Gobblers plucked, Texans statebound

Wimberley High School athletic director and head coach Doug Warren sat in the visitors’ locker room of the Alamodome Friday evening pondering the question: “In August, with all of the emotions swirling around about the football program, did you see this moment – preparing to play in the state championship game – as a possibility?” He paused, took in the moment, drew a cleansing breath and smiled that Warren grin.

“I thought this team had the opportunity to do that because that's the expectation of this program,” Warren mused. “One of our goals is to play for a state championship, to win… that's what you always work for, regardless of circumstances. For these kids to punch their ticket is awesome.”

It’s the Texan Way: prepare, play and give it your all because the kids, coaches and community deserve the effort. Few statements could capably characterize the 2022 Texan football fall campaign.

Momentum ebbed back and forth in the first half while the Texans familiarized themselves with their opponent. After trading punts to open the game, the Texans wasted no time on their second offensive series. Sophomore quarterback Cody Stoever took off to his right, turned up the sideline and followed a huge downfield block by Cayden Heatly to score from 59 yards out, putting the Texans up 7-0. Cuero scored on their next two possessions to lead 7-14, aided by unfortunate penalties that included a Texan personal foul after an incomplete pass on third down.

The Texan offense took the field late in the first quarter and drove 75 yards in seven plays to cut the deficit early in the second period. After a missed extra point try, the Texans trailed 1314. Momentum shifted again as Cuero scored four plays later. The Gobblers covered 76 yards, including a 55-yard run from Cuero quarterback Mason Notaro. The extra point try was denied, however, when Lane Patek streaked through from the left end, blocking the kick then scooping up the loose ball. He returned it the length of the field to tally two points for the Texans.

The score stood at 15-20 as the Texan offense moved the ball from their own 25-yard line down to the Cuero seven-yard line. Gage Tumlinson connected on a 23-yard field goal to tighten the score 18-20 when the drive stalled. The Gobblers’ ensuing series took nearly three minutes off the clock in nine plays covering 67 yards. It culminated in a 20-yard touchdown reception from Notaro to Daylon Gibbs, putting Cuero up 18-27 at halftime.

“The first half was a tale of trying to get off the field. We had a couple fourth downs where they made big plays to extend drives, and that's what led to the scores,” said defensive coordinator Wes Lambert. “In the second half, we cleaned that up and got the stops that we needed to get.”

“It comes down to individual plays,” head coach Warren added. “That's what I told them at halftime because we were down and knew we had some ground to make up. I said, ‘To win big games like this, you’ve got to win plays. Individually, you go win that play and then line up and do it again. If you string enough of those together, and your teammates string enough of theirs together, then you can accomplish great things.”

Cuero started with the ball on their own 25-yard line after a touchback on Tumlinson’s second half kickoff. The Gobblers managed the offense down field, including a fourth down conversion, until the Texan defense stiffened and stopped them at the seven. After a successful field goal, Cuero led 18-30.

The Texans would snatch momentum back in the second half of the third quarter. They scored on an eight-play drive, topped off by a Hanson Collie touchdown of 12 yards. Tumlinson’s point after touchdown was good and left the score at 25-30 with Cuero in the lead.

The next Gobbler offensive series was a much needed three and out. The drive was punctuated by outstanding team defense highlighted by the effort of Texans Kason Pritchard, Troy Heugly, Ty Thames and Brasen Leonard. Not to be outdone, defensive back Gabe Wray had a crucial pass breakup on third down to force a Cuero punt. The Texan offense took over at their own 36-yard line with 1:41 left in the third quarter. After an incomplete pass attempt to Johnny Ball on a wheel route, Stoever’s next play was a simple handoff up the middle behind his line. Ball took care of the rest with a 64-yard romp for touchdown. The twopoint conversion effort was botched, and the scoreboard read 31-30 in Wimberley’s favor.

“Being down got us a little bit on our heels a couple of times. We misexecuted a couple times and needed to get Johnny loose to get him going,” Warren commented. “We finally did that late in the second quarter, which was a springboard into the second half.”

The Gobblers started at their own 25-yard line after the Texan kickoff. Jack Riser crashed down the line to stop Williams on a one-yard run. Quarterback Notaro attempted a pass to Gibbs across the middle of the field on the next play but found Lane Patek on a perfectly executed break on the ball. Patek returned the interception to the Cuero 24. Four plays later, Tumlinson would split the uprights on a 37-yard field goal to make the score 34-30 with Wimberley in the lead.

“That guy kept running the same route over and over, and he got open a couple of times,” Patek noted. ”He was gonna run the same route, and I read his feet and jumped it.”

Cuero started play on their 21-yard line in their first series of the fourth quarter with the score close and momentum fully on the Texan side. The Gobblers picked up six yards on their first two plays. Notaro handed off to Williams on third down, but Thames stripped the ball, and Riser recovered it at the Cuero 29-yard line. It took one play for the Texans to capitalize. Ball took a handoff from Stoever, running into defenders who slowed him at the 11 before stripping the ball. Heatly shoveled up the ball on its second bounce at the eight and hurried across the goal line for the touchdown. Wimberley went for two with a pass from Stoever to Riser into the endzone to make the score 42-30.

Cuero would score on their next drive, covering 75 yards in 10 plays including a fourth and 18 conversion with a hook and lateral that covered 29 yards. The Gobblers scored but failed the extra point to leave the game 42-36 in favor of the Texans with 6:23 left in the contest.

Wimberley took the subsequent kick at their own 34 but lost yardage on three plays and punted with 4:40 left to play. Down six, Cuero started at their own 31. Nine plays later, the Gobblers sat at the Texan 24 with a first down. After a Williams handoff went for no gain and Notaro was forced to scramble to get to the line of scrimmage, Cuero called a timeout with 1:08 on the clock. On third down, Notaro slipped and was called down with a loss of eight yards. With fourth and 18, Notaro was flushed from the pocket, ran out to his right and heaved a ball downfield intended for Gibbs. Cody Heckel deflected the pass, and Zach Patek was able to slip under it for the interception to close out the game.

“I’m just so happy for the kids, these coaches and this community,” expressed a fatigued but elated Warren. “The community was awesome tonight, packing the stands and being so loud. It's just surreal to be honest.”

Stoever threw 14 passes, completing eight for 120 yards, including two touchdowns and a twopoint conversion. The sophomore quarterback ran for 110 yards on 15 carries, scoring twice.

As a team, the Texans ground attack accounted for 302 yards. Johnny Ball led with 193 yards on 14 attempts, scoring on a 64-yard romp. Jack Boyle picked up a couple of yards on a single rushing attempt. Cadyn Heatly pulled off a rare feat by rushing for eight yards and a touchdown without an attempt on the fumble recovery advanced into the endzone.

Texan receiving was led by Ryan Shaw, who had a huge 39-yard reception on a third down and 11 from the Cuero 36-yard line late in the first quarter. That reception extended a drive leading to a Stoever rushing touchdown, bringing the Texans back from deficit. Shaw had two receptions for 45 yards, and Ball added a 29-yard catch. Tight end Hanson Collie relished his opportunities on offense, catching two passes for 20 yards, including a 12 yard touchdown with 3:21 left in the third quarter. Tru Couch and Noah Birdsong each added a reception as did linebacker Jack Riser.

“I love games like this: down to the wire, where both teams are good. When you win, it's even better,” Riser said. “Coming in this year, we did not expect this. I don't think anyone did, but here we are — we did it!”

Riser and the Code Red defense accepted the challenge of Cuero’s team speed and running back Tycen Williams, who came into the contest with over 2,000 rushing yards for the season. Williams had nearly 140 yards for the game, just slightly under his average. Collie, Shay Shroyer, Thames and Heugly each garnered half of a sack for two total.

“This is the biggest stage we've had all year — the biggest stage I've had in my life — and it's the greatest feeling ever to help out my team,” exclaimed Thames after the win. “This is what this is all about.”

Asked what put this Texan team over the top, senior Johnny Ball was contemplative.

“We just had more heart. We’re a family, and we came out and poured our heart into this game and worked as hard as we could. This is the result.”

“It's hard, you know, to get to Jerry World and play for a state championship. And it's even harder to win one. But to have punched our ticket has kind of validated this group, which I think a lot of people doubted,” reflected Warren. “That makes me happy for these kids because they've stuck with us and done everything that we've asked them to do.”

The Texans will close out the season the way every team dreams in August. The UIL State Championship Game is Fri, Dec 16, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington versus the Carthage High School Bulldogs.