Sophomore Billy McCrary is a jack-of-all-trades on the football team, playing running back, receiver and whatever else they need.  But when the team played new district rival Leander on Friday, Oct. 5, he became the quarterback, replacing injured starter, senior Justin Pelt.

“I think I performed well,” McCrary said. “I didn’t know I was starting until right before the game.”

Throwing for 68 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 79 yards, McCrary kept the Raiders in the game against the ranked Lions. A costly interception in the second half allowed Leander to take the lead and the Raiders turned the ball over with another interception in the final seconds of the game.

With a 15-7 win over Dripping Springs the previous week, the Raiders were now 1-1 in district play when facing a scrappy Marble Falls team, Oct. 12. The team led by a touchdown at the half, but the Mustangs would answer back in the third quarter to tie up the game at 28. But the Raiders would put the contest out of reach in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns. Pelt, who returned for the Marble Falls game, scored four of the touchdowns while McCrary, back at running back, had 221 yards and two touchdowns.

 “I think we did really good,” McCrary said. “Our defense did really well and our line allowed us to run all over them.”

The win gave the Raiders a 2-1 record with three district games left and a shot at making the playoffs for the first time in school history.

“Our chances are really high,” senior Demetrius Hood said. “Our team is full of talent. I know that our guys are working really hard to be successful.”

The team faced Cedar Park Friday at Gupton Stadium, but lost 27-7. The game got started on the right foot in the first quarter with senior Dakota Unger making an interception, but the team wasn’t able to capitalize on the turnover. The team’s sole touchdown came off a 52-yard run by McCrary. Pelt completed 20 of 41 passes for 230 total yards in the loss.

“We did some good things,” Pelt said. “We didn’t execute as much as we needed to in order to win.”

This week the Raiders have a bye, but will return to play Nov. 2 against Vandegrift and wrap up district Nov. 9 against Vista Ridge. The Rangers are currently third in district, while Rouse is tied for the fourth playoff spot with Vandegrift. Both the Raiders and Vipers are 2-2 in district.

“I’m excited to see how we will finish the season,” senior Andrew Williams said. “I trust in my teammates and know we will beat Vandergrift and Vista Ridge. We will hopefully continue to the district competition with momentum in the playoffs.”