By RIchard C. White
Sports Reporter
Cuero —
The Wimberley Texans came into Cuero and did something at Gobbler Stadium Friday night that no visiting team has done since 2003 — they won.
“We wanted to prove everyone wrong and that’s what we just did here tonight,” WHS junior quarterback Brady Lambert said.
The Texans beat the fourth-ranked Gobblers 49-42 in a high-powered game that lived up to the hype between two of the best Class 3A teams in the state. Wimberley’s win broke Cuero’s 33-game home winning streak, which began seven years ago.
“This was a great night for the Texans. We’re just tickled about this win,” Wimberley head coach Weldon Nelms said. “Two good football teams played their hearts out and we were lucky to get one more play than they did.”
In a game where there were no field goals, the two teams traded touchdowns throughout the game with no team having more than a seven-point lead until late in the fourth quarter. The Texans offense, led by Lambert and junior running back Dennis Smith, did all it could to match Cuero’s prolific running game and balanced receiving corps.
After Wimberley’s opening touchdown of the night, when Lambert connected with junior receiver Hunter Burtschell for a 16-yard score early in the first quarter, Lambert or Smith would account for all of the Texans next six touchdowns.
The versatile Lambert finished the game 13-of-22 passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He would also run for two touchdowns on his way to collecting 88 rushing yards off 16 carries.
“We executed everything,” Lambert said. “That’s the plan [to put up about 50]. We’re going to aim for that goal every week.”
Smith led the Texans in both receiving and rushing with 65 receiving yards off six receptions and 108 rushing yards off 28 touches while running for two scores.
“We had some starters injured, but that just pushed us harder and harder, so I ran as hard as I can,” Smith said. “It feels great to break that Cuero winning streak. Now it’s 33-1.”
Nelms’ words of praise were simple and sweet when it came to describing the high octane night Lambert and Smith had as they carried the offense.
“They were awesome,” Nelms said. “They got big, strong bodies, good speed and they know how to play. It’s a big advantage that we got players like that to make those big plays.”
But in the end, despite all the offensive highlights, it was the Texans defense that had the play of the night.
Junior linebacker Nick Alana intercepted Cuero quarterback Mason Blaschke’s pivotal pass on fourth-and-3 with three minutes, 41 seconds left in the game.
It was the first interception of the game on either side and it set up a five-yard touchdown run from Smith to put the Texans up 49-35, sealing their victory late in the fourth quarter.
The Gobblers would add a meaningless touchdown with 37 seconds left in the game.
Alana’s interception was something Nelms said he saw coming.
“We knew they’d be running that,” Nelms said, “so he jumped the route and he got it.”
It was after that interception and subsequent score that the Gobblers’ side of the bleachers started thinning out as the fans dressed in Cuero green began to take down their signs and banners from around the stands and head home with time still left on the game clock.
Blaschke finished 15 of 23 for 182 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions, as Wimberley senior linebacker Jordan Swisher caught Blaschke’s second pick on his ensuing pass after throwing his first interception to Alana.
Cuero junior running back Trent Jackson provided much of the offense for the Gobblers as he ran for two touchdowns and a game-high 126 yards off only 18 carries.
Although this win over the fourth-ranked team in the state may be the biggest of the regular season, Nelms is keeping it in perspective. And his postgame comments to the team made sure his players do, too.
“It’s just one win in a long journey to 16 [games to the state championship]. We’ll enjoy this one tonight, but we got to get back to work tomorrow,” Nelms said. “We got Dripping Springs next week and we haven’t beaten them in two years, so that will be a big game, too.”
