Brennan 30, Rouse 7
Varsity football opened the season against San Antonio Brennan, the team that ended the Raiders’ season last year in the 4A quarterfinals. The Raiders got on the board first, with quarterback Billy Ray McCrary connecting with receiver Jackson Franks for a 68-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

“It was pretty cool, it was good hype to get the game started,” Franks said. “It was my first lead for varsity so it was pretty good.”

The Bears’ answered back with four touchdowns in the second quarter, including a 55-yard touchdown pass and two touchdown drives that started in Raider territory.

In the second half, the defense kept Brennan out of the end zone, forcing them to punt on several possessions and only allowing a field goal in the third quarter.

The Bears’ stingy defense held the offense to 131 total yards, with only 18 on the ground, stifling the Raiders’ running game. McCrary completed 7 of 12 passes for 113 yards. The Raiders’ defense had 80 tackles in the loss and four sacks on the quarterback.

“We started off strong, but it didn’t lead up to what we wanted to,” Franks said. “Because we obviously wanted to win and we didn’t do that. I thought we could’ve have done a lot better.

After the game, coach Joshua Mann reminded the players they could have chosen to play an easy team in their first game, but they wanted a true test of where they stood.

“You learn more from a loss than a win,” Mann said to them.
 

Cedar Park 33, Rouse 14
In their first home game of the season, the Raiders faced former district rival Cedar Park, Sept. 5. The Timberwolves scored in each quarter, including two touchdowns in the fourth to seal the 33-14 win.

Trailing 14-0, senior A.J. Badour scored from the 7-yard line in the second quarter to cut the lead to 14-7 going into halftime.

In the third quarter, Cedar Park added another six points, converting on 4^th and 5 for a 34-yard touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, the defense thought they had a turnover at the goal line, but the referees called the player down, and Cedar Park scored on the next play to increase their lead to 26-7. The T’wolves tacked on a final touchdown with a pick six with four minutes left. CP sophomore Javelin Guidry intercepted quarterback Billy Ray McCrary’s pass and returned it for a 65-yard touchdown.

In the final minute, quarterback Marquis Simmons scored from the 16 to make the final score, 33-14.

“The whole team was really disappointed, especially the seniors because it was our last year to play them and we’ve never beaten them before,” senior TJ Long said.

Rouse 45, Leander 12
After an hour lightning delay, the Raiders won the third Battle for Bible, dominating Leander 45-12, Sept. 12. The Raiders scored first, with quarterback Billy Ray McCrary throwing a 32-yard touchdown to receiver Jackson Franks in the first quarter. The offense added another touchdown in the second quarter to take 14-3 lead going into halftime.

The team tacked on three more scores in the second half. The offense racked up 420 yards and 23 first downs with McCrary rushing for three touchdowns and throwing for another score. Marquis Simmons ran for two touchdowns, both in the second half.

“I was excited to go in and try to beat Leander like we should have,” Simmons said. “I’m really proud of myself for getting two touchdowns. It’s overall a great feeling.”

The defense held Leander to just 14 first downs, limited the Lions to two field goals and one touchdown. They also caused two fumbles, had three sacks and 65 total tackles.

Pflugerville 43, Rouse 29
Pflugerville powered over the Raiders in the Homecoming game, winning the district opener 43-29. The game had a promising start as the Raiders scored first, off a 2-yard run by quarterback Billy Ray McCrary. But the Panthers answered back with two touchdowns, including scoring on 4^th and 1 from the 3-yard line.

On their next possession, the Panthers broke away for a 77-yard gain to the Raider 1-yard line, scoring on the next play. Senior Tre Artis returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-15. Pflugerville added to their lead with a 20-yard touchdown and the Raiders were unable to turn a Panther fumble into points. Holding penalties plaque the Raiders, stalling the offense and keeping the score 28-15 at halftime.

The Raiders closed the gap to six points with an Andre Alger touchdown in the third quarter, but the offense fumbled on the next possession and the Panthers took advantage of a short field and scored from the 25. A bad snap on the next drive also resulted in another turnover, and Pflugerville’s quarterback throwing a 28-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 43-22.

McCrary connected with Andre Alger for a 29-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the final score, 43-29.

“We thought we were just going to come in and beat everyone, coming from a good district 4A,” Alger said. “So, yeah, that humbled us. It brought us together as a team.”

Rouse 48, Westwood 3
After a three-game home stretch, the varsity team traveled to Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex for their first district win. The Raiders rolled to a 48-3 win over Westwood, Sept. 26.

After allowing a field goal in the first quarter, the defense never let the Warriors near the end zone again. They limited Westwood to just 19 minutes of possession and only seven first downs.

“We were better prepared from practice,” junior Kyle Sanderson said. “We set ourselves up the whole week just going in playing our best.”

On offense, the Raiders scored six touchdowns and two field goals, including three rushing touchdowns by quarterback Billy Ray McCrary. The quarterback accounted for 189 of the team’s 425 rushing yards. Andre Alger, Kevin Cole and AJ Baldour also contributed touchdowns in the win.

“Excited that we won, but we still have to focus on the Round Rock game,” Sanderson said. “Celebrate in the moment but be prepared for the next week.”