A lively homecoming crowd looked on as Cedar Park defeated East View 35-20 Friday night, Sept. 16, to improve to 4-0. For the first time this season, the Wolves really had to fight off stiff competition to earn a victory. East View, led by sophomore running back Zion Hester, fought hard and kept the game close all night long. Despite this, Cedar Park led wire-to-wire and kept hold of the matchup.

The Timberwolves began with a bang with a 61-yard double-reverse flea flicker touchdown reception by sophomore receiver Carson Neel. The snap was reversed twice, tossed back to junior quarterback Mak Sexton, and thrown to a wide open Neel for the score. Mistakes stalled drives for both teams, leaving the score at 6-0 at the end of the first.

“Our offensive coordinator introduced the play to us last year, so we had a lot of time to practice it over the past two years,” Sexton said. “It was crazy to see how open he was. We had practiced it so many times but to see it in a live game was awesome.”

Cedar Park pieced together a long drive to start the second quarter, capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by senior back Tyler Lavine. Down by 12, East View responded quickly with a drive of their own. Senior quarterback Cameron Nowell found sophomore receiver Devhaun Little in the end zone from nine yards out to cut the lead to 12-7. Both defenses played lights out to send the teams into the locker room with that same score at halftime.

The second half opened slowly for both teams. Cedar Park’s offense struggled to find a rhythm, and the black rain defense capped the Patriots’ star Hester to limit the scoring. The Timberwolves finally broke the second half ice with a long possession capped by a 27-yard touchdown reception by junior receiver Aries Ramos. The first made extra-point of the night extended the Cedar Park lead to 19-7. Still very much in the game, East View answered back with another touchdown drive. Strong running by Hester set up a twelve-yard touchdown catch by senior tight end Austin Naiser. Nowell’s second touchdown pass cut the lead to five with little time left in the third, but Cedar Park responded swiftly, as Neel caught his second touchdown pass from 44 yards out to restore the double-digit lead, 25-14, headed into the fourth.

“It always feels good to score, but especially on varsity,” Neel said. “It helps the team do well, and it helps me build for the next few years.”

The black rain defense really dug in during the fourth quarter. The front seven stood tall when it really mattered, stopping East View from threatening a serious comeback. After an East View fumble, senior kicker Storm Jensen connected from 28 yards away to extend the lead to 14. On East View’s ensuing drive, Hester took matters into his own hands, buzzing into the end zone to keep the Patriots in the game. Cedar Park, not rattled by the comeback attempt, stood strong, as Lavine put the game out of reach with a 44-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession, closing the scoring.

According to KMAC Sports, Sexton completed just under 80% of his passes for 350 yards and three touchdowns. Lavine and senior back Omar Alzer combined for 131 yards rushing on 25 carries. Receiving touchdowns from Neel and Ramos, combined with Lavine’s two touchdown runs, outlined the Cedar Park scoring. East View was carried by Hester’s 189-yard rushing performance. He added a touchdown and sparked most of the Patriots’ offensive progress. The East View offense put more yards and points up on the black rain defense than Cedar Park’s previous three opponents combined.

Up next for Cedar Park comes Leander-ISD opponent Rouse. The Raiders come into the game with a 2-1 record, after shootout wins over Manor and East View. Their only loss came at the hands of Westwood two weeks ago. Rouse’s high octane offense, which averages an impressive 49 points per game, will come into the game fresh after a bye this past week. Cedar Park easily handled the Raiders in a 42-17 victory last year. The game will be played Friday night, Sept. 23, at 7:30, in Leander at Bible Stadium.

“We need to show up in force at Bible,” head coach Carl Abseck said. “Bring the noise and we’ll bring the excitement.”