Rouse hasn't had much luck against Cedar Park recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Raiders will host the Timberwolves at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
On Friday, Rouse came up short against Lake Belton and fell 49-38. The Raiders gained 77 more yards on the day, but it was the Broncos that made the best use of them.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the best came from London Morgan, who threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 70 yards on only five carries. He got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 66 yards. Another back making a difference was Anthony Reyes, who rushed for 143 yards and a pair of TDs.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cedar Park). They claimed a resounding 57-14 victory over Chaparral. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Timberwolves' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 138th, while the Bobcats are ranked 636th).
Rouse better keep an eye on Trae Samuel Frost Hill. He was instrumental in Cedar Park's win, rushing for 220 yards and five scores while picking up 9.2 yards per carry. Thanks to that big game, Samuel Frost Hill is now up to 10 rushing touchdowns on the season. The team also got some help courtesy of David Cooper, who threw for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 88.2% of his passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Cedar Park was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 263 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 154 rushing yards in five consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Rouse's defeat dropped their record down to 2-2. As for Cedar Park, the win also got them back to even at 2-2.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Rouse has relied on air attacks this season and has averaged 374.2 passing yards per game. Cedar Park, on the other hand, has relied on a stout run game: they average 205.2 rushing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Rouse couldn't quite get it done against Cedar Park when the teams last played back in October of 2024 as they fell 35-25. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Cooper, who rushed for 60 yards and one TD, and also threw for 117 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 78.3% of his passes. Now that the Raiders know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
