An outright district championship is almost in sight for the Dripping Springs Tigers.
By virtue of a dominant 41-0 win over the Medina Valley Panthers on senior night Friday, Dripping Springs (9-0, 6-0) earned at least a share of the 26-5A crown with one regular season game left.
But from the get-go Friday, both Dripping Springs and Medina Valley’s defenses came to play.
That was solidified by a frenetic sequence involving four straight fumbles on the first four drives of the game.
Dripping Springs eventually found its equilibrium to take the first swipe.
Tiger junior running back Jake Cox found the end zone to give Dripping Springs a 7-0 first quarter lead.
Cox ran for 74 yards on 6 carries with a touchdown in the first quarter alone. He finished the game with a team high 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 12 carries.
The Dripping Spring defense continued to dominate, never allowing the Panthers any big plays offensively.
On the flip side, Cox continued to pound out yardage, and senior quarterback Trevor Greenman and senior wide receiver Johnny Hoyle linked up in the passing game.
Cox’s second touchdown of the game gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead.
On the ensuing Panther drive, Tiger junior defensive back Tanner Prewitt intercepted a screen pass and returned it for a 36-yard touchdown to give Dripping Springs a 21-0 lead.
Greenman then dissected the Medina Valley secondary and tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Hoyle to extend the Tigers’ lead to 28-0 at halftime.
The Tigers hit the ground running in the second half as Greenman hit senior wide receiver Curtis Raymond in the end zone to cap off a 6 play, 54 yard drive.
BE THERE: Dripping Springs take on Marble Fall Nov. 10 at Marble Falls High to secure the outright 26-5A championship. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Dripping Springs led 35-0 and never looked back from there.
Medina Valley was unable to get anything going offensively, gaining only 208 yards offensively.
Dripping Springs’ final score of the game came via a 34-yard touchdown from quarterback Ryan Davenport to senior Taylor Ponton.
With the win, Dripping Springs improved to 9-0 for the first time since 2008, and locked up a share of the district championship for the second straight year.
Greenman went 7 of 10 with 136 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tiger junior Parker Alford led the team in receptions and receiving yardage with 62 yards on 3 catches.
Senior Johnny Hoyle had 2 catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. Both senior Taylor Ponton and senior Curtis Raymond also caught touchdowns.
“It’s always hard to win on Friday nights in Texas, so every win is special. It was great to do it on senior night,” Zimmerman said.
Dripping Springs could secure the outright 25-6A championship with a road win over Marble Falls Nov. 10.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Marble Falls High.
