Wimberley’s “Code Red” defense pitches shutout

On the Wimberley High School football field, the mantra of “Code Red” isn’t just a saying for the Texans.

It’s a way of life.

“We pride ourselves in being the most physical team on the field,” senior nose tackle Shay Shoyer said. “That is our motto. We want to hit (the other team) in the mouth and set the tempo and get going.”

Behind four interceptions — including a pick-six — and three fourth-down stops, it was the Texans’ vaunted “Code Red” defense that led the way as they pitched a 35-0 shutout over the Comal Pieper Warriors in the season opener which was called off early due to lighting. 

Despite the Wimberley offense having its struggles with penalties, the Texan defense picked up the slack. 

“When the defense is playing like they are playing it makes life a whole lot easier for you,” Head Football Coach Doug Warren said. “You can win many football games when playing really good defense and they did it tonight. I thought we overpowered them a little bit at times and put a lot of pressure on the quarterback — (I’m)  really pleased with the defense and how they set the tone all night long.”

The Texans made their presence known on defense following a 12-yard touchdown by senior running back Johnny Ball on offense during their first drive of the game. Then, an interception returned for a touchdown by junior cornerback Zach Patek pushed the lead up to 14-0 with only 10:32 left in the first quarter to put Pieper in a hole early. 

After the two scores, Wimberley’s offense stalled throughout their next four drives ending with punts on their next two possessions. An interception and fumble followed over the next two.

For senior linebacker Brasen Leonard, the defense does not falter when the offense doesn’t perform up to standard — but rather causes the Texans to rally around each other. 

“Part of the thing when we face adversity on offense, it fires everyone up,” Leonard said. “We get pretty pissed off so we pound the other team’s offense to get revenge. The biggest thing is that we go out there and we give it our all. That is when we really perform well.”

The Texans finally ended their scoring drought when Ball punched in his second touchdown of the game in the second quarter to extend the lead to 21-0. 

The next Wimberley offensive possession saw sophomore quarterback Cody Stoever score from one yard out to put the game at 28-0. 

“During the game, you are trying to get (players) refocused,” Warren said. “You are just trying to get them to execute the basic offense that we do which they have been running since 7th grade. They have seen all the fronts and all the stunts so they know those things. For them, it’s (about) not getting overwhelmed with that stuff and getting back to just executing play by play.”

“I thought at times we did that, (and that’s) where we would get to moving,” Warren continued. “But then we would get bogged down and have a misread or throw a bad ball or not protect very well. It was really many different phases of the game that caused that to happen. When you have an inexperienced team like this one, you better grow up in a hurry. But we have to continue to work and get better so those things can go to the wayside.”

The Texans put the nail in the coffin for a Pieper comeback in the fourth quarter when senior running back Jack Boyle ran for an 80-yard touchdown following another Wimberley interception to extend its lead to 35-0. 

Boyle, along with Ball, are the Texans’ 1-2 punch on offense. The key for Wimberley in improving their offense is getting rid of consistent penalties that stalled the team all night long. 

“I definitely say discipline (is what we need to improve on),” Boyle said. “The discipline to keep going and to stay on top of it. A couple of times earlier in the season we would get those late hit penalties, and (we also had) pre and post-play penalties. Limiting those will be a big key to success, especially next week when we play Brock — who is a great program — in Waco.”

Wimberley will travel to Waco to square off with the state-ranked Brock Eagles at Baylor’s McLane Stadium on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.