Cedar Park cruised to a 43-13 opening night victory over Waco Midway Friday night, as the rainy weather gave way to the black rain defense, which dominated most of the game, as the host Panthers played without their regular starting quarterback, senior Tanner Mordecai. Offensively, the timberwolves eased their way down the field, as junior quarterback Mak Sexton led the team to the end zone on numerous occasions.

After a rain delay lasting just over an hour, the game began as a defensive stalemate. Big plays from both sides kept the game scoreless early on, until senior Obinna Udoye recovered a Midway fumble in the red zone to set up the first score of the game, a 31-yard field goal by senior Storm Jensen.

“It feels great, because, as a kicker, I don’t get a whole lot of chances,” Jensen said of the kick. “I really work hard to make sure I do the best I can with the opportunities I get during the game.”

The second quarter started with a bang, as senior Tyler Lavine barreled his way into the end zone on the first play of the period. On the ensuing kickoff, a returning blunder by the Panthers set the ball at their own one yard line.

Two plays later, senior Nathan Sloey blew through the offensive line into the backfield, tackling Panther quarterback Josh Owen in the end zone for a safety.

“It really pushed us and got the team moving,” Sloey said. “We were wanting some points and gaining on them in that way really just got everyone super hyped.”

Another rushing touchdown, this one from senior Hayden Craig, further expanded the Wolves’ lead, before Midway responded with a 58-yard pass from Owen to Ger’markee Satterwhite, setting up a two yard touchdown run by Malik Collins. Cedar Park didn’t allow the Panthers to faze them however, as another Jensen field goal and a touchdown catch by junior receiver Peyden Sawicki sent the Timberwolves into halftime with a healthy 29-6 lead.

Cedar Park drove the ball down the field with ease to start the second half, until Midway defensive back Leondrae Robinson intercepted Sexton and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown. The Wolves, still not affected by Midway’s comeback attempt, responded quickly behind Lavine’s tank-style running attack. His 4 yard touchdown run sent Cedar Park into the fourth quarter, leading Midway by a comfortable margin.

“I’m just blessed to be able to contribute to both sides of the ball,” Lavine said. “I love being able to run the ball, but also love to stop teams on defense.”

The black rain started pouring in the fourth quarter, giving the Panthers’ offense little room for forward progress. This culminated with Lavine’s pick six from 16 yards out, closing the scoring and proving the Timberwolf defense a force to be reckoned with. Suffocating defense and patient offense ran the rest of the clock out, giving Cedar Park a rather comfortable victory.

According to KMAC Sports, Sexton completed just under 70% of his passes for 332 yards, the third most successful passing game in Cedar Park history. Lavine tallied 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, adding the interception for a touchdown towards the end. Cedar Park outgained Midway offensively, 516 yards to 101, half of which came on Satterwhite’s reception in the second.Midway’s touchdown by Collins was their only offensive score.

Up next for the Timberwolves comes Leander ISD foe Vandegrift. This pivotal rivalry game takes an interesting turn this year, with the Vipers making the jump to 6A competition. Vandegrift comes into the game having lost 21-20 to Odessa Permian in week one. Driving down the field to kick a game-winning field goal, the attempt was eventually blocked, sealing a heartbreaking loss for Vandy. The teams will meet Friday at 7:30 at Gupton Stadium.