How Dripping Springs topped Johnson in battle of offenses: 3 takeaways
DRIPPING SPRINGS — Dripping Springs quarterback Maddox Maher sprinted toward the end zone.
He didn't have the ball, mind you, but he had just tossed a second-half touchdown pass to Cooper Reid at Tiger Stadium on Friday night and was the first person to reach his wideout to celebrate.
"This receiving corps is awesome," Maher said. "I love having (height) on the outside, and then our guys on the inside and tight ends are great at catching the ball and blocking. It's just a really good group."
While Maher threw darts most of the night and finished with 280 yards and four touchdown passes in Dripping Springs' 49-34 win over Johnson , his receivers — Reid in particular — were almost as impressive. Five different Tigers caught passes, with Reid hauling in five for 87 yards and three touchdowns, Nick Tyndall finishing with six receptions for 58 yards, Merrik Bloomgren getting free for a 77-yard scoring catch and tight end Jakob Rivas having some substantial yards-after-catch production.
"Coming into the year, the depth of our experience was in our receiving corps along with (running back Jack Tyndall)," Dripping Springs coach Galen Zimmerman said. "Hopefully, those are the guys you're leaning on since they've been there, and they're pulling the rest of the team with them."
More: Westlake starts slow before thumping Cibolo Steele on the roadHere are some more thoughts on the game — which saw the teams combine for more than 900 yards of offense — as both squads start district play next week:
Tigers weren't perfect on offense, but weren't far off, eitherPossibly overshadowed by Dripping Springs' passing attack was the fact that Jack Tyndall rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns as part of an offense that did little wrong. The Tigers never punted, and outside of two turnovers that have to be credited to solid plays by the Johnson defensive line, used both a mixture of big plays and long, grinding drives.
The offensive line was a potential concern prior to the season after losing most of the starters from a year ago, however, it gave Maher time in the passing game and allowed Tyndall to average more than 7 yards a carry.
"Our offensive coaches did a great job putting together a game plan and Maddox did a great job executing it," Zimmerman said. "We're starting to come together up front ... and we've got enough guys at the skill positions that have been in close games before, so they executed their best when it was needed. And I appreciate that part." It was a solid non-district run for Dripping SpringsConsidering its inexperience on the offensive line and the fact it entered the year with almost an entirely new defense, Dripping Springs had a successful non-district schedule. Take out a rough first half in a season-opening loss to Vandegrift, and Zimmerman's squad did about all one could expect with blowing out San Antonio Wagner, edging Harker Heights and holding off the Jaguars.
"We played four good teams to get ready for what is a tough district," Zimmerman said. "We didn't want to make it easy ... and wanted to test ourselves. We want to figure out what we can and can't do and fix it. So I feel good about where we're at."
More: Scores from around the region in week 4The Tigers will have to make significant improvements on defense — more on that below — if they want to beat Lake Travis for a third straight year and hang with Westlake, but they've got another month before facing either of those powerhouses.
"We've got to continue to get better," Zimmerman said. "It's just Week 4. If you want to get to Week 14, 15 and 16, you better get better."
Johnson's rushing attack is legitThe Jaguars finished with 358 yards on the ground, and running back Kael Hatnot (155 yards, three touchdowns) and quarterback Zach Isaak (107 yards, two touchdowns) will be tough for anyone to stop.
With 559 yards and nine touchdowns through four games, Hatnot is making a case as the top running back in the Austin area. His run game is something that should help the program make the playoffs for the first time as a Class 6A school.
Johnson got shipped south into District 29-6A in realignment , and while its travel will increase, the competition level is substantially less than the last two years facing Westlake, Lake Travis and Dripping Springs. After playing four Austin-area schools in non-district — the Jaguars defeated Cedar Ridge, Stony Point and Austin High the first three weeks — it won't play another local game.
Don't be surprised if the Jaguars finish second in the district behind Cibolo Steele.
Rivalry?Maher noted he wasn't sure if this contest between Hays County schools was a rivalry game.
Johnson opened late last decade and the teams have only met five times — Dripping Springs leads the series 5-0 — but there is geographical proximity between the two.
"I don't know if it is," Maher said. "I feel like they like to say it is, but we just come in and worry about us and play our game."
Other notable stats: Koryan Moye finished with 82 yards rushing and 64 yards receiving.
