Game Balls: Playoffs Week 2 – Central Texas
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The second round of the playoffs saw a lot of offensive explosiveness out of Central Texas teams. Check out the scoring machines from Central Texas this week as the teams that advanced prepare for the third round of the playoffs.…
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Continue ReadingThe second round of the playoffs saw a lot of offensive explosiveness out of Central Texas teams. Check out the scoring machines from Central Texas this week as the teams that advanced prepare for the third round of the playoffs.
1. Cade Klubnik Cade Klubnik 6'2" | 180 lbs | QB Austin Westlake | 2022 State TX (JR-QB) – Westlake High School (Austin, TX)
Westlake did not have any issues getting past Smithson Valley in the second round. The Chaparrals won comfortably, 62-3, over the Rangers and a lot of those points came courtesy of Klubnik. He threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns and also got a rushing score on top of that, accounting for at least 30 points. Klubnik was nearly perfect when throwing the ball, only missing four of his throws. He finished the night with a 163.1 quarterback rating.
2. Ryder Hernandez Ryder Hernandez 6'0" | 190 lbs | QB Cedar Park | 2021 TX (SR-QB) – Cedar Park High School (Cedar Park, TX)
The Timberwolves of Cedar Park also had a comfortable win to advance in the playoffs against Foster. Cedar Park defeated the Falcons 51-15 and Hernandez was all over the field. However, he did throw his first interception of the season, but that just shows his accuracy and ability to take care of the ball for this long. He threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns and rushed into the endzone twice. Despite the interception, he was still accurate in this game, finishing with a 69.7 completion percentage which included a 69-yard bomb.
3. Troy Oliver Jr. (JR-WR) – Rouse High School (Leander, TX)
The list continues with comfortable wins for Central Texas teams to advance as Rouse defeated Mercedes 57-28 on Friday. One of the many standouts in the game was Oliver Jr. who had four receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. His teammate, junior Jalen Becerra had three receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Although both receivers caught a 60+ yard reception, Oliver Jr. had the longest reception for 64 yards. Overall, Rouse was explosive on offense in this game and it was hard to pick just one player that stuck out but Oliver Jr. deserves the game ball for his performance as he also scored a rushing touchdown as well.
4. Charles Calabretta (SR-RB) – Liberty Hill High School (Liberty Hill, TX)
Liberty Hill completely shut out Boerne-Champion on Friday, 41-0, to advance to the next round of the playoffs. The Panthers had a lot of explosive rushing stats but Calabretta’s stands out the most because he scored two rushing touchdowns. He finished the night with 114 rushing yards in nine carries, but that was not the most rushing yards that night. That title belongs to senior running back Blake Simpson, but Calabretta did score the most rushing touchdowns and had the longest run of the night for 64 yards. In total, Liberty Hill had five rushing touchdowns.
5. Payton Adams (JR-QB) – East View High School (East View, TX)
East View also came away with a comfortable win over Alamo Heights, 48-14. Although Adams only threw for 154 yards, he did throw for five touchdowns and had no interceptions. Adams only threw the ball 19 times and finished with a 63.2 completion percentage. One of his favorite targets was senior running back Isaiah Quinton-Jackson, who came away with three receiving touchdowns. Adams and Quinton-Jackson walked away as scoring machines in this game, accounting for 30 points together.
6. Roddrell Freeman Roddrell Freeman 6'1" | 220 lbs | ATH Mart | 2021 TX (SR-QB) – Mart High School (Mart, TX)
Although Mart lost the 2A Division II state championship just by one point, 22-21, it is important to highlight Freeman’s last game as a Panther. Freeman did most of his work on the ground, rushing for 194 yards and three touchdowns, which includes a 65-yard run. Freeman accounted for all the points scored by Mart in the game and put up a great effort but Windthorst was just able to edge out the reigning champions. Still, Freeman also had an excellent season both through the air and on the ground. He threw for 1,449 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 1,853 yards and 31 touchdowns.