Cedar Park truly put on a show Friday night, Oct. 21, as the Timberwolves handed Pflugerville Connally their first loss in a 49-0 beatdown. The Black Rain held Connally’s speedy stars, led by QB Robert Patterson, to next-to-nothing, while the offense picked the Cougar defense apart. Junior quarterback Mak Sexton broke Cedar Park’s career passing record during the game, a mark previously held by Nate Grimm (℅14). Many expected the game to be much closer, so a win by this big of a margin was a clear statement from Cedar Park.

Most of the Timberwolves’ offensive production came in the first half. After a negative opening drive by Connally, a 32-yard reception by senior Hayden Craig set up a seven yard toss touchdown run for senior Tyler Lavine. Lavine added a seven yard touchdown through the air to double Cedar Park’s lead, establishing a firm grip on the game. Connally forced a Cedar Park punt to open the second quarter, but a muffed punt recovered by senior Austin Silguero led to a 17-yard touchdown catch by senior receiver Daniel Rosenthal.

“That play gave us a surge of energy, which in turn boosted our confidence,” Silguero said. “It got the offense hyped to go back on the field.”

Rosenthal would add another scoring catch later in the quarter, but the highlight of the night went to Sexton, whose 49-yard touchdown pass to junior Payden Sawicki earned him the new Cedar Park career passing record, a feat many thought would remain unbroken for a long time, given the Wolves’ traditionally smashmouth offensive style.

“It’s an incredible achievement and something I will always be proud of,” Sexton said.

The Cougars caught their first break of the game when they recovered a Cedar Park fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half. Connally seemed poised to score behind Patterson. The Black Rain had other ideas, shutting them down on downs. Cedar Park ensued to march down the field, ultimately scoring on a two-yard touchdown run by Craig. The defense would continue to dominate for the rest of the night, barely giving Connally a sniff of progress. Senior back Omar Alzer would score on a two yard run to close the scoring and cap a dominating performance.

According to KMAC Sports, Cedar Park out-rushed Connally 247 yards to 40, a comparison many said would determine the outcome of the game. Lavine carried for 121 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, with Alzer and Craig also adding rushing scores. Rosenthal caught two touchdowns, while Lavine and Sawicki added a score each through the air. Sexton completed just under 60% of his passes, going for 202 yards and four passing touchdowns, barrelling through Grimm’s highly touted passing record along the way.

Up next for Cedar Park comes a talented and dangerous Hutto team. At 6-2, the Hippos could easily be 8-0, losing to Georgetown and Connally by a combined eight points. They come into the matchup with the Timberwolves off a 42-32 win over Rouse.

“[Hutto has] a real strong run game with #32 (senior running back Dearyon Milligan),” senior nose tackle Nathan Sloey said. “He is definitely the one we need to stop.”

The game will surely be a challenge for the Wolves, who could potentially clinch the district championship with a win and a Connally loss. The game will be played at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 28, at Hutto Stadium.