Dripping Springs Tigers win first round of playoffs, advance to Area

DRIPPING SPRINGS — The Dripping Springs Tiger football team has advanced to the Area round of the UIL 6A Division II playoffs after securing a 34-14 win against the Vista Ridge High School Rangers in the first round on Friday, Nov. 10.

The Rangers came in with a district record of 4-3 and the Tigers with a 7-1 record.

In the first quarter, the Tigers made the first touchdown of the game when quarterback Maddox Maher (No. 5) threw a 35-yard touchdown to the outstretched arms of Cooper Reid (No. 2) for a one-handed catch.

The second touchdown came from Maher to Kyle Koch (No. 6) for a 78-yard reception. Koch caught the ball midfield and was able to outrun the Rangers for the touchdown. The third came from the same duo for a 35-yard reception and touchdown — Koch caught the ball with two defenders in pursuit, but was able to wrestle the ball away and cross the goal line. The fourth touchdown, again with the same duo, came from a handoff and Koch found a hole on the right side of the defensive line and outran the Rangers defense and scored on a 93-yard run.

The top offensive players of the game included Maher, who had 283 passing yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

• Koch had eight receptions for 173 yards and three touchdowns

• Reid had four receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown

The Tigers had another impressive offensive game plan, as they finished the game with 306 yards rushing and 283 passing yards for a total of 589 total offense.

The top defensive players of the game included Elijah Gonzales, who had four tackles, two assists and one sack. Luca Picucci (No. 24) had six tackles and Theo Howard (No. 14) had more than five tackles.

The Tiger defense held the Rangers to 71 yards rushing and 225 yards passing for a total team offense of 296 yards.

They will now travel to San Antonio and play Converse Judson High School (2-3 district Record) at Rutledge Stadium at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18.