Bastrop likely the district champion after holding off Pflugerville
By Jim Irish
Photos by Bella Rice
No one will announce it yet, but Bastrop is the odds-on favorite to capture the District 12-5A Division II football title with three games remaining.
How so?
The Bears (3-4 overall, 2-0 district) defeated Pflugerville 30-25 – the only team standing between them and the title – at Memorial Stadium on Friday.
"There were definitely district implacations. This was a big game for our program."
-- Bastrop coach Jake Griedl
Bastrop’s remaining games are against Navarro, Elgin, and the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA), who have a combined record of 4-17. In fact, LASA has scored a mere 26 points in seven games.
“There were definitely district implications,” Bastrop head coach Jake Griedl said after the competitive contest. “This was a big game for our program.”
It didn’t come easy, however.
A wind of 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts as high as 40 mph disrupted game plans. The team with the wind at its back had a huge advantage. It was a nightmare for the team with the wind in its face. In the first quarter, Bastrop punter Kaden Laney was limited to punts of nine and six yards as if he was kicking against an invisible wall. However, in the fourth quarter, Laney launched one that rolled 61 yards to the Pflugerville two-yard line.
“Obviously, the conditions were rough, and we had to grind it out…” Griedl said. “It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win.”
"Obviously, the conditions were rough, and we had to grind it out..."
-- Griedl
Bastrop scored on the game’s opening series. Bastrop quarterback Weston Nielsen tossed a short pass to wide receiver Kaleb Dowell, who dashed down the sideline 55 yards for the touchdown.
Nielsen had a low-completion night of 6-for-15, but he passed for 191 yards and three touchdowns. He was sacked twice and fumbled once. Numerous snaps from sophomore center Daniel McCoy to Nielsen were not on target because of the wind.
On its next series, Bastrop found itself first and goal on the Pflugerville five-yard line but failed to cross the goal line. The Cougars (3-4, 1-1) sacked Nielsen on fourth down.
“We had a chance to go up 14-0,” Griedl said. “We missed an opportunity, and they scrapped.”
Indeed, Pflugerville grabbed the momentum. Emanuel de Loera nailed a 32-yard field goal near the end of the first quarter. After a short punt by Laney into the wind, Pflugerville quarterback Caleb Gaston sped 21 yards on an option play to score early in the second for a 10-7 lead.
Bastrop regained the lead on a pass to wide receiver Dallas Crescenzo, standing alone in the secondary. After the catch, he stumbled briefly but righted himself and outran a defender for an 81-yard score.
“We sold the slant route, got the safety to bite on it, and ran the vertical off of it,” Griedl said about the pass. “We’ve been setting that up throughout the season, and we were waiting for the right team to call it on.”
Nielsen called his own number on a 45-yard bolt in the third quarter. Three plays later, Bastrop running back Jahmani Jones-Watkins went untouched from five yards for a 21-10 lead. Jones-Watkins rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries.
Bastrop defensive back Dwodney Thompson prevented a touchdown, forcing Pflugerville running back Trace Lamar to fumble at the goal line.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Pflugerville scored on a 28-yard pass from Gaston to Camryn Fulton and then ran it in for the two-point conversion to shrink Bastrop’s lead to 21-18.
Bastrop linebacker Austin Moilan pulled off a big play when he tackled Weston in the end zone for a two-point safety in the fourth.
Later in the fourth, Nielsen rolled out and hit Diego Rangel on a 23-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 30-18.
Pflugerville pushed once more, scoring on a seven-yard run by Lamar.
After the score, the Cougars tried an onside kick, but it was covered by Rangel.
Bastrop plays at Navarro (1-6, 1-1) on Friday.
"They're all winnable games, and we've got to find a way to keep getting better," Griedl said the final three district games."
Jim Irish is a freelance writer in Bastrop, Texas
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