For the first time this season, Chaparral will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. After each having a week off, they and the Cedar Park Timberwolves will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Chaparral is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 36 points on September 5th, they were much more limited against Lampasas two weeks ago. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 13-12 to the Badgers. While losing is never fun, the Bobcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 669th, while the Badgers are ranked 234th).
Meanwhile, it may have taken overtime to finish the job, but Cedar Park ultimately got the result they hoped for two weeks ago. They came out on top against Huntsville by a score of 36-29. The score was all tied up 22-22 at the break, but the Timberwolves were the better team in the second half.
Cedar Park's win came from a few key players Chaparral will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Trae Samuel Frost Hill, who rushed for 211 yards and two scores while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. He showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 64 yards. Another player making a difference was David Cooper, who threw for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Cedar Park was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 223 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards in four consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Chaparral fell to 2-1. As for Cedar Park, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
Thursday's game might be decided on the ground. Chaparral has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 163 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Cedar Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 186 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's match turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Chaparral was taken down by Cedar Park 44-12 when the teams last played back in September of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Cooper, who threw for 220 yards and two TDs. Now that the Bobcats know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
