Joseph Matos Padilla bears down on Texan QB.
(photo by Daniel Clifton)

             THIS WEEK  @  THE LAKE August 26-30th

Tue Sep 2 Akins Sub Var @  Lake Fr & JV  500p Volleyball
          Akins         @  Lake Varsity  600p Volleyball

Wed Sep 3 Ingram        @  Lake          400p Tennis

Thu Sep 4 Lake Freshman @  Aus Crockett  600p Football
                           Burger Annex (3200 Jones Rd 78745)

Fri Sep 5 Lake          @  Canyon Cougar 700a Cross Country
          Lake Varsity  @  SA Cole       500p Volleyball
          Lake Sub Var  @  SA Cole       600p Volleyball

==========}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{+++++++++++++

                    Let’s GO LAKE!

Another week another week of sports out the wazoo. There was several set-backs last week and The Lake will look to turn those losses to wins this week.

First off Hawk Volleyball has now finished their tournament season and will now concentrate on a Tuesday-Friday schedule for the next 3 weeks before opening up district play against Fredericksburg on September 23rd.

This week a home game with Akins and then on the road to San Antonio to battle Cole.

The Record below shows where district schools have performed. A quick look shows two schools with solid records and Fredericksburg started making their move last week and will certainly be in the mix as a team The Lake will be fighting for a chance to be seeded for a playoff spot.

District 26-4A
Davenport       22    2   .917
Wimberley       24    5   .828
Canyon Lake     12   10   .545
Fredericksburg   9   11   .450
Bandera         12   15   .444
Long Creek       6   14   .300

                          GO HAWKS! 

Cross Country will have a short drive to New Braunfels as this week will have some big school competition.

Hawks Tennis started district with a loss to Davenport and will concentrate on getting back on the winning side of things when they welcome Ingram to the Hawk Nest this Tuesday with first serve at 4pm.

Football was swept against Wimberley but the good news is that none of those losses were results that The Lake has seen in recent years.

This week the Hawk Junior Varsity will have an off week and Freshman will have a 6pm kick-off in Austin @ the Burger Annex and you can see the location above.
This contest will usually have Austin Crockett with a combination of Freshman and Sophomores as this school does not sport a Junior Varsity.

Varsity Hawks will be pitted against the Cougars on Senior Night at the Hawk Nest. A tough loss and a chance for a rebound game this week as the season continues to mature.

Come out and Support the Hawks & GO LAKE!

Receiver Peyton King 55 yard TD reception from QB Jace Wheeler. Way to make us Proud Lake! (photo by Daniel Clifton)

Hawk Proud!

Cutting to the chase, The Hawk Nation could not be as proud in what was witnessed in last night’s game. By scoring 35 straight points which would be the most points ever scored in this Battle of the Back-Bone.

Yes, it ended in a heart breaking loss but by considering previous year’s campaigns this night became a story in scoring an all-time best and seeing their opponent as quiet as a Wimberley Whimper for 3 straight quarters and that Whimper was a sound that brought a smile to many faces of some old timers (The ReSporter included) which bodes well as each upcoming year it conjures up ideas of those days waiting for a Christmas where children and yes even old timers can hardly wait for what might be in that wrapped box for children and adults alike.

Canyon Lake was not able to steal their contest against Wimberley as this Texan team does what they do best and that is finishing with a win, 36-35.

                         Way to Go Lake!

The Lake is in their 2nd season under the tutelage of Head Coach Sam Parker and checking last season’s game that ended as a 46 point loss.

No points offensively but as last season unfolded there was a lot of hidden gems that came from last year’s debut which was a start that ended two extra games into the playoffs.

CLake looks to have future games where stealing will not be their vernacular whether changed to, ‘Come and Take It’.

An excruciating loss, but when taken into context this was one of the best nights for this contest’s history. Back in 2011 the Lake was State Ranked but a 14-50 loss was the outcome as the Hawks entered that battle undefeated and had a disappointing present letting that loss costing, The Lake in not making the playoffs.

                            GO LAKE!

Canyon Lake cannot let this final score define their season but an awakening as this team has 9 more gifts to open and for those of us that are Christians know that there is certainly a gift that will be greater.

The Lake will make a comeback and The ReSporter can’t wait to open more presents as this season matures.

Canyon Lake did finish with 210 yards through the air with Peyton King leading with 91 yards followed closely by Sophomore Kobe Halverson 89 yards of real estate.

King continues to perform like he had during those two scrimmages and looks like he will be ready to make his mark this year.

Now in his Senior year he started in a promising manner as a receiver and a key part of this team.

CL’s Offensive Line kept QB Jace Wheeler off the carpet which deserves mention.

The Lake will be home again next week when Austin Crockett comes calling and the Hawks might have some presents ready for Crockett to open.

Let’s GO LAKE & Way to Make us Proud!

            1  2  3  4  Final
Wimberley   7  0  0 29  36
CL Hawks    7 14 14  0  35
Scoring Summary:
WT-Texans 18 yard run (pat good), 6:37, 1st
CL-Kobe Halverson 43 yard pass from Jace Wheeler, (Stracener kick), 3:34, 1st
CL-Peyton King 22 yard pass from Wheeler, (Jack Stracener kick), 11:09, 2nd
CL-Jace Wheeler 2 yard run (Stracener kick), 1:58, 2nd
CL-Chris Brown 10 yard run (Stracener kick), 10:33, 3rd
CL-Peyton King 55 yard pass from Wheeler, (Stracener kick), 2:37, 3rd
WT-Texans 5 yard run (pat good), 10:39, 4th
WT-Texans 30 yard pass (pat good), 10:06, 4th
WT-Texans 7 yard pass (pat good), 6:09, 4th
WT-Texans 17 yard run (pass good), 2:10

Team Stats        Texans    Hawks
Total Yards       386       306
First Downs       22        12
Rush/Yards.       38/169    21/95
Comp/Att/Int      16/34/1   12/16/0
Passing Yards.    217       211
Punts/Average     4/39.0    3/39.3
Fumbles/Lost      0/0       0/0
Penalties-Yards   3-30      6-63

Passing          Comp  Att  Pct   Yds  Int  TD
Jace Wheeler      12   16  .750   211  0    3

Rushing           Att  Yds  Ave   Lg   TD
Gram Simpson      10   51   5.1   24   0
Chris Brown        5   21   4.2   11   1
Jace Wheeler       4   19   4.8    9   1
Peyton King        1    2   2.0    2   0
Lucas Schexnayder  1    2   2.0    2   0
Totals            21   95   4.5   24   2

Receiving         No  Yds   Ave   Lg   TD
Peyton King        4   92  22.8   43   2
Kobe Halverson     4   89  22.3   55   1
Lucas Schexnayder  1   33  33.0   33   0
Gram Simpson       3   -3    -     0   0
Totals            12  211  17.6   55   3

Canyon Lake will look to get that proverbial monkey off their back in stopping a losing streak agains the Texans.

Yes, Wimberley has made it to Dallas these past few years and now with an improved Hawk Team maybe this season could be that year the Back-Bone Trophy returns by taking the Slime Road to Hawk Land.

Chad Parma & LJ Anderson will be bringing the game action to your porch or wherever you hang out.

And As Always Let’s GO LAKE!!

https://gotsp.live/guide/wimberley-high-school-vs-canyon-lake-high-school-082825-650-pm-58224

Lake’s Freshman played a tough game and showed that this can be a good season with some more seasoning by holding their on in loss to Wimberley!

A 20 yard pass from QB Jake Welkey to Heyden Gemar started CL’s scoring after halftime that brought this battle to a one score game.

In that first half, CL’s Freshman gave up one hic-up on the Texan’s one play drive that gave this Home team a 13 point advantage.

The Lake did respond with a 14 play drive that stalled at Wimberley’s 8 yard line. CLake came up short on a 4th and 2 yards needed that would have had a score to end the first half.

Canyon Lake did respond with a take-a-way (literally) when Linebacker Dallas Huth

robbed the Texan receiver who had a 12 yard gain down to CL’s 18 yard line but this

                       Let’s Go Hawks!!

pickpocket resulted in a Huth 43 yard jaunt down the far sideline that had The Lake setting up shop 39 yards away from their first score.

That happened 5 plays later when Welkey found Heyden Gemar for the score on a 4th down that went for 20 yards and a touchdown.

CLHS Freshman would score again with 1 minute left in the contest. This drive went for 69 yards and another 4th down conversion went for 20 yards to Gemar leaving your Hawks needing 29 more yards for another score.

That was what was dialed (something an older generation used to do) up with a 29 yard strike when Welkey found Kasen Piel and score.

This is not the same team that competed in a tough larger school middle schools last year and now a more even playing field can result in better results during this go around.

Way to GO Freshman Hawks!

Freshman   1  2  3  4  Final
CL Hawks   0  0  6  6  12
Texans     7  6  8  7  28
Scoring Summary:
WT-Texans 14 yard pass (pat good), 0:56, 1st
WT-Texans 43 yard run (pass failed), 8:01, 2nd
CL-Heydan Gemar 20 yard pass from Jake Welkey (pat failed), 5:00, 3rd
WT-Texans 14 yard pass (run good), 1:26, 3rd
WT-Texans 14 yard run (pat good), 4:06, 4th
CL-Kasen Piel 29 yard pass from Welkey (run failed), 0:59, 4th

Team Stats      Texans    Hawks
Total Yards     270       210
First Downs     12        11
Rush/Yards      26/204    31/120
Comp/Att/Int    5/10/0    6/15/1
Passing Yards   66        90
Punts/Average   2/26.9    2/32.0
Fumbles/Lost    2/1       0/0
Penalty-Yards   7-50      6-55

Passing         Comp  Att  Pct  Yds  Int  TD
Jake Welkey      6    15  .400  90    1   2

Rushing         Att   Yds  Ave   Lg   TD
Derek Dunlap    10    58   5.8   16   0
Colin Armstrong 13    57   4.4   15   0
Kasen Piel       2     9   4.5    7   0
Caleb Cross      1     3   3.0    3   0
Jake Welkey      5    -7    -     2   0
Totals          31   120   3.9   16   0

Receiving       No   Yds   Ave   Lg   TD
Kasen Piel       3   45   15.0   29   1
Heydan Gemar     2   40   20.0   20   1
Colin Armstrong  1    5    5.0    5   0
Totals           6   90   15.0   29   2

The Junior Varsity Hawk’s Defense came through with a strong showing against Wimberley! Go Lake!

         Way to Make us Proud Hawks!!

Canyon Lake’s Sub-Varsity Football teams started their season on the short end of the stick in losses to Wimberley.

The Junior Varsity out gained the Home team but 6 turnovers was too much to overcome.

Canyon Lake finished with 225 yards passing that had 4 players on the receiving end for QB Damon Garcia.

Peyton Vann garnered 84 yards on 8 receptions while newcomer Thomas Inman with 70 yards on 3 carries with his last catch being a thing of beauty on a catch inside the 5 yard line that had some snatchy dance moves resulting in a score.

The Lake did start this affair on fire after a defensive 3 plays and punt for the Texans and then a quick 5 play that had Dario Faz with two catches for 17 yards and a defensive facemark that help jump start this drive.

Garcia snuck the ball over the goal line for an instant 7 point lead.

                                   GO Lake!

Things calmed down that had CL’s Defense holding the line stopping Wimbo at the 9 yard line and then another 4 play punt sequence.

That was when CLJV started their turnover bout that had a pick-six covering 33 yards.

A lost fumble on the next possession resulted in a 32 yard Texan drive scoring with less than a minute on the halftime clock.

How bout a fumble to start the 2nd half on the kick-off return for another short drive on 3 plays covering 36 yards.

Both teams were in a tug-of-war on the next nine drives that featured the Hawk’s blocking a field goal try and seeing Elias Salgado giving short lived life with his interception.

Yes, The Lake, also pitched in with another interception along with another fumble during these fruitless drives.

That last Hawk fumble was inside the 5 yard line that had Wimberley’s QB breaking open for a 95 yard run and score on their next play.

Canyon Lake was not finished by responding with a 6 play drive covering 68 yards resulting in the already mentioned Garcia to Inman reception ending the scoring and game.

Clean-up on aisle 2 and 3 with several food items being turned over before next week’s game against Austin Crockett.

Let’s GO Lake!

JV         1  2  3  4   Final
CL Hawks   7  0  0  6   13
Texans     0 14  7  7   28
Scoring Summary:
CL-Damon Garcia 1 yard run (Inman kick), 7:07, 1st
WT-Interception 33 yards (pat good), 5:55, 2nd
WT-Texan 7 yard run (pat good), 0:55, 2nd
WT-Texan 14 yard run (pat good), 9:09, 3rd
WT-Texan 3 yard run (pat good), 2:50, 4th
CL-Thomas Inman 40 yard pass Garcia (run failed), 0:25, 4th

Team Stats       Texans     Hawks
Total Yards      268        304
First Downs      11         15
Rush/Yards       25/200     22/79
Comp/Att/Int     5/13/0     17/29/2
Passing Yards    68         225
Punts/Average    4/40.0     2/31.0
Fumbles/Lost     1/0        4/4
Penalties        8-82       4-35

Passing          Comp  Att  Pct   Yds  Int TD
Damon Garcia     17    29  .586  225   2   1

Rushing          Att Yds  Ave   Lg  TD
Isaac Brinkley   9   32   3.5   10  0
Carson Walker    2   23  12.5   14  0
Peyton Vann      4   12   3.0   10  0
Damon Garcia     7   10   1.4    9  1
Totals          22   79   3.6   14  1

Receiving         No  Yds  Ave  Lg  TD
Peyton Vann        8  84  10.5  24  0
Thomas Inman       3  70  23.3  40  1
Dario Faz          5  63  12.6  21  0
Oliver Carey-Spoon 1   8   8.0   8  0
Totals            17 225  13.2  40  1

Hawks Junior Varsity bearing down with the most important part with their Offensive Lineman! Go Lake!

            Crisp  Mimas  RxGood Gordon  TexCon Country Farm  Leecock HitMan FBC
           Realtor Tacos   UPS   Plumber  Oil   Homes  Credit Comal   Pests  Lake
             13-5   13-5   10-8   11-7    11-7   14-4   12-6   12-6   12-6   12-6
Wimbo/Lake   Lake   Wimbo  Lake   Lake    Lake   Lake   Lake   Lake   Lake   Lake
Lampsas/Fred Lamp   Lamp   Lamp   Lamp    Lamp   Lamp   Lamp   Lamp   Lamp   Lamp
Uvlde/Carizo Uvalde Uvalde Uvalde Uvalde  Spring Uvalde Uvalde Uvalde Uvalde Uvalde 
SoSide/Somer Somer  Somer  SoSide Somer   Somer  Somer  Somer  Somer  Somer  Somerset
Pleas/Highds Please Please Please Please  Please Please Please Please Please Pleasanton
Davy/Veteran Davy   Davy   Davy   Davy    Davy   Davy   Davy   Davy   Davy   Davenport
JFK/Robstown Robs   Robs   JFK    JFK     Robs   Robs   Robs   Robs   Robs   Robstown
Texas/OhioSt Texas  Texas  Texas  State   Texas  Texas  Texas  Texas  OhioSt Texas
Aub/Baylor   Auburn Auburn Auburn Auburn  Baylor Auburn Baylor Auburn Baylor Baylor
Tenn/Syrcuse Tenn   Tenn   Tenn   Tenn    Tenn   Tenn   Tenn   Syrac  Syrac  Tenn
MissSt/SMiss MSU    MSU    MSU    MSU     MSU    MSU    MSU    MSU    MSU    MSU
Bama/FSU     Bama   Bama   Bama   Bama    Bama   Bama   Bama   FSU    Bama   Bama
USC/Vir Tech USC    USC    V Tech USC     USC    USC    USC    USC    USC    So Carolina
GTech/Buffs  GTech  Buffs  GTech  Buffs   GTech  GTech  GTech  Buffs  GTech  GTech
TCU/UNC      TCU    UNC    TCU    UNC     TCU    TCU    TCU    UNC    UNC    TCU
Utah/UCLA    Utah   Utah   UCLA   UCLA    Utah   Utah   Utah   UCLA   Utah   UCLA
LSU/Clemson  Tigers LSU    LSU    LSU     Tigers Tigers Tigers LSU    Tigers LSU
N Dame/Miami NDame  NDame  NDame  NDame   NDame  Miami  NDame  Miami  Miami  NDame

             THIS WEEK      @   THE LAKE          August 26-30th

Tue Aug 26   Somerset Fr    @   The Lake Green    500p Volleyball
             Somerset JV    @   The Lake Gold     500p Volleyball
             Somerset       @   The Lake          600p Volleyball
 
Thu Aug 28   The Lake       vs  TMI-Episcopal    1000a Volleyball
             The Lake       vs  SSAHS            1200p Volleyball
             The Lake       vs  BCHS              200p Volleyball
                                Seguin Tourney     
             The Lake       @   Davenport         400p Tennis
             The Lake Fresh @   Wimberley Fr      600p Football
             The Lake JV    @   Wimberley JV      700p Football

Fri Aug 29   The Lake       vs  Seguin Tourney     tba Volleyball
             Wimberley      @   The Lake          700p Football

Sat Aug 30   The Lake       @   Long Creek        700a Cross Country
             The Lake       @   Seguin Tourney     tba Volleyball
        

===============}}}}}}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{{{{{{{{+++++++++++++++++

                         Let’s GO LAKE!

Canyon Lake finished off their Scrimmage Season last Thursday in San Antonio against a talented Central Catholic squad.

Now, The Lake, will go into preparation mode with a perennial power Wimberley Texas team comes to the Hawk Nest in the Battle of the Back Bone. Which has not been a game that has had much Hawk success during these past few seasons.

A second year with a new offense should prove to be fruitful along with a salty defense which returns most all of their starters from last year.

Kick-off will be at 7:00pm which will have both stands packed so be early to enjoy the pre-game festivities as CLHS starts their 18th year of football.

Volleyball continues to show improvement after another successful tourney at Pieper where The Lake finished with a 3-3 record against some tough teams.

                           Let’s Go Lake!

Head Coach Daniella Villarreal had this to say bout last week’s contests, “We finished the tournament 3-3, competing against tough opponents in every match. I was really proud of how the girls stepped up and competed at a high level. The caliber of play at this tournament was exactly what we needed to help prepare us for district.

One of the highlights was our match against Harlan, who went on to win the tournament. We lost 21-25 and 20-25, but the girls truly battled and made Harlan earn every point.

          Make a Deposit & Go Hawks!!

We also played Laredo United South twice, and the second matchup was one of our best games of the weekend. The game before that we played Glenn, and we struggled with our energy to translate to gaining momentum to score. After that lose, we discussed controlling the things we could control, and we came out focused, stronger, and played much better the next time against United South to beat them in 2 sets vs in 3 sets like the first time.

Individually, outside hitter Preslie Owens really stood out offensively, consistently putting balls away to end rallies quickly. Another positive was our depth on the bench. I can turn to the bench and count on subs who are ready to step in, make an impact, and provide a spark when we need it.

We’re looking forward to our match tomorrow against Somerset and then competing in the Seguin Tournament this weekend! It’s really fun to watch the girls compete at such a high level.”

Come see the another home game against Somerset this Tuesday with first serve at 500p for sub-varsity with the Varsity following that battle.

CL Tennis received their first loss last week against Devine and will back in action this Thursday at Davenport at they start their Fall District 26-4A schedule.

Volleyball Standings:
Davenport        16   1   .941
Wimberley        14   5   .737
Canyon Lake       8   5   .615
Bandera           9   9   .500
Long Creek        6   9   .400
Fredericksburg    2   7   .222

Top 3 Stat Leaders
ACES                 KILLS               BLOCKS
Kylie Rodriguez  26  Gabby Fory      71  Kylee Goff       11
Izzy Fory        17  Kylie Rodriguez 60  Gabby Fory        8
Sabrina Steele   15  Chloe Gray      53  Kinsley Van Meter 7

DIGS                 ASSISTS
Kylie Rodriguez  72  Chloe Gray     242
Sabrina Steele   72  Sabrina Steele  20
Izzy Fory        57  Izzy Fory       14

Let’s GO LAKE!!

      Kylee Goff goes for the Kill with Chloe Gray & Mackenzie Dorn wait for a celebration. GO LAKE!

             THIS WEEK       @   THE LAKE            August 19-23rd

Tue  Aug 19  Gonzales Fr     @   The Lake Green      500p Volleyball
             Gonzales JV     @   The Lake Gold       500p Volleyball
             Gonzales        @   The Lake            600p Volleyball

Wed  Aug 20  Devine          @   The Lake            400p Tennis

Thur Aug 21  The Lake        @   San Antonio         700a Cross Country
                                 Friday Night Lights
             The Lake Fr/JV  @   SA Catholic         500p Football 
             The Lake        @   SA Catholic         700p Football
  
Fri  Aug 22  The Lake        @   Pieper Tourney      tba  Volleyball

Sat  Aug 23  The Lake        @   Pieper Tourney      tba  Volleyball

==========}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{+++++++++++

Hawk Sports are back in full swing after having CL’s Volleyball finish with a 4-2 record and winning the Bronze Bracket Crown at Corpus Christy Tournament.

Head Coach Daniella Villarreal surmised, “We are proud to share that Canyon Lake came away as Bronze Bracket Champions, and Chloe Gray was recognized with All-Tournament honors.

Chloe and Kylie Rodriguez did an outstanding job running the court for us. They are our steady presence, never leaving the floor and serving as strong leaders their teammates can always count on.

On Day 1, we had a tough pool draw against CC Veterans Memorial and LEE. Veterans Memorial went on to win the entire tournament, and LEE finished third in the Silver Bracket. We battled with both teams, but higher errors on our side prevented us from finishing out those matches.

                      Let’s GO LAKE!

Day 2 was a much better day as the team came out strong and controlled most of the matches. Our offense clicked more consistently, and we served aggressively to keep opponents from running their systems effectively. It was a long day with three matches, capped off with a best-of-five final, but the girl’s showed resilience and toughness to finish as Bronze Bracket champions.

I’m especially proud of how they bounced back after a challenging first day. We talk often about how struggles, setbacks, and tough moments make us stronger. This weekend was a great example of learning, growing, and becoming better together!”

Volleyball will welcome Gonzales to The Lake this Tuesday before debarking on their 2nd Tourney at Pieper High School starting on Thursday.

                   Let’s Go Lake!

The Hawk Cross Country also debuted at the Hill Country Rust Buster (don’t ask The ReSporter what that means).

Cross Country will in San Antonio this Thursday in a Friday Night Lights (on Thursday) and it is also starts at 7am….Looking at those titles you will have for these first two meets could strike a smile white these Hawk Athletes grimace in their open terrain jaunts.

Lake Tennis has started this season with two wins and will be in action this Wednesday when Devine will come to town with the first serve at 4pm. Bring some shade and water for this event and way to GO Lake!

Football finished their first scrimmage against Burnet last Friday and will continue their pre-season battles on the road in San Antonio when the Hawks battle the Buttons. The Central Catholic scrimmage will begin at 530pm for the sub-varsity teams and then Varsity will have a 700pm final round before starting their season against Wimberley at the Hawk Nest on the 29th of this month.

Good Start Lake and Let’s Make More WAVES!!

        Hawk Football Season & The Hill Country a Thing of Beauty! Let’s Go Hawks!

Way to Go Hawks!!

Canyon Lake’s Football squad finished their first week of Summer workouts with an intra-squad practice on Saturday.

The Hawk defense showed off starting this evening as CL’s offense finally finding some rhythm as the plays continued.

Head Coach Sam Parker shared his thoughts after that last played was over, “We were looking for execution on both sides (offensive & defensively) were they able to play fast…do they know what they are doing and are they fast doing it and if they can’t then it is our job to teach them better and it’s our job to give them a scheme that they can play fast.”

Coach Parker continued, “There were some huge pieces and today was more about developing and finding depth and finding pieces behind pieces and making sure..ultimately it is going to be a long season….injuries are going to happen and we are going to have to find people who can play those ones and twos and today was more about that than anything else.”

                                  GO LAKE!

Now The Lake will go into their next week knowing they have more to work on before Canyon Lake goes north to Burnet to play their next scrimmage. 

This will allow the Coaches to see where they are when playing a different team with different offensive and defensive plays. 

Playing an intra-squad scrimmage where a defense has a good idea of what is going to be run as well as on the offensive side of the table a different color jersey will allow that next step on working on other aspects and how to come together as one unit.

Canyon Lake had a successful first year and seeing what this team might be able to accomplish will hopefully find more hidden treasures on the way to another fruitful season.

Let’s Go Hawks Baby!

Canyon Lake will begin their 18th season which puts this group of Seniors starting their existence as a newborn when the high school had their first class.

Should be a fun year after rebounding from a, 2-8 campaign two years ago by adding 6 more wins. In fact, those 6 wins had The Lake getting mentioned in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football website being a select group 5 schools that accomplished that same metric or more.

Night and Day difference for a school that had switched from their Slot-T Offensive set (11 years) to a more wide open offense that was 50/50 on running-passing plays last year. That vaunted slot-t usually had a pass play called in that 10-15% range on average.

Last season CL’s offense was 50-50% run-pass which resulted in averaging 40 points per contest which stands #1 in that category beating out that 2016 team who averaged 38 points. The Lake averaged 185 yards on the ground and 177 yards through the air last season….a pretty 50/50 statistic.

Let’s GO LAKE

Defensively. Canyon Lake clamped down on their opponents by reducing yardage given up by 174 yards per game and coupled that with forcing 31 turnovers which was 7 more than the 2014 team who finished their season with 24 take-aways that now stands in 2nd place for that metric.

It was truly a turn-around season that resulted in a 2nd place finish for district play.

CLHS did lose some high powered skilled players to graduation seeing Carter Williams-James Garza-Harris Gilliam and others cross the stage last May.

However there is still a lot of optimism with a defense that returns 9 starters that will have Linebacker Eli Hammons heading this defense after leading last year’s team with 134 tackles, 29 tackles for loss with 5 sacks.

                               GO Lake!

Dalton Hodges tied Hammons with 5 sacks and added 11 tackles for loss and will look to increase those numbers for his final season.

There are more defensive stalwarts returning with defensive back Ben Parma with a Hawk best of 12 pass break-ups last season and Tristan Alexander who snagged 6 interceptions and by duplicating that number would pass (pardon the pun) Eric Nelson who had 9 interceptions his senior year and finished with 11 for his career.

Leading the defensive line will Joseph Matos Padilla, DL Wyatt Roberts, DB Jacob Price, DB Cash Ziemba….the hits just keep coming for what this year’s defense will bring to the field with many more ready to step up.

The ReSporter can’t wait to see Isiah Eureste return after missing half the season with an injury and at the time made a living disrupting offenses and was brilliant on the special team unit.

           GO LAKE!

On how this year has gone since the end of last year, Head Coach Sam Parker recounted, “We met as a staff and established that the big points of emphasis were football IQ and physical strength and we have done that with proven data and got them stronger and bigger physically and helped them understand where they fit in the big picture and understand their job which would help benefit the team.”

On what Coach Parker has seen so far this pre-season as they ready themselves when they kick off in less than a month, “The kids have done awesome and being here 80 to 85% for the varsity and JV for the entire Summer has been awesome and being able to communicate and having them understand what we are saying all the time has been a real good thing.”

That last line for Coach Parker feeds back on how last year’s team had to learn a whole new system on defense and offense which led to a teach and learn as last year’s season got started.

Offensively, The Lake, will have QB Jace Wheeler (6 ft, 175 lbs) returning and OL Cayden Toon (6-4, 305) and 3 Juniors that played as Sophomores last season will bring a more advanced learning curve: Victor Caldera, Phoenix Dent-McClain, and Dakota Sheffield returning into battle.

Canyon Lake was able to finish 2nd last year with a tie-breaker over Somerset and Fredericksburg. Davenport will be the pick again this season with Pleasanton-Uvalder-JFK hoping to improve enough for a chance to get a playoff invitation.

This Monday the count down will begin with the first scrimmage against Burnet on August 15th and then San Antonio Catholic, August 22nd.

Let’s GO LAKE!