Efficient offense helped the Dripping Springs Tigers football team lay the groundwork for a thrilling 48-38 season opening win Friday over the Kerrville Tivy Antlers at Tiger Stadium.
At the center of it all was senior quarterback Tanner Prewit, who accumulated 437 of the Tigers’ 600 total yards on offense, as well as scoring six touchdowns on the night.
For most of the contest, Tivy and the Tigers went back and forth, trading punches in the form of points.
Tivy got the upper hand by taking a 3-0 first quarter lead. From there, the Tigers and Antlers went toe to toe, tallying a combined 48 points in the second quarter alone.
It was Dripping Springs that got the last jab before intermission, as Prewit punched in a late touchdown run to give Dripping Springs a 27-24 lead.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the second half as they tallied 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 41-24 advantage.
Tivy, however, didn’t go away and clawed its way back into contention. A touchdown run by Antler quarterback Karson Valverde early in the fourth quarter cut Dirpping Springs’ lead to 41-31.
But the Tiger offense proved too tough to tame. A touchdown pass from Prewit placed the Tigers out of reach at 48-31 late in the game.
Tivy finished with a rushing touchdown, but it wasn’t enough.
Prewit said the Tigers sought to improve in the second half and that they “just kept going.”
“Once you let up ... Things turn downhill so we just kept going up from there,” Prewit said.
Tiger head coach Galen Zimmerman said a critical point was “being a little more aggressive [going into 2nd half] defensively and offensively.”
Overall, protecting the ball and maintaining possession are points for the Tigers to focus on. However, Zimmerman said it was a “pretty special thing” to see many first-year varsity players score a win to open the season.
“Every win is special. Texas high school football is tough ... we’re not going to be satisfied with just one win, but we’re going to be excited because there is a lot of work that goes into it,” Zimmerman said.
Prewit finished by going 17 of 27 for 263 yards and three passing touchdowns, including a completed pass for 75 yards; Prewit also finished with 174 rushing yards on 18 carries and three rushing touchdowns.
Senior running back Jake Cox rushed for 162 yards on 23 carries and had one rushing touchdown. Four Tigers had 50 or more yards receiving, with senior Parker Alford leading the way with 120 yards on eight catches and two scores.
Dripping Springs travels to play in-county rival Hays Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Bob Shelton Stadium.
