Pieper passes Lockhart; it’s playoffs or bust vs. Tivy

LPR staff

After losing at Pieper, 48-21, Friday night, Lockhart faces the proverbial win-or-go-home scenario this week at Lions Stadium. Beat Kerrville Tivy and the Lions reach the 5A D1 state playoffs again next week at Alamo Heights. Lose, and Tivy gets to go play the Mules from San Antonio.

“The players certainly understand what’s at stake,” Lockhart Head Coach Todd Moebes said. “The facts are the facts and the numbers are the numbers. It is as much of a playoff game as you can have. It will be this way here on out.”

Beating Tivy is something Lockhart managed to do last season during its run all the way to the second round of the playoffs. The Lions won in Kerrville, 42-28, ending a 30-year drought against the Antlers.

Lockhart is 3-6 overall and 2-3 in District 13. Tivy is 6-3 and 2-3.

The Antlers are coming off a 21-19 loss at home to Veterans Memorial, a team that beat Lockhart earlier this season at Lions Stadium, 48–45. Tivy did beat Liberty Hill, 34-28. Liberty Hill beat Lockhart, 56-41. Both the Lions and the Antlers were handled by Pieper and handled Cedar Creek. Tivy lost at Bastrop 41–22, while Lockhart beat the Bears, 28–17. 

Both teams also played Davenport in a non-conference game, Tivy beating the Wolves, 28–10, while Lockhart lost, 65-38.

Against Pieper, Lockhart trailed 28-0 before finding any rhythm.

“They jumped out early and we were trying to play catch up the rest of the night,” Moebes said.

Each team was forced to punt on their opening possession, including a 57-yard boot by Lockhart’s Omar Ocampo.

However, Pieper scored on its next six positions, including touchdowns on its next five drives. 

The Warriors, who completed their first six passes, scored on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jake South to Jake Stratchan with 6:02 left in the first quarter. South then connected with Logan Yurick for a two-point conversion and an 8-0 Pieper lead.

South, who completed 30-52 passes in the game with five touchdowns, tossed an 11-yard TD to Mason Krueger, with 3:01 left in the first quarter and a 14–0 lead.

After a bad snap on a punt attempt by Lockhart set the Warriors up at the Lions’ 16-yard line, Pieper took just one play to find the end zone again. South connected with Stratchan for a 16-yard scoring pass. Logan Lopez booted the PAT for a 21-0 lead by the visitors with 1:52 remaining in the first period.

Pieper extended its lead to 28-0 with 11:04 left in the second quarter when South found Andrew Grinestaff on a 21-yard TD pass.

With running back Nathaniel Gonzales nursing a sore ankle, Lockhart inserted freshman Nathan Roland. His first run as a high school football player was a 10-yard gain, and two plays later he blocked for quarterback Ashton Dickens, who broke a few tackles enroute to a 56-yard touchdown run. Ocampo added the PAT to narrow the Lions’ deficit to 28-7.

Lockhart played five freshmen in the game.

Nevertheless, Pieper upped its lead again, this time, to 35-7 when running back Brady Hopper scored from 2 yards out. 

The Warriors made it 38–7 when Daniel Miranda drilled a 38-yard field goal with 7:28 left in the first half. 

Backed up, and it’s on 6-yard-line following a penalty and facing first-and–15, Dickens stepped back a yard deep in his in zone and delivered a strike to freshman wide receiver Jordan Frohock. Frohock hauled in the pass at the 36-yard line and the freshman sprinted the remaining 64 yards untouched to paydirt for a school-record 94-yard touchdown pass play. Ocampo’s PAT made it 38-14.

That’s how the score remained at halftime, in fact all the way to the fourth quarter.

Pieper did get a 42-yard field goal from Miranda on the first play of the fourth period to lead 41–14. 

The Warriors led 48-14 after South threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Krueger. 

Lockhart added it’s final points of the night with 1:08 remaining when Dickens scored on a 3-yard run, followed by Ocampo’s extra point. 

Dickens passed for 178 yards and a touchdown while running for 143 yards and two scores. 

The Lions limited Pieper to just 99 yards rushing on 26 attempts, but the Warriors had 416 yards passing — all by South — including 8 receptions by Stratchan for 122 yards and 9 catches by Grinestaff for 102 yards. 

“Pieper does a great job,” Moebes said. “They are a very good football team. They probably have the best chemistry of any team we’ve played.”

GAME STATS

Oct. 27, Warrior Stadium

Score by Quarters

Lockhart             0     14         0       7     —  21

Pieper           21     17         0     10     —  48

TEAM STATS       Lockhart             Pieper

First Downs 12           29

Rushes-Yards         39-155       26-99

Passing         12-27-1            30-52-1

Passing Yards               178         416

Total Yards               333         515

Punts-Avg.           4-46.3     2-33.0

Penalties-Yards               6-45         8-50

Fumbles-Lost 4-2           2-0

INDIVIDUAL STATS

RUSHING: LOCKHART — Dickens 18-143, Roland 16-46, Gonzales 2-1, Key 1-(-1), Deutsch 1-(-2), team 1-(-22). PIEPER — Hopper 16-62, Hamilton 6-58, Norsworthy 2-(-2), South 2-(-19).

PASSING: LOCKHART — Dickens 12-27-1-178. PIEPER — South — 30-52-1-416.

RECEIVING: LOCKHART — Frohock 2-105, Roland 5-34, Staton 2-18, Garcia 2-17, Deutsch 1-4. PIEPER — Stratchan 8-122, Grinestaff 9-102, Yurick 5-64, Kiehne 4-62, Kruger 3-48, Hamilton 1-18.

* * *

SCORING

First Quarter

PIEPER — Strachan 7 pass from South (Yurick pass from South)

PIEPER — Krueger 11 pass from South (pass fail)

PIEPER — Strachan 16 pass from South (Lopez kick)

Second Quarter

PIEPER — Grinestaff 21 pass from South (Lopez kick)

LOCKHART — Dickens 56 run (Ocampo kick)

PIEPER — Hopper 2 run (Lopez kick)

PIEPER — Miranda 38 field goal

LOCKHART — Frohock 94 pass from Dickens (Ocampo kick)

Fourth Quarter

PIEPER — Miranda 42 field goal

PIEPER — Krueger 30 pass from South (Lopez kick)

LOCKHART —  Dickens 3 run (Ocampo kick)