The age-old axiom of practice making perfect swirled through the mind of Dripping Springs Tigers quarterback Tanner Prewit Friday.
Following what Prewit believed was “the best week of practice I’ve had in high school,” Dripping Springs put the pedal to the metal in a lopsided 52-35 district win over the LBJ Jaguars at Tiger Stadium.
Understanding LBJ was one of the Tigers’ toughest opponents pushed Dripping Springs to put its best foot forward.
“LBJ is a good team and we knew it would be our toughest game,” Prewit said. “We started out practice fast Monday and we never let up.”
Getting off to a fast start was equally key against a talented LBJ program. Galen Zimmerman, Dripping Springs head football coach, said all three phases of the game excelled Friday, with the team playing its most complete game of the season to date.
Zimmerman said one of the keys was avoiding a similar sluggish start the team experienced in its game against McCallum the previous week. Winning the first drive was also a goal the team set for itself during the week.
The Tigers accomplished that by taking a quick 7-0 first quarter lead via a 11-yard touchdown run by Jake Cox.
“We wanted to get going early and I felt like our kids had energy coming out of the tunnel,” Zimmerman said.
Corralling LBJ’s playmaking ability was a challenge the Tigers fought with early on. The Jaguars showed that explosiveness with an 82-yard touchdown run by Jaleel Scott, which tied the game at 7-7.
Enter a Dripping Springs’ defense that ensnared the Jaguar offense for the remainder of the first half. The Tigers forced two fumbles and a turnover on downs, allowing its offense to tally 28 unanswered points over a 12 minute span.
The Tigers led LBJ 35-14 at intermission. Zimmerman said adjusting to LBJ’s team speed, which could not be simulated in practice, helped to keep the Jaguar offense in check. Team defense and “doing your job” also helped.
“Our kids did a good job of minimizing big plays and making them drive the field on offense,” Zimmerman said.
Meanwhile, Dripping Springs’ pass attack thrived against the Jaguar defensive backfield. Prewit led the way by going 15 of 24 for 281 yards and a trio of passing touchdowns. Prewit also rushed for 68 yards and a rushing score.
Wide receiver Cameron O’Banan caught seven of those passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, while wide receiver Parker Alford caught three passes for 98 yards and a score.
Prewit credited the offensive line for giving him enough time to throw. Dripping Springs kept pace with LBJ in the final half and tallied two more touchdowns the rest of the way.
“I knew they were in Cover 1 (defense), so it was ‘I know my guy is better than your guy,’” Prewit said.
The focus now centers on Friday’s homecoming game with Lanier. That precedes a critical Oct. 26 road game against Seguin.
“We’re going to enjoy this. This is a big win,” Zimmerman said. “But after you celebrate it and enjoy it, the next day you put it behind you and focus on being 1-0.”
District 12-5A D1 standings
Dripping Springs 3-0
Seguin 3-0
LBJ 2-1
Crockett 2-1
McCallum 1-2
Lanier 1-2
Travis 0-3
Reagan 0-3
The week ahead
McCallum vs. Seguin – Thursday
Travis vs. Reagan – Thursday
Dripping Springs vs. Lanier – Friday
LBJ vs. Crockett –Friday
