2021 Season Preview: Vandegrift

Vandegrift remains one of the most elite teams in Central Texas. The Vipers went 9-3 overall last year while going 5-1 in district. The Vipers playoff run was halted after a tough 38-10 loss to Hays after the Vipers had defeated Austin, San Antonio Roosevelt and Brennan. Vandegrift also lost big chunks of its team with quarterback <strong>Ryan Back</strong> graduating, running back <strong>Bowen Lewis</strong> graduating, wide receiver <strong>Taylor Dummar</strong> graduating, defensive lineman <strong>Austin Skoglund</strong> graduating and defensive lineman <strong>Rickey Sweeney</strong> graduating just to name a few. However, the Vipers still have a ton of talent to fill those gaps. &nbsp; <strong>KEY RETURNERS</strong> <strong>Ryan Sheppard (SR-RB)</strong> Sheppard was the rushing leader for the Vipers last season, rushing for 922 yards and six touchdowns. Sheppard is fast to say the least, and he is athletic, able to play both lacrosse and football for the Vipers. Sheppard will undoubtedly, provide the same amount of speed and power for the Vipers running game as he did last season. <strong>Reece Beauchamp (SR-QB)</strong> There is a quarterback power gap left by Back, and one player that could potentially fill that is Beauchamp, who is listed as a quarterback on MaxPreps. He had one passing touchdown last season, but he also had 71 rushing yards and two touchdowns and 82 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Part of that was a 61 yard receiving game against Austin in the playoffs. He also played defensive back and had a pick six against Ellison last October. If Beauchamp steps up to the plate at quarterback, he will bring sheer mobility to the offense, as he can slip through tackles and outrun most. His athleticism, which allows him to play multiple positions, is a huge asset to the Vipers regardless of where he plays. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8454232/5fa0a6fe90f05b096c627a51" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Graylan Spring (SR-WR)</strong> Spring will likely fill the gap left by Dummar and Lewis, as he was next up on the receiving leading list for the team. Overall, Spring had 24 receptions for 349 yards and four touchdowns last season. Spring has excellent size and power. His size allows him to make tough catches over defensive backs and his power allows him to break away from tough coverages and fight for the ball if need be. That is not to say Spring is not fast, as he is lethal on short routes as well. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8454244/5ff29dc6b3d27c0a1cce2ecb" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Tucker Harrison (SR-DL)</strong> Harrison leads the charge on defense by having a total of five sacks last season with 12 hurries. He also forced four fumbles and totaled 79 tackles as well, 14 being for a loss. Harrison has such excellent agility, that he can be in the backfield before the offensive line can get their feet planted. Harrison's size also supplements his power, being able to break away from a block to still make the play. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8230101/600cfc1238638d08c459e7b5" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Jaxon Oliver (SR-DB)</strong> In terms of interceptions, Oliver leads the charge there. He accounted for a total of three interceptions last season. Oliver is excellent in zone coverage and can play on any opportunity he given by a mistake from the offense. He also works well on man-to-man coverage, especially when the coverage is tight which allows him to break up passes easily. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8230121/60369e1ef326f20bbc841cb5" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <strong>Griffin Shaffer (SR-DB)</strong> Shaffer was also excellent at creating turnovers as he had two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. On top of that, he registered eight pass deflections to boot. Shaffer is not afraid to make a big hit and as stated by his stats, he is excellent at deflecting passes and always being around the ball. He is not afraid to run from sideline to sideline to make a play. Both him and Oliver will make for a deadly defensive duo. &nbsp; <strong>SCHEDULE</strong> 8/27 vs Cedar Park 9/3 vs Ellison 9/10 @ San Angelo Central <strong>9/17 @ Stony Point - Beginning of District</strong> 10/1 vs Vista Ridge 10/8 @ McNeil 10/14 @ Cedar Ridge 10/22 vs Round Rock Westwood 10/29 @ Hutto 11/5 vs Round Rock