With a 52-33 lead and 2:02 left in the fourth quarter in week two against Katy, Atascocita senior quarterback Cardae Mack took a quarterback sneak up the middle and got drilled, falling on his shoulder and leaving the game.
Mack came out to warm up in week three, but couldn’t throw, forcing him to watch Atascocita (2-1) fall 35-28 to Westlake (2-1). The Chaps avenged a 39-21 loss at home the year before, where Mack went 19-23 passing for 267 yards and four touchdowns.
The Eagles didn’t feel his absence in the first drive, breaking off a 70-yard touchdown run on the second play of the game. It was the second huge run given up by the Chaps on the first drive this season, as they let up a 40-yarder to Prosper in week one.
“It was a big curveball we weren’t ready for,” head coach Tony Salazar said. “We had so much designed for him and that offense and how they work. We didn’t show up at first, and it took us a little while to settle down and figure out where the pieces were and how they were aligned.”
The two teams traded quick drives, but the Chaps evened it up on a 22 yard touchdown catch. The defense got off the field quickly after, but a Chaparral muffed punt left the defense to defend the tie, as the Eagles only had 19 yards to go. Senior cornerback Eric Abraham flew in on a pass intended for the end zone, picking it off and flipping the momentum back towards Westlake.
“It’s all about preparation,” junior cornerback Wylie Nichols said. “It’s all about having a great week of practice, watching film every week and knowing what you’re getting into.”
After the offense couldn’t put more points on the board, the defense had another opportunity to change the game. Senior linebacker Weston Kane jumped on a muffed punt and set the offense up on the Atascocita 36 yard-line. On the very next play, the Chaps struck with a touchdown pass.
“We realized that big players are going to kill us on defense,” Kane said. “If we strive to get turnovers and big plays, that’s what’s going to lead us to a win, and that’s what we did.”
Atascocita added a touchdown on the next drive, but the offense matched it with seven points of their own. After an Eagles first down, the Chaps had two huge TFLs from Kane and senior linebacker Bryan Zhang to get off the field. A three-and-out followed by an Atascocita touchdown ended the half, as the Chaparrals went into the break trailing for the second time in three weeks.
Coming out of halftime, the Eagles punched Westlake in the mouth. Atascocita ripped off a 69 yard touchdown run and followed it up with an interception. Just when all looked lost, Nichols came up with a huge tackle on fourth and four to hand the ball over to the offense, who answered the bell with a touchdown run to tie the game back up at 28.
“I think we did a good job at halftime,” Salazar said. “Just going in and settling down and coming out with some big plays and executing.”
The defense forced another three and out.
The offense couldn’t capitalize, going for it on fourth down and not converting. However, senior linebacker Pasquale Maurici came up with a TFL and a bad snap resulted in an Atascocita fumble, flipping the field and setting the offense up for a crucial touchdown, the final one of the game.
The Eagles faced a fourth and five when junior linebacker Colton Fromberg came screaming in with a seven yard sack to give the Chaparral offense the ball once again. Fromberg was one of many defensive players to step up in the game.
“We have so much potential that’s untapped,” Kane said. “We have so many younger guys who are gonna step up to the plate next year, too. It shows that we’re going to keep building throughout the season.”
The offense couldn’t get the job quite finished. Senior defensive lineman Austin Knape was subbed into what would be the final defensive snap of the game with a pep talk from Salazar, who told him to strip the ball and win the game. Just as Salazar predicted, Knape iced the game with a strip-sack, pointing at Salazar, who embraced him on the sideline.
“[The defense] has grown up a lot,” Salazar said. “They made some big plays to win us that game.”
The Chaps take on Cibolo Steele in the home opener Sept. 13 at Chaparral Stadium. The Chaps took down the Knights 41-16 last season, and will look to repeat that performance in a week’s time.
“Sometimes you gotta right a wrong,” Salazar said. “That’s what our boys did tonight.”
