The varsity football team lost to the Vandegrift Vipers in a 35-14 game Friday night at Monroe Stadium.
“Everyone wants to beat Vandegrift,” senior running back Trae Hill said. “They’re our rivals, and losing to your rivals never feels good.”
In week one, Cedar Park lost to Harker Heights, 52-35, and Vandegrift suffered a 41-14 defeat at the hands of Dripping Springs. This brought both teams to a 0-1 record to begin the season, raising the stakes of the already-tense rivalry game.
The game began with a Vipers touchdown with 6:49 left in the first quarter. The Timberwolves then scored around five minutes into the second quarter to tie the score at 7-7.
Vandegrift responded with a touchdown to retake the lead. Cedar Park quickly scored to bring the score to 14-14 to end the half.
In the third quarter, the Vipers scored three touchdowns to bring the score to 35-14. The game ended without any more touchdowns.
“We lacked focus,” head football coach Michael Quintero said. “We need to eliminate little mistakes. That’s what we didn’t do [in the third quarter].”
Hill rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns and caught two passes for nine yards.
“[Scoring] was electric,” Hill said. “It always feels good to score, but the O-line did everything.”
The loss brings the T-wolves to 0-2 for the season. Next up, the team faces the Huntsville Hornets in a non-district away game.
“It’s just things where we lost focus and didn’t do what we’re supposed to do,” Quintero said. “We need to do better.”