Preview: Players to Watch in Central Texas – Week 7

Preview: Players to Watch in Central Texas &#8211; Week 7

Jack Densmore

October 7, 2021 @ 08:00 AM

There are a good number of matchups to keep an eye on this week as the season enters a somewhat halfway point but here are a few players to especially keep an eye on. 1. [player_tooltip player_id="60794" first="Derrick" last="Johnson"] (SR-RB) - Lake Travis High School (Austin, TX) 2021 Season: 430 rushing yards, 5 rushing touchdowns, 10 receptions, 162 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns Johnson has consistently scored in multiple games this season. He is a constant threat for any defense even in the loss against Rockwall when he rushed for 166 yards and one touchdown. However, Lake Travis now takes on Austin, and although the Maroons are on a two-game losing streak, the defense does have some heavy hitters that can cause a momentum shift such as senior linebacker Andrew Mosser, who has three interceptions this season. All eyes should be on Johnson and the Lake Travis offense on this one. 2. Aiden Baumann (SR-QB) - New Braunfels High School (New Braunfels, TX) 2021 Season: 995 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions New Braunfels has been pretty dominant this season but the loss to Smithson Valley is followed up by another bout with another undefeated team in Steele. The Knights have only allowed 55 points this season, and the most points they have allowed in a game is 21 against Wagner. Baumann has at least thrown two touchdowns a game, including against Smithson Valley but he faces a tough defense and so the pressure will be on for this week. 3. [player_tooltip player_id="131369" first="Elijah" last="Oakmon"] (SR-RB) - Pflugerville High School (Pflugerville, TX) 2021 Season: 592 rushing yards, 9 rushing touchdowns Oakmon has been dominant to say the least and with the help of equal threats such as junior running back [player_tooltip player_id="121985" first="Jake" last="Iloka"], senior quarterback Jaylon Reeves and senior wide receiver Sidney Mbanasor, the Pflugerville offense is stacked for this matchup against Manor. This makes it all worthwhile to watch Oakmon as it looks to be a rushing shootout between these two teams. 4. Quinten Joyner (JR-RB) - Manor High School (Manor, TX) 2021 Season: 901 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns And the reason for a possible rushing shootout, Joyner has scored seven rushing touchdowns in the past two games against Leander and Georgetown. Manor has quickly emerged as a very tough opponent for teams and can edge out close victories repeatedly. However, Pflugerville is arguably the toughest opponent they have faced so far aside from maybe LBJ Austin to open the season. The Pflugerville defense shut down Leander and it will be interesting if the Panthers can do the same to Joyner. 5. [player_tooltip player_id="60713" first="Cade" last="Klubnik"] (SR-QB) - Westlake High School (Austin, TX) 2021 Season: 1,317 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 150 rushing yards, 5 rushing touchdowns Klubnik is having another excellent season which should not come as a surprise but Westlake will now face its toughest opponent yet in Bowie, a team that is also undefeated. Klubnik has been throwing the ball with ease so far but the Bulldogs present a challenge, having only allowed 49 points this season. The most points allowed in a single game was against Copperas Cove, which was 28. However, Bowie allowed the following points this season, seven against Vista Ridge, seven against Stony Point, zero against Austin and seven against Del Valle. It is safe to say that this might be the matchup of the season.