Dripping Springs proved last year was no fluke. Now the Tigers have their sights set on something higher.
Dripping Springs surprised everybody by going 12-2 with its first district title since 1996 and a trip to the regional finals last season. The Tigers had a lot of pressure to live up to that this year and delivered by rolling through the regular season undefeated and winning back-to-back league championships for the first time in school history.
With that out of the way, Dripping Springs hopes to accomplish another first by bringing home a state title. The Tigers quest for the ultimate Texas High School Football glory begins Friday in the Class 5A Div. I Bi-District round against Austin LBJ (7-3) at Kelly Reeves Stadium in Austin.
Left Tackle Lantz Milam, Photos By Shari Schmok
“I’m extremely proud of this group,” said Dripping Springs coach Galen Zimmerman. “I think it’s really hard to handle that winning and continue to do it… There’s a great Lou Holtz quote about the stages of winning. First, is learn to compete. Second, is learn to win. Then you have to learn how to handle winning, and when you can do those things, then you’re ready to win championships. We really kind of buy into that philosophy.”
Dripping Springs gets it done on both sides of the ball with an offense that averages 42 points per game and a defense that surrenders just 14.2. The Tigers won every game by at least 20 points except for a 21-17 victory against playoff-bound Buda Hays (6A) which they won on a fourth quarter 50-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Trevor Greenman to junior wide receiver Parker Alford.
Photos By Shari Schmok
Greenman has thrown for 2,201 yards with 30 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 65.4 completion percentage. But Dripping Springs is really more of a running team with almost a two-to-one run-to-pass ratio. Junior Jake Cox leads the ground game with 838 yards and 10 touchdowns on 109 carries and Greenman makes defenses respect the zone-read with 746 yards and 10 touchdowns on 101 carries.
Senior linebacker Beau Collins leads the defense with 152 tackles (15.2 per game) and 18 tackles for a loss. Junior linebacker Tanner Prewitt holds the team lead in sacks with six and senior safety Brittan Howeth has a team-best five interceptions. The unit as a whole has forced 70 tackles for a loss, 26 sacks and 24 turnovers.
Photos By Shari Schmok
“This group of seniors were freshmen my first year when I was just the offensive coordinator and to kind of watch the progress has been really fun,” Zimmerman said. “Right now what we’ve got to do is we just got to stay healthy. We’re not very deep. We’re pretty solid in all three phases. We just can’t lose anybody else. We’ve lost a couple guys this year on each side of the ball and it just has made us a little bit thinner than I’d like to be this time of year.”
Zimmerman knows that LBJ presents a formidable challenge. The Jaguars have been to the playoffs each of the last 12 years, so they know what it’s like to play in this kind of environment. They also have plenty of talent, including 5-foot-5 senior Deon Collins, who Dripping Springs will have to account for as a runner, receiver and returner. Collins can score from anywhere and has 380 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, 32 catches for 593 yards and seven scores through the air and is possibly the most dangerous as a return man. Zimmerman also has concerns about an LBJ defense that features junior defensive tackle Devin Jones, who creates havoc along the line of scrimmage, and playmaking senior linebacker Ja’Len Cleveland.
“They’re a very good football team. They create big plays on both sides of the ball,” Zimmerman said. “They put some pressure on you defensively. They go man and try and bring pressure and they got a couple really good kids… (Offensively) they got some really good athletes that can make plays one-on-one, so you’ve got to play assignment football. So they put pressure on you (on) both sides of the ball, and special teams-wise, they’re not afraid to pick up the ball and try to make a big play at anytime. It’s one of those where you just cannot relax because the big-play potential on both sides of the ball is huge. Kids play physical. They play fast. They’re a scary football team.”
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