Austin Vandegrift avenges early season loss against Dripping Springs: Texas high school football playoffs recap

Vipers score three rushing touchdowns, part of a 20-0 scoring surge to reach the Class 6A Division II semifinals

Austin Vandegrift's captains walk to midfield during the 6A DII UIL Texas State Football Championship game against Southlake Carroll on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The Vipers are in the quarterfinals this year again. / Naomi Skinner/Times Record News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The quarterfinal round of the playoff featured 19 rematches across the state of Texas.

One of them is another showdown of CenTex powers in Dripping Springs vs. Austin Vandegrift, the defending Class 6A Division II champs.

The two clash at 3 p.m. on Dec. 6 at the Alamodome. 

Dripping Springs won the Week 1 meeting rather handily, 41-14.

Since then, Vandegrift (11-2) had won 11 of 12 and enter as winners of the past eight. That includes a 16-14 win against Austin Westlake in the bi-district round. Westlake was the Class 6A Division I runner-up last year.

Dripping Springs (12-1) have won five in a row heading into this game since a 14-7 loss to Austin Lake Travis, a Class 6A Division I semifinalist.

This is the Tigers’ third trip to the fourth round in the past four years. In 2023, they lost to Cibolo Steele and in 2022, fell to Vandegrift, 27-24.

That season, Vandegrift lost to DeSoto in the state championship game.

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Dripping Springs vs. Austin Vandegrift: Live score, updates from Texas high school football playoffs

Dripping Springs gets the ball first

Tigers facing 3rd and 1 but 3 offensive lineman jump

4th and 6. 40 yard FG attempt

FIELD GOAL! Ian French makes it. 9:23 left in 1st. Dripping Springs 3, Vandegrift 0

Miles Teodecki with a first down run for the Vipers

Justin Moore with a first-down run on an end around for the Vipers. Ball at DS 44

Big play! Teodecki to Brock Chilton for a 27-yard gain. Ball at the 17.

Teodecki to Marshall Linenberger for a 13-yard gain. 1st and goal at the 5

TOUCHDOWN! Evan Williamson. 4-yard run. 5:10 left. PAT is blocked. Looks like Malachi Igharo for Dripping Springs. Vandegrift up 6-3. The sophomore got pulled up from the JV roster. He had 110 yards rushing and 94 yards receiving last week.

Vipers ball again and they are driving. Teodecki to Chilton good for about 20 yards

Moore for a 28-yard run on another end around

End of 1: Vandegrift 6, Dripping Springs 3

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2nd Quarter

4th and 7 for Vandegrift at the 31. They are going for it

Teodecki runs and looks to have gotten it but a flag on the play

Call against Vipers. They will punt the ball now

Ames to Montgomery for what looked like a catch at first but it falls to ground. Dripping Springs to punt with 8:30 left

Pass interference on Dripping Springs coming up on a deep pass attempt to Chilton. Ball at Drippring Springs 45

4th and 1 coming up for the Vipers

Teodecki to Linenbarger for a first down. Ball at the 16-yard line now

TOUCHDOWN! Teodecki with a 1-yard keeper. 4:26 left. PAT is good. Vandegrift 13, Dripping Springs 3

TURNOVER! Chase Ritchie with an INT at the 30-yard line. 2:30 to go in the 2nd. Dripping Springs offense has struggled to do much. Long kickoff return set up the opening score. Since then, not much

TOUCHDOWN! Sam Brown with a 6-yard TD run. Big play was a throw by Teodecki to Chilton.

FIELD GOAL French with a 51-yard field goal for Tigers to close the first half. Vandegrift 20, Dripping Springs 6

HALFTIME: Vandegrift 20, Dripping Spring 6

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3rd quarter

TOUCHDOWN! Ames throws a touchdown pass to Merrik Bloomgren. With 7:49 left, Dripping Springs pulls within a possession. Vandegrift 20, Dripping Springs 13

Big play! Ames to Merrik Bloomgren for 51 yards. Ball at the 20 yard line. 

Bad snap leads to 8 yard loss for the Tigers 

Dripping Springs missed a field goal with 3:18 left Ball at the 29-yard line for Vandegrift 

TURNOVER! Dripping fumbles punt return. Thomas Foote picks it up at the 6. 49 seconds left in the third.

End of 3rd Vandegrift 20, Dripping Springs 13

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4th quarter

4th and goal coming up for the Vipers when play resumes

TOUCHDOWN! Teodecki to Brock Chilton for a score. 11:55 left. Vandegrift 27, Dripping Springs 13

INTERCEPTION! Luke Davis jumps the route 9:04 left Vandegrift gets the ball back 

TOUCHDOWN! Ames to James Montgomery for 48 yards. 5:36 left. Vandegrift 27, Dripping Springs 20 

Big play! Teodecki with a pump fake and scrambles for a first down. Ball at the 39-yard line now. 4:46 left. Wide open side of the field. 

Moore comes up with first down run on 3rd down. 3:03 to go. Clocking bleeding in a hurry for the Tigers, who haven’t been able to stop the last two third downs

Dripping Springs calls a timeout with 2:44 left 

Dripping Springs calls a timeout with 2:37 to go

3rd and 1 coming up 

Moore with another first down run for the Vipers. That should be about It to lock up the win 

Two minute timeout coming

Final timeout for Dripping Springs. 3rd and 8 coming up with 1:55 left 

4th and 7 and Vandegrift punts. Ball at the 1 yard line

1:01 left 

One play left. 4 seconds left. 76 yards from the end zone

Vandegrift calls a timeout 

A completion and then a few laterals and Parker Davis gets an interception. 

FINAL: Vandegrift 27, Dripping Springs 20 

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RECAP

Austin Vandegrift returned to the state semifinals after scoring 20 unanswered points to set the stage for a 27-20 win on Saturday.

The Vipers turned two turnovers into 14 points, incidentally the same number of points they had in the first showdown, a Week 1 loss.

Miles Teodecki, who led the Vipers to the state title last year, ran for a touchdown and passed for one as well. The Vipers ran for three touchdowns.

The Tigers rallied late and pulled with a score in the third quarter. However, a fumble turned into 7 quick points for the Vipers early in the fourth.

Chase Ames threw another touchdown pass to pull the Tigers within 27-20, but the defense couldn't get a stop. The time the Tigers got the ball back, they had no times out and had to go 99 yards in 1 minute.