Preview: Week 8 Players to Watch in Central TX

After many high-scoring games last week, this week will also have some interesting matchups including many district rivalries and games that give players a chance to truly shine in tough contests. 1. <strong>Cedar Park vs Hendrickson (Thursday at 7 p.m.)</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="60485" first="Ryder" last="Hernandez"] (CP) - He has made the rounds already as one of the highest-scoring quarterbacks in Central Texas 5A and he’ll once again get an opportunity to showcase his talent against Hendrickson. The Hawks defense has kept all of their opponents to below 30 points, with the highest allowed points against Akins at the start of the season, which the Eagles scored 28 on them. Since Hendrickson is also 3-0 along with the Timberwolves, this contest is a battle of the undefeated which adds pressure and eyes to Hernandez’s performance.</li> <li>Josh Cameron (CP) - Although senior [player_tooltip player_id="22569" first="Jack" last="Hestera"] has taken the spotlight in recent weeks, Cameron is still a huge part of the Cedar Park offense, racking up 217 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the past three games. In two out of the last three games, Cameron has gone over 100 yards in receiving and scored in both of those games. His only setback was against Cedar Ridge. If the Cedar Park offense gets going, so will Cameron most likely.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="60578" first="Jaden" last="Williams"] (H) - The senior wide receiver was a star in the season opener against Akins, scoring three receiving touchdowns and being a huge help on special teams for the Hawks. Although the Hendrickson offense is not as explosive as Cedar Park’s, if the game becomes a shootout it is likely Williams will be in the thick of it.</li> </ul> https://twitter.com/RecruitCPHS/status/1316160436908306432?s=20 2. <strong>Samuel Clemens vs Judson (Thursday at 7 p.m.)</strong> <ul> <li>Treylin Payne (J) - The junior linebacker has been a big defensive help for the Rockets as he has recorded 19 total tackles with four tackles for a loss. Payne has also hurried the quarterback in the past two games.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="60229" first="De’Anthony" last="Lewis"] (J) - The senior running back, alongside his quarterback junior Michael Burroughs, have been scoring machines in the past two games. However, Lewis has also rushed for 257 yards, averaging 128.5 yards per game and has scored two touchdowns. One of his longest rushes was for 63 yards. Lewis is clearly a threat for Samuel Clemens and the Buffalo defense will have to do what they can to stop him, but they also can not lose track of Burroughs who has the same scoring capability.</li> <li>Max DiDomenico (SC) - An All-Area and All-State player, DiDomenico is one of the leaders for the Buffaloes and against a tough matchup with Judson, he will have to step up to the plate. Although, he is used to this pressure as he is the reigning 26-6A Offensive MVP. The Rockets defense will have their work cut out for them but are just as capable to give DiDomenico trouble.</li> </ul> 3. <strong>Belton vs Killeen (Thursday at 7 p.m.)</strong> <ul> <li>Ruben Jimenez (B) - This senior quarterback has been large part of the scoring for Belton so far this season. Although the Tigers have yet to win a game, Jimenez has thrown for 389 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception. On top of that, he has rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He currently averages 194.5 yards per game passing and 115 yards per game rushing. He faces a Killeen defense which allowed 23 points against East View and 17 points against Hendrickson.</li> <li>Kadarius Marshall (K) - The senior Kangaroo running back has rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns in two games so far. While the passing game for Killeen has not exactly worked out with a turnover problem, the Kangaroos could lean on Marshall to be the driving factor in scoring. However, if Killeen hopes to stop the Tigers from getting their first win, the Kangaroos will have to hold on to the ball.</li> <li>Maurice Reed (B) - While not scoring as much as Jimenez, this senior running back gets it done in the yards game. He has rushed for 332 yards and one touchdown, averaging 110.7 yards per game. He has rushed for more than 100 yards in two out of three of the games he has played. Reed can be a real problem for Killeen if the Kangaroos hope to keep Jimenez from successively throwing the ball via play action.</li> </ul> 4. <strong>Vista Ridge vs Vandegrift (Friday at 7 p.m.)</strong> <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="60511" first="Kyle" last="Brown"] (VR) - The Vista Ridge offense hinges on the pass and that is made evident by senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="60511" first="Kyle" last="Brown"]’s stats. He has thrown for 1,043 yards and 15 touchdowns with three interceptions in the past three games. The Rangers have scored more than 40 points in each of their three games including a 62-35 win over Hays for the season opener. With this in mind, everything pretty much hinges on Brown’s performance on Friday against a Vandegrift team that was able to keep Cedar Park to 21 points.</li> <li>Kwade Hegtvedt (VR) - Alongside Brown is senior wide receiver Kwade Hegtvedt who has recorded 24 receptions for 390 yards and five touchdowns in the past five games. Even though Brown has many targets including junior Wyatt Gates and senior Jacob Bowerman, Hegtvedt seems to be the main target. It will be interesting to see if Vandegrift is able to shut him down, or the Vipers may not be able to contain him and his high-scoring teammates.</li> <li>Austin Skoglund (VV) - With a scary Vista Ridge offense, Vandegrift does have some weapons on the defense to counter. That includes senior Austin Skoglund who has racked up 22 total tackles including five tackles for loss, and three quarterback hurries. Skoglund is one of the top weapons for the Vipers but it will take more than just him to contain Brown. A piece of the puzzle, but a big piece as he has shown he is among the most disruptive on the Viper defense.</li> </ul> 5. <strong>Lake Travis vs Hays (Friday at 7:30 p.m.)</strong> <ul> <li>Bo Edmundson (LT) - Only a sophomore, the quarterback for Lake Travis, Edmundson, has made his case this season throwing for 393 yards and five touchdowns with zero interceptions. Alongside that, he has also scored a rushing touchdown. Edmundson is one of the scoring machines for the Cavaliers. However, Hays will also have to look out for another offensive threat from Lake Travis.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="60550" first="Weston" last="Stephens"] (LT) - The other scoring machine is senior running back [player_tooltip player_id="60550" first="Weston" last="Stephens"], who has rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns in the past two games. Although Lake Travis has many excellent rushers, Stephens stands out as the one with most touchdowns, one ahead of senior Marcelo Alanis and two ahead of senior Gary Gordon. These three players, including Edmundson, could spell trouble for the Hays defense.</li> <li>Tyson Hatnnot (H) - This senior defensive back makes the watchlist because he had a huge interception for 65 yards against Akins. The Hays defense has gotten a total of four interceptions so far this season, but Hatnnot’s stands out because of his return. Alongside that, he also caused a fumble, adding to his stat sheet. There are many threats from the Hays defense, but Hatnnot is among the highest.</li> </ul>