Preview: Week 12 Players to Watch in Central Texas

<em>*Correction: The game time for the Westlake/Bowie game was incorrect. The game will actually be played tonight at 7:30 p.m., on Nov. 12, at Burger Stadium. Apologies for the error.</em> This week marks the beginning of how COVID-19 has changed the UIL scheduling for the state of Texas. Basically, the classes 1A-4A begin their playoffs this week while 5A and 6A teams still continue on with their regular season. With that in mind, there are really three games that stick out this week that all involve some tough matchups in the Austin area. Here is a list of players to watch in those matchups. 1. Round Rock vs Vista Ridge (Thursday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Israel Morgan (RR)</strong> - The senior running back has been a scoring machine for the Dragons all season. In just the last two contests against McNeil and Stony Point, Morgan scored nine touchdowns and rushed for 353 yards. On the season, Morgan racks up 1,012 yards for 15 touchdowns and has rushed for more than 100 yards each game this season regardless of opponent. However, Morgan now faces a tough Vista Ridge team that has kept some offensive-minded teams away from the endzone such as Leander. It is likely Morgan will not have any issue and the Ranger defense will have their work cut out for them.</li> <li><strong>Kwade Hegtvedt (VR)</strong> - However, on the opposite team, Round Rock will have to account for senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="60511" first="Kyle" last="Brown"]’s favorite target in Hegtvedt, who has had a stellar senior season. Hegtvedt has 52 receptions for 763 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. In the past two games, Hegtvedt finished with over 100 receiving yards in each game and scored two touchdowns. The only teams to truly shut down him this season were McNeil and Cedar Ridge. If Round Rock hopes to get a comfortable win, the Dragons will have to shutdown Hegtvedt before he gets going.</li> <li><strong>Daveyon Finch (RR)</strong> - The answer to that question might just be this senior defensive back. In total this season, he has three interceptions and one fumble recovery with 35 total tackles. Finch could be the answer for the Dragons but Finch is facing an elite quarterback in Brown, who has thrown six interceptions this season. The Dragons will be relying on Finch and the secondary to help push the Dragons to a victory.</li> </ul> 2. Cedar Park vs Pflugerville (Friday at 7 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>Gunnar Abseck (CP)</strong> - Although the Timberwolves are arguably the best offense in Central Texas, one player to watch for this week is Abseck and not just for his offensive playmaking but also his special teams play. Against Leander, Abseck’s punt returning helped give Cedar Park excellent starting field position. Facing a tough Pflugerville team, the Timberwolves will not only have to rely on Abseck’s receiving ability, but his ability on the punt return. This season, Abseck has 33 receptions for 456 yards and four touchdowns, which does not seem like a lot, but senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="60485" first="Ryder" last="Hernandez"] throws the ball to multiple receivers a game, leaving some diversity in the stats as both senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="22569" first="Jack" last="Hestera"]</strong> and senior <strong>Josh Cameron</strong> also have 400 receiving yards so far this season.</li> <li><strong>Jake Iloka (P)</strong> - The sophomore running back has been a star for the Panthers this season. He currently has 74 carries for 654 yards and nine touchdowns. Pflugerville likes to do most of its work on the ground, unlike Cedar Park which likes to sling it. Iloka is one of those puzzle pieces for the Panthers that drives up the scoring for Pflugerville and has been a big help to make the Panthers 5-1 this season.</li> <li><strong>Elijah Oakman (P)</strong> - The other back for the Panthers is junior Elijah Oakman and has similar stats to Iloka. He has 111 carries for 690 yards and also nine touchdowns. So, although Oakman has most of the workload, the Panthers really rely on both of these backs to score. This is where the offense for the Panthers come from and it will not be surprising to bet that Cedar Park is looking for ways to shut them down. The question is, will the Timberwolves be able to keep both of these backs from driving up points because at least one should post some numbers.</li> </ul> 3. Westlake vs Bowie (Thursday at 7:30 p.m.) <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="60490" first="Zane" last="Minors"] (W)</strong> - After this game was pushed because of COVID-19 cases within the Westlake program, the schedule finally returns to this matchup. One player to watch is the senior back for Westlake in [player_tooltip player_id="60490" first="Zane" last="Minors"]. Although players like junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="60713" first="Cade" last="Klubnik"] and sophomore receiver [player_tooltip player_id="60848" first="Jaden" last="Greathouse"] steal the show in a sport that has become mostly passing, Minors still has potential talent that could help decide this game. This season, Minors has posted 503 rushing yards for eight touchdowns while also having 212 receiving yards and one touchdown. Minors is a player and Bowie better keep an eye on him when the Bulldogs plan their defensive gameplan.</li> <li><strong>Diego Tello (B)</strong> - For the Bulldogs, the pressure falls on the junior quarterback Tello, who has had a pretty decent season despite the Bulldogs’ middle of the road record this season. Tello has 1,624 passing yards for 17 touchdowns with five interceptions. Tello has also rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown. For Bowie to pull off the upset against Westlake, Tello will have to bring his best against the Chaparrals.</li> <li><strong>Nick Morris (W)</strong> - On the opposite side of the ball, the senior Morris is the key for the Chaparrals to put the pressure on Tello. Morris has six sacks this season, averaging 1.5 sacks per game, and two quarterback hurries. Not to mention he has 23 total tackles and seven tackles per loss, according to MaxPreps. He has also forced a fumble this year. Simply put, Morris is a defensive beast and Bowie will have to do its best to not only contain him but the entirety of the Westlake defense, which is always impressive.</li> </ul>