Code Red defense his rare milestone

It isn’t uncommon for one team to dominate the other in a high school football game, but what the Code Red defense did to the Manor New Tech Titans last week rises to an entirely different level. Not only did Wimberley shut out Manor in the 63-0 victory, the Titans never earned a first down.

The defensive stat sheet may only show one sack and two interceptions, but the Texan defense threw what might as well be considered the pigskin version of a perfect game.

“I thought that we were definitely the better team going in,” Head Coach Doug Warren said. “(Manor is) still a young program that is growing. I was more concerned about us, and how we performed and how we executed. After looking back at it, I thought we did a pretty decent job at that… You hold somebody to zero first downs, and that is pretty impressive. I don’t care what level it is. That is really unheard of. Our defense has played outstanding all year long, and they did it again.”

While Wimberley has had plenty of high powered offenses over the years, the team’s calling card is the defense, and this year’s squad fits right in line. Led by Lane Patek at safety and Kason Pritchard and Jack Riser in the linebacking corps, the defense held down both the air and the ground.

“The thing that I think they take pride in is that Code Red nickname,” Warren said. “They are going to fly around. They have an identity. They like to be physical. We play a lot of kids (on defense,) and they have all bought into what we do over here. It really shows on Friday night.”

Wyatt Franchione showed how the Texans can fly with an interception returned for a touchdown. Noah Birdsong also added an interception of his own and Dane Hennessee logged the team’s only sack. But together, the Texan defense amounted to more than just the sum of its parts.

There was plenty to be proud of on the offensive side of the ball also. Quarterback Cody Stoever completed 13 passes in 15 attempts to 11 different receivers. Seniors Hansen Collie and Ryan Shaw each led the team with two receptions while also catching the only two passing touchdowns of the game. The other nine receptions were caught by different receivers.

“I think we have a lot of receivers that are very talented and about equal,” Warren said. “They all have their strong suits. Some run faster and some are better route runners. They can all contribute at any time. If you have that many, it is tough on the defense to single up somebody or roll their coverage because of that fact. I was pleased we were able to spread the ball around.”

The running game held its own as well. Johnny Ball was about as effective scoring the ball as statistically possible. He scored three touchdowns on four carries. The workhorse of the evening was Payton Peacock, who carried the ball 14 times for 123 yards and a touchdown.

“Payton came up from the junior varsity because of depth issues at running back,” Warren said. “He came in and was able to execute. He handled the load for us and gave some guys rest in a position where we were thin going into the game. He came in and stepped right in without missing a beat.”

The Texans struck fast in the ball game with a 16-yard touchdown run from Ball with 9:30 left in the first quarter. Gage Tumlinson made the first extra point of a perfect night as he went nine for nine in point after attempts. About a minute and a half later Franchione returned the interception for a touchdown to make it 14-0. Ball scored his second touchdown from five yards out with 5:26 left in the first quarter. Stoever found Shaw on a three-yard touchdown pass with 1:28 left in the first before running the ball in himself with 1:34 on the clock in the first quarter setting Wimberley up 35-0 before the second quarter began. That continued with two more scores before halftime making it 49-0. The clock ran in the second half without stopping, and the Texans piled two more touchdowns in to make the final score 630.

Wimberley plays Navarro on Friday night at home. While Navarro is 4-3 overall, which would typically be considered a down season for the Panthers, they are 2-0 in district play and tied with the Texans for first place.

“You can throw the records out the window when we play Navarro,” Warren said. “It is always a big game with these guys… It is a chance to be the lone man sitting atop the district with two games left and being able to determine your own fate. You can depend on yourself, and that is a big deal.”

The game starts at 7:30 p.m. at Texan Stadium.

Jarred Robinson with KWVH 94.3 FM contributed to this story.