6A Team of the Week: McNeil Mavericks
Round Rock McNeil hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004, but the Mavericks may have a say on this year’s postseason race after last Thursday.
The Mavericks used some trickeration and stout defense to stun Vista Ridge 7-6. It was their first win against Vista Ridge since 2018.
McNeil held the Rangers to just 152 yards of offense. Kaden Petty led its defense with 12 total tackles, while Aden Taylor, Keegan McBryde, and Kameron Green all had interceptions.
However, the moment of the night came late in the second quarter. McNeil sophomore quarterback Jadon Suitz completed a pass out to Jarell Gary, who quickly pitched it to an onrushing Joshua Gayden. Gayden did the rest, racing into the end zone for a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder 26-yard touchdown.
🚨 HOOK AND LATERAL ALERT 🚨 McNeil digs into the bag of tricks and executes the pass-and-pitch play to perfection against Vista Ridge. Jarell Gary catches it and then gets rid of it to Joshua Gayden with a full head of steam for a 26-yard TD. #TXHSFB #SCTop10 @Sportscenter pic.twitter.com/lUALDZV29S
— KXAN News (@KXAN_News) September 29, 2023
A year ago, the Mavericks lost all seven of their district games, but four of those defeats were by just one score. Thursday night shows they may be turning the corner in the fourth year under head coach Scott Hermes.
Coming up this Friday, the Mavericks will have their stiffest test so far as they host last year’s 6A Division II state runner-up Vandegrift.
Previous 6A Teams of the Week
Week One: Bridgeland
Week Two: Aldine
Week Three: Summer Creek
Week Four: Prosper
Week Five: Odessa
