Kacey Miller

Clutching the football, running back Trae Hill runs the ball past defenders. Hill broke free for a 50-yard touchdown at the homecoming game on Oct. 4. “I think it sparked us,” Hill said. “I feel like it gave us motivation, and it felt great.”

The ball flies through the sky as thousands of spectators watch, eagerly waiting to see if the receiver catches it. Finally, the ball lands in the player’s arms, and the crowd breaks out into cheers. The announcer says “touchdown, Cedar Park” as the student section goes crazy, jumping up and down.

Cedar Park beat Rouse 35-25 at the homecoming game on Oct. 4. Coach Michael Quintero, or Coach Q, said that the special teams unit played a huge part in the win. The team blocked a Rouse punt in the second quarter.

“[The special teams unit is] what starts the game off, every game,” Coach Q said. “You could see that they had a bit of hesitation in their kick returns, and I think we sent that message on film.”

Cedar Park had the first score with a 50-yard rushing touchdown from running back Trae Hill to begin the game. The touchdown came on the first drive and Hill said it shifted the momentum in their direction to start the game.

“I think it sparked us,” Hill said. “I feel like it gave us motivation, and it felt great.”

The football team scored two more times in the first half, off a touchdown pass from quarterback David Cooper caught by receiver Zane Claybrook and a rushing touchdown by running back Cameron Graham. The score was 21-7 going into halftime.

“We started fast which helped a lot because it kept them on edge,” Claybrook said. “They couldn’t keep up with us, and we could just get easy shots downfield.”

Outside linebacker Grant Fuller forced a fumble in the third quarter to prevent a Rouse comeback. Fuller said his experiences in practice helped him to execute this play in the game.

“It felt great,” Fuller said. “I just ran in there, lowered my shoulder, threw my arm through, and punched the ball out. I did it in practice and then did it in the game.”

Notable performances included Hill, who finished the game with 100 rushing yards, and quarterback David Cooper who had 117 passing yards, 60 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown. Claybrook ended the night with two receiving touchdowns, the latter occurring in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach for Rouse.

“It was a great team win,” Claybrook said. “I couldn’t do it without David [Cooper]. He gives me good balls all the time.”

The game took place at Gupton Stadium. Even though it was Cedar Park’s homecoming game, both teams play at Gupton as their home stadium.

“They came in there thinking they were going to win,” said Fuller. “[They thought] it was their house, but it’s not. It’s our house.”

At halftime, seniors Mercy Forrister and Hadrian Hurn were crowned homecoming queen and king, respectively. Spectators for the game, court crowning and performances began to show up over an hour before the start of the game. Hill said the energy in the stadium was much higher than usual.

“[Continuing the season], we need to match the energy from that game,” Hill said. “Next week, just recreate the energy, lift everyone up, and just hit back strong.”

Cedar Park will face Eastview, a district opponent, next Friday. Currently Cedar Park is 3-2 overall, and 2-0 in district play, tied with Leander for first in the district. Eastview is 1-1 in district play. Coach Q said he isn’t focused on the district championship though. Instead he’s choosing to focus on improving one game at a time.

“We’re just trying to stack good days together,” Coach Q said. “We’re not looking ahead, not looking behind us. We’re just taking care of the day that we’re on now and getting better every day.”