The lights shone brightly at Gupton Stadium Friday night, Sept. 2, as Cedar Park defeated Vandegrift 13-0 to improve to 2-0 on the season and extend the program’s winning streak to 18 games. The black rain stood tall all night, barely allowing the Vipers a sniff of any kind of scoring. Playing without usual starting quarterback, senior Alex Fernandes, the Vandy offense struggled to find any rhythm. Offensively, a touchdown run by senior Tyler Lavine, along with two field goals from senior Storm Jensen, outlined the scoring for Cedar Park.

The first quarter foreshadowed the general theme of the entire game. With both defenses playing well, offensive progress was hard to come by. Eventually, the Timberwolves overcame early mistakes to put together a long drive, capped by Lavine’s 10-yard touchdown run. The black rain defense then came up big with a blocked punt to set up the offense in the red zone. Jensen capitalized with his first field goal of the night, extending the T-Wolves’ lead. That lead would remain as Cedar Park went into halftime with a 10-0 advantage.

Vandegrift came out firing in the second half, aggressively searching for a comeback path. Led by junior quarterback Justin Moore, the Vipers tried navigating the black rain through the air. While they had some success, it wasn’t enough to put up points, as senior safety Hunter Valk led a stout defensive backfield for the Timberwolves which kept Vandy off the scoreboard.

“We had to stay focused on our jobs and just do what we’ve been taught,” Valk said of the defensive effort. “The front seven also did a great job putting continuous pressure on the quarterback. It wasn’t just us defensive backs.”

The fourth quarter saw more strong defensive play from both teams. Cedar Park once again finally found a rhythm, running the clock out thanks to strong running by senior back Omar Alzer. A strong rushing attack spearheaded by Alzer drove down the field to set up Jensen’s second field goal from 34 yards out, closing the scoring and confirming a Timberwolf victory.

“As an offense we try to run the ball as much as we can,” Alzer said. “If the run game is working, then we are going to keep pounding it until the opposing team can stop it.”

According to CBS Sports’ high school site MaxPreps, Cedar Park junior quarterback Mak Sexton completed just over 65% of his passes for 126 yards. Alzer carried the ball 15 times for 53 yards, while Lavine rushed for 27 yards and the only touchdown of the game, all on eight carries. Junior receiver Drew McDaniel caught 11 passes for 82 yards, leading a deep Cedar Park receiving corps. Defensively, Valk led the way with two pass deflections and a handful of key plays deep in coverage.

Up next for the Wolves comes District 19-5A opponent Bastrop. The Bears, whom Cedar Park routed in last year’s playoffs 49-14, come into the game 0-2 after disappointing losses to Dripping Springs and Manor. It’s the first district game for both teams as part of the newly aligned district.

“[Bastrop is] very athletic on both sides of the ball,” said Cedar Park head coach Carl Abseck. “They have lots of speed.”

The game will be played at 7:30 on Friday night, Sept. 9, at Bastrop’s Memorial Stadium.