As October comes to a close, the Texas high school football regular season’s days have become numbered. During week eight of the season, I travelled to north Austin to catch Round Rock Stony Point’s game against Westwood, and watched 2023 four-star wide receiver Braylon James and 2023 four-star running back Cameron Cook. The following week, I made another stop at a Westlake Chaparrals football game as the second-ranked team in the state looked to silence Bowie’s chances at a district title.
Week 9:
Last time I was able to cover a Stony Point game was in October of 2021, a game in which now TCU commit Cameron Cook was not able to get much going on the ground. However, last year I did not leave the stadium disappointed as his Cook’s potential was still able to shine through. This year, in week eight’s game, Cook showcased why he has offers from programs such as Texas and Southern California as the senior running back galloped his way to 250 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Horned Frogs pledge illustrated multiple traits on the field, such as his cutting, open field running and stiff arm capabilities.
In addition to Cook, Stony Point fields another talented recruit in Notre Dame pledge Braylon James, who transferred to Stony Point from Del Valle during the offseason. While the Tigers were not in a hurry to throw the ball, James was still able to come away with a big 36-yard touchdown reception on a pass from senior quarterback Skylar Hausenfluck.
Ultimately, thanks to Stony Point’s two stars, the Tigers were able to run away to an easy 45-21 victory over Westwood.
Week 10:
Following this year’s Red River Showdown matchup between Oklahoma and Texas, the rumor mill has been working overtime with 2023 four-star defensive end Colton Vasek. The 6’5.5″ defensive end has been a key focus in recruiting for the Longhorns, despite of the fact that Vasek is currently committed to the Oklahoma Sooners. Evidence of Texas’s recruiting efforts, on Friday, Longhorns defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski was in attendance at Burger Stadium to watch Westlake in action. Of course, Vasek would not leave the game empty-handed as he was able to tally a sack on Friday, his tenth of the season.
Besides Westlake’s stifling defense, junior quarterback Paxton Land has looked to settle in for the Chaparrals under center as he was able to throw for 322 yards and four touchdown passes against the Bowie Bulldogs. Additionally, 2023 three-star wide receiver Keaton Kubecka had another impressive performance for the Chaparrals as he amassed 151 receiving yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions. And, while Kubecka had a flashy performance, 2023 four-star wideout Jaden Greathouse, as always, had another game in which he hauled in two touchdown receptions.
Due to Westlake’s all-around dominance on Friday night, the Chaparrals were able to run away with a 45-0 victory over Bowie, even despite of a slow start.
Extra Point:
With just one week left in the regular season, the excitement for the playoffs is building as this season seems to be there for the taking for any playoff-caliber squad. Unfortunately for Stony Point, it looks like they will be on the outside looking in as they are positioned just outside of their district’s playoff race. While, on the other hand, Westlake looks poised to make a run at their fourth championship in-a-row.
These past two weekends have been filled with recruiting misses (on some level) for the Longhorns, regardless of how picky the coaching staff wants to be on that front. Adding insult to injury, these recruiting misses are happening within the Austin-area, just miles away from the Forty Acres. Although, of course, the University of Texas is not for everyone and Steve Sarkisian’s staff currently has the fifth-ranked recruiting class in the country, with recruits coming from all over – ranging from California to Florida to New Jersey.
Miles Logged:
54
