Preview: Week 11 Players to Watch in Central Texas

This week's games show some potentially tight contests with not just lots of scoring but also key defensive plays that could make or break a game. Including an old school rivalry, take a look at not only the games to watch this week but also the players to look out for. 1. Vandegrift vs Westwood (Thursday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Ryan Sheppard (V)</strong> - Leading the Vipers rushing attack so far this season, senior running back Sheppard has been consistent in his performances but has yet to have a true break out game. He currently has 321 rushing yards and two touchdowns this season. His biggest game was against Ellison when he rushed for 74 yards. He has consistently gotten around 10 carries per game getting the ball a fair share of the time, but there is still time for that breakout game where he goes off and this week could have the potential for that breakout game against Westwood on Thursday.</li> <li><strong>R.J. Martinez (W)</strong> - Martinez is the player to watch as the senior continues his last season with the Warriors. According to his MaxPreps profile, which is missing stats from the game against Vista Ridge, he has recorded 679 passing yards this season with nine touchdowns and just one interception coming against Southwest to start the season. He has also posted 179 rushing yards and one touchdown. Somewhat of a mobile quarterback, Martinez posted 77 rushing yards in Westwood’s game against Stony Point. Martinez could be a slippery player for the Viper defense to handle as they had some trouble containing Cedar Park’s [player_tooltip player_id="60485" first="Ryder" last="Hernandez"] earlier in the season.</li> <li><strong>Taylor Dummar (V)</strong> - The senior wide receiver is leading the offense with 278 yards and four touchdowns in 16 receptions. Much like Sheppard, Dummar has not had a huge breakout performance but there is potential as he once scored a 79-yard touchdown against Vista Ridge, his only reception in that game. There is potential for Dummar to be electric against Westwood, as the Warriors have allowed over 40 points in their two contests against Lake Travis and Vista Ridge.</li> </ul> 2. Austin vs Hays (Thursday at 7:30 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Zach Mercado (A)</strong> - The junior defensive back has been busy wreaking havoc for offenses over the span of the three recorded games on MaxPreps. Against Pflugerville Connally, he recorded an interception for 35 yards, one pass deflection and a forced fumble. Against Bowie, he had two pass deflections and one blocked field goal and against Akins, he had one fumble recovery. Mercado is a force to be reckoned with for any offense going against Austin.</li> <li><strong>Durand Hill (H)</strong> - The leader for the Rebels is the senior quarterback Durand Hill in both the passing and rushing attack. A mobile quarterback by definition, Hill has rushed for 382 yards and six touchdowns this season while also throwing for 680 yards and nine touchdowns with just one interception. He has been consistently gaining yards until he hit a roadblock against San Marcos where he only threw for 57 yards and rushed for 66 yards, but still scored three total touchdowns in that game. Even if Austin is able to stop him from gaining yards, stopping him from scoring is another story.</li> <li><strong>Aiden Hunt (H) </strong>- The senior has been a menace for offensive linemen and quarterbacks this season as he totals five sacks on the season so far with 10 hurries. Alongside his one fumble recovery, Hunt also has 28 total tackles with 17 being solo and seven being for a loss. Much Mercado is a name to watch for Hays, Hunt will be a name to watch for Austin.</li> </ul> 3. Cedar Park vs Leander (Friday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Jack Hestera (CP)</strong> - A trouble maker for secondaries across the district, the senior wide receiver totals 457 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as he emerges as one of Hernandez’s favorite targets. Although Hestera has not quite had an electric performance since he posted 136 yards and two touchdowns against Georgetown on October 9, he has been scoring two touchdowns per game since that game against the Eagles. If the Lions have any hope of defeating the powerhouse that is Cedar Park in the Battle of Bagdad, then the Lions will have to stop Hestera.</li> <li><strong>Garrett Landry (L)</strong> - Although guys like Hernandez and Vista Ridge’s [player_tooltip player_id="60511" first="Kyle" last="Brown"] have been stealing the show in Central Texas, senior quarterback Garrett Landry has been a dark horse in the area with still some impressive numbers. He currently has 1,197 passing yards and 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He also has rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns on top of that. Although not as much of a household name as Hernandez in the area, Landry could be slept on by many with his ability to throw and it will be something the Cedar Park defense will have to be careful of to not sleep on him.</li> <li><strong>Ray Egelsee (L)</strong> - Along with the attack coming from Landry, is the senior running back Ray Egelsee who has 516 yards and five rushing touchdowns on the season. He has had a couple of electric performances so far this season, including when he had 173 yards and two touchdowns against Glenn to kick off the season, but more recently, he boasted 84 yards and two touchdowns against Pflugerville on October 16. Even though Weiss was able to keep him more tamed, only having 57 yards and one touchdown, Egelsee could quickly bounce back and surprise the Cedar Park defense.</li> </ul> 4. Cisco vs San Saba (Friday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Hunter Long (C) </strong>- A quarterback, who among many that fit the mobile quarterback category, who has rushed for 978 yards and eight touchdowns is definitely worth a watch this week as Cisco takes on San Saba. On top of his rushing performance so far this season, the sophomore has also thrown for 725 yards and nine touchdowns with five interceptions. His best performance overall was likely against Clyde to start the season when he rushed for 316 yards and three touchdowns while also throwing for a touchdown. Although he has made waves more so on the ground, Long can still strike defenses with surprise through the air.</li> <li><strong>Stone Sears (SS)</strong> - Operating as both a running back and linebacker for the Armadillos, the senior is dominant on both ends of the ball. He has rushed for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns while also totaling 268 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. His best performance was against Eldorado to start the season when he rushed for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Although, he also rushed for four touchdowns against Llano back in September. However, he is not just a rushing machine but also a threat to quarterbacks as he has six sacks on the season with two hurries. He also has one fumble recovery, one forced fumble, blocked both a punt and a field goal. Sears can do it all and will probably have another high performance against Cisco despite the Loboes best efforts to stop him.</li> <li><strong>Risien Shahan (SS)</strong> - The senior quarterback leads the way through the air for the Armadillos while Sears tears it up on the ground. Shahan has 1,125 passing yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions but has also posted 423 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns as well. His best game was against De Leon when he threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 185 yards and three touchdowns. Shahan is a force to be reckoned with and Cisco will have its hands full with a powerful offensive combo of Sears and Shahan.</li> </ul> 5. Lake Travis vs Bowie (Friday at 7:30 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Jackson Scruggs (LT)</strong> - Both Scruggs and his teammate senior wide receiver <strong>Aden Nava</strong> have become sophomore quarterback <strong>Bo Edmundson's</strong> favorite targets this season. Although Nava leads Scruggs in receiving stats, the senior wide receiver Scruggs is just as much of a threat to secondaries that maybe look to try and isolate Nava more and vice versa. Scruggs has been a consistent threat this season, posting 356 yards and four touchdowns so far.</li> <li><strong>Jason Gaines (B)</strong> - Junior quarterback <strong>Diego Tello's</strong> favorite target is the senior Gaines by a long shot. Gaines has 33 receptions for 578 yards and seven touchdowns so far this season. His biggest game was against Stony Point when he had 229 receiving yards and two touchdowns, but it is hard to pick his best game since he has posted over 100 receiving yard performances in three out of the four games recorded on MaxPreps. He also scored two touchdowns or more in those three contests as well. Gaines is a menace for secondaries and although Lake Travis is historically elite, the Cavaliers will have to be careful to not let get Gaines carried away or else it could turn into a shootout.</li> <li><strong>Diego Tello (B) </strong>- Gaines is the one catching the ball, but Tello is the one throwing it and he has been slinging it this season. Currently, he has 1,497 passing yards and 17 touchdowns with five interceptions. Tello's best performance was against Austin when he scored a total of eight passing touchdowns in a stellar performance that also included 515 passing yards. Tello has thrown for over 300 yards in three out of four games this season so if he continues, Lake Travis will have a huge task of keeping both him and Gaines at bay.</li> </ul>