By Wayland D. Clark
SAN ANTONIO – Just like a magician pulls a rabbit out of a hat, the Wimberley Texans came from behind to defeat Cuero in a 4A Division II Semifinal at the Alamodome last Friday.
With 4:33 in the game and a 42-36 Texan lead, Cuero needed a touchdown and PAT to win the game. Their efforts were in vain as a last-ditch pass was intercepted. The win advances Wimberley (15-0) to the UIL State Football Championship game on Friday at 11 a.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington where they will meet Carthage (15-0) and play for a third state championship. Wimberley won championships in 3A Division I in 2005 and 3A Division II in 2011 and was runner-up in 2019.
Sophomore quarterback Cody Stoever, who rushed for 110 yards and two touchdowns, made his longest run of the day for the Texans’ first touchdown after Lane Patek intercepted a Cuero pass. Stoever added another touchdown early in the second quarter on a 23-yard run, but trailed 14-13 after a missed PAT. “He’s an unbelievable kid, a warrior, a battler and we knew exactly what he was capable of,” head coach Doug Warren said about Stoever after the game, “and he’s gotten better and better each week.”
Cuero scored on its next possession but Patek blocked the Gobblers PAT attempt, then recovered the ball and ran 89 yards for 2 points, making it 20-15. Gage Tumlinson kicked a 37-yard field goal but Cuero scored with 34 seconds in the second quarter. A jubilant Cuero crowd cheered as time expired when Tumliinson missed a 48-yard field goal and the Texans trailed 27-18 at halftime.
The Gobblers received the kickoff and Wimberley’s powerful “Code Red” defense, that held Cuero to 9 points in the second half, was more evident as they pressured the Gobblers’ quarterback and a fourth down held Cuero to only a field goal to make it 30-18 with 7:27 in the third quarter. Johnny Ball had five touchdowns and 303 yards rushing in last week’s playoff game against Lago Vista. The plan was for him to handle the ball more this week in the second half and it started with the Texans’ first possession. “I’m humbled and glad to be a part of this,” said Ball, who averaged more than 13 yards per carry and 193 total yards and a touchdown, said after the win.
Cayden Heatly returned Cuero’s kickoff 29 yards. Ball hammered Cuero’s defense in the first half and there was much more to come. A couple of runs by Ball, a run by Jack Boyle and a pass from Stoever to Tru Couch set up a 12-yard touchdown pass to Hansen Collie and Tumlinson’s PAT with 3:21 in the third quarter cut Cuero’s lead 30-25. “We’d been doubted from the beginning of the year but had confidence in ourselves, we worked hard and have earned this. I’m so proud of this team,” an emotional Stoever said after the game.
Facing fourth down and 19 with 1:46 on the clock a sparked up Texan defense of Troy Heugly, Bransen Leonard, Shay Shroyer and sophomore Ty Thames smothered Cuero’s quarterback, forcing a punt. On their first play, with key blocks by Caden Romo and Collie, Ball busted through tackles sprinting 64 yards for a touchdown. The PAT failed but the Texans took a crucial 31-30 lead with 1:26 in the third quarter. Penalties plagued the Texans but turnovers tormented the Gobblers. Cuero’s quarterback was hit by Heugly as he released a pass that was intercepted by Patek which resulted in a 23-yard Tumlinson field goal for a 34-30 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Jack Riser recovered a Cuero fumble on the first possession. It wasn’t a magic trick but Wimberley got a break on the Texans’ first play. Ball fumbled and a bounce off the turf allowed an alert Heatly to grab the ball and run 10 yards for the touchdown. Wimberley went for two points on the PAT and Stoever connected with a pass to Riser in the end zone to make it 42-30 with 9:27 in the game.
The Texans’ defense pressured the Gobblers’ quarterback but on fourth down and eighteen he completed a pass for a touchdown. The PAT failed giving Wimberley a 42-36 lead. On the first play after the kickoff, you could hear gasps from the Texans fans and coaches after a high snap hit the turf. Stoever recovered the ball but the Gobblers forced a punt on fourth down and fourteen giving the ball back to Cuero.
With two timeouts and 4:33 in the game, Cuero would need a touchdown and PAT to win the game. The punt by Texans’ Wynston Burttschell put the Gobblers on their own 31-yard line. Cuero lost valuable time with Wimberley’s defense chasing the quarterback but he completed a couple of passes and a run to get the ball to the Texan 24-yard line with 1:29 on the clock and still two timeouts. The Cuero quarterback was sacked on second down and ten and again after a time out on third down, resulting in fourth down and eighteen. With 47 seconds on the clock he threw an interception to Zach Patek, sealing the Wimberley win.
“This is always the expectation of this program. There are people who doubt us but these coaches and kids never do. They’ve hung in there, done all we asked them to do and gotten better each and every week,” Warren said. “Now we’re looking to go 16-0 and why not.”
