Photo: John Gutierrez / Special to American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
On Friday, I hopped on I-35 to travel down to San Antonio to watch the Wimberley Texans square off against the Cuero Gobblers at the Alamodome. Needless to say, the stakes were high as the winner of the contest would advance to the UIL 4A Division 2 state championship game.
Playoffs Round 5:
Wimberley, the sixth-ranked team in the state of Texas, entered their semifinal matchup against Cuero as the underdog, which is surprising considering the fact that the Texans have an undefeated record. However, of course, the Cuero Gobblers were not a team to scoff at either, possessing a 13-1 record with their only loss to a notoriously tough-minded Calallen team.
Leading the Texans on offense, sophomore quarterback Cody Stoever had an impressive performance, tallying a total of three touchdowns, two of which were rushing. Additionally, Stoever’s 110 rushing yards proved to be vital in the flow of the Texans offense.
Along with Stoever’s contributions on the ground, Texans senior running back Johnny Ball chewed up the Gobblers defense with an additional 193 rushing yards on 14 carries.
While Ball also found the end zone on one occasion, the real turning point in the game came later on, in the fourth quarter when Johnny Ball actually fumbled the football on a carry which was recovered by teammate Cayden Heatly for a touchdown. Heatly’s miraculous touchdown extended Wimberley’s lead to 42-30 with 9:36 left in the game. Ultimately, the Texans were able to hang on to a victory over the Gobblers with a final score of 42-36.
While Cuero was out dueled in the end, they had several playmakers that certainly put forth a heck of an effort. For example, junior quarterback Mason Notaro accounted for three touchdowns on the night, two of which were passing. Additionally, senior running back Tycen Williams and junior running back Daylon Gibbs both accounted for two touchdowns apiece.
Extra Point:
On Friday, Wimberley will be tasked with achieving the near impossible, beating Carthage in a state title game. In fact, Carthage’s head coach Scott Surratt has recorded a record amount of state championships with one program, eight to be exact. However, the Texans have been on a roll all season long and will look to be on the winning side of history on Friday at AT&T Stadium.
Miles Logged:
162
