Posted Saturday, October 15, 2022
By Paul Knight — American-Statesman Correspondent
ROUND ROCK — What was a wild, crazy first half rolled into a wild-and-crazy fourth quarter as Vista Ridge held on to defeat Stony Point 39-33 Friday at Dragon Stadium.
The Rangers scrambled to a 25-21 halftime lead over the host Tigers, before extending the lead to 39-27 late in the fourth quarter. However, Stony Point star running back Cam Cook ripped off an 80-yard touchdown romp with just under four minutes left in the game, causing some heartburn for Vista Ridge as it tried to close out the game.
“We fell behind early, and that number 4 (Cook) is the real deal,” Rangers head coach Chad Scott said. “(Tigers) did a good job getting the ball to him.”
Cook, the TCU-committed senior, did his best to will Stony Point to its first district win. He scored three touchdowns in the game and operated much of the offense from the Wildcat formation. But a resilient Vista Ridge team never backed down.
“I just want to give a shout-out to our offensive line, the grinders, the guys who do the dirty work,” Scott deadpanned. “They showed up tonight (for us). I thought we ran the ball well, put the ball in the end zone when we needed to, and ate up the clock in the second half.” The Rangers posted a few big plays of their own to match Cook and Stony Point. Receiver Tanner Brosie caught a 70-yard touchdown pass for Vista Ridge with just under two minutes to play in the first half, getting the Rangers to within two points of the Tigers at 21-19. Then after forcing a quick three-and-out by Stony Point, Rangers quarterback Jackson Harrell found Reece Heffelfinger open for a back-corner fade touchdown with only six seconds left on the clock to halftime (and converted the 2-pt conversion) to claim the 25-21 halftime lead. “We made a lot of mistakes tonight,” Stony Point head coach Craig Chessher said. “They made some mistakes too. It ended up being a real exciting football game, but it’s a game we could’ve won.”
Chessher was correct in that assessment as the Tigers benefitted from three straight penalties by the Rangers, resulting in a first down and then two untimed cracks at a field goal (missed first, second was blocked) before heading into the locker room for halftime adjustments. “For us being in the game there at the end, against a good team and a real good quarterback — I was pleased with our effort,” Chessher said. “We’re scrambling at the quarterback position (due to injuries), but I thought we had a good plan today. It worked pretty well.”
Harrell helped increase the Rangers’ halftime lead in the third period with an 8-yard scramble to the goal line, giving Vista Ridge a 32-21 lead. But the Tigers responded within two minutes, as Stony Point quarterback Skylar Hausenfluck connected with receiver Caden Harris on a 40-yard post route for the touchdown, closing the score to 32-27 Rangers. Vista Ridge scored their final touchdown in the final minute of the third quarter, as running back Isaac Garcia punched the ball over the goal line for a 39-27 score. Other than Cook’s late score, the Tigers didn’t fare much better in the fourth as Hausenfluck went down with an injury suffered on a Rangers’ blitz only 52 seconds into the fourth quarter.
“Things are going to happen, and I just told our guys they have to continue to play hard,” stated Chessher. “We’ve always been known as a team that never quits, and tonight exemplified that.”
Scott agreed but was also impressed with his team’s resiliency: “We’ve got a lot of areas to improve still. But just proud of them, we’re finding a way to win.”