2004 Cedar Park Timberwolf Football

Game-by-Game Narratives
2004

Week Nine: Georgetown
Friday, October 22nd

It was Senior Night, and the astounding Class of 2005 and their parents were honored in a pre-game ceremony as these young men prepared to defend their home turf for the very last time in their lives. (Read the text of the senior tribute as announced that evening.)

Just two games remained in the regular season, only one of which Cedar Park needed to win to claim the largest share of the district title via tiebreakers. There was no doubt this team had its sights set on something more. They didn’t care to settle for a watered-down title that depended on the lame “yeah, but we beat ‘em” logic of tiebreakers. They wanted the whole bucket of honey. And it was certainly looking like a bucket they could, and should, carry away. Those two remaining games were with Georgetown and Leander, two squads who'd already lost to teams Cedar Park had mangled.

The table was set. It was time for the big dogs to eat.

In their last home game, the senior players all accopanied the team captains onto the field for the coin toss.

But the Timberwolves made an interesting and suspenseful show out of what was supposed by many to be a district championship party. At least the suspense lasted for the first quarter and a half.

The most important real offensive difference between 2003’s 3-7 season and 2004’s title run was a very noticeable drop in the numbers of turnovers and drive-killing penalties. The average gains per rush attempt, pass attempt, and pass completion were almost identical to the previous year. The difference was that, instead of 2003’s rash of turnovers and the average of six offensive penalties of ten yards or more per district game, CP went into this night with just five turnovers in the previous seven games, and impressively averaging barely two offensive penalties of ten yards or greater per district contest in 2004. The result? Cedar Park was no longer shooting themselves in the foot. They’d ceased using their own penalties and turnovers to kill drives that opposing defenses had shown little sign of stopping on their own. That fact had strongly contributed thus far to a tremendous 6-2 season, a six-game winning streak, and the coveted driver’s seat for the district title.

Then came the Georgetown game.

Win it and Cedar Park would capture its second district football championship in four years. Lose it and they’d get another shot at the same achievement the next week, but against what was at least perceived as a tougher opponent in Leander- even though the Eagles had beaten the Lions.

So, the Timberwolves went out and promptly laid three eggs on the carpet in the first 14 minutes of the game.

After the championship jitters were worked out of their system, they hit the reset button and turned back into themselves again, pulling away for a 35-19 win on the strength of five touchdown drives over a six-possession span from the second through the fourth quarters. The only non-scoring drive in that string was a 64-yard march that ended in a blocked field goal attempt.

But the first five Cedar Park possessions of the game went like this: fumble, punt, fumble, punt, fumble. In fact, Cedar Park’s first quarter scoreboard goose-egg was the first of the season, even including their two opening losses. But the Timberwolves closed out the game from that point with this impressive string of possessions: TD, TD, TD, blocked FG, TD, TD.

Korey Washington hands off to Rupert Edwards in the third quarter.

Cedar Park actually trailed 3-0 and 10-7 before pulling away. Chris Wieland had the best game of any CP receiver for the year, with five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles keyed on Rupert Edwards after he’d rushed for a quarter of a thousand yards against Pflugerville the week before and had his name and superb abilities plastered all over the local media, but that let Korey Washington loose to scamper for 204 yards on just fourteen carries. Edwards finished with only 58 yards, but his body of work on the night included two important touchdown runs. Daniel Dilworth had two picks, one on a two-point conversion attempt.

The Eagles countered after falling behind 7-3 with a twelve play, 63-yard drive. Kyle Williams picked off a Tyler Moore pass at the Cedar Park three to squelch that march.

Edwards had a timely 64-yard kickoff return after the Eagles had cut the lead to 21-19, taking the ball all the way to the Georgetown 27.

Korey Washington sprints for the far pylon on the 21-yard touchdown run that locked up the game. Seven of Washington's thirteen carries went for double-digit yardage. He rushed for a total of 204, and threw for 102 on 8-for-15 and a touchdown toss to Chris Wieland..

Ever-reliable fullback Tyler Farst ran for his first touchdown of the season to wrap up Cedar Park scoring in the fourth quarter.

As the clock ticked down to zero with the rocking Cedar Park stands swaying and fans counting down the final seconds to a district championship, your announcer couldn’t resist paraphrasing the words of Al Michaels in the booth, booming into the mike, “Do you believe in Timberwolves!? YES!”

Huddled around a suddenly unfurled “2004 District Champions” sign on the sideline, the team enjoyed the moment, swaying and singing with their greatest fans in celebration of their amazing achievement.

The game was telecast on Georgetown Cable, and color commentator Ted Koy, Texas Longhorn legend from their 1969 National Championship team, said he saw the ingredients of greatness in Cedar Park, and was very impressed with how the Timberwolves overcame a sluggish start to thoroughly take charge of all phases of the game and hand his Eagles what amounted to their biggest loss of the year.

It was an astounding accomplishment. Cedar Park was now 7-2, 6-0 in tough district 15-5A, riding a seven-game winning streak (the longest since way back in the nineteen-hundreds!) and had clinched the district championship, their second in four years.

That inauspicious 0-2 start now seemed a million years in the past.

Game Stats | Drive Chart

NEXT - Week Ten: Leander
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