Game-by-Game Narratives
2005

Week Seven: at Round Rock
Friday, October 14th

Timberwolves 7, Dragons 21

It seemed a scheduled night for a Timberwolf win, as the team had been alternating wins and losses all through the season, and Round Rock, after having opened with two non-district wins, seemed ripe to continue a long four-game slide. But the Dragons upset Cedar Park in week seven at Dragon Stadium with a 21-7 win.

Unlike other teams to defeat the Timberwolves this year, Round Rock drove to victory not by record pass yardage production, but through solid - if unspectacular - overall play. Few penalties, turnovers, or mistakes were produced by the Dragons, who only led 3-0 at intermission before slowly pulling away late. The Dragons rushed for 185 yards- the most by a Cedar Park opponent this season. On the other hand, they attempted and completed fewer passes than any other Timberwolf opponent, and for the least aerial yardage, as well.

Here Coach Ross and his assistants review last minute details with the Timberwolves just prior to the Round Rock game.

Defensively, Round Rock held the Timberwolves’ ground game in check, allowing only 129 yards; Cedar Park’s lowest total of the season. In fact, at the end of the first quarter, CP had only four yards of net ball movement and main offensive weapon Tyler Smith didn’t get his first carry until there was about a minute remaining in the period. This prodded a forced resurgence of the T’wolf aerial attack, which had only completed five passes in the previous two games. Cedar Park took to the air a school-record 22 times; even more passing attempts in one game than was ever recorded by our very passing-oriented 2002 team. As a result, you’d have to go back 31 games to find more Cedar Park pass completions- eleven.

But the increased emphasis on the pass resulted in just 120 yards; only 5.45 yards per attempt. The passing game did, however, produce the lone Cedar Park TD, a 33-yard strike to Brandon Haug from Travis Watson to avoid the shutout with just 1:45 left in the game. Wes Wagener nailed his 55th consecutive extra point.

Although halfback Matt Raesz (20) is out front trying to clear the way here, Cedar Park running back Tyler Smith (5) faced tough going against the inspired Dragon D. This game would see his second-lowest rushing total of the season. Round Rock was trying to end a four-game losing streak entering the game against the Timberwolves.

Paced by 88 rushing yards from Chris Johnson and 53 from Zach MacIntosh, Round Rock moved when they needed to, which didn’t turn out to be very often. Actually, two CP turnovers deep in their own territory set the Dragons up on the front porch twice and resulted in half the Round Rock point total. The Dragons managed a zero-yard field goal drive on one and a ten-yard touchdown drive on the other.

The other Round Rock field goal and touchdown came from legitimate drives of 54 and 92 yards. Almost sixty percent of Round Rock yardage for the night came from these two drives. The Dragons only produced 99 other yards as the Gang Green defense did a good job on the evening stopping the Round Rock attack.

Round Rock QB Jonathan Haddock (11) unleashes a pass as Cedar Park sack monster Tim Knicky closes in. The Gang Green defense would cause the Dragon aerial attack to be almost completely ineffective this night, as Round Rock threw for fewer yards than any previous Cedar Park opponent.

In fact, this was the first time in history where the Timberwolves outgained the other team in total yards (249-245) and yet lost the game.

The Dragons were unable to exploit the lone T’wolf defensive vulnerability – the medium range pass – completing only four passes on the night for just sixty yards. It was far and away the best pass defense of the season for Cedar Park.

Although this was the first time this season that Cedar Park gave up two rushing touchdowns, overall it was a very fine defensive effort by the Gang Green, which held the Dragons out of the end zone until there were just fourteen minutes left to play.

Although the Dragons struck first, on a 25-yard field goal following a ten-play 54-yard drive with 3:56 left in the first, it looked like Cedar Park was going to take control of the game soon after. A leaping interception by Justin Allen and his subsequent 13-yard return set Cedar Park up in business at the Dragon 43. The offense put together a crisp 33-yard drive in nine plays, but a fumble at the Round Rock ten doused that fire.

The Timberwolf offense discusses adjustments with the coaches just prior to the beginning of the second quarter.

Round Rock moved the ball out to their own 48 before stalling, and punted. The T’wolves then started another nice drive, going 47 yards in seven plays, but stalled themselves and punted from the Round Rock 45. The Dragons then ran the clock out on the half.

Cedar Park fumbled away the second half kickoff at their 24, but that’s when the Gang Green held Round Rock to zero yards and a 41-yard field goal, pushing the Dragon lead to 6-0.

The offense did gain a first down on the next possession, but still had to settle for a Brandon Haug 45-yard punt at the end of it. This pinned the Dragons down at their own 8 yard line, but a subtle change paid dividends.

On the run, Cedar Park QB Travis Watson (7) lets one fly, on his way to 115 aerial yards, his best of the season. Kyle Bayer (58) provides pass protection.

To this point, Round Rock had been using Chris Johnson as the point of their rushing spear, but little-used Zach MacIntosh got the preponderance of carries on what would turn out to be one of the longest drives on the Gang Green all year. Nine plays and 92 yards later, MacIntosh took it in from a yard out. The game was officially in jeopardy when the Dragons elected to run the ball over for two to establish a double-touchdown lead at 14-0.

The two teams exchanged punts, the Dragon kick pushing Cedar Park back to their own five yard line. One first down later, a Round Rock interception and return set the Dragons up just ten yards away from a game-clinching touchdown, which they got three plays later on a one-yard QB sneak.

Rock running back Zach MacIntosh was a surprise, gaining nearly every yard of the Dragon's clinching TD drive after Chris Johnson had played every other down of the game. Here MacIntosh takes the ball to the Timberwolf 1. He would score one play later.

The offense took on a new look on the subsequent Timberwolf possession- a shotgun and three to four wideouts. Watson looked very comfortable in this alignment, and the passing game really began to click. The result was one of the longer CP drives of the year – 76 yards – ending with the 33-yard TD strike to Haug. Interestingly, 30 yards of penalties assessed against Cedar Park on that drive meant the Timberwolves actually produced 106 yards of offense to get to the end zone, making it – in terms of pure yardage produced – the longest drive in school history.

Thus, CP avoided getting shut out by Round Rock for the second time in three years (24-0 in 2003).

More than one-fifth of all Watson’s career passing attempts came in this game. It was his best night for attempts (21), completions (11), and yards (115). He threw his first TD toss since lighting up Harker Heights for three in the season opener.

Brandon Haug hauls in a beautiful 33-yard TD pas from Travis Watson.

Leading rusher Tyler Smith only had nine carries and 52 rushing yards in a game where CP rushed only 29 times for just 129 yards. Matt Raesz, averaging seven carries a game, got none. Watson, fresh of a 73-yard performance against Stony Point, got just 18. It was the lowest team rushing total since getting only 120 against (wouldn’t you know it) Round Rock, 25 games ago in that 24-0 2003 loss. Although the Dragons historically don’t seem to have much defensive success against other teams, they’ve always managed to give Cedar Park offensive fits.

Although Smith’s rushing attempts were way low, he did have six catches, the most by a Cedar Park receiver since Trevor Myogeto caught seven against Pflugerville in the 2003 closer 21 games ago.

The two rushing touchdowns were only the third and fourth allowed by the Gang Green this season, and the first in over a month.

Next up would be Homecoming against a loaded Pflugerville Panther team. The Timberwolves stood a decent chance to be a spoiler here: they’ve scored more points on Pflugerville than any other district team in the previous two years.