Dripping Springs Tigers advance to quarterfinals

PHOTO BY ALBERT SANCHEZ
Tiger Kyle Koch (No. 6) out jumps Mustang Dylan Gordon (No. 1) to make a catch in the third quarter of the game. Koch ended the game with five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.[/caption]

SAN ANTONIO   — On Saturday, Nov. 25, the Dripping Springs Tigers traveled to the Alamodome and faced the John Jay High School Mustangs in the regionals of the UIL 6A D2 playoffs, where they would come out with a 50-27 win.

John Jay scored first on a 7-yard run. The Tigers offense started where they left off last week and scored on a 47-yard pass from quarterback Jack Williams to wide receiver Kyle Koch. A few minutes later, running back Nick Tyndall scored on a 13-yard run and the first quarter ended with the score of Tigers 14, Mustangs 14.

The second quarter started with the Tigers defense playing on all cylinders. Rio Hay recovered a fumble and scored on a 4-yard touchdown run; the Tigers scored again on a 3-yard pass to Cooper Reid from Williams. The first half ended with the score Tigers 28, Mustangs 21.

At the start of the third quarter, Tiger Tomsen Vickery tackled Mustang quarterback Jackson Gutierrez in the endzone for a safety.

After a hard-hitting game and a few injuries, backup running back Jaceton Gotta stepped in and took the handoff from Williams and ran 61 yards for a touchdown. Williams also passed the ball to Koch for a 30-yard touchdown.

The only Tiger touchdown in the fourth quarter came on a 41-yard run by Gotta.

During this playoff run, the Tigers have outscored their opponents 122-75. The Tigers will play Steele High School (12-1) in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

"All week, I was mentally preparing to go into the game if called and it happened," said Gotta following the game. "The big key in today's game was the offensive line. They played tough the whole game and even when we were winning, they gave it 100% and never gave up.”

Gotta ended the game with 20 rushes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. His longest run was 61-yard run and touchdown.

In another post-game interview, Koch spoke about the 30-yard catch and touchdown in the endzone: “It was a jump ball, and it was 50/50 chance, and I had to go up and get it.”

While he is a senior, Koch said that the younger players “came in and made some great plays” after a few key injuries.

He was also proud of the tough plays made by the defense, highlighting Vickery’s sack for a safety: “[Vickery] is a big dude; he is going to make plays and he is a playmaker.”

Koch ended the day with two carries for nine rushing yards, five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Other notable stats from the game include: Williams with 14 completions on 19 attempts for 283 yards, three touchdowns and one interception; quarterback Maddox Maher with one completion on two attempts for 11 yards and one interception; Nick Tyndall with seven carries for 47 yards and one touchdown; Reid with six catches for 101 yards and one touchdown; and Maddox Bloomgren with one catch for 29 yards. Nolan Dahl had four tackles and two assists; Elijah Gonzales had four tackles and two assists; Hay had three tackles, one assist and one sack; and Vickery had one safety.