By Amira Van Leeuwen
ARLINGTON — The Wimberley Texans (15-1) concluded their football season in second after losing to the Carthage Bulldogs (16-0) at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium in the 4A-II State Championship on Dec. 16 at 11 a.m.
Fumbles, turnovers and a lethal Carthage passing game stifled the Texans all morning long.
“You’re gonna have to play really good against a good team like that,” Wimberley head coach Doug Warren said.
A Texan fumble during the first quarter led Carthage senior wide receiver Noah Paddie to score off a 50-yard touchdown pass and the extra point was good, which put the Bulldogs on the board 7-0.
The same thing happened in the second quarter when Carthage senior running back Zsemad Williams recovered a fumble. After the fumble, Carthage senior quarterback Connor Cuff threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Allen Campos. The PAT was good and the Bulldogs remained ahead 28-0.
Then, with two minutes left in the first half, Wimberley turned the ball over on downs ensuing another Carthage touchdown by Paddie and the PAT was good. The Bulldogs extended their lead 35-0 to put away the game by halftime.
Despite the loss, Warren said he is “super proud” of his team and their growth.
“We’re one of the two left standing and that’s a great accomplishment for any team,” he said. “Those kiddos took me on the ride of my life. I’ve been coaching this sport for 34 years and this is one of the most unique teams I’ve ever been around. There’s no superstars, there’s no guys that really want the attention on them, they just love football, they love playing the game, they love coming to work out every day and it’s been a joy,” Warren said.
Wimberley quarterback Lane Patek said he couldn’t have asked for a better season.
“It didn’t end the way that we wanted, but I had so much fun playing with my brothers,” Patek said.
Warren said Wimberley fans can expect more of the same next season.
“The standards for this program don’t change. The Wimberley Texans will be around for a long time.”
