Posted: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 07:16 AM - 20,703 Readers
By: Rick Cantu
photography by Ricardo B. Brazziell
In the spirit of LSU-Alabama, The Sequel, the semifinal round of the state football playoffs offers two games we've seen before.
Wimberley and Coldspring-Oakhurst face off in a Class 3A, Division II semi for the second straight season. Same goes for Lexington and Refugio, who meet Friday with a spot in the 2A, Division II championship game on the line.
Although Lake Travis-Pearland Dawson won't be a sequel to a game played last season, the teams battled just two years ago in a 4A, Division I state semifinal.
Wimberley, Lexington and Lake Travis are the lone Central Texas teams with hopes of playing in their respective UIL state finals, which will be Dec. 16 at Cowboys Stadium.
Wimberley coach Weldon Nelms doesn't need video to remember last fall's 26-14 loss to Coldspring, a defeat that ended the Texans' previously unbeaten season.
The Texans had a bird's-eye view of Coldspring junior running back Sherman Gilbert, who hopped, skipped and raced for 222 yards and three touchdowns.
Wimberley (13-0) is coming off a 38-12 regional championship victory over Devine, a team that featured another running back with off-the-chart numbers. Although Joseph Sadler rushed for 207 yards, giving him 3,887 for the year, he found the end zone just once.
In contrast, Wimberley beats its opponents with offensive diversity. The Texans have won with quarterback Brady Lambert throwing to Brennen Blakemore, and they have won with Trinity Wilson and Dennis Smith alternating carries at running back.
Wimberley also wins with a defense that has yielded just 13 points a game this season.
Lexington (11-2) must contend with a white-hot opponent that won games 82-6 and 91-6 in consecutive weeks in September. Top-ranked Refugio (13-0) needs 32 points to break the state single-season scoring record of 824 points, set by Big Sandy in 1975.
Refugio enters Friday's game with an average of 60 points per game.
Lexington might be impressed by Refugio's point totals, but the Eagles are not likely to be intimidated. Refugio averaged 61 points per game last season, but suffered a 45-24 loss to Lexington in the state semifinals.
The Eagles have relied heavily on quarterback Kogan Garrett, whose combined yards running and passing have jumped from 180 per game in 2010 to 262 this season.
Lake Travis (14-0) has new faces on a team chasing a fifth straight state championship, but there is one pivotal tie to past state champs. Quinton Crow was an All-Central Texas linebacker for the Cavaliers two years ago, and his spot has been taken by his brother Corbin.
With 168 tackles, five sacks and two fumble recoveries, Corbin Crow is a cornerstone defender for a team that aspires to become the first in Texas high school history to complete the drive for five.
The key to the Cavaliers' success?
"When someone finally gets his turn (to play), he steps up," Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said Monday.
Tough decision
Reagan coach Paul Darby, who said before Thanksgiving he was considering retirement, indicated Monday he still had not made a decision on his future. Darby, 55, said he was torn between spending more time with his family or continuing on in a sport he has played or coached since he was a teenager.
