat senior quarterback, too.
Emanuel completed nine of 21 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries against George Ranch for his second five-touchdown game this season. He also had a five-touchdown game in a Week 2 win against Dickinson.
.@GRHS_Football is on the board, capitalizing on a fumble recovery on a botched RP snap in Panthers territory. Andr… https://t.co/rocW4mJSIa— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1634259554.0
Against the Longhorns, it was Emanuel's legs that got things going with two first-half touchdowns that enabled a 20-7 Ridge Point lead at halftime.
Emanuel ran the ball a lot last season, averaging 45.8 rushing yards on 7.5 carries per game with six rushing touchdowns. But he's running the ball even more this season, averaging 83. 7 yards on 10.7 carries per game with eight touchdowns.
"It's most definitely intentional," Emanuel said about being involved more in the run game. "I want defenses to not just have to worry about me throwing the ball."
LaFavers said the beauty of the offense is that it takes advantage of whatever the defense is giving. Teams choose often to give up the run to prevent the big-play ability of Emanuel and dynamic senior receivers Marvin Session and Wilson Batiste, each of whom caught a touchdown Thursday.
That opens opportunities for junior running back Ezell Jolly (87 yards on 15 carries) and, especially, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Emanuel, who always keeps a defense on its toes.
.@RPHS_FB answers. Quickly. @BertEmanuel3 with another keeper for a score, this one from nine yards out. 20-7, 1:51… https://t.co/CRiOKRZBK1— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1634259956.0
"We feel like we can attack people in the passing game, but if they give us lanes, he's such a big, fast runner, we'll take advantage of that," LaFavers said. "He has a will to win. He's a winner. He fights for yards, he has great vision, and he protects the ball. I'm so proud of him and proud that he's a Panther."
Emanuel said he has matured as a runner, getting better going out of bounds and not trying to pick up every single yard he can get.
"Especially on the sideline when defenders close in," he said. "Just don't put my body on the line."
Otherwise, he picks apart defenses thanks to an improved knowledge of the offense.
Ridge Point has the No. 1 offense in 20-6A, averaging 45.3 points on 442.1 yards per game. Aside from his rushing prowess, which ranks fourth in 20-6A, Emanuel has thrown for 1,296 yards and 16 touchdowns to no interceptions.
"This was a great game, very important," Emanuel said. "I feel like as an offense, we have more of an understanding of the playbook compared to this point last year. There's more chemistry with all of our coaches, being our second year with them."
EXTRA POINTS
>> STEPPING UP: The Panthers are a depleted bunch. Senior offensive lineman Calvin Harvey (Louisiana Tech commit) is out for the season with an ACL tear. Defensive linemen Clayton Cherry and DK Kalu are also out for the season with injuries. The defense, still, played admirably against George Ranch, as senior linebacker Dalton Plitt, senior linebacker Mason Hall, senior lineman Kameron Richardson and junior end Cortez Nichols, among others, led a potent, persistent pass rush that produced three sacks. "Those guys are really good," Plitt said of Cherry and Kalu. "It's been hard dealing with that, but it's next man up. We played our defense and made some plays. If we keep building, we'll keep winning." LaFavers was certainly pleased. "We run," he said. "That's one thing we've got is speed. We swarm the ball. It wasn't great all the time, but I love the effort. I'm proud of guys stepping up and finishing."
What a takedown on this sack by @RPHS_FB’s @hallmason8 for a six-yard loss. #txhsfb @RP_PantherPride @RPHS_Panthers https://t.co/OKkT9v4W9E— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1634260362.0
>> DRINKARD STARS: Senior running back Hymond Drinkard was terrific for George Ranch, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. He accounted for 54 percent of the Longhorns' total offensive production. Drinkard leads 20-6A in rushing with 752 yards and 12 touchdowns.
>> DYNAMIC DAVIS: Ridge Point junior defensive back Taylor Davis produced the most spectacular play of the night with 2:10 left in the fourth quarter. Davis caught a pass tipped by fellow junior DB Ryan Ramey in the end zone and returned it 108 yards for a pick-6 and the final score of the game. It's Davis's second interception return for a touchdown this season. He leads 20-6A in interceptions with four.
FBL (V): Tip drill in the GR endzone to @TaylorDavis_27 for the 108 yard return!! Is there #SuchAThing? PAT by Gray… https://t.co/jZ7mCDnxc1— Ridge Point HS (@Ridge Point HS) 1634266343.0
George Ranch senior outside hitter Avery Shimaitis.
Dominant Shimaitis having fun leading surging Longhorns
George Ranch senior Avery Shimaitis is as confident and having as much fun on the volleyball court this year as she's ever had. That's great news for the Pepperdine commit, who is relentlessly peppering the stat sheet game in and game out.
It's not so great for anyone lining up across the net for the Longhorns.
"I feel I've hit something to where I have to play at another level," Shimaitis said. "Next year, I'll be going off to college, so this season I've tried to reach another level with how I play. I'm having more fun and I'm more confident, and I think once I committed, a weight was taken off of me and now I feel I can enjoy the game.
"Every game is so much fun and way more enjoyable now."
Shimaitis's numbers this season are ridiculous.
The 5-foot-10 outside hitter is averaging 5.9 kills per set and hitting .335 with a 42.9 kill percentage. Those numbers are all career-bests, and her kills-per-set average is more than twice what she averaged last season (2.8).
"She's very consistent with what she does," coach Cheyanne Forshee said. "Her hitting error percentage is very minimal. She's not taking crazy, wild swings. She has powerful, strong swings, but they're effective. She knows what she's doing with them."
.@GRHSLonghornVB senior @averyshimaitis already has eight kills and an ace and we’re barely into the second set. Th… https://t.co/OkKP2YTAPZ— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1632877810.0
Shimaitis is, indeed, a smart, violent attacker who does the hard work before she swings. Once she identifies the soft spots in a defense, she then sees to it that she gets the ball there, quickly and furiously.
"I used to always try and hit the hardest shot as possible," Shimaitis said. "Now I know I can go with a cut down the line that people aren't expecting, and I'm just smarter with how I play."
But Shimaitis is far from a one-hit wonder. She's also averaging 3.0 digs per set with 79 total blocks and 35 aces.
"I'm better at blocking, getting my timing down," Shimaitis said "I wanted to work and improve on my defense and serve-receive coming into this year. Those were big for me. I want to be a six-rotation player in college, and I knew I had a lot to work on."
.@averyshimaitis (2) is a force at the net as well for @GRHSLonghornVB. #txhsvb https://t.co/h23zZRw3b7— Dennis Silva II (@Dennis Silva II) 1632878291.0
Forshee said Shimaitis' significant growth this season has been her leadership.
Shimaitis has always been a gifted hitter and physical talent; it's why she verbally committed to Pepperdine on Oct. 22 last year. But it's the intangibles that separate her.
Shimaitis' work ethic is second to none. She never misses practice and puts in a lot of time in the weight room. She appreciates the responsibility of being someone others depend on, and she does not take it for granted.
"She's taking that leadership role seriously," Forshee said. "It matters to her. She wants to be one that whenever she leaves, she wants to leave a legacy and leave her name here and be known."
The Longhorns are on a roll of late. Tuesday's sweep of Clements, in which Shimaitis totaled 14 kills, four aces and two blocks, put George Ranch at 5-1 in District 20-6A, 21-12 overall, and winner of 12 of the last 16 games.
"Our expectations are definitely high," Shimaitis said. "We still have a way to go, though, and we have to be more consistent in how strong we play, instead of being like a rollercoaster. That's the standard we're trying to meet every day in practice."