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Hays Rebels footballPosted September 14, 2007, 4:30 p.m.
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Hays Highway Editor
BUDA – The Hays Rebels go back onto the field tonight against a freak rival, the Cedar Park Timberwolves of north Austinish suburbania. The Rebels have tangled with Cedar Park six times in the last five years, winning half of those games.
At this point, the only remaining regularity in the series is that each team wins every other game, which would be preserved tonight with a Hays victory at Bob Shelton Stadium (7:30 p.m.). Hays became the first home team to win in the series with a victory of 35-21 in 2005, then Cedar Park came back to win on its home field last year, beating Hays, 28-10.
As the years go by, Cedar Park keeps getting faster and faster. The Timberwolves turned a corner some time in 2004. Hays won their meeting early in the season, 31-17 at Cedar Park, then the Timberwolves came down to Bob Shelton Stadium for the first round of Class 5A playoffs and knocked the Rebels out with a 31-7 win.
So, if Cedar Park isn't exactly a natural rival, it could be something of an office rival and it's got to be a rivalry on the field. Cedar Park knows Hays about as well as it knows its local schools. Cedar Park opened in 1998, started playing varsity football in 2000 and started playing Hays in 2002.
"They've done real well for the last three or four years now," Hays coach Bob Shelton aid. "They've come along as a new school and gotten to the point where they're pretty good every year."
A year ago in Cedar Park, the Timberwolves found their quarterback against Hays. Michael Cochran played in place of injured Travis Watson and kept improving through the year. The Timberwolves wound up 9-3, lasting two weeks into the Class 5A playoffs.
While Cedar Park stomped to a 34-0 opening win at Harker Heights last week, the Rebels started their season with a 20-12 win at home against Boerne. The Rebels didn't dominate their opener, but they played a clean game for a young team and won it in the margins. The Rebels made one big play for a touchdown in the kicking game, mostly held fast on defense, took only three penalties and made one turnover.
The Rebels totaled only 258 offensive yards against Cedar Park, but they moved the ball pretty well in the second half. However, it's not yardage that concerns Shelton so much as points.
On three different occasions, the Rebels made it to the Boerne 21 or closer without scoring. On their first possession of the game, fullback Nikki DeSantiago fumbled the ball away at the Boerne 11. On the their first possession of the second half, quarterback Clayton Rogers threw on an incomplete pass on fourth down from the Boerne 21. Later in the third quarter, the Rebels couldn't convert fourth down at the Boerne seven.
The Hays defense came through after the last event, forcing a fumble recovered by linebacker Josh Sluder at the Boerne ten. Hays running back Erick Pena ran ten yards for a touchdown on the next play, giving Hays its final lead of 20-12 with 7:52 remaining.
"We've got to do a better job when we get down inside the 20," Shelton said. "We need to get it into the end zone more often."
The Rebels played a fairly conservative game offensively, throwing eight times out of 43 plays from scrimmage. Rogers, who led the Rebels in rushing with 74 yards on 11 carries, also completed five of seven passes for 96 yards, a gaudy 13.7 yards per attempt.
"I thought, overall, we did a pretty good job moving the ball," Shelton said. "I think we can move the ball against most people. We have some threats. We can throw it. I think we're going to have to have some pretty good balance there ... I think we'll throw it most games a few more times than (against Boerne), but I don't like to go into a game saying we have to throw it this many times. It just kind of depends on the game, once you get into the game."
Based on last week's Cedar Park game, the Timberwolves' defense could pose a formidable challenge for Hays. The Timberwolves allowed Harker Heights only six first downs and 106 total yards.
Then again, based on that same game, the Cedar Park offense could pose a problem, too. The Timberwolves rolled up 516 total yards and balanced them out, running for 276 yards and passing for another 240.
Cochran led the way, completing 12 of 19 passes for 229 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. The Timberwolves didn't run Cochran as much as in the past, but they've got two explosive backs in speedsters Hunter Dixon and Dedrick McNight.
Dixon finished last week with 110 rushing yards in 13 carries, along with three pass catches for 34 yards. McNight rushed for 72 yards in 12 carries and made five receptions for 101 yards.
"Their quarterback is a returner from last year, and I think he's a pretty good player," Shelton said. "They've got two good running backs with good quickness and good speed. They like to run the ball."
The Rebels won’t have to worry about running back Tyler Smith, a thorn in their side who has moved on to Rice. Last year, Smith ran for 140 yards in 14 carries to key the Cedar Park win against Hays.
When Cedar Park beats Hays, it’s speed that makes the difference, and the Timberwolves have plenty of that between Dixon and McNight. If the Rebels come out of this game 2-0, it’s a real deal 2-0.
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