Austin Vandegrift Slays the Dragons to Claim 6A DII Championship

Vandergrift answered almost immediately following the touchdown. Backed up on the kickoff to the Vipers' 14-yard line, Vandegrift would set a 6A record on the next play. Miles Teodecki loaded up and launched a deep pass to a streaking George Farley. Farley hauled in the pass and sprinted the final yards to the house for an 86-yard touchdown catch. The Vipers tied the game, 7-7, with time winding down in the 1st quarter.

2nd Quarter

Following a punt by the Dragons. Vandegrift hit another explosive play to set up another touchdown. Teodecki hit another deep pass to Farley, this time for 38 yards, to put the Vipers in scoring position. Four plays later, Brendan Fournier capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Vandegrift took a 14-7 lead with 8:44 remaining in the 2nd quarter.

Southlake Carroll ran into trouble on offense on the ensuing possession. Faced with a 3rd and long, the Dragons tried to hit an explosive play to push the ball down the field. However, Jack Huerkamp intercepted the pass at Vandegrift's 28-yard line.

Fournier and the Vipers' other running back, Marcion Williamson, found a rhythm following the interception. Fournier hit a 23-yard run on the first play of the drive before Williamson followed that up with several tough runs in a row to push the Vipers into the red zone. However, Southlake Carroll's defense stepped up to force a 4th down. Vandegrift missed the 35-yard field goal attempt, and the score remained 14-7 with 3:40 left in the half.

Brody Knowles converted a 3rd down and long for the Dragons to ensure Southlake Carroll avoided a 3-and-out. The Dragons approached midfield at the 2-minute mark. Unfortunately for Carroll, the drive ended there. An untimely fumble after a completed catch gave the ball right back to the Vipers near midfield.

Vandegrift made quick work of the Dragons' defense following the turnover. Teodecki hit Jack Rudberg over the middle for a 24-yard gain. That play set up a 10-yard touchdown pass to Fournier a few plays later. Vandergrift took a 21-7 lead with 14 seconds left in the half.

Southlake had some heads-up clock management just before the half. The Dragons converted a deep pass to the Vipers' 30-yard line, where they immediately called a timeout. Unfortunately, Southlake had the 47-yard field goal attempt bang off of the right upright. The half ended with the Vipers holding a 21-7 lead.

Austin Vandegrift has scored 14 points off of two Southlake Carroll turnovers and that is the difference so far in this contest.

3rd Quarter

Vandegrift received the opening kickoff but failed to do anything with it. The Dragons immediately found success and hit two deep passes in a row. First, a 48-yard pass to Caden Mackey then a 28-yard touchdown pass to Brock Boyd. Southlake Carroll climbed back into this contest in a big way but still trailed 21-14.

Vandegrift re-established its rhythm following the Southlake touchdown. Fournier continued to be an absolute force on the ground, gaining several first downs as the Vipers pushed down the field. The Dragons stepped up near the goal line to force a 4th down attempt inside the 10-yard line. Southlake's defense delivered a stop and the Vipers turned the ball over on downs.

Vandegrift's defense delivered another gift-wrapped package to the offense following the 4th down stop. Southlake Carroll gained one first down before they turned the ball over for the 3rd time on the evening. The Vipers took over at Southlake's 48-yard line with less than six minutes to play in the 3rd quarter.

Neither team would score for the remainder of the 3rd quarter.

4th Quarter

Following a Southlake Carroll punt, Vandegrift proceeded to go on a 14-play march that took six minutes and ten seconds off the clock. The Vipers hit a 33-yard field goal to put Vandegrift up 24-14 with 6:42 remaining in the 4th quarter.

Southlake Carroll began their next drive deep in Dragon's territory at the 8-yard line. After several first downs, the Dragons moved the ball past the 50 to the 48-yard line. Two more completions pushed Southlake inside the 25-yard line. The Dragons kept pushing forward, down to the 2-yard line, but drained entirely too much time off the clock. With 2:47 remaining, Southlake was down to just a single timeout.

Faced with a 4th and Goal and the game on the line, the Vipers' defense stepped up one more time. Vandegrift forced an incompletion and took over on downs with 2:30 to go in the 4th up ten points.

Southlake forced a punt but simply ran out of time. Southlake kicked a field goal, but Austin Vandegrift won the 6A DII Title, 24-17.