Defensive Lineman Joseph Matos Padilla pursuit was relentless in Hawk’s win over Ugalde!
(photo by Daniel Clifton)

                        Let’s Go Hawks!

It was a tough week of work for a resilient Hawk team that had some soul searching after set-back against Somerset last week.

“The lessons we learned from last week..you know they say you learn more from a loss than a win,” Head Coach Sam Parker exclaimed after The Lake’s win over Ugalde. “Last week was humbling…the kids had a great week of practices and it showed..they did a great job preparing and it showed…and I couldn’t be more proud of our kids and how they responded from last week to this week.”

Canyon Lake started this game with a resolve, to the point,  of seeing that a misspelled Ugalde team needed a correction much like this Lake team did in preparing for this battle since leaving the Somerset city limits.

Last week’s loss would be akin for a Senior High School student not making it past the first round in a grade school spelling bee.

       Way to Make us Proud Hawks!

Yes, The Lake, found that Uvalde should actually be spelled, Ugalde and made their corrections all week in preparation for this Homecoming contest.

According to Wikipedia: Uvalde was founded in 1853 as the town Encina, but was renamed in 1856 as Uvalde. Its name is a misspelling of the Spanish governor Juan de Ugalde (Cadiz, Andalusia, 1729-1816). Ugalde is a name of Basque origin, meaning water-side or river.

Case in point was watching Canyon Lake needing 3 plays for their first score when QB Jace Wheeler found Peyton King with a crowning 67 yard catch and run for that first score. That catch matched a former receiver, Chase Anderson who was in attendance on this homecoming night. That 67 yards is the 12th longest in Hawk Annals.

                 Way to Go Lake!

The Lake’s defense was next up in holding these Coyotes to 4 yards and punt which gave CL’s offense the ball for a two play drive that was capped off when Chris Brown broke open for a 34 yard scamper to pay-dirt and a quick, 13-0 Hawk lead.

Ugalde did show life on their next possession but this sequence of plays stalled after 16 plays and CL taking over needing 72 yards.

Four plays later with an added 15 yard Ugalde penalty after a Gram Simpson 24 run had The Lake using a 26 yard pass to Lucas Schexnayder (Spelling Bee Champ Based on his name) for his first touchdown this season and a Hawk, 20-0 first quarter lead.

Canyon Lake scored on their first 5 possessions when Simpson scored on his 6 yard carry and he accounted for all 43 yards during this drive.

The only drives CLake failed to score happened before half and end of game that made a statement, that lessons learned were correctable.  This was CL’s best game showing a balanced offense  finishing with 211 yards on the ground and 203 via the air.

Now The Lake will have this next week off before getting back to work for a big battle with Davenport in two weeks.

The best news is knowing that CANYON LAKE is spelled correctly and hopefully this group of players can go further when the season will bring more learning opportunity for future spelling bees.

Way to GO LAKE!

           1  2  3  4   Final
Uvalde     0  0  0  7   07
CL Hawks  20 14  6  7   47
Scoring Summary:
CL-Peyton King 67 yard pass Jace Wheeler (run failed), 10:48, 1st
CL-Chris Brown 34 yard run (Jack Stracener kick), 8:26, 1st
CL-Lucas Shexnayder 26 yd pass from Wheeler (Stracener kick), 0:04, 1st
CL-Hayes Holladay 17 yard pass from Wheeler (Stracener kick), 8:37, 2nd
CL-Gram Simpson 6 yard run (Stracener kick), 4:00, 2nd
CL-Chris Brown 1 yard run (run failed), 7:22, 3rd
UC-Coyotes 4 yard run (pat good), 11:44, 3rd
CL-Chris Brown 1 yard run (Stracener kick), 6:10, 4th

Game Stats           Coyotes     Hawks
Total Yards          221         414
First Downs          12          20
Rush/Yards           45/182      30/211
Comp/Att/Inc         2/14/0      9/15/1
Passing Yards        39          203
Punts/Average        3/25.7      0/0
Fumbles/Lost         1/1         1/0
Penalties-Yards      4-26        6-40

Passing              Comp  Att  Pct   Yards  Int TD
Jace Wheeler         9     15  .600   203    1   3

Rushing              Att  Yds  Ave   Lg   TD
Chris Brown          11   91   8.3   34   3
Gram Simpson         11   74   5.7   30   1
Jace Wheeler          4   21   5.2   11   0
Hayes Holladay        1   13  13.0   13   0
Ryder Smith           2   11   5.5   13   0
Kobe Halverson        1    1   1.0    1   0
Totals               30  211   7.0   34   4

Receiving            No   Yds  Ave   Lg   TD
Peyton King           2   75  37.5   67   1
Kobe Halverson        3   60  20.0   25   0
Hayes Holladay        2   40  20.0   23   1
Lucas Shexnayder      1   26  26.0   26   1
Gram Simpson          1    2   2.0    2   0
Totals                9  203  22.6   67   3

Lucas Shexnayder maneuvering his 47 yard reception that led to CL’s first score. (photo by Daniel Clifton)

Canyon Lake ran their win streak to 5 games after staving off a relentless Fredericksburg Billies team in a minutia filled contest, 42-28.

Hit Man says get rid of Pests Hawks!

This contest started with a lot of minutia as each team with missed snaps, delay of game penalties, just little things that added up with The Lake being able to add up more positive minutia rather than those negative minutia happenings.

On this night it was a Billie returning an interception 45 yards to start this contest that had CLake looking at their first deficit with 7 minutes left on a first quarter clock.

Canyon Lake countered with an 8 play drive that was highlighted when a Lucas Schexnayder reception covered 47 yards and helped The Lake punch it in when running back Chris Brown bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out.

Another special team highlight which has become a common occurrence this season featured a blocked field goal attempt by Kobe Halverson who would return that block 61 yards which gave CL a lead that would not be relinquished.

Then a defensive interception for Carter Prieto on Fredericksburg’s next possession had Canyon Lake needing just 29 yards which needed 6 plays for another Schexnayder reception… this time for 18 yards on the Billie 7 yard line. It would be a Brown brauning for 3 yards for a score and, 21-7 lead.

                                 GO Lake!

Freddie would respond two possession later with an efficient 2 pass play drive covering  67 yards and leaving 1:28 before halftime and a 7 point deficit.

Canyon Lake would capitalize next when Gram Simpson (who finished with 102 yards) covered 16 yards and that was followed with a pass interference and a 37 yard Jace Wheeler strike to Halverson giving CL a, 28-14 halftime advantage.

It would be a 9 yard sack for Joseph Matos that ended this up and down half.

Starting the second half it would be a 40 yard Simpson run followed with a Peyton King 27 yard catch that increased CL’s lead to, 35-14.

A Hawk defensive stand would ice this affair when Canyon Lake used a 6 play drive with another King reception this time for 60 yards for at TD  and a Hawk, 42-14 lead.

Freddie would stage two more scores but CL’s defense would answer the bell two more times when JR Lindell tipped a ball that went into Tristan Alexander’s hands for his first interception this season.

There was still enough of those negative minutia plays that will give coaches enough to work on before next week’s game with Somerset.

This win did give Canyon Lake a milestone with Freddie being the first school to absorb 10 losses with just 6 wins over The Lake.

Little things that can add with a goal of finishing with more positive than negative events. That formula will be needed against a Bulldog team that won their first district battle over Uvalde.

A win would give a boost to these Hawks for a chance of finishing high enough to minimize those little negative minutia things.

Way to Go Lake & Beat Somerset!

                 1  2  3  4   Final
Fredericksburg   7  7  7  7   28
CL Hawks         7 21 14  0   42
Scoring Summary:
FB-Billies 45 yard interception return (pat good), 6:50, 1st
CL-Chris Brown 2 yard run (Jack Stracener kick), 3:00, 1st
CL-Kobe Halverson 61 yard blocked field goal return (Stracener kick), 9:39, 2nd
CL-Chris Brown 3 yard run (Stracener kick), 6:31, 2nd
FB-Billies 26 yard pass (pat good), 1:28, 2nd
CL-Halverson 37 yard pass from Jace Wheeler (Stracener kick), 0:31, 2nd
CL-Peyton King 27 yard pass from Wheeler (Stracener kick), 10:18, 3rd
CL-King 60 yard pass from Wheeler (Stracener kick), 6:27, 3rd
FB-Billies 18 yard pass (pat good), 2:19, 3rd
FB-Billies 20 yard run (pat good), 11:21, 4th

Team Stats          Billies    Hawks
Total Yards         314        363
First Downs         16         14
Rush/Yards          20/71      28/136
Comp/Att/Int        20/32/2    12/22/1
Passing Yards       243        227
Punts/Average       4/37.0     4/38.3
Fumbles/Lost        0/0        0/0
Penalties-Yards     5-42       6-55

Passing             Comp  Att  Pct  Yds  Int TD
Jace Wheeler        12    22  .545  227  1   3

Rushing             Att   Yds  Ave  Lg   TD
Gram Simpson        19    102  5.4  40   0
Chris Brown          8     32  4.0   8   2
Peyton King          1      7  7.0   7   0
Team                 1     -5   -    -   -
Totals              28    136  4.9  40   2

Receiving            No   Yds  Ave  Lg   TD
Peyton King           3   94  31.3  60   2
Lucas Schexnayder     2   65  32.5  47   0
Kobe Halverson        3   49  16.3  37   1
Hayes Holladay        3   13   4.3   7   0
Chris Brown           1    6   6.0   6   0
Totals               12  227  18.9  60   3

QB Jake Stringer gets some pressure as The Lake comes up just short in 2nd half comeback.

                           Let’s Go Hawks!

Canyon Lake’s Freshman football has been on a learning curve most of this season but after a one point loss to Fredericksburg that had the Billies with a 21-0 halftime lead….the light switch turned on with an awakening second half and one point loss eventual, 21-20.

This awakening that happened was between those two halves and was significant on both sides of the ball.

A Lake’s defense allowed 77 ground yards and two completions in those last two sessions and it  gave this Hawk offense a chance for their awakening while scoring 3 touchdowns and coming up just short on two poin conversion tries which resulted in this one point set-back.

QB Jake Stringer uncorked a 14 yard touchdown pass to Kasen Piel which started those eye opening moments in this awakening during this 2nd half on a Hawk first drive to start the 2nd half.

These Hawks only needed one play on their next drive after a Freddie punt. Setting up shop on their own 22 yard line it would be Caleb Cross who would take in a catch and run 78 yard play with still more than a quarter remaining.

Way to Plug those Leaks Lake!

A Lake defense would continue opening their eyes for more sunlight in this awakening and forced a punt and forced a fumble that had Maverick Stepanovich with the recovery on Freddie’s next time with the ball.

Now a wide open CL Offense would answer with another one play pass for a touchdown.

Cross got a finger on this Stringer pass but it was intended for Hayden Gemar who grabbed this pass and flew to the end zone for 73 yards which still had these Hawks down by one point.

CL’s Defense would respond with another stop but this final drive would stall needing 38 yards of real estate to complete a wild comeback.

This is the type of contest that shows what a team can do when firing on all cylinders for a team that needed to awake from a slumber that had lasted too long this season.

Now a chance to see if this awakening can continue when The Lake’s Freshman take on Somerset at the Hawk Nest next Thursday with the kick-off schedule at 5:00pm.

Stay Awake Lake!

                 1  2  3  4   Final
CL Hawks Fresh   0  0 12  8   20
Billies Fresh    7 14  0  0   21
Scoring Summary:
FB-Billie 17 yard run (pat good), 0.11, 1st
FB-Billie 25 yard pass (pat good), 4:43, 2nd
FB-Billie 70 yard INT return (pat good), 0:16, 2nd
CL-Kasen Piel 14 yard reception from Jake Stringer (run failed), 6:00, 3rd
CL-Caleb Cross 78 yard reception from Stringer (pass failed), 2:21, 3rd
CL-Hayden Gemar 73 yard reception from Stringer (Derek Dunlap run), 4:37, 4th

Team Stats        Billies    Hawks
Total Yards       180        251
First Downs       13         8
Rush/Yards        45/137     20/85
Comp/Att/Int      4/12/0     5/13/1
Passing Yard      43         166
Punts/Average     3/22.3     2/18.0
Fumbles/Lost      1/1        1/1
Penalties-Yards   4-33       3-35

Passing           Comp  Att  Pct  Yds  Int TD
Jake Stringer      5    13  .385  164  1   3
Wyatt Galvan       0     1  .000    0  0   0
Totals             5    14  .357  164  1   3

Rushing           Att   Yds  Ave  Lg   TD
Derek Dunlap      11    82   7.5  24   0
Colin Armstrong    6    11   1.8   8   0
Hayden Gemar       1     3   3.0   3   0
Jake Stringer      2   -10    -    -   0
Totals            20    85   4.4  24   0

Receiving         No   Yds   Ave  Lg   TD
Caleb Cross        1   78   78.0  78   1
Hayden Gemar       1   73   73.0  73   1
Kasen Piel         2   17    8.5  14   1
Derek Dunlap       1   -2     -    -   0
Totals             5  166   33.3  78   3

    Hawk’s JV Run out Clock in, 12-6 win over Freddie. Go Lake!

                           GO HAWKS!

The Lake’s Junior Varsity ran their district record to, 2-0 after another dominating defensive effort in win over Fredericksburg, 12-6.

“We are just getting back to the basics,” Head JV Coach Brandon Vasquez started when asked about how well this team has performed in their last two outings. “Calls are very simple and I told the guys that they have to be ready for those moments….and those guys are. We still have a long way to go and told them that if there is still time on that clock then we were going to win this game hands down and that is what it has to be week in and week out. The energy they bring to practice every week shows up on game night.”

Coach Vasquez continued, “We are nails against the board and we want to fly around and play solid football.”

Sold football was a key on this win that, The Lake, gave away one scoring drive for Freddie that went one yard after a muffed punt.  The play gave this Billie team a touchdown play for what would end up being their only score.

        Way to Make us Proud Hawks!

Other than that snafu it was Canyon Lake’s Defense that dominated allowing 2.2 yards per offensive play.

CL’s offense did respond through the air with an opening first pass that QB Damon Gracia found Receiver Dario Faz in stride for a catch and run that gave a quick score lead, 6-0.

It was during that 2nd quarter that CL’s gift allowed a Billie touchdown and tied game before halftime.

The Hawks second drive to start the second half would give CL a lead that would not be threatened when Garcia found Colten Adams on a 39 yard post play and score.

That touchdown pass converted a 4th and 21 yards needed for a first and this touchdown put a cherry on top for a win.

                                Go Lake!

Defensively CL was able to get two interceptions with that first INT having Slater Sutherland covering this Billie receiver like a blanket on a wintry Colorado night. (The ReSporter wanted to convey that Sutherland ended up having to give a red jersey back that he had commandeered off this Billie receiver)

That second INT ended any chance for a Billie comeback when Walker Galvan stole the ball on the home team’s sideline. Another theft that had Billie Fans calling 911 for assistance to get Galvan taken in for theft questioning.

Add those plays to several (11) others that had Fredericksburg losing yardage which would be highlighted when Defensive End Charles Palmer had his second sack and interviewed at Brookshire’s for a sacking gig when he stuffed Freddie’s QB for an 11 yard loss.

That was a pivotable play after CL had fumbled a punt which had Fred threatening for a score and only needing 20 yards for a go ahead score late during that first half. With that yardage loss presented a 3rd and 21 yards needed for a conversion. Knowing this Home Team was averaging 2 yards per play would make it inevitable that no score would be forthcoming.

A great win for a Hawk team that will be back at the Hawk Nest this coming Thursday when they welcome Somerset’s Bulldogs with kick-off commencing after CL’s Freshman dispose of the Bulldogs Freshman squad.

Way to Go Hawks!

             1  2  3  4   Final
CL Hawks     6  0  6  0   12
Billies JV   0  6  0  0   06
Scoring Summary:
CLJV-Dario Faz 89 yard reception from Damon Garcia (pass failed), 5:23, 1st
FHJV-Billie one yard run (run failed), 3:52, 2nd
CLJV-Colten Adams 39 yard reception from Garcia (pass failed), 0:46, 3rd

Team Stats          Billies     Hawks
Total Yards         118         255
First Downs         10          13
Rush/Yards          36/24       32/53
Comp/Att/Int        7/17/2      10/17/0
Passing Yard        94          202
Punts/Average       4/33.8      1/31.0
Fumbles/Lost        0/0         2/2
Penalties-Yards     6-45        4-30

Passing             Comp  Att  Pct  Yds  Int TD
Damon Garcia        10    17  .588  202  0   2

Rushing             Att   Yds  Ave  Lg   TD
Isaac Brinkley      10    42   4.2  15   0
Damon Garcia         5    17   3.4   5   0
Oliver Carey-Spoon   7    15   2.1   5   0
Aiden Boales         7    14   2.0   5   0
Peyton Vann          1    -1    -    -   0
Team                 2   -34    -    -   -
Totals              32    53   1.7  15   0

Receiving           No   Yds   Ave  Lg   TD
Dario Faz            2   99   49.5  89   1
Colten Adams         3   52   17.3  39   1
Peyton Vann          3   39   13.0  20   0
Isaac Brinkley       1   12   12.0  12   0
Aiden Boales         1    0    0.0   0   0
Totals              10  202   20.2  89   2

                               Ryan Rena & Divan Hernandez after win over JFK! Go Hawks!

                               Way to GO LAKE!

John F. Kennedy Rockets turned out to be duds after a Hawk 28 point first quarter blitz and eventual, 56-6 final tally.

Yes, one Rocket did go off with a 79 yard run with 5 minutes left in that first frame but that turned out to be the only fireworks for this Homecoming crowd and Lake Flood.

CL started this contest with a 2 play drive covering 65 yards which had a Hayes Holladay pass to Kobe Halverson for 37 yards followed with a 28 yard strike to Peyton King coming from QB Jace Wheeler.

There would be more where that came from as your Hawk’s scored on all but two possessions in this contest with one possession having The Lake in a victory formation to end the game.

Wheeler keeps climbing the Quarterback Stat Sheet as he was placed at 2nd with career yardage (3186 yards) and trails Ross Wagliardo (3896 yards) for top notch.

Granted, The Lake, was in a run oriented offense from 2013 to 2023 seasons but Wheeler missed two and a half games last year and has 15 starts.

                      Way to Go Hawks!

Receiving will be another stat that will be attended by several players with King and Halverson continue their ascent to the top.

The Rockets did have one go off on a 79 yard run and close the score, 14-6 but that was JFK’s only take-off as the rest of their Fleet would be grounded for this new slot-t team.

While Wheeler continued to throw strikes hitting a Hawk record of 12 before that first incomplete pass on CL’s first drive to start the second half.

With a safe lead both teams would resort to a run game which would speed up this battle combining a slot-t with a Hawk team running the clock enjoying a 43 point lead.

Canyon Lake can certainly relate to seeing growing pains for a start-up slot-t offense that saw a Hawk school craft a 6 game losing streak to start their 2013 season.

The Lake will be home next Friday when they welcome Fredericksburg who will enter the Hawk Nest with a two game winning streak.

BY THE NUMBERS:
 0  Yards given up in passing by JFK beat 3 yds against Navarro 2009.
 4  Game winning streak for Lake. Tied 4 other times for 3rd Best.
 6  Number of points given up in 2nd & 3rd Quarters combined.
 9  Times CL has had to punt.
13  Number of games over .500 in district play.
15  Average points for defense this season.
20  Number of games over .500 in home games. (53-33)
28  First Downs 2nd most behind Smithville game 33 2018.
42  Points per game 2025.
46  Touchdown Passes for Wheeler next Hawk had 28.

            1  2  3  4  Final
CL Hawks   28 14  7  7  56
Kennedy     6  0  0  0   6
Scoring Summary:
CL-Peyton King 28 yard pass from Jace Wheeler (Stracener kick), 11:19, 1st
CL-Hayes Holladay 26 yard pass from Wheeler (Jack Stracener kick), 6:40, 1st
JR-Rockets 79 yard run (pass failed), 5:13, 1st
CL-King 12 yard pass from Wheeler (Stracener kick), 2:50, 1st
CL-Gram Simpson 7 yard run (Stracener kick), 0:19, 1st
CL-Simpson 8 yard run (Stracener kick), 7:31, 2nd
CL-Chris Brown 1 yard run (Stracener kick), 1:58, 2nd
CL-Simpson 5 yard run (Stracener kick), 5:53, 3rd
CL-Holladay 1 yard run (Stracener kick), 4:02, 4th

Team Stats        Rockets     Hawks
Total Yards       191         428
First Downs       8           28
Rush/Yards        43/191      32/174
Comp/Att/Int      0/2/0       14/15/0
Passing Yards     0           252
Punts/Average     6/31.1      0/0
Fumbles/Lost      3/1         0/0
Penalties-Yards   5-35        5-40

Passing          Comp Att  Pct  Yds  Int TD
Jace Wheeler     13   14  .929  215  0   3
Hayes Holladay    1    1 1.000   37  0   0
Totals           14   15  .933  252  0   3

Rushing          Att  Yds  Ave  Lg  TD
Chris Brown      14   63   4.5  10  1
Gram Simpson      8   44   5.1  21  3
Hayes Holladay    4   22   5.5  14  1
Ryder Smith       2   17   8.5  16  0
Peyton King       1   10  10.0  10  0
Gavyn Baldera     1   10  10.0  10  0
Jace Wheeler      1    8   8.0   8  0
Totals           32  174   5.6  21  5

Receiving        No  Yds   Ave  Lg  TD
Peyton King       4  81   20.3  28  2
Kobe Halverson    5  79   15.8  37  0
Lucas Schexnayder 2  49   24.5  25  0
Hayes Holladay    2  41   20.5  26  1
Gram Simpson      1   2    2.0   2  0
Totals           14 252   18.0  37  3

Hawks Junior Varsity’s Defense in a hand-to-hand combat in shutout over JFK, 26-0.

Isaac Blinkley with a 79 yard TD run & Mason Hallmark with two sacks in Hawk’s win over Rockets.

Canyon Lake’s Junior Varsity was efficient in win over JFK by scoring a, 26-0 shut-out for first district play win.

The Hawk’s defense dominated by allowing a 22 yard pass and 32 yard rushing play as their only damage resulting giving up 2.4 yards of real estate per snap.

The Lake’s offense capitalized on a fumble recovery on these Rockets muffed punt snap and a one play pass from QB Damon Garcia to Peyton Vann sneaking to the right end of the end zone for a touchdown.

A Rocket 4th down gamble did not pay off on JFK’s next drive gave CL another short field on their second possession which had Isaac Brinkley darting 5 yards for a Hawk, 14-0 lead with 2 minutes remaining in that first frame.

With that muffed punt for the Visitors and a Hawk 4 yard punt that formation would force each school using all 4 downs to move the chains.

But that was not necessary on CLake’s next drive that had Brinkley playing two below on his scamper going for 79 yards to pay-dirt and Hawk, 20-0 first half lead.

   Hit Man says get rid of Pests Hawks!

Canyon Lake would take advantage opening the 2nd half with the ball and taking 6 plays that went for 65 yards and final nail in this win, 26-0.

That drive started with an incomplete pass but was followed with 4 plays going 10 or more yards when QB Garcia (16 yards) and RB Oliver Carey-Spoon (17 yards) set up an 18 yard scoring strike when Garcia found an open Dario Faz catch and run for that final score.

Canyon Lake will be up next on the road at Fredericksburg for a chance to continue their momentum and another win!

Way to GO LAKE!

          1  2  3  4  Final
JFKJV     0  0  0  0  00
CL Hawks 14  6  6  0  26
Scoring Summary:
CLJV-Peyton Vann 6 yard pass Damon Garcia (run failed), 6:53, 1st
CLJV-Isaac Brinkley 5 yard run (Garcia run), 2:16, 1st
CLJV-Isaac Brinkley 79 yard run (run failed), 4:45, 2nd
CLJV-Dario Faz 18 yard pass Garcia, (run failed), 7:49, 3rd

Team Stats        Rockets    Hawks
Total Yards       122        219
First Downs       11         11
Rush/Yards        41/92      15/123
Comp/Att/Int      4/10/0     8/14/0
Passing Yards     30         106
Punts/Average     1/23.0     1/4.0
Fumbles/Lost      3/1        1/0
Penalties-Yards   6-55       4-40

Passing           Comp  Att  Pct  Yds Int TD
Damon Garcia      8     14  .571 106  0   2

Rushing           Att  Yds   Ave  Lg  TD
Isaac Brinkley     2    84  42.0  79  2
Oliver Carey-Spoon 5    30   6.0  17  0
Collin Joyce       1     3   3.0   3  0
Damon Garcia       7    -4    -   16  0
Totals            15   124   8.2  79  2

Receiving         No   Yds   Ave  Lg  TD
Dario Faz          2    48  24.0  30  1
Peyton Vann        3    35  11.7  20  1
Isaac Brinkley     2    17   8.5  17  0
Braeden Willey     1     6   6.0   6  0
Totals             8   106  13.3  30  2

(L-R) Bella Biasatti, Kylee Goff, Kylie Rodriguez stood out in Hawk’s win over Billies, 3-1. Go Lake!

                                   GO Lake!

Canyon Lake started district play with a win over Fredericksburg, 3-1 as these Hawks circled this as a must win for a chance in making the playoffs.

Winning those winnable games is a must and these Billies fit that description entering District 29-4A with a losing record and CLake needing to protect the Hawk Nest.

The Lake has not made the playoffs since a 2019 season which happened to be the last time reaching the 20 win plateau.

During the last 3 seasons the Hawks have started district play with a, 0-3 record with the Billies without taking a set. So this win did break some streaks from the wrong side of the ledger.

Head Coach Daniella Villarreal stated, “Last night’s game was an exciting way to kick off our district season! I’m really proud of the way the girls played and stepped up in the environment. They demonstrated consistent confidence and composure throughout the match.”

Canyon Lake’s depth was certainly in attendance on this night, 6 different Hawks finished with 5 or more kills. Kylie Rodriguez (15) and Preslie Owens (13) leading the pack.

Coach Villarreal spoke of Rodriguez strength for this team, “Kylie Rodriguez was “crafty” as a hitter, finding smart shots, adjusting to Fred’s big block, and swinging the ball down the line to put points away at key moments in the end. Kylie is a consistent all-around player who contributes in so many ways, from tough serves and solid serve receive to excellent defense that keeps rallies alive.”

Rodriguez and Owens took over in that final set combining for 12 kills that helped put this contest in the win column.

All three set wins was the same score (25-18) with Fredericksburg hanging tough in each of these sets only needing one point for a tie at the halfway mark with 11-10 Hawk leads.

                Way to Plug those Leaks Lake!

It was Sophomore Bella Biasetti who made her presence known entering that first set with a Hawk, 19-18 lead and responded with an ace and then a block and kill from Rodriguez during that rally and win, 25-18.

Coach Villarreal said, “Bella came in and did a fantastic job providing good passes and tough defense, helping keep us in system to run our offense. She brings a gritty, go-getter mentality, playing hard with quick reactions that make a difference for our team.”

Rinse and Repeat in that 2nd stanza ending with that same score and this time closing with a rally coming off of Chylea Gray’s serve that utilized a block for Gabby Fory and an Owens kill.

Another Sophomore Kyle Goff was another one of many players that rose to the occasion on this night, “Kylee Goff brings joy, energy, and fun to the team every day. She works hard to keep everyone engaged, knowing we play our best when we’re focused and having fun together. Her communication, determination, and ability to adjust on both offense and defense make her a key contributor.”

That 3rd set was the only glitch this night with both schools largest lead being 3 points before CLHS coming up just short, 26-28.

Lake ‘Hawk’ Proud!!

Another slow start in that 4th frame that had the Visitors score the first 3 points and held a two point advantage, 4-6 before a Hawk 5 point rally off the serve of Sabrina Steele which coincided when Rodriguez lowered the boom scoring 4 of those 5 points off her kills.

With that lead, The Lake, continued their assault to that first opening district victory when Owens scored 4 kills in those last two serves which gave CL a win.

Now next up will be another winnable game when Long Creek comes to the Hawk Nest this Friday and a chance to continue their quest for a post-season to remember!

Final Game Stats: Hawks won, 3-0. 25-18, 25-18, 26-28, 25-18.
Kills-  Kylie Rodriguez   15
        Preslie Owens     13
        Chloe Gray         9
        Gabby Fory         9

Blocks- Kylee Goff         4
        Preslie Owens      3
        Te’a Gonzales      2
        Gabby Fory         2

Aces-   Bella Biasatti     2
        Paisleigh Fahrney  1
        Chylea Gray        1
        Chloe Gray         1

Digs-   Izzy Fory         22
        Bella Biasatti    11
        Kyle Rodriguez    11
        Chloe Gray        11

Assist- Chloe Gray        34
        Izzy Fory          8
        Bella Biasatti     3
        Kylie Rodriguez    3

Way to GO LAKE!

(L-R) Isiah Eureste, JR Lindell and Jace Wheeler were 3 of the team’s amigos that dismantled Veterans, 49-14! Way to Go Lake!

Canyon Lake took  flight to outrun the Veterans Memorial’s Patriots, 49-14 finishing their non-district schedule, 3-1 with eyes on JFK Rockets next week to start district play.

The Hawks evened their record at two wins a piece against this 5A foe and with this victory reached the 100 plateau for this 18 year old high school.

When adding up these last two contests against Veterans it has been, The Lake, that has imposed their offensive mite scoring 126 points which comes to 1.3 points per minute.

QB Jace Wheeler's two game Patriot stat line:

Team        Comp  Att  Pct  Yds  Int  TD
Patriots    42    57  .737  804  1    11

CLHS had two receivers surpass 200 yds receiving hurdle:

                 No   Yds   Lg   TD
Carter Williams   8   250   72   5
Peyton King      10   224   82   3

Your Hawk’s offense was efficient throughout this evening while CL’s special teams pitched in scoring twice on opponent’s punt plays.

                          Let’s Go Lake!

CL’s first drive went 75 yards with King catchingt 4 passes for 69 yards and a quick Hawk, 7-0 lead.

On a Special Team side: JR Lindell went untouched to block Veteran’s first punt attempt and decided to take this play to the house going 33 yards to pay dirt. That score had The Lake entering halftime with a, 21-14 lead.

Veterans offense was a potent ground game that had the home team answering both of CL’s first drives. With both plays, break aways, going for 65 and 71 yards. Speed kills…

This contest would still be dicey with Veterans starting their 2nd stanza with the ball.

Defensive Coordinator Kurt Sloan had other plans after halftime adjustments when the Hawk’s worked a 3 play and punt sequence.

Canyon Lake responded with a 5 play 66 yard drive that had 4 pass plays using Lucas Schexnayder (2 catches for 20 yards) and King (2 catches for 44 yards) and score that gave some breathing room for the Hawk Nation, 28-14.

After that score the game  had both teams exchanging punts for their next 5 series which culminated with a Patriot Punter botching a snap and Isiah Eureste taking it from there going 32 yards clinching a score to start the 4th quarter.

Eureste ended this battle with two fumble recoveries and can also be hired out if Hawk families might need a pick-up service. A linebacker that plays all-over-the-field with unbounding energy that produces positive results each week.

CL’s Defense forced another punt after a Vet Memorial 5 play drive…Canyon Lake’s response?

                       Way to Go Hawks!

How bout a one-play catch and run for King this time going 82 yards giving the Lake a, 42-13 advantage.

That 82 yard pass play was the 3rd longest from back in those old days that had Matt Magness traveling 88 yards (he lost his shoe on that play) and Chance Martelli’s 93 yards (if you need more details on his catch then talk with his Dad…he will use a lot of emotion).

The Patriots had their best possession in the 2nd half for 10 plays traveling 45 yards but the Lake’s defense snuffed it out on their 35 yard line.

Enter Running Back Chris Brown who took the last offensive snap for 37 yards and the final score, 49-14.

A complete game that had all three phases in this game being in full display. Oh yeah, that QB (Wheeler) also takes snaps as CL’s punter and he unloaded on a 61 yarder while also pinning the opponent deep in their territory. Wheeler finished this contest with a 42 yard average and has a 40 yard season average.

Jack Stracener continues his strong kicking this season and has moved into 3rd place in made pat’s with 76 and with more games to improve that standing.

The Lake will be on the road at JFK next Friday to open district play…Let’s GO LAKE BABY!

                    1  2  3  4  Final
CL Hawks           14  7  7 21  49
Veterans Memorial  14  0  0  0  14
Scoring Summary:
CL-Peyton King 13yd pass from Jace Wheeler (Jack Stracener kick), 9:02, 1st
VM-Patriot 65 yard run (pat good), 6:52, 1st
CL-Gram Simpson 14 yd pass from Wheeler (Stracener kick), 1:15, 1st
VM-Patriot 71 yard run (pat good), 1:01, 1st
CL-JR Lindell blocked punt returned 33 yards (Stracener kick), 6:46, 2nd
CL-King 32 yard pass from Wheeler (Stracener kick), 8:35, 3rd
CL-Isiah Eureste fumble return 32 yards (Stracener kick), 11:46, 4th
CL-King 82 yard pass from Wheeler (Stracener kick), 9:36, 4th
CL-Chris Brown 37 yard run (Stracener kick), 1:03, 4th

Team Stats         Patriots    Hawks
Total Yards        380         467
First Downs        15          19
Rush/Yards         50/359      23/118
Comp/Att/Int       5/11/0      21/30/0
Passing Yards      21          349
Punts/Average      5/32.4      5/42.2
Fumbles/Lost       3/2         0/0
Penalty-Yard       3-30        3-20

Passing            Comp  Att  Pct  Yds  Int TD
Jace Wheeler       21    30  .700  349  0   4

Rushing            Att   Yds  Ave  Lg   TD
Chris Brown         7    61   8.7  37   1
Gram Simpson       11    41   3.3  17   0
Hayes Holladay      1    13  13.0  13   0
Jace Wheeler        3     4   1.1   7   0
Kobe Halverson      1    -1    -    0   0
Totals             23   118   4.9  37   1

Receiving          No   Yds   Ave  Lg   TD
Peyton King        10   224  22.4  82   3
Lucas Shexnayder    5    50  10.0  23   0
Kobe Halverson      3    44  18.0  18   0
Gram Simpson        2    27  13.3  14   1
Ryan Reyna          1     4   4.0   4   0
Totals             21   349  16.6  82   4

                 QB Jace Wheeler passed for 221 yards in, 21-13 win over Panthers. Go Lake!                              (photo by Daniel Clifton)

           Way to Plug those Leaks Lake!

Canyon Lake’s Defense was a Rock of Gibraltar coming out of halftime and proceeded to allow Navarro one first down and 14 yards which was enough for CL’s Offense to get two scores and a, 21-13 win.

Two Panther completions for 9 yards added by a suffocating Hawk front seven who applied pressure that entire second half.

Navarro possessed the ball 5 times during those last two quarters and the results were stunning on the negative side for the visitors.

Panther’s Second Half:
Possession 1: Gained  1 yard  on 2 plays and lost fumble.
Possession 2: Gained 19 yards on 9 plays and punt.
Possession 3: Lost   17 yards on 3 plays and punt.
Possession 4: Gained  9 yards on 3 plays and punt.
Possession 5: Gained  2 yards on 4 plays and interception.

That would be the ball game with a dominating defense while CL’s Offense came out of their shell after a 141 first half yards followed with 250 second half yards.

Two main offensive weapons had Gram Simpson reached over 100 yards finishing with 117 while Peyton King was targeted 7 times gaining 117 yards which would have been a year’s total during those slot-t campaigns.

QB Jace Wheeler finished with 221 yards passing and now possesses the best win/loss percentage for any Hawk quarterback and 3rd all-time in passing yardage.

TOP 3 QB’s Based on Passing Yardage:

Passing         Comp   Att   Pct    Yds   Int  TD  Year Finished
Ross Wagliardo   308   559  .551   3896   23   28    2009
Brandon Belcher  172   339  .507   3101   10   28    2012
Jace Wheeler     142   235  .604   2609   10   39   Not Yet

                  W   L    Pct
Jace Wheeler      8   5   .615
Ben Fulton       21  15   .583
Hunter Anderson  13   9   .579

King (265 yards)   jumped up to 34th on the all-time season receiving yardage and needs 150 more to be in the top 10.

Top 5 Receivers Season All-Time:
Receiving        Yards   Year   No  Longest TD’s
Carter Williams   1189   2024   50    72    19
Eric Nelson        925   2009   62    77     9
Daniel Camarillo   640   2012   29    70     6
Harris Gilliam     603   2023   36    75     8
Eric Nelson        602   2008   35    62     4

                    Let’s Go Hawks!!

This game had a rough start when Navarro traveled 75 yards to score taking 4 minutes. The Panther’s lead lasted 16 seconds after Peyton King returned the kick-off 40 yards resulting  a short field and one play 39 yard strike to Kobe Halverson.

Coach Darrell Royal once said that two bad things can happen on a pass play. With an obvious interception or a fumble if pass is caught.

The Panthers did the fumble ‘bad thing’ on their next drive but CL would not take advantage reaching the 22 yard line before running out of downs.

Next, Navarro with a 14 play drive but a Hawk defensive stop on the 15 yard line kept this battle  tied.

Navarro’s next drive went 11 plays covering 75 yards giving these Panthers a, 13-7 lead that had Isiah Eureste blocked extra point. A key play.

                          Way to GO LAKE!

The Lake would come out of intermission and ‘repeat’ dominated the last two quarters scoring twice when Wheeler found King on a 42 yard beautiful pass and catch on this one play drive and Hawk, 14-13 lead at the end of that 3rd stanza.

A clinching score starting the 4th quarter was accomplished on a drive that took more than one play when CLake drove 70 yards on 16 plays topped off when Chris Brown used a bruising run for 7 yards and Hawk, 21-13 lead and final score.

Canyon Lake will be back in action when they travel to San Antonio to take on Veterans Memorial at D. W. Rutledge Stadium with kick-off 7:00pm.

A Rock of Gibraltar second half with a chance to improve on that performance against a 5A opponent Veterans Memorial.

Way to GO LAKE!

           1  2  3  4   Final
Navarro    7  6  0  0   13
CL Hawks   7  0  7  7   21
Scoring Summary:
NP-Panther QB 2 yard run (pat good), 8:04, 1st
CL-Kobe Halverson 39 yard pass Jace Wheeler (Stracener kick), 7:42, 1st
NP-Panther running back 12 yard run (pat blocked), 2:04, 2nd
CL-Peyton King 42 yard pass Wheeler (Jack Stracener kick), 1:56, 3rd
CL-Chris Brown 7 yard run (Jack Stracener kick), 4:50, 4th

Team Stats        Panthers    Hawks
Total Yards       231         391
First Downs       15          18
Rush/Yards        35/103      31/170
Comp/Att/Int      11/21/1     13/21/0
Passing Yards     128         221
Punts/Average     3/35.7      1/38.0
Fumbles/Lost      3/2         3/3
Penalties-Yards   3-30        8-75

Passing           Comp  Att   Pct   Yds  Int  TD
Jace Wheeler      13    21   .600   221   0   2

Rushing           Att   Yds   Ave   Lg   TD
Gram Simpson      18    117   6.5   16   0
Chris Brown        6     29   4.8   15   1
Jace Wheeler       4     22   5.5    7   0
Lucas Schexnayder  1      3   3.0    3   0
Kobe Halverson     2     -1    -     3   0
Nico Wyckoff       2     -3    -     3   0
Totals            33    167   5.4   16   1

Receiving          No   Yds   Ave   Lg   TD
Peyton King        7    117  16.7   42   2
Kobe Halverson     4     76  12.3   39   0
Gram Simpson       1     17  17.0   17   0
Lucas Schexnayder  1     11  11.0   11   0
Totals            13    221  17.0   39   2

Panther’s did not have a chance with CLJV’s Defense! Hawks won, 48-20! Go Lake!

Canyon Lake’s Junior Varsity started slow but finished in a 6-Man football mode in their 48-20 spanking of Navarro’s Panthers.

The Lake’s defense was spot on after a special team fumble recovery and a Carson Walker interception to start this affair.

Then forcing two 3 plays and punt series that had your Hawks up, 14-0 before giving up a score with just under 4 minutes remaining in the first half.

CLHS would respond to the Panther’s score with a 58 yard drive when John Fitzharris received a team sneak from 2 yards out resulting in a Hawk, 20-7 first half lead.

It would last two quarters that started a six-man contest. (For those unfamiliar with 6-man football it will many times take less than 4 plays for a touchdown)

Panthers started the 2nd stanza with a one play 75 yard run by a ‘Jack Rabbit’ or fast Panther down the home sideline taking less than 10 seconds to accomplish.

The Lake found out that their first half of dominance would be challenged.

                        GO HAWKS!!

That CL response would be in rapid fire using just 9  plays during those last two quarters and scoring 4 times that responded with a Lake, 48-14 lead until a no-time on the clock score by Navarro for a final score, 48-20.

This won’t take long if you catch The ReSporter’s 6-man scenario.

After the opening 2nd half score the Lake:

Took 3 plays to travel 61 yards when Dario Faz caught an over his shoulder pass from QB Damon Garcia for 59 yds and score.

N Panthers then went 4 plays and punt.

Hawks? Two plays for 61 yards when Oliver Carey-Spoon found his offensive line wedging a hole and squirting for 55 yards and score. Carey-Spoon finished with 106 ground yardage on 9 carries.

N Panthers 3 plays and punt.

Hawks? 3 plays that had a *Thomas Inmon 31 yard finger tip catch followed with a catch and run that went 23 yards for Peyton Vann.

*Inmon finished with 157 receiving Yards.

N Panthers 3 plays and punt.

The Hawks? A one play 41 yard run for Isaac Blinkley when he bounced out of the middle of the line and down the visitor side of the field and score.

QB Garcia started this contest with 6 incompletions before finding Inmon for 20 yard touchdown strike and CL’s first score of the game left in that opening frame. He was 2 for 9 going 26 yards before catching red hot fire with 11 straight completions and 247 yards.

Pretty impressive well oiled machine for The Lake!

It had been two weeks since that first game loss to Wimberley and getting that first win would be a defensive stalwart effort followed by a Six-Man football contest.

If you do this same type of game next week then start in that first quarter and the game would be over with a 45 point  or more lead going into halftime.

The Lake’s JV first home game will be next Thursday in a 5:30pm kick-off.

Way to Go Lake!

CLJV      1  2  3  4  Final
CL Hawks  7 13 21  7  48
Navarro   0  7  7  6  20
Scoring Summary:
CL-Thomas Inmon 20 yd pass from Damon Garcia (Inmon kick), 2:52, 1st
CL-Isaac Brinkley 5 yard run (Inmon kick), 7:35, 2nd
NP-Panther 20 yard pass (pat good), 3:57, 2nd
CL-John Fitzharris 3 yard run (kick blocked), 1:40, 2nd
NP-Panther 75 yard run (pat good), 9:46, 3rd
CL-Dario Faz 59 yard pass from Garcia (Inmon kick), 8:21, 3rd
CL-Oliver Carey-Spoon 55 yard run (Inmon kick), 4:13, 3rd
CL-Peyton Vann 23 yard pass from Garcia (Inmon kick), 0:45, 3rd
CL-Isaac Brinkley 41 yard run (Inmon kick), 9:33, 4th
NP-Panther pass for 11 yards (pat failed), 0:00, 4th

Team Stats     Panthers    Hawks
Total Yards    255         471
First Downs    11          13
Rush/Yards     27/191      24/198
Comp/Att/Int   7/12/1      13/20/0
Passing Yards  64          273
Punts/Average  5/37.8      1/30.0
Fumbles/Lost   1/1         0/0
Penalties-Yds  1-15        5-50

Passing        Comp  Att  Pct  Yds  Int TD
Damon Garcia   13    20  .650  273  0   3

Rushing              Att  Yds  Ave  Lg  TD
Oliver Carey-Spoon    9   106 11.8  55  1
Isaac Brinkley        8    90 11.3  41  2
Canyon Buchman        1     7  7.0   7  0
John Fitzharris       1     2  2.0   2  1
Collin Joyce          1     2  2.0   2  0
Damon Garcia          4    -8   -   10  0
Totals               24   198  8.3  55  4

Recieving            No   Yds  Ave  Lg  TD
Thomas Inmon          7   151 21.6  37  1
Peyton Vann           5    63 16.0  26  1
Dario Faz             1    59 59.0  59  1
Totals               13   273 21.0  59  3