GAMES
RANKINGS
VYPE SATX Football Game of the Week Preview: Brennan vs. Smithson Valley (Week 2)
Thursday, September 4 – 7:00 PM // Northside ISD's Dub Farris Athletic Complex -- San Antonio, TX
There’s a difference between scheduling a challenge and actively chasing one — and neither Brennan nor Smithson Valley have been known to shy away.
After kicking off their 2025 season with a hard-fought 21-13 road win over Reagan, the Bears now turn their focus to the reigning 5A Division I state champions, Smithson Valley, in what figures to be one of the most telling matchups of the young season.
The two area powers will meet this Thursday night, and while the stakes may not be postseason-high, the implications — and intensity — should come close.
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BRENNAN
For head coach Stephen Basore and the Bears, the early test is both a measuring stick and an opportunity.
Brennan is coming off an undefeated District 28-6A championship campaign — their fourth in five years — and a playoff run that ended in the Area Round against eventual 6A-D1 State Finalist Westlake. It was a reminder of how narrow the margin can be at the top of Texas high school football.
Still, the Bears return with talent and experience, especially on the offensive side.
Senior QB Cayden Glass showed poise and versatility in Week 1, going 8-of-12 for 129 yards and two touchdowns through the air, while adding another 48 yards and a rushing score on the ground.
Alongside him, senior running back Micai Thompson — who accounted for nearly 800 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago — remains a reliable option out of the backfield.
Defensively, Brennan appears significantly deeper.
Senior leader Tim Cummings, a hybrid linebacker/defensive back, returns as a unanimous first-team, all-district selection.
Sophomore LB/DB Johnas Brewster made a name for himself in the opener with 16 total tackles and special teams contributions.
He’s joined by a seasoned secondary featuring Ethan Riojas (first-team, all-district), Jaylen Garner (UT-Permian Basin-commit), and junior Aiden Martin, the district’s reigning Defensive Newcomer of the Year. Up front, senior lineman Isiah Tolefree adds physicality in the trenches.
But Brennan’s depth will be tested against one of the state’s most complete teams.
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SMITHSON VALLEY
Smithson Valley enters Thursday’s matchup fresh off a dominant 62-6 win over Roosevelt, and with a championship swagger that comes with their pedigree.
It’s no secret that the Rangers captured the first state title in program history last December, defeating Highland Park (32-20) in the 5A-D1 title game, and head coach Larry Hill has another loaded squad ready to defend that crown.
Junior Ty Knutson leads the way offensively. A 6-foot-3 signal-caller with exceptional instincts and next-level accuracy, Knutson has already drawn interest from TCU, Texas A&M, North Texas, and Texas Tech. Protecting him is senior Aiden Verette, last year’s Offensive Line MVP in District 13-5A-DI.
The Rangers’ defense is just as imposing. Senior edge rusher Hudson Woods, a three-star SMU-commit, returns as the District 13-5A-D1 Defensive MVP, and he’s joined on the front by UTEP-bound defensive tackle Justin Roberts and senior end Caden Lieck.
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In terms of talent and expectation, this Thursday’s game could pass for a playoff preview. For Brennan, it’s a chance to shake up the state landscape. For Smithson Valley, it’s about sustaining excellence — and proving that last season was only the beginning.
VYPE Austin Central Texas Game of the Week Recap: Dripping Springs decks Vandegrift
Drip was ready.
Roughly three years after the Dripping Springs Tigers shocked the Vandegrift Vipers with a walk-off field goal to open the 2022 season at Vandegrift, they did it again. Only this time, they did it convincingly in all phases to knock off the defending 6A DII State Champion Vipers 41-14 in front of an enraptured crowd at Tiger Stadium on Friday (8/29).
Junior running back Lawson Attaway opened the scoring with a bullrush into the end zone from 4-yards out to cap off a well-executed 1st quarter drive. With the Dripping Springs defense keeping the Viper offense off-balance, Tigers quarterback Chase Ames found senior Cooper Reed (5-83, TD) for a 26-yard strike and the Tigers led 14-0 after Ian French’s PAT.
After the Drip defense came up with a huge stop on 4th down with the first half winding down, Ames connected with Merrik Bloomgren (3-42, TD) for 21-yards out and the Tigers led 20-0 after the PAT doinked off the upright. Ames (17-24, 244 yds., 4 TDs), looked like anything but a rookie making his first career start, finding open receivers and consistently navigating the Tigers offense through multiple third and fourth-and-long situations.
But the Vipers came back to life.
Senior quarterback Miles Teodecki suddenly began finding his receivers Brock Chilton, Gavin Koeseter and Thomas Buechler while senior running back Justin Moore started finding some holes in a masterful 2-minute drive. Teodecki (17-34, 199 Yds., TD, INT) somehow squeezed the ball into the hands of unheralded senior tight end Arnav Sagi amidst a mass of humanity in the end zone on the final play of the first half. Wiley Olson’s PAT sent the game into the half at 20-7.
Vandegrift picked up where they left off in the second half. Following a long Teodecki-to-Koester pass play, Moore pinwheeled to paydirt from 6 yards out and the Vipers were back in it at 20-14.
But Dripping Springs went right back to work, with Ames finding running back Jaceton Gotta on an 11-yard wheel route to up the Tiger lead to 27-14. Gotta also had a solid rushing night with 66 yards on 21 carries for the Tigers.
After the Tiger defense plucked a ricocheted pass out of the air to stymie the Vipers’ next drive, Attaway (9-43, 2 TDs) capped off another grinding drive with his second touchdown run to rebuild the hosts’ 20-point edge. Situational quarterback Mateo Perez capped off the scoring with a 47-yard pass to Will Foreman.
Vandegrift (0-1) will look to bounce back and avenge their only loss last season when they host their oldest rival Cedar Park Friday night (9/5) at Ed W. Monroe Memorial Stadium. Dripping Springs (1-0) will look to avoid a letdown when the Tigers travel to San Antonio to face Wagner.