Vista Ridge-Vandegrift could be game of the year,
If Vegas set an over/under line for the Vista Ridge-Vandegrift football game Friday, 100 combined points might be a good starting point.
Last season, Vista Ridge posted a 56-52 victory in overtime, and the majority of the offensive standouts who played in that game are back this fall.
So when the Rangers and Vipers hook up this week at Monroe Stadium, it could be the game of the year in Central Texas.
Then again, the second half of the regular season will be filled with juicy blockbusters: Cedar Park-Vandegrift (Oct. 16), Lake Travis-Westlake (Oct. 23), La Grange-Giddings (Oct. 23), Bowie-Lake Travis (Oct. 30) and Vista Ridge-Cedar Park (Nov. 6).
“This will be the first time Vandegrift and Vista Ridge (both 5-0) have gone into this game undefeated,” Vipers coach Drew Sanders said Monday.
Vandegrift has held steady as the No. 4-ranked team in Class 5A behind three dynamic offensive players — quarterback Alex Fernandes, running back Travis Brannan and wide receiver Paxton Segina.
The most pivotal player has been Fernandes, a converted wide receiver who has excelled as a passer. This season, he has completed 75 of 112 throws (67 percent) for 1,298 yards, 19 touchdowns and two interceptions.
“We had high expectations for Alex, but he’s exceeded those expectations,” Sanders said.
Fernandes is fortunate to have Brannan in the backfield and Segina as a receiving target.
Brannan, the Class 5A offensive player of the year in Texas last season, has averaged 222 yards rushing per game. Sanders describes the Viper senior as “smarter, stronger and faster” than he was last year.
Segina has made 28 receptions for 297 yards and eight touchdowns.
Vista Ridge, which opened the 2014 season 7-0 before stumbling to a 1-3 finish, has the potential to be the best team in school history, Rangers coach Rodney Vincent said. Playing in District 25-5A — arguably the strongest district in the state — is a “double-edged sword,” he added.
“Right now it feels like we’re in a playoff game every week,” Vincent said. “That can help in some ways, but you can get beat up a little before the playoffs even begin.”
Vista Ridge relies on the twoman offensive punch of quarterback Matt Snow and running back Isaiah Vilaire, who have combined for 1,358 yards rush- ing and 23 touchdowns.
Beyond this week, though, no game in Central Texas might come with more intrigue than Giddings-La Grange.
La Grange has gone 13-0 in consecutive seasons before losing in the fourth round of the playoffs. Giddings, though, is 6-0 this fall, a step ahead of its chief rival in District 11-4A, Division II.
Giddings senior Kyle Jones (1,293 yards passing, 18 touchdowns) has been exceptional at quarterback, but the Buffaloes rely heavily on their experienced offensive line — senior center Michael Fox, junior guard Juan Ramirez, senior guard Jonathan Stricker and senior tackles Fabian Becerra and Isaiah Edwards.
Protected by that line, Jones has been sacked just five times in six games.
“The line doesn’t always get their names out there, but I tell them we couldn’t be successful without them,” Giddings coach Chris Jones said.