Photo via Henry Huey, Round Rock Leader
For the first time in school history, Round Rock made a regional finals berth, reaching the fourth round before falling to eventual state champion runner-ups The Woodlands. The Dragons were renowned for rallying, clawing back into close games and triumphing when the final whistle blowed. Despite the brief playoff stint, Round Rock boasted one of their best seasons since their inception in 1913. After falling to Cedar Ridge for the first time in school history, the Dragons embarked on a six game winning streak; their efforts to claim a piece of the district championship for the third consecutive year were hindered by a 4-3 start. Losing to the Raiders was their fourth district defeat in four years, sacrificing the most points since 2009.
Key Losses
WR Tyler Mahnke, QB Marc Reed, DT James Lynch, The Offensive Line
Dual threat quarterback Marc Reed finished his final high school campaign with 2,462 yards of passing for 21 touchdowns, running for an additional 1,275 yards for 17 scores. Primary target Tyler Mahnke hauled in a team and district leading 924 yards for eight touchdowns. In his final year with the Dragons, the star receiver earned 1st Team All-District accolades; he also saw snaps as field goal kicker and punter.
An offensive line that permitted 3,570 rushing yards will be depleted following the graduation of Tyler Castaneda, Tate Kipperman and Grant Miller.
Key Returners
WR Collin Sullivan, RB Marquis Brown, RB Malik Pena
Despite his young age, Sullivan is on the varsity squad, tallying 450 yards in 10 games played – third highest receiving on the team; he will likely elevate to the primary target on the depth chart with his combination of speed and athleticism. Brown and Pena combined for 1,777 yards and 23 touchdowns, a tag team of backs that will have another year of experience behind them heading into next season.
The Verdict
The Dragons will be hurting without their chief shot caller and bodies in the offensive front, but an high-powered offense that averaged 40.2 points per game has hope in returning running backs and young receivers. Expect potential starting quarterback Ryan O’Keefe to depend on the offensive backfield for a heavy ground-and-pound workload, splitting carries between Brown and Pena to carry the offense. A defense that allowed 26 points will be retooled with underclassman, losing a brunt of their senior starters.
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