Sept. 21, 2024 issue

Austin Sports Journal Sept. 21, 2024

Vol. 1, No. 4

AustinSportsJournal.com

IS PFLUGERVILLE BACK? Panthers start 4-0 for the first time since 2007 PAGE 3

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austinsportsjournal.com/newsletter-signup/ Austin Sports Journal P.O. Box 160911 Austin, TX 78716

VOLLEYBALL

FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Westlake flexes its muscles in big win

Buda Johnson......34 Drip. Springs........49

Bowie...................28 Con. Judson........24

Elgin.....................50 McCallum.............26

Stony Point..........35 Vista Ridge..........38

Hutto....................36 Manor..................43

Liberty Hill ...........56 Connally...............10

Westlake..............41 Cibolo Steele.......16

Round Rock.........45 McNeil..................14

John Paul II............0 Eastside...............44

The Chaparrals handed Class 6A No. 3 Austin High its fourth loss of the season Tuesday, snapping the Maroons’ 6-game winning streak.

– Page 6

– More scores inside, page 4

2 | Sept. 14, 2024

On the sidelines photo of the week

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Austin Sports Journal | AustinSportsJournal.com

QUESTIONS WITH...

CARLY KROTHE, LAKE TRAVIS TENNIS

What is your biggest tennis ick?

When an opponent does not give you a chance to warm up your serve in the 5-minute warm up before a match.

Michael Adams/ Austin Sports Journal

CONTACT US Mailing address: P.O. Box 160911, Austin, TX 78716 Email: madams@austinsportsjournal.com Phone: 512-779-4527 PUBLISHER & OWNER Michael Adams AUSTIN SPORTS JOURNAL (ISSN: Pending) is published weekly on Saturdays by The Sports Journals, LLC. Reproduction or use without permission of editorial or graphic content in any manner is strictly prohibited. Subscription rates are $29.99 annually (52 weeks). Subscriptions automatically renew, but can be canceled anytime. Readers may purchase subscriptions at austinsportsjournal.com. © 2024 | Austin Sports Journal STORY IDEAS Send tips to publisher Michael Adams at madams@ austinsportsjournal.com.

ADVERTISE WITH THE ASJ For advertising information, rates and production specifications, contact publisher Michael Adams.

CORRECTIONS & CLARRIFICATIONS Fair and accurate reporting is at the heart of what we do at the Austin Sports Journal. Contact Publisher Michael Adams at madams@austinsportsjournal.com about anything that is incorrect or needs clarification.

If you were given $1 million, what is the first thing you’d do, and you can’t say travel?

I would buy jet ski because I have always wanted one.

What would your last meal be?

Chicken pesto parmigiana like my mom makes.

Who is your favorite tennis player from the Austin area that’s not on your team?

Michelle McGarrahan from Westlake.

What are the first three songs you’re putting on a prematch playlist?

Better than Revenge by Taylor Swift, Heartless by Kanye West and Walking on a Dream by Empire of the Sun Bonus question: If you could invite one person in the history of the world to dinner, who would you invite?

The carpenter who designed the staircase of the Laredo chapel in New Mexico because it is constructed defying physics.

Photo courtesy of Lake Travis tennis

The Round Rock Dragonettes dances in the bleachers as the band plays during a high school football game at Kelly Reeves Stadium on Friday in Austin.

Austin Sports Journal | AustinSportsJournal.com

Sept. 14, 2024 | 3

HOW OUR POWER 5s FARED

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CLASS 6A LAKE TRAVIS (4-0)

UP NEXT at Bowie

WESTLAKE (3-1)

UP NEXT Open

BOWIE (4-0)

UP NEXT vs. Lake Travis

def. San Marcos 62-13

def. Cibolo Steele 41-16

def. Converse Judson 28-24

VANDEGRIFT (2-1)

UP NEXT vs. Vista Ridge

ROUND ROCK (4-0)

UP NEXT vs. Cedar Ridge

Open

def. McNeil 45-14

78 0

Panther pursuit

CLASS 5A GEORGETOWN (3-0) Open

UP NEXT at Leander

WEISS (3-1)

UP NEXT at Hendrickson

ANDERSON (2-1)

UP NEXT vs. A&M Consolidated

LIBERTY HILL (3-1)

UP NEXT at Navarro (Thur.)

PFLUGERVILLE (4-0)

UP NEXT at Elgin

def. Lehman 79-0

Open

def. Connally 56-10

def. Navarro, 78-0

CLASS 4A & BELOW

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High School Football

LBJ (3-0)

UP NEXT at SA Cornerstone

JARRELL (3-1)

UP NEXT at Smithville

def. Dal. Episcopal 48-47

Lost to Llano 21-14

WIMBERLEY (2-2)

Lost to Lampasas 38-27

UP NEXT

at Geronimo

Navarro

THRALL (3-1)

UP NEXT vs. Johnson City

LAGO VISTA (3-1)

UP NEXT vs. Salado

Lost to Troy 68-20

def. Marion 41-7

Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal

Pflugerville’s Kishan Ware (11) pursues Daniel Gallegos (6) of Navarro during a high school football game at The Pfield on Thursday in Pflugerville.

Pflugerville is off to its best start in 17 years, and it should worry 11-5A-II

By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal

Up next

PFLUGERVILLE ¬– No one doubted the outcome of Thursday’s District 11-5A-II game between Pflugerville and Navarro.

It was almost a certainty the Panthers (4-0, 1-0) were going to come out victorious against and outmatched Vikings team with just 31 players on their roster.

Yet, the way Pflugerville dismantled Navarro on its home turf was reminiscent of a storied program and quite fitting on a night Panther great Alex Okafor was in attendance.

Are the Panthers back to the dominance of the days of

Okafor and IK Enemkpali?

Well… maybe.

It’s hard to gauge how good this Pflugerville team is based on its performance against an opponent that couldn’t match the Panthers’ size, speed or athleticism.

But consider for a second that Pflugerville is 4-0 for the first time since 2007, which was also the same year the

• •

PFlugerville at Elgin, 7:30 p.m., Friday Navarro vs. Liberty Hill, 7:30 p.m., Thursday at Nelson

Continued on page 5

4 | Sept. 14, 2024

Austin Sports Journal | AustinSportsJournal.com

High School Football WEEK 4 SCOREBOARD

45 14

The Dragons get their revenge

Thursday’s scores Blanco 35, Ingram Moore 0 Pflugerville 78, Navarro 0 Akins 53, Northeast 8 Lake Travis 52, San Marcos 13 Bastrop 69, Crockett 6 Friday’s scores Class 6A Dripping Springs 49, Buda Johnson 34 Vista Ridge 38, Stony Point 35 Westlake 41, Cibolo Steele 16 Bowie 28, Converse Judson 24 Temple 52, Austin High 13 Manor 43, Hutto 36 Round Rock 45, McNeil 14 Cedar Ridge 35, Westwood 28 Copperas Cove 21, Del Valle 14 Class 5A Hays 20, Cedar Creek 10 Weiss 79, Lehman 0 Hendrickson 35, Lockhart 11 Elgin 50, McCallum 26 Liberty Hill 56, Connally 10

Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal

Round Rock’s Dylan Jaeger (29) and Reggie Hurley (7) celebrate a touchdown during a high school football game at Kelly Reeves Stadium on Friday in Austin.

Round Rock scores 31 Up next • Round Rock vs. Cedar Ridge, 7 p.m., Friday at Dragon unanswered points to • McNeil at Stony Point, 7 p.m., Friday at Kelly Reeves Aiden Walker returned it for 74 yards for the score. defeat rival McNeil Round Rock added another score on its next offensive

By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal Round Rock got its revenge Friday.

The Dragons (4-0, 2-0 District 25-6A) avenged last year’s 17-0 loss to McNeil with a dominating performance and cruising to a 45-14 win over the Mavericks at Kelly Reeves Stadium.

McNeil (1-3, 1-1) took an early 7-0 lead when Jacorian Hubbard scooped up a Round Rock fumble and returned it for a touchdown.

The Dragons answered on the ensuing kickoff when

possession on a run by Joaquin Maldonado.

McNeil answered when Jadon Sultz threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jarell Gary to tie the game at 14.

Round Rock scored 14 more points in the first half to take a 28-14 lead into the locker room at halftime and then added 13 more points in the second half to secure the win.

MORE COVERAGE ONLINE See more photos with this story online at austinsportsjournal.com.

Class 4A Eastside 44, Schertz John Paul II 0 Travis 28, Luling 0 LBJ 48, Dallis Parish Episcopal 47 (OT) Lampasas 38, Wimberley 27 Marble Falls 49, San Antonio Brackenridge 0 La Grange 35, Taylor 7 Caldwell 49, Smithville 24 Llano 21, Jarrell 14 Lago Vista 41, Marion 7 Salado 67, Little River Academy 39 Rockdale 26, Giddings 21 Burnet 22, Fredericksburg 15 Fort Bend Christian 70, LASA 0 Class 3A Troy 68, Thrall 20 Class 2A Comfort 21, Johnson City 14 Thorndale 51, Austin Achieve 0

Austin Sports Journal | AustinSportsJournal.com

Sept. 14, 2024 | 5

High School Football WEEK 3 PLAYER OF THE WEEK Lincoln Hossfeld

Salado, quarterback, senior Hossfield accounted for 393 yards of total offense and six touchdowns in the Eagles’ win over Giddings. He threw for 304 yards, completing 17 of 21 pass attempts without an interception. He was also the Dave Campbell’s Texas Football QB of the Week for Class 4A. Past winners Week 1: Vann Hopping, RB, Lake Travis Week 2: Zane Wooldrige, WR, Leander Photo courtesy of Salado athletics

About the selection process: Each week, the Austin Sports Journal selects five players from Austin area schools that had standout performances during the previous week of action and let readers vote on the winner. Voting takes place Monday through noon, Tuesdays. The winner is announced each Wednesday online.

WEEK 5 SCHEDULE

Thursday’s games

Crockett at Connally, 7 p.m. at The Pfield Manor at Westwood, 7 p.m. at Kelly Reeves Dripping Springs at Akins, 7:30 p.m. at Burger Stadium Eastside at Travis, 7:30 p.m. at House Park Liberty Hill at Navarro, 7:30 p.m. at Nelson Stadium

Friday’s games

Cedar Ridge at Round Rock, 7 p.m. at Dragon Stadium McNeil at Stony Point, 7 p.m. at Kelly Reeves Vista Ridge at Vandegrift, 7 p.m.

Cedar Park at Killeen Chaparral, 7 p.m.

Lake Belton at Rouse, 7 p.m. at Gupton Stadium Glenn at East View, 7 p.m.

Georgetown at Leander, 7 p.m. at Bible Stadium Weiss at Hendrickson, 7 p.m. at The Pfield Pflugerville at Elgin, 7 p.m.

Jarrell at Smithville, 7 p.m.

La Vernia at Marble Falls, 7 p.m.

San Antonio Memorial at Blanco, 7 p.m.

Continued from page 3 Panthers reached the Class 5A-Division II state championship game.

However, also consider that the four opponents Pflugerville has beaten this season are a combined 6-9.

So, are the Panthers back?

All signs point to yes, and that should worry the rest of District 11-5A-II. This week’s game at Elgin (1-3, 1-0) will be the first real test for Pflugerville.

The Wildcats snapped their three-game skid with a 50-26 win over McCallum on Friday.

However, both teams have a common opponent in the early season – Hays.

Pflugerville manhandled the Hawks in a 47-7 win in Week 2, just a week after Hays opened the

Johnson City at Thrall, 7 p.m.

Hempstead at Thorndale, 7 p.m.

Granger at Bartlett, 7 p.m.

McDade at Burton, 7 p.m.

Lake Travis at Bowie, 7:30 p.m. at Burger Stadium San Marcos at Buda Johnson, 7:30 p.m. at Shelton Stadium A&M Consolidated at Anderson, 7:30 p.m. at Nelson Stadium Del Valle at Austin High, 7:30 p.m. at House Park McCallum at Bastrop, 7:30 p.m. at BISD Memorial Stadium Cedar Creek at Lockhart, 7:30 p.m.

Taylor at Manor New Tech, 7:30 p.m.

Gatesville at Burnet, 7:30 p.m.

Giddings at El Campo, 7:30 p.m.

Navasota at La Grange, 7:30 p.m.

Salado at Lago Vista, 7:30 p.m.

LBJ at San Antonio Cornerstone, 7:30 p.m.

Wimberley at Geronimo Navarro, 7:30 p.m.

season with a 31-21 win over the Wildcats.

Take that for what it’s worth.

Should the Panthers get by Elgin, and then McCallum on Oct. 10, Pflugerville will be off to its best start in the last 25 years.

It would also set up an Oct. 18 showdown in the mecca that is The Pfield against powerhouse Liberty Hill that will have a playoff atmosphere and district championship implications.

That’s quite the turnaround for a team that last year made the playoffs for the first time in six years.

Welcome back, Pflugerville.

MORE COVERAGE ONLINE See more photos with this story online at austinsportsjournal.com.

6 | Sept. 14, 2024

Austin Sports Journal | AustinSportsJournal.com

RANKINGS

Records are as of Sept. 12

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CLASS 6A DRIPPING SPRINGS (33-2)

Up next: at Lake Travis (6:30p, Tuesday)

WESTLAKE (21-13)

Up next: at Bowie (6:30p, Tuesday)

WESTLAKE DEF. AUSTIN HIGH

Westlake flexes its muscles, snaps Austin High’s winning streak

AUSTIN HIGH (31-4)

Up next: vs. Akins (6:30p, Tuesday)

BUDA JOHNSON (28-6)

Up next: vs. Schertz Clemens (6:30p, Tue.)

VANDEGRIFT (18-13)

Up next: at Hutto (6:30p, Tuesday)

CLASS 5A LIBERTY HILL (28-5)

Up next: vs. Cedar Park (6:30p, Tuesday)

GEORGETOWN (26-7)

Up next: at Hendrickson (6:30p, Tuesday)

WEISS (28-8)

Up next: at Georgetown (6:30p, Friday)

CEDAR PARK (17-15)

Up next: at Liberty Hill (6:30p, Tue.)

MCCALLUM (19-14)

Up next: at Anderson (7:30p, Tuesday)

CLASS 4A & BELOW

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Volleyball

WIMBERLEY (26-2)

Up next: vs. Vet. Memorial (6p,Tuesday)

GATEWAY PREP (18-3)

Up next: vs. Lampasas (6p, Tuesday)

SALADO (25-6)

Up next: at Marble Falls (6p, Tuesday)

JOHNSON CITY (21-7)

Up next: at Center Point (6p, Friday)

THRALL (17-7)

Up next: vs. Rogers (6p, Tuesday)

Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal

Westlake’s Clayton Kelly (22) blocks a kill attempt from Harper Luthy (3) during a volleyball match at Austin High School on Tuesday in Austin.

By Michael Adams Austin Sports Journal If anyone still doubted Westlake’s deceiving record, the Chaps would like a word.

Visiting Westlake (13-11) –ranked No. 23 in Class 6A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association – commanded a 27-25, 15-25, 25-15, 25-21 victory Tuesday over rival No. 3 Austin High.

It wasn’t so much that the Chaps snapped the Maroons’ six-game winning streak, but how they did it by beating Austin High in every part of the game.

Outside hitters Chloe Kelly and Lily Davis combined for 31 kills and 25 digs to lead the way for Westlake.

Kelly, a junior, had a match-high 16 kills with a .250 hitting percentage and 11 digs.

Senior libero Mallory Weyand led the defensive front with a match-high 21 digs.

“We really, really needed that win,” said Westlake head coach Miguel Sanez. “That win was a good measuring stick for us. We’re still not at our best, but we are

getting better.

Austin High (31-4) played uncharacteristic volleyball. The Maroons, who are typically a strong offensive team, had a collective hitting percentage of .119 with 20 attacking errors. A lot of the reason for the miscues was Westlake’s tenacious defense at the net.

Junior outside hitter Riley Malloy was one of three players with a team-high nine kills, along with middle blocker Camille Presely and outside hitter Harper Luthy.

After the match, Austin High head coach Kylie Woods acknowledged how Westlake beat them in every aspect of the game.-“They beat us, they beat us on both sides of the ball, on offense and defense,” Woods said. “We have to find a way to spread the ball around more and not be so predictable… This doesn’t negate what we’ve done all season. We have the opportunity to learn from this and get better.”

Westlake travels to Bowie on Tuesday. The next district home game is Oct. 1 against Lake Travis.

Austin High hosts Akins and Del Valle on Tuesday and Sept. 27, respectively.

Austin Sports Journal | AustinSportsJournal.com

Sept. 14, 2024 | 7

Volleyball Game of the Week

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Lexi Ankerstar

Round Rock, senior, setter The Dragons senior setter had back-to-back triple doubles, including a 10 kill, 17 dig and 24 assist performance on Tuesday in Round Rock’s win over Westwood. In a loss to Vista Ridge, Ankerstar put down 16 kills, 14 digs and 31 assists. In both games she had seven service aces.

Past winners Week 1: Laney Hennessee, Wimberley Week 2: Takyla Brown, Weiss Week 3: MC Brandl, Glenn Week 4: Jesse Letts, Glenn

MCCALLUM KNIGHTS 20-14

@

ANDERSON TROJANS

16-9

6:30 p.m.,Tuesday at Anderson High School Gymnasium | Series record: Anderson leads series 15-1* Last meeting: Anderson won 25-14, 25-11, 25-19 on Sept. 26, 2023. * Record as of 2009, according to MaxPreps

MCCALLUM PLAYERS TO WATCH: Greta Carlson, senior, outside hitter; Lexi Rosenblatt, junior, setter; Aanlya Thornton, junior, libero; Helen Rogers, senior, middle blocker.

ANDERSON PLAYERS TO WATCH: Parker Duncan, senior, outside hitter; Chloe Frizzle, freshman, outside hitter; Claire Nix, senior, libero; Bailey Santos, junior, setter.

McCallum’s Lexi Rosenblatt

Anderson’s Parker Duncan