October 24, 2025 • 24 mins
Texan Live's EJ Sanchez joins Jake Herman to hand out mid-season awards in area high school football! They discuss Hutto's resurgence under Eli Reinhart, Anderson's powerful ground game with Caleb Crenshaw, and Bastrop's high-flying offense led by Weston Nielsen.
They also preview several games going on tonight, including Lake Travis' trip to Westlake and Vandegrift's trek to Hutto.
They also preview several games going on tonight, including Lake Travis' trip to Westlake and Vandegrift's trek to Hutto.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Our show rolls on on this Friday afternoon. Jay Corbin
with you in for Craig today and happy to welcome
a special guest back to the show, coming to us
all the way from San Antonio this afternoon, EJ.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Sanchez.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Thanks for sake, Thanks for taking some time out of
your busy water polo schedule.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Am I hearing that right?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Today?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Water polo today and tomorrow?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Jake?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Division one women's soccer, yesterday, Division one volleyball the day before.
There's really nothing that I'm not doing right now, but
anytime my boy gets me on the horn, you know,
I have to make some time.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Well, if you don't know EJ, you definitely don't spend
a lot of time watching high school football in the area.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
EJ with Texan Live is very plugged in.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
And so as we get to the business end of
district play, EJ, I thought we'd hand out some mid
to late season superlatives and then obviously get to tonight's slate,
which is jam pack with amazing games.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Sound good to you?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
That sounds good to me? Man, Let's roll well.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So, starting with superlatives, just among the area high school
football teams, is there a group or a storyline that's
stuck out as the biggest surprise to you.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Maybe surprise is only to the rest of us Altsider's
maybe not to the kids in that locker room or
in the program. I'm going to go with the Hippos
of Huddo. Okay, And there's a couple of reasons why
I said that. I prefaced it by saying that Eli
Ryan Harp, for those that don't know, the offensive coordinator
from six eight Division one state champion North Crowley last year,
he gets his opportunity to go be a head coach
(01:32):
at Huddo. Now, Jake, you and I are both from
the area. I mean, we've seen it. Huddle always has
good offensive players. Okay, but this is a Huddle team
that did not qualify where they would want to last year,
and all of a sudden when you add in Eli
Ryan hart system, now they're sitting on a collision course
for potentially a district tad. If we're going to talk
(01:53):
about hudd on a little bit, I'm gonna spoil that.
But this is a team that was three and five industry,
they didn't qualify for the playoffs last year, and now
they only sit with one loss, undefeated taking on Vandigrip tonight.
And before you say, is that a new cast of characters,
it's really not. You have Kayden Stepfick back at quarterback.
You have Keelan Shav's also back as your running back.
(02:14):
So you return your top three rushers your quarterback, and
you return your top receivers for him a year ago.
So Huddle is a surprise in the sense that you
know you flipped the record and maybe you didn't know
what you were getting. First time head coaches, there's always
that pause. But I really like what Eli Ryan Hard
is doing and it's gonna be fun coming down the
(02:35):
stretch of that district. We talked about it already, I
think the last time I was on, But when you're
talking about district twenty five six A, it's a lot
of wonkiness going on. I'm excited to see how it
in bowls.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, so much parody to be had there and Huddle
off of four and six year in twenty twenty four,
now sitting there with everything in front of them. I
had the hippos for our next category, so we can
jump there. Know what kind of award show I'm running
over here at the station, But it's a little bit
of overlap. The biggest jump from last year to now
(03:06):
I had the Hippos. Did you have another team in
mind for that category?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
You know what I was gonna go with here, Jake.
We love five A and six A football, right, That's
that's where the big dogs are. Okay, Can I take
you out into the country a little bit and talk
about the Jerald Cougars and the Toledo Eagles for a
second like that kind of show?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Gladly, I'm buckled up.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
So here's the thing about those two teams, Jake, is
that Jerald is the one I'm gonna talk about. Okay.
They have a big matchup coming up tonight and Jeral
once again just was two and four last year in
district play. And you love the rescheduling of teams really
because you get to see him from a year to
year basis where you line up. And people really started
(03:54):
taking Gerald seriously when they won three to twenty nine
in Week four over the Lano yellowjack And that is
the Atlanto team that is always consistently head against second
or third round of the playoffs, and Jerald really took
care of them. And they're running back Walker. He's been tremendous.
And so when you go down to the lower levels
(04:14):
of four A, three A, four A, that's where you
can get some stories like that. And I'm looking forward
to how and shakes out with Slado. But Jerald being
a team now that we have to respect in four A,
I think is just gonna make things more interesting, especially
when you're looking for Austin Area representatives deep into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah, and Solaedo a team that's that's kind of been
steady as well, coming off of that Area final appearance
a year ago. So is there a team that maybe
took the field way back? I want you to think
way back to late August, early September and you thought, okay,
you know that's what they look like, and now that's
completely different. Maybe an in season Most Improved Award.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
When the last final was on, Jake, you and I
speculated about one of the areas powers and that's round Rock. Okay,
so I'm gonna go with the dragons here. And because
everybody was panicking about the start that Round Rock got
off to and I cautioned you at the time, I
will toot my own horn because you called me, so
I get to do that. Yeah, I told people, guys,
(05:18):
don't worry about Round Rock because at that time they
had played Glean Shoemaker, they had played Temple, and at
that time they had played you know, some of the
teams in their district that were ranting atop. Now they're
back into it. They're firmly back in the playoff picture.
And course off, hats off to that entire program because
maybe they knew how good teams they were playing, but
(05:40):
they also thought they were a good team and they
were able to shake it off and they were able
to bounce back and put themselves right now in that
playoff rate. They're sitting at second right now at twenty
five six A and they're six into in district played.
They're gonna have a chance for the share of a
district title coming down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah, and round Rock idol this week with Stony Point
and Van Griff to finish off that schedule. We're gonna
get to all those teams in a minute. But what
about some individuals that have stuck out to you? And
there are so many options to choose from. I don't
think there's a whole lot of wrong answers that you
could throw out here if you just pick somebody who's
(06:16):
lit up the scoreboard, but for an offensive MVP in
the area, who would you kind of put on that
short list and give the nod?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Here?
Speaker 2 (06:25):
On October twenty fourth.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Oh man, you know two names came to mind. Okay,
and I'm gonna tell you who my winner is. My
winner right here, right now is Caleb Crenshaw. Okay, the
running back for Austin Anderson to transfer from Austin LBJ
from a season ago. Crenshaw is averaging over two hundred
yards a game. He's averaging nearly ten yards of carry
(06:49):
for an Anderson team that you could have thrown in
there as the biggest surprise, but he has completely flipped
the narrative of that entire program offensively, at least after
they graduated heavy on OPF and they graduated two Division
one players their quarterback, Max Girl like at UCSA. And
by the way, Ed Small ever heard of him. He's
lighting it up for TCU, getting a lot more snaps
(07:10):
as a true freshman. So Crenshaw has been the different
I'm going to give an honorable mention to Jackson Shad
for wise. Again, my Plugerville roots would not forgive me
if I didn't throw Shad in there, and you were
at that Hendrickson game. You see that it's not perfect.
Right now, Jackson Shad is fifteen and at this point
(07:32):
in his young career, through eight games, he's completing sixty
seven percent of his passes. He's number four in the
state with over twenty three hundred yards, and he's thrown
thirty six touchdowns and he's ran it in six times.
There's there's something to be said for that.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
I just remember watching Shad in that Hendrickson game, and
he still has right some of his frame to grow into.
He is not afraid of getting a hit, and he
kind of changed the momentum that game early when he
was willing to take some big hits on third down scrambles.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I like seeing those qualities in the sophomore.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Oh absolutely. And that's maybe the most dynamic offense in
fiving Division one in the offt area. And I'm only
saying that because I just talked about Anderson. I just
talked about Caleb Crenshaw. But Chad has you know, he
he has weapons, and to his credit, he's used them.
You can have as many weapons as you want, somebody's
got to get him the football and Malcolm Hill has
(08:30):
put him in a good spot to do so, and
I think it will continue. But I definitely have to
give the flowers to Caleb Crenshaw. How that kid is
not committed to a Division one program right now is
beyond me. Maybe somebody knows more than you and I do.
Actually a ton of people do. That's why you and
I are talking right now. I'm a big fan of
Caleb Prenshaw, and I would like to see him, you know,
(08:51):
continue to succeed.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Hey, they might know more than you, but they're not
going to work harder than you out there calling water
polo today. But you know, I had Kill Crenshaw. I
had Caleb Crenchaw on my short list too. I mean
entering last night at seventeen touchdowns, he added two more
in what was kind of a workman like win for
Anderson over Hayes. They kind of just managed that game
well late, settled for field goals in the red zone
(09:13):
at times, but used the safety to help get past
Hayes twenty nine to fourteen, with Anderson ripping off a
couple of big runs in the process. But you know,
MVPs often looked at whether it's for better or for
worse as a quarterback award, and so West and.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Nielsen belongs up there in that conversation too.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
For the Bears a bass drop this year, who are
unbeaten at seven to zero. Nielsen has thrown for a
shade under two thousand yards, twenty eight touchdowns, only six interceptions,
most of which came in non district plot. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Well, I mean you see West and Nielsen up close
and personal, you know a lot more. You know, they
don't hand out stars like that. You're not a four
star quarterback.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
If you're not good and bass drop, there's a top
ten offense in the area, and I'm sure if you
boil down to so you know the numbers of your choosing,
you can make an argument for top five, they're gonna
be firmly in that Division two race. So I don't
think West and Nielsen's a bad selection at all, and
I think you put it perfectly. I'm gonna give you
(10:14):
some credit now for hosting your game show here. I
don't think there was a bad option both Nielsen and
Shad and Grenshaw. We can go down the list of
guys that are performing at a high level right now.
But I think if you were to pull. Most Austin
area media members who keep up with Texas high school football,
they would put those three and then probably some change
with a couple others.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Hey, this award show resents being called a game show,
but that's actually a great idea for a future gimmicks.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I'm just trying to put it in your brain.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Well, let's rack your brain for an area defensive MVP.
Obviously it's a lot more subjective because every defense, just
like offense, runs a little bit differently. But is there
a particular standout at the top of your list right
now in the area.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
The first name that came to mind for me is
the outstanding ed rusher from Lake Travis. So again I
keep teasing that our next section. I'm sorry, this is
why you're the host that I'm not. It's Carter Buck,
you know, committed to TCU. To the first four weeks
of the season, he had seven sacks, and what stands
out to me is that he's anchoring a defense. I
(11:21):
say it every year that I think may have you know,
the horses, so to speak, to keep up with Westlake
and when you're anchoring a defense at is state championship caliber,
you should get your credit and I think Carter Buck
has done, you know, an outstanding job leading that group,
you know, to the point they had and after the
win against Dripping Springs last week, he didn't. He was
(11:41):
a part of, you know, two game changing turnovers.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Yeah, and he's got three force fumbles and a pick
this year, like you mentioned, two of those in the
big win and now up to ten sacks as we speak.
I had him at the top of my list with
an honorable mention for Noah McPeak, a really versatile kind
of chess piece for the Wise Wolves.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Know what McPeak is. You know, he's a fun story
because you know he's another one of these guys that
kind of had to grow into his frame a little bit.
His older brother Troy played on that on those White
Wolves teams that were, you know, shocking the area, you know,
early twenty twenties. Crazy to say that I'm gonna ignore it,
but mcpeaks, he's done it on special teams. He's done
(12:21):
it as a rusher. He can it can drop him
into coverage. Malcolm Hill understands that you need kind of
like a row whatever it is, a star, a rover, whatever.
The in the defense alignment calls for that's what McPeak
has been. He's been really fun to watch, and you know,
coming down the stretch of the season, we're gonna get
a chance to see him go up against Caleb Crenshaw
(12:41):
where those two are gonna have to lock horn, so
to speak, a couple of times, and I can't wait
for that.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, he's one of those guys you just know he's
gonna impact the game, but you don't know exactly where
or in what position or what phase of the game
it's gonna be.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
So I think we did a good.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Job there with that list, Buck and McPeak for defensive MVP,
Crenshaw and Nielsen in the mix as well for offensive MVP.
But let's look at tonight's slate, because it's gonna mean
a lot. With only a handful of district games to go.
Starting in twenty six to six A with the Battle
of the Lakes Lake Travis coming off that fourteen to
seven low scoring victory over Dripping Springs, that means that
(13:21):
with the way tiebreakers work, they could essentially win the
district tonight. And yet the Shaps have beaten them six
straight times in this series. They've got Drew Brees in
the building tonight getting his number retired. Is this the
year for Lake Travis to win the Battle of the
Lakes or will Westlake stand tall again?
Speaker 3 (13:41):
I don't know, and I feel like we I alluded
to it a second ago. I feel like we do
this kind of every year. I feel like we say, Okay, hey,
dripping Springs is pretty good, and then Lake Travis takes
care of chipping Springs, and then we say, I don't know,
Lake Travis is pretty good. Westlake may look beatable, and
then and then west Lake beats him. At least in
(14:02):
the most recent future. I think this is the defense
to do it. Van Hopping for Lake Travis. I don't
know if you saw, he broke the Lake Travis all
time rushing touchdown record, so he's an Austin area. We
could have thrown him in for offensive MVP. The thing
about west Lake is it reminds me of those Michigan teams,
(14:22):
especially the ones that the one that captured the national championship.
I believe Joe Klett put it. They're a boa constrictor
of a defense that just continues to just pound you out.
And Reese Wise again, we haven't talked about Reese Wise yet.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Is field time playing Lake Travis.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Absolutely and wise has done it before. His running game
has been tremendous, and you know, I, you know, all
of us reserve the right to kind of say, hey,
you know, I'm I'm going with the shafts until proven otherwise,
because I've had this thought before of yes, this is
a time. And Wesley continues to say, you know, not
(15:05):
so fast. My rule of thumb is in order to
be the man, you have to beat the man, and
we have yet to see it. Lake Travis's would not
be surprised if I get done with water polo today
and I look up and I say, okay, awesome. I
felt like Travis b. Westlake fourteen to ten would not
be surprised on the slider. But until then, I have
to go with with Westlake.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Computer, by the way, agrees with you. They like Westlake
by three.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
To the crowded, chaotic, whatever you want to call it,
District twenty five six say maybe the Big twelve of
area high school football this year, and you hinted at
it earlier. Vandergrift at Huddo for the headliner tonight. Huddo
has won six in a row, but they've got this game,
and then Vista Ridge and then McNeil to close out
(15:51):
the year. We're going to learn a lot more about
Eli Reinhart's team here down the stretch. What kind of
keys do you think come into play with this game?
Speaker 3 (15:59):
So I'm gonna start with vander Griffs for a moment,
and vander Grifts. It kind of got swept under the rug,
not by you and I, but vander Grift a couple
of weeks ago lost to McNeil that hadn't happened in
a long time. And since then they rattled up two
straight wins against the Ridge and against Maynor. What I
do like for the Hippos is that this is an huddo.
(16:21):
You know, Vandergriff has shown, you know, a couple of
laps in is here and there, and but their defense
is always going to be one of the top in
the region, not even district. It's always gonna be one
of the top in the region. And so I look
at that vander Griff has an outstanding defensive player. He's
an defensive lineman. Hugo de Lavada Vasquez Vasquez team leader
(16:45):
for tackles for a loss. But the thing is Big
twelve is a great way to put it, Jake, because
the Hippos just run, man, They just get out and run.
Caden Stepik I mentioned him earlier directing that offense under
like the North Crowley umbrella if you will, you know,
lots of different concepts being worked in. I think this
(17:06):
is the time for Huddo to kind of announce where
they are. If you were to ask me, you know,
dripping Springs be Vandergriff earlier in the season, I would
have Sai Huddles nowhere near Dripping Springs. After the resume
we've seen from Huddo. I think this is their coming
out party, and I think they get a narrow win
over the Vipers.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Vandergrift in that case would not be able to make
good on their bid for an eighth straight district title.
That hinges on tonight for the Vipers and maybe hinges
on every game for them going forward, given their spot
in the standings, not having that tiebreaker against McNeil.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
So EJ you're.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Going with Huddle, Do you want to guess who the
computer took him by?
Speaker 2 (17:46):
How many?
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I'm going to assume that you know we're gonna ride on,
you know, Vandergriffs and Vandergriff's defense because of you know
how many shootouts that Huddo has gotten into. But I
wouldn't be surprised.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Who do we got? Youuter likes Vandergriff by four.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
And once again would not be surprised if that's the result.
I just think Huddle makes one more play offensively because
of their speed on the outside.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
They don't play games on computers, and that's why this
next matchup is interesting. McNeil, who, like we said, has
had just a terrific season four and one right now
in district play, they're gonna be watching Vandergrift and Huddle
carefully because well, but they can't take their eye too
far off the ball tonight.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
They are at cedar Ridge tonight.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Now, McNeil, they backed up their Vandergrift win seventeen to
fourteen kind of low scoring, low possession contest with a
game one in a very different style forty five to
forty two over Vista Ridge.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Cedar Ridge just lost to those same two opponents.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
But, like we said, the parody in this district, this
being a home game for the Raiders, can they cause
McNeil some problems tonight and possibly shake this thing up again?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I'm not surprised with anything in this distort at all.
I'm not. And you know, a rivalry lost a couple
of weeks ago to Round Rock probably doesn't feel great,
you know, especially in the fashion that they did. But
they hung with Vista Ridge and this, this is big twelve.
This is you know, some offensive firepower. You know. Noah Definish,
(19:23):
he's averaging just about seven yards of carry for Seterridge.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I like what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
The thing is is that I think, you know the
old Bobby Bowden, you know quote you have first in
order to move through your program, you have to lose big,
and then you have to lose close, and you have
to win close, and then it comes later. Maybe winning big.
McNeil is winning these games.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Now.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
McNeil showed that they can beat Vandergrift. You understand, you
understand where I'm getting through here. So I think that
you know, Scott Hermis's club knows how good they are now.
And maybe they didn't when they played Whits in Week
one and lost fifty six to twenty eight. But they
beat Lake Belton, who they didn't beat last year, and
again heartbreaking fashion. Okay, they beat vander Griff. They beat
(20:11):
Vista Ridge. I wouldn't be surprised if it's high scoring,
but I still feel comfortable about McNeil.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Here computer thinks McNeil wins it by thirteen. I don't know.
That one just kind of jumped out to me.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
As you know, a desperate perhaps Cedar Ridge team at
home against the McNeil team who will not be able
to start slowly off of by Lake Belton, by the way,
plays Cedar Park tonight. That's a pretty good matchup. But
I know you wanted to get to one more down south.
San Marcus at Steel. The Rattlers have never beaten the Knights,
but they were off to a darn good start. How
(20:44):
can San Marcus keep this one close to night? Do
you see them being able to hang with Steel?
Speaker 3 (20:49):
So the for a quick background before we get out
of here, Jake, the San Marcus Rattlers are one of
the great stories because of where they were a year ago.
You throw away any stats, you throw it away in
uas you know, is that a coaching change, that a
program changed. There were eleven players that were disqualified by
the UIL for different reasons, and they get all those
(21:10):
players back this year. So a team last year that
was losing sixty three zero. Sometimes they get their dogs
back and now they've been able to really like be
in some games that they weren't they shut out. But
to Johnson, it close left to East Central, who is
a very underrated club in the San Antonio area. Blue
blood Judson. The thing about Sam Marcus is that their
(21:31):
defense I think is a very underrated. Their quarterback Bucks
Steinn is good. They have weapons, but their defense has
risen up. They've done very good against quality opponents. They
held Wipe to twenty five points. They beat Huddo in
the week opening week of the season. They have their
two way star Jordan Lampkin. I think they can. The
(21:53):
question is are they ready the same way? Are you
ready to win close games? Because this has to come
together this year for San Marcus because of the implications
surrounding them. But Steele is going to be Steel. Okay,
When you're Steel and you beat Liberty Hill forty five
to ten early in the season, that says something that
says that, hey, we're not going anywhere just yet. Coach
(22:15):
signs is I'm a big fan of his, especially with
the way that the Knights have played the most recent future.
But the Knights have rattled off three wins, and I
would caution you to thoroughly pick steel. I'm gonna pick steel,
but I don't think it's the same score that we've
seen in previous years.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yeah, we'll keep an eye on that score.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I know you've got to get your goggles and swim
cat back on and get back in the pool. I'm kidding,
get back above the pool, pool side. Whatever you call it.
It's a broadcast water polo. Has that been fun for you?
By the way, I've never called water polo, you know.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
It's a variation of rules of handball that we see
in the Olympics. I'm obviously water polos in the Olympics,
but soccer as well, with the no off side you know,
well as anyone, the crash course in a sport has
its ups and downs. But you know, I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
The folks that textan Live have, you know, keep throwing
these games at me and I'm really enjoying myself.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
So that's where we should watch it tonight.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Textan Live for the State water Polo Championships Texandlive.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Dot Com all throughout the day and then we can
see probably about half of the games that are slate tonight.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
What do we need instead of Friday Night Lights? Was
it Friday Night water Fights?
Speaker 3 (23:27):
Did you come up with that on the spot or
have you been stewing on that?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
No, that was I swear that was right.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Now.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
You know what this I'm not just a game show host. Okay,
this is Live.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
There's got to be like another station near y'all that
would absolutely appreciate the quick rhymes that Jake Herman is
spitting today.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Let's get out of here while I'm on a hot streak.
EJ Sanchez joining us. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
EJ.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Have a great call, Thanks Jake.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
That is textan Live's EJ Sanchez When we come back.
Much more to come on this afternoon's edition of The
Craig Way Show. Are going to look around the college
football landscape next
Our show rolls on on this Friday afternoon. Jay Corbin
with you in for Craig today and happy to welcome
a special guest back to the show, coming to us
all the way from San Antonio this afternoon, EJ.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Sanchez.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Thanks for sake, Thanks for taking some time out of
your busy water polo schedule.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Am I hearing that right?
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Today?
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Water polo today and tomorrow?
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Jake?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Division one women's soccer, yesterday, Division one volleyball the day before.
There's really nothing that I'm not doing right now, but
anytime my boy gets me on the horn, you know,
I have to make some time.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Well, if you don't know EJ, you definitely don't spend
a lot of time watching high school football in the area.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
EJ with Texan Live is very plugged in.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
And so as we get to the business end of
district play, EJ, I thought we'd hand out some mid
to late season superlatives and then obviously get to tonight's slate,
which is jam pack with amazing games.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Sound good to you?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
That sounds good to me? Man, Let's roll well.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So, starting with superlatives, just among the area high school
football teams, is there a group or a storyline that's
stuck out as the biggest surprise to you.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Maybe surprise is only to the rest of us Altsider's
maybe not to the kids in that locker room or
in the program. I'm going to go with the Hippos
of Huddo. Okay, And there's a couple of reasons why
I said that. I prefaced it by saying that Eli
Ryan Harp, for those that don't know, the offensive coordinator
from six eight Division one state champion North Crowley last year,
he gets his opportunity to go be a head coach
(01:32):
at Huddo. Now, Jake, you and I are both from
the area. I mean, we've seen it. Huddle always has
good offensive players. Okay, but this is a Huddle team
that did not qualify where they would want to last year,
and all of a sudden when you add in Eli
Ryan hart system, now they're sitting on a collision course
for potentially a district tad. If we're going to talk
(01:53):
about hudd on a little bit, I'm gonna spoil that.
But this is a team that was three and five industry,
they didn't qualify for the playoffs last year, and now
they only sit with one loss, undefeated taking on Vandigrip tonight.
And before you say, is that a new cast of characters,
it's really not. You have Kayden Stepfick back at quarterback.
You have Keelan Shav's also back as your running back.
(02:14):
So you return your top three rushers your quarterback, and
you return your top receivers for him a year ago.
So Huddle is a surprise in the sense that you
know you flipped the record and maybe you didn't know
what you were getting. First time head coaches, there's always
that pause. But I really like what Eli Ryan Hard
is doing and it's gonna be fun coming down the
(02:35):
stretch of that district. We talked about it already, I
think the last time I was on, But when you're
talking about district twenty five six A, it's a lot
of wonkiness going on. I'm excited to see how it
in bowls.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, so much parody to be had there and Huddle
off of four and six year in twenty twenty four,
now sitting there with everything in front of them. I
had the hippos for our next category, so we can
jump there. Know what kind of award show I'm running
over here at the station, But it's a little bit
of overlap. The biggest jump from last year to now
(03:06):
I had the Hippos. Did you have another team in
mind for that category?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
You know what I was gonna go with here, Jake.
We love five A and six A football, right, That's
that's where the big dogs are. Okay, Can I take
you out into the country a little bit and talk
about the Jerald Cougars and the Toledo Eagles for a
second like that kind of show?
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Gladly, I'm buckled up.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
So here's the thing about those two teams, Jake, is
that Jerald is the one I'm gonna talk about. Okay.
They have a big matchup coming up tonight and Jeral
once again just was two and four last year in
district play. And you love the rescheduling of teams really
because you get to see him from a year to
year basis where you line up. And people really started
(03:54):
taking Gerald seriously when they won three to twenty nine
in Week four over the Lano yellowjack And that is
the Atlanto team that is always consistently head against second
or third round of the playoffs, and Jerald really took
care of them. And they're running back Walker. He's been tremendous.
And so when you go down to the lower levels
(04:14):
of four A, three A, four A, that's where you
can get some stories like that. And I'm looking forward
to how and shakes out with Slado. But Jerald being
a team now that we have to respect in four A,
I think is just gonna make things more interesting, especially
when you're looking for Austin Area representatives deep into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah, and Solaedo a team that's that's kind of been
steady as well, coming off of that Area final appearance
a year ago. So is there a team that maybe
took the field way back? I want you to think
way back to late August, early September and you thought, okay,
you know that's what they look like, and now that's
completely different. Maybe an in season Most Improved Award.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
When the last final was on, Jake, you and I
speculated about one of the areas powers and that's round Rock. Okay,
so I'm gonna go with the dragons here. And because
everybody was panicking about the start that Round Rock got
off to and I cautioned you at the time, I
will toot my own horn because you called me, so
I get to do that. Yeah, I told people, guys,
(05:18):
don't worry about Round Rock because at that time they
had played Glean Shoemaker, they had played Temple, and at
that time they had played you know, some of the
teams in their district that were ranting atop. Now they're
back into it. They're firmly back in the playoff picture.
And course off, hats off to that entire program because
maybe they knew how good teams they were playing, but
(05:40):
they also thought they were a good team and they
were able to shake it off and they were able
to bounce back and put themselves right now in that
playoff rate. They're sitting at second right now at twenty
five six A and they're six into in district played.
They're gonna have a chance for the share of a
district title coming down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Yeah, and round Rock idol this week with Stony Point
and Van Griff to finish off that schedule. We're gonna
get to all those teams in a minute. But what
about some individuals that have stuck out to you? And
there are so many options to choose from. I don't
think there's a whole lot of wrong answers that you
could throw out here if you just pick somebody who's
(06:16):
lit up the scoreboard, but for an offensive MVP in
the area, who would you kind of put on that
short list and give the nod?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
Here?
Speaker 2 (06:25):
On October twenty fourth.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Oh man, you know two names came to mind. Okay,
and I'm gonna tell you who my winner is. My
winner right here, right now is Caleb Crenshaw. Okay, the
running back for Austin Anderson to transfer from Austin LBJ
from a season ago. Crenshaw is averaging over two hundred
yards a game. He's averaging nearly ten yards of carry
(06:49):
for an Anderson team that you could have thrown in
there as the biggest surprise, but he has completely flipped
the narrative of that entire program offensively, at least after
they graduated heavy on OPF and they graduated two Division
one players their quarterback, Max Girl like at UCSA. And
by the way, Ed Small ever heard of him. He's
lighting it up for TCU, getting a lot more snaps
(07:10):
as a true freshman. So Crenshaw has been the different
I'm going to give an honorable mention to Jackson Shad
for wise. Again, my Plugerville roots would not forgive me
if I didn't throw Shad in there, and you were
at that Hendrickson game. You see that it's not perfect.
Right now, Jackson Shad is fifteen and at this point
(07:32):
in his young career, through eight games, he's completing sixty
seven percent of his passes. He's number four in the
state with over twenty three hundred yards, and he's thrown
thirty six touchdowns and he's ran it in six times.
There's there's something to be said for that.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
I just remember watching Shad in that Hendrickson game, and
he still has right some of his frame to grow into.
He is not afraid of getting a hit, and he
kind of changed the momentum that game early when he
was willing to take some big hits on third down scrambles.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I like seeing those qualities in the sophomore.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Oh absolutely. And that's maybe the most dynamic offense in
fiving Division one in the offt area. And I'm only
saying that because I just talked about Anderson. I just
talked about Caleb Crenshaw. But Chad has you know, he
he has weapons, and to his credit, he's used them.
You can have as many weapons as you want, somebody's
got to get him the football and Malcolm Hill has
(08:30):
put him in a good spot to do so, and
I think it will continue. But I definitely have to
give the flowers to Caleb Crenshaw. How that kid is
not committed to a Division one program right now is
beyond me. Maybe somebody knows more than you and I do.
Actually a ton of people do. That's why you and
I are talking right now. I'm a big fan of
Caleb Prenshaw, and I would like to see him, you know,
(08:51):
continue to succeed.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
Hey, they might know more than you, but they're not
going to work harder than you out there calling water
polo today. But you know, I had Kill Crenshaw. I
had Caleb Crenchaw on my short list too. I mean
entering last night at seventeen touchdowns, he added two more
in what was kind of a workman like win for
Anderson over Hayes. They kind of just managed that game
well late, settled for field goals in the red zone
(09:13):
at times, but used the safety to help get past
Hayes twenty nine to fourteen, with Anderson ripping off a
couple of big runs in the process. But you know,
MVPs often looked at whether it's for better or for
worse as a quarterback award, and so West and.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Nielsen belongs up there in that conversation too.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
For the Bears a bass drop this year, who are
unbeaten at seven to zero. Nielsen has thrown for a
shade under two thousand yards, twenty eight touchdowns, only six interceptions,
most of which came in non district plot. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Well, I mean you see West and Nielsen up close
and personal, you know a lot more. You know, they
don't hand out stars like that. You're not a four
star quarterback.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
If you're not good and bass drop, there's a top
ten offense in the area, and I'm sure if you
boil down to so you know the numbers of your choosing,
you can make an argument for top five, they're gonna
be firmly in that Division two race. So I don't
think West and Nielsen's a bad selection at all, and
I think you put it perfectly. I'm gonna give you
(10:14):
some credit now for hosting your game show here. I
don't think there was a bad option both Nielsen and
Shad and Grenshaw. We can go down the list of
guys that are performing at a high level right now.
But I think if you were to pull. Most Austin
area media members who keep up with Texas high school football,
they would put those three and then probably some change
with a couple others.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Hey, this award show resents being called a game show,
but that's actually a great idea for a future gimmicks.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I'm just trying to put it in your brain.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Well, let's rack your brain for an area defensive MVP.
Obviously it's a lot more subjective because every defense, just
like offense, runs a little bit differently. But is there
a particular standout at the top of your list right
now in the area.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
The first name that came to mind for me is
the outstanding ed rusher from Lake Travis. So again I
keep teasing that our next section. I'm sorry, this is
why you're the host that I'm not. It's Carter Buck,
you know, committed to TCU. To the first four weeks
of the season, he had seven sacks, and what stands
out to me is that he's anchoring a defense. I
(11:21):
say it every year that I think may have you know,
the horses, so to speak, to keep up with Westlake
and when you're anchoring a defense at is state championship caliber,
you should get your credit and I think Carter Buck
has done, you know, an outstanding job leading that group,
you know, to the point they had and after the
win against Dripping Springs last week, he didn't. He was
(11:41):
a part of, you know, two game changing turnovers.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Yeah, and he's got three force fumbles and a pick
this year, like you mentioned, two of those in the
big win and now up to ten sacks as we speak.
I had him at the top of my list with
an honorable mention for Noah McPeak, a really versatile kind
of chess piece for the Wise Wolves.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Know what McPeak is. You know, he's a fun story
because you know he's another one of these guys that
kind of had to grow into his frame a little bit.
His older brother Troy played on that on those White
Wolves teams that were, you know, shocking the area, you know,
early twenty twenties. Crazy to say that I'm gonna ignore it,
but mcpeaks, he's done it on special teams. He's done
(12:21):
it as a rusher. He can it can drop him
into coverage. Malcolm Hill understands that you need kind of
like a row whatever it is, a star, a rover, whatever.
The in the defense alignment calls for that's what McPeak
has been. He's been really fun to watch, and you know,
coming down the stretch of the season, we're gonna get
a chance to see him go up against Caleb Crenshaw
(12:41):
where those two are gonna have to lock horn, so
to speak, a couple of times, and I can't wait
for that.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
Yeah, he's one of those guys you just know he's
gonna impact the game, but you don't know exactly where
or in what position or what phase of the game
it's gonna be.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
So I think we did a good.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Job there with that list, Buck and McPeak for defensive MVP,
Crenshaw and Nielsen in the mix as well for offensive MVP.
But let's look at tonight's slate, because it's gonna mean
a lot. With only a handful of district games to go.
Starting in twenty six to six A with the Battle
of the Lakes Lake Travis coming off that fourteen to
seven low scoring victory over Dripping Springs, that means that
(13:21):
with the way tiebreakers work, they could essentially win the
district tonight. And yet the Shaps have beaten them six
straight times in this series. They've got Drew Brees in
the building tonight getting his number retired. Is this the
year for Lake Travis to win the Battle of the
Lakes or will Westlake stand tall again?
Speaker 3 (13:41):
I don't know, and I feel like we I alluded
to it a second ago. I feel like we do
this kind of every year. I feel like we say, Okay, hey,
dripping Springs is pretty good, and then Lake Travis takes
care of chipping Springs, and then we say, I don't know,
Lake Travis is pretty good. Westlake may look beatable, and
then and then west Lake beats him. At least in
(14:02):
the most recent future. I think this is the defense
to do it. Van Hopping for Lake Travis. I don't
know if you saw, he broke the Lake Travis all
time rushing touchdown record, so he's an Austin area. We
could have thrown him in for offensive MVP. The thing
about west Lake is it reminds me of those Michigan teams,
(14:22):
especially the ones that the one that captured the national championship.
I believe Joe Klett put it. They're a boa constrictor
of a defense that just continues to just pound you out.
And Reese Wise again, we haven't talked about Reese Wise yet.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
Is field time playing Lake Travis.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Absolutely and wise has done it before. His running game
has been tremendous, and you know, I, you know, all
of us reserve the right to kind of say, hey,
you know, I'm I'm going with the shafts until proven otherwise,
because I've had this thought before of yes, this is
a time. And Wesley continues to say, you know, not
(15:05):
so fast. My rule of thumb is in order to
be the man, you have to beat the man, and
we have yet to see it. Lake Travis's would not
be surprised if I get done with water polo today
and I look up and I say, okay, awesome. I
felt like Travis b. Westlake fourteen to ten would not
be surprised on the slider. But until then, I have
to go with with Westlake.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Computer, by the way, agrees with you. They like Westlake
by three.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
To the crowded, chaotic, whatever you want to call it,
District twenty five six say maybe the Big twelve of
area high school football this year, and you hinted at
it earlier. Vandergrift at Huddo for the headliner tonight. Huddo
has won six in a row, but they've got this game,
and then Vista Ridge and then McNeil to close out
(15:51):
the year. We're going to learn a lot more about
Eli Reinhart's team here down the stretch. What kind of
keys do you think come into play with this game?
Speaker 3 (15:59):
So I'm gonna start with vander Griffs for a moment,
and vander Grifts. It kind of got swept under the rug,
not by you and I, but vander Grift a couple
of weeks ago lost to McNeil that hadn't happened in
a long time. And since then they rattled up two
straight wins against the Ridge and against Maynor. What I
do like for the Hippos is that this is an huddo.
(16:21):
You know, Vandergriff has shown, you know, a couple of
laps in is here and there, and but their defense
is always going to be one of the top in
the region, not even district. It's always gonna be one
of the top in the region. And so I look
at that vander Griff has an outstanding defensive player. He's
an defensive lineman. Hugo de Lavada Vasquez Vasquez team leader
(16:45):
for tackles for a loss. But the thing is Big
twelve is a great way to put it, Jake, because
the Hippos just run, man, They just get out and run.
Caden Stepik I mentioned him earlier directing that offense under
like the North Crowley umbrella if you will, you know,
lots of different concepts being worked in. I think this
(17:06):
is the time for Huddo to kind of announce where
they are. If you were to ask me, you know,
dripping Springs be Vandergriff earlier in the season, I would
have Sai Huddles nowhere near Dripping Springs. After the resume
we've seen from Huddo. I think this is their coming
out party, and I think they get a narrow win
over the Vipers.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Vandergrift in that case would not be able to make
good on their bid for an eighth straight district title.
That hinges on tonight for the Vipers and maybe hinges
on every game for them going forward, given their spot
in the standings, not having that tiebreaker against McNeil.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
So EJ you're.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Going with Huddle, Do you want to guess who the
computer took him by?
Speaker 2 (17:46):
How many?
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I'm going to assume that you know we're gonna ride on,
you know, Vandergriffs and Vandergriff's defense because of you know
how many shootouts that Huddo has gotten into. But I
wouldn't be surprised.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Who do we got? Youuter likes Vandergriff by four.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
And once again would not be surprised if that's the result.
I just think Huddle makes one more play offensively because
of their speed on the outside.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
They don't play games on computers, and that's why this
next matchup is interesting. McNeil, who, like we said, has
had just a terrific season four and one right now
in district play, they're gonna be watching Vandergrift and Huddle
carefully because well, but they can't take their eye too
far off the ball tonight.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
They are at cedar Ridge tonight.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Now, McNeil, they backed up their Vandergrift win seventeen to
fourteen kind of low scoring, low possession contest with a
game one in a very different style forty five to
forty two over Vista Ridge.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
Cedar Ridge just lost to those same two opponents.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
But, like we said, the parody in this district, this
being a home game for the Raiders, can they cause
McNeil some problems tonight and possibly shake this thing up again?
Speaker 3 (19:02):
I'm not surprised with anything in this distort at all.
I'm not. And you know, a rivalry lost a couple
of weeks ago to Round Rock probably doesn't feel great,
you know, especially in the fashion that they did. But
they hung with Vista Ridge and this, this is big twelve.
This is you know, some offensive firepower. You know. Noah Definish,
(19:23):
he's averaging just about seven yards of carry for Seterridge.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
I like what they're doing.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
The thing is is that I think, you know the
old Bobby Bowden, you know quote you have first in
order to move through your program, you have to lose big,
and then you have to lose close, and you have
to win close, and then it comes later. Maybe winning big.
McNeil is winning these games.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Now.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
McNeil showed that they can beat Vandergrift. You understand, you
understand where I'm getting through here. So I think that
you know, Scott Hermis's club knows how good they are now.
And maybe they didn't when they played Whits in Week
one and lost fifty six to twenty eight. But they
beat Lake Belton, who they didn't beat last year, and
again heartbreaking fashion. Okay, they beat vander Griff. They beat
(20:11):
Vista Ridge. I wouldn't be surprised if it's high scoring,
but I still feel comfortable about McNeil.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
Here computer thinks McNeil wins it by thirteen. I don't know.
That one just kind of jumped out to me.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
As you know, a desperate perhaps Cedar Ridge team at
home against the McNeil team who will not be able
to start slowly off of by Lake Belton, by the way,
plays Cedar Park tonight. That's a pretty good matchup. But
I know you wanted to get to one more down south.
San Marcus at Steel. The Rattlers have never beaten the Knights,
but they were off to a darn good start. How
(20:44):
can San Marcus keep this one close to night? Do
you see them being able to hang with Steel?
Speaker 3 (20:49):
So the for a quick background before we get out
of here, Jake, the San Marcus Rattlers are one of
the great stories because of where they were a year ago.
You throw away any stats, you throw it away in
uas you know, is that a coaching change, that a
program changed. There were eleven players that were disqualified by
the UIL for different reasons, and they get all those
(21:10):
players back this year. So a team last year that
was losing sixty three zero. Sometimes they get their dogs
back and now they've been able to really like be
in some games that they weren't they shut out. But
to Johnson, it close left to East Central, who is
a very underrated club in the San Antonio area. Blue
blood Judson. The thing about Sam Marcus is that their
(21:31):
defense I think is a very underrated. Their quarterback Bucks
Steinn is good. They have weapons, but their defense has
risen up. They've done very good against quality opponents. They
held Wipe to twenty five points. They beat Huddo in
the week opening week of the season. They have their
two way star Jordan Lampkin. I think they can. The
(21:53):
question is are they ready the same way? Are you
ready to win close games? Because this has to come
together this year for San Marcus because of the implications
surrounding them. But Steele is going to be Steel. Okay,
When you're Steel and you beat Liberty Hill forty five
to ten early in the season, that says something that
says that, hey, we're not going anywhere just yet. Coach
(22:15):
signs is I'm a big fan of his, especially with
the way that the Knights have played the most recent future.
But the Knights have rattled off three wins, and I
would caution you to thoroughly pick steel. I'm gonna pick steel,
but I don't think it's the same score that we've
seen in previous years.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
Yeah, we'll keep an eye on that score.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
I know you've got to get your goggles and swim
cat back on and get back in the pool. I'm kidding,
get back above the pool, pool side. Whatever you call it.
It's a broadcast water polo. Has that been fun for you?
By the way, I've never called water polo, you know.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
It's a variation of rules of handball that we see
in the Olympics. I'm obviously water polos in the Olympics,
but soccer as well, with the no off side you know,
well as anyone, the crash course in a sport has
its ups and downs. But you know, I've thoroughly enjoyed it.
The folks that textan Live have, you know, keep throwing
these games at me and I'm really enjoying myself.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
So that's where we should watch it tonight.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Textan Live for the State water Polo Championships Texandlive.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
Dot Com all throughout the day and then we can
see probably about half of the games that are slate tonight.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
What do we need instead of Friday Night Lights? Was
it Friday Night water Fights?
Speaker 3 (23:27):
Did you come up with that on the spot or
have you been stewing on that?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
No, that was I swear that was right.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
Now.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
You know what this I'm not just a game show host. Okay,
this is Live.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
There's got to be like another station near y'all that
would absolutely appreciate the quick rhymes that Jake Herman is
spitting today.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
Let's get out of here while I'm on a hot streak.
EJ Sanchez joining us. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
EJ.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
Have a great call, Thanks Jake.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
That is textan Live's EJ Sanchez When we come back.
Much more to come on this afternoon's edition of The
Craig Way Show. Are going to look around the college
football landscape next
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