Austin, TX
Texas high school football: Austin-area UIL scores, highlights from Week 12 playoffs
The playoffs are here for Texas high school football. Pflugerville kicked things off on Thursday night for Central Texas with a 63-13 win over San Antonio Burbank, the Panthers’ first playoff win since 2012.
All of the top Austin-area schools are in action Friday night, including heavyweight programs Westlake, Lake Travis, Vandegrift, Cedar Park, LBJ, Liberty Hill and Bastrop.
9 UIL PLAYOFF TEAMS TO WATCH INCLUDE STATE TITLE DEFENDERS, HOPEFULS
FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
CLASS 6A | CLASS 5A
Follow this thread throughout Friday night for live updates and scores from playoff games throughout Central Texas:
On Georgetown’s first possession of overtime, Georgetown’s 2000+ yard ball carrier Jett Walker scored from 17 yards out as the Eagles regained the lead 42-35 lead over Burleson Centennial.
Angleton has ended Weiss’ season with a 35-28 win in the 5A-Division I bi-district win.
The Cavaliers have advanced to the Area Round with a 41-14 win over Round Rock at the Palace on Parmer in a 6A-Division 1 playoff opener.
Lake Travis faces San Antonio Johnson next week.
Georgetown marched the length of the field to tie Burleson Centennial 35-35 as Jett Walker scored his 2nd TD of the night, this one on a 4-yard run.
The game is heading to overtime.
Johnson is pounding Laredo United 31-0 in the 3rd quarter.
Dripping Springs is 35 points better than McNeil 49-14 in the final stanza.
JD Jackson has scored again, this from 6 yards out, for Vista Ridge but Westlake leads 46-17 midway through the fourth quarter.
LBJ has increased its lead to 32-14 over Fredericksburg in the 3rd quarter.
Cedar Park has scored for the first time since the second quarter, but the Twolves still trail Red Oak 35-15 with 7:26 left in the contest.
Following a punt, Centennial has shocked the Georgetown home crowd with an 86-yard TD pass with around 2 minutes left in the game. The Spartans lead the Eagles 35-28.
Reggie Hurley has taken a 36-yard pass from Garrett Marshall for Round Rock but Lake Travis still leads 41-14 with 2:58 left in the fourth quarter.
Westlake has scored its fourth TD of the second half as the Chaps lead Vista Ridge 46-10 with 9:17 remaining in the game.
Though down early, LBJ has rallied to take a 25-14 lead over Fredericksburg at the half.
Weiss is now tied with Angleton at 28 in the 4th quarter.
La Porte leads Anderson 28-21 in the final quarter.
Burleson Centennial has come all the way back as the Spartans marched 83 yards to tie Georgetown at 28 with about 5 minutes left in the game.
Vandegrift leads Austin High 49-7 in the fourth quarter.
Liberty Hill has extended its lead to 27-18 over SA Sam Houston early in the third quarter.
Bastrop is not having any problems as the Bears are whitewashing SA Lanier 42-0 in the third quarter.
Brody Wilhem just took a pass from Rees Wise for 43 yards as Westlake now leads Vista Ridge 32-10 in the third. That is two TDs in 2 possessions for the Chaps in the third quarter.
It looks like Lake Travis will advance in the 6A-Division I playoffs as the Cavs’ Chaston Ditta has scored from 2 yards out. Lake Travis leads Round Rock 38-7 lead late in the third quarter.
If the score holds up, Lake Travis will face SA Johnson in next week’s Area round.
Burleson Centennial is rallying as they now trail Georgetown 28-21 in the fourth quarter.
Josiah Thomas has hit the trifecta as he has hauled in a 23-yard throw from Chaston Ditta for his third TD of the night as Lake Travis leads Round Rock 31-7 with 9:20 left in the 3rd.
QB Jack Appl has not played yet in the 3rd quarter for Round Rock.
Grady Bartlett has scored on an 8-yard run for Westlake as the Chaps lead Vista Ridge 25-10 in the third quarter.
Red Oak has pushed its lead over Cedar Park 35-14 with 5:40 remaining in the third quarter.
Dripping Springs leads McNeil 21-7 in the third.
Vandegrift still leads Austin High 42-0 in the third.
Johnson is up on Laredo United 24-0 at the half.
Unofficially, Lake Travis’s Josiah Thomas has hauled in 5 passes for 161 yards and a pair of scores to lead the Cavalier offense. Defensively, USC commit Gus Cordova has 3 sacks of the Round Rock quarterback with a pair of pass deflections.
Georgetown looks like it will be playing next weekend as the Eagles lead Burleson Centennial 28-0 lead in the third quarter.
Red Oak is doubling up Cedar Park 28-14 in the third.
La Porte has taken a 20-14 lead over Anderson in the third.
Angleton has rallied to tie Weiss 21-21 in the third quarter.
Liberty Hill 14, SA Sam Houston 12 (2nd)
Bastrop 28, SA Lanier 0 (2nd)
Elgin 24, SA Jefferson 10 (half)
Fredericksburg 7, LBJ 3 (2nd)
Canyon Lake 14, Travis 2 (2nd)
Somerset 28, Taylor 0 (2nd)
La Vega 42, La Grange 0 (2nd)
Lago Vista 35, Bandera 3 (2nd)
Llano 27, Crystal City 7 (2nd)
Thrall 23, Tidehaven 14 (half)
Thorndale 21, Riesel 21 (3rd)
Vandegrift 42, Austin High (half)
Lake Travis 24, Round Rock 7 (half)
Dripping Springs 14, McNeil 7 (2nd quarter)
Westlake 18, Vista Ridge 10 (2nd quarter)
Johnson 10, Laredo United 0 (2nd quarter)
Georgetown 28, Burleson Centennial 0 (half)
Red Oak 21, Cedar Park 14 (half)
Highland Park 34, Rouse 0 (half)
Weiss 14, Angleton 7 (half)
Anderson 14, La Porte 14 (half)
Weiss has taken a 14-7 lead over Angleton at intermission in a 5-A Division I tilt.
Aiden Archer returned an interception 55 yards and a touchdown as Lake Travis extended its lead over Round Rock to 24-7 with 1:08 left in the half.
Vista Ridge has kicked a field goal to narrow the Westlake lead to 8, 18-10 in the second quarter.
Red Oak has scored 14 unanswered taking a 21-14 lead over Cedar Park with 2:22 left in the half. Red Oak’s Kingston McAdams scored on a two-yard run while Jacque Overton has scored on a 37-pass.
SA Sam Houston has taken a 12-7 lead over Liberty Hill in the second quarter.
Westlake has cashed in a Vista Ridge turnover as Rees Wise called his own number on a one-yard power run over the left side. The Chaps lead 18-7 in the second quarter.
Liberty Hill leads San Antonio Sam Houston 7-6 in the opening quarter.
Highland Park is dominating Rouse 27-0 in the second quarter in a 5A-Division 1 playoff match up.
Granger leads La Pryor 28-0 in the second quarter.
Thorndale has reached half as the Bulldogs are tied with Riesel at 21.
Thrall leads Tidehaven 16-14 in the second quarter.
Johnson leads Laredo United 7-0 in the opening quarter.
Elgin and San Antonio Jefferson are tied 10-10 in the second quarter.
La Vega is up 21-0 over La Grange in the first quarter.
Llano leads Crystal City 13-7 in the second stanza.
Vandegrift leads Austin High 21-0 in the second quarter. in a 6A Division II bi-district affair.
La Porte leads Anderson 14-7 in the second quarter.
Georgetown leads Burleson Centennial 14-0 in the second in a 5A-Division I playoff opener.
Bastrop leads SA Lanier 14-0 in a 5A Division II bi-district championship tilt in the opening quarter.
After converting on a fourth down, Grady Bartlett scored from 2 yards out to give Westlake the lead back 12-7 with 11:51 left in the opening half.
Cedar Park has regained the lead as Jamal Porter is on the receiving end of a 39-yard scoring pass. The Timberwolves lead Red Oak 14-7 with 7:41 left before intermission.
In 6A-Division I, Vista Ridge leads Westlake after 1 7-5. Using a 58-yard return the Chaps are knocking on the door looking to regain the lead.
Round Rock has scored as Jack Appl evades the Lake Travis rush to score. The Cavs still lead the Dragons 10-7 with 9:24 left in the half.
Braydon Doane has kicked a 27-yard field goal to give Lake Travis a 10-0 lead over Round Rock with 11:51 left in the second quarter.
At Westlake, Vista Ridge has intercepted a Rees Wise pass and returned it deep into Chap territory and JD Jackson has cashed in the turnover hauling in a 8-yard pass to give the Rangers a 7-5 lead with 1:58 left in the first quarter.
Red Oak has responded to Cedar Park’s opening score with one of its own.
Billy Middleton hits Brayden Robinson on a 29-yard scoring pass with 3:48 remaining in the opening quarter.
Westlake has extended its lead to 5-0 over Vista Ridge after a punt pinned the Rangers on the one-yard. One play later, Westlake’s defense swarmed the Vista Ridge running back for a safety.
Cedar Park’s Cameron Graham has scored from 19-yards out as the Timberwolves lead Red Oak 7-0 with 4:42 remaining in the opening stanza.
Meanwhile in Round Rock, Lake Travis draws first blood Josiah Thomas took a short pass from Chaston Ditta 46 yards for a score. The Cavs lead Round Rock 7-0 with 4:21 left in the opening quarter.
After holding Vista Ridge on a fourth down, Westlake took over and marched into the red zone but had to settle for a 28-yard Nolan Barkley field goal. Barkley’s third three-pointer of the year gives Westlake a 3-0 lead over Vista Ridge in the opening quarter.
Round Rock and Lake Travis are scoreless midway through the first as is Cedar Park and Red Oak.
After an initial first down on its first play from scrimmage pushed the ball into Vista Ridge territory, the Ranger defense held and took over as Westlake quarter back Rees Wise was sacked on fourth down.
Vista Ridge, 6-4, takes over near midfield.
Taking its opening possession
The Statesman’s Caleb Yum is at the Cedar Park – Red Oak 5A Division I Bi-district game where there are reports that Cedar Park running back Trae Hill’s season has been cut short due to an injury suffered during the regular season.
Round Rock hosts Lake Travis at Kelly Reeves
In a 6A-Division I matchup, Lake Travis (9-1) heads north into Williamson County as the Cavaliers take on Round Rock (8-2) in a Bi-district tussle.
Offensively, Lake Travis is led by the duo of qb Chaston Ditta and running back Vann Hopping. Ditta has thrown for 2096 yards with 20 TDs, while Hopping contributes 1041 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Round Rock counters with signal caller Jack Appl and a 2-headed monster at running back of Joaquin Maldonado and Moose Garlington. Appl has thrown for just over 1400 yards with 14 scoring throws. He has also added 8 scores on the ground.
Maldonado and Garlington have combined for over 1300 yards and 11 TDs.
The winner will face Johnson SA Johnson in the Area Round next week.
Panthers, Texans and Badgers roll into Area round
Pflugerville, Wimberley and Burnet all scored convincing wins in the Bi-district round of the state playoffs last night.
Pflugerville, the fourth-place qualifier out of 11-5A Division II, stunned 12-5A Division II champ San Antonio Burbank 63-13 at the San Antonio ISD Athletic Complex.
The Panthers, who upped their season record to 8-3, await the winner of the Iowa Colony – Killeen Ellison match-up in next week’s Area round.
Wimberley, 9-2, ran its winning streak to seven as the Texans whitewashed Pearsall 69-0 in the opening round of the 4A Division II playoffs.
The Texans will face the winner of the King vs. Rockport-Fulton in next week’s second round.
Lampasas routed Pecos 53-14 in the 4A Division I Bi-district round to advance to next week’s Area Round.
With the win, the 9-2 Badgers advance to the Area round where they will face the winner of the El Paso Austin – Dumas clash.
Manor New Tech was steamrolled by San Antonio Davenport 91-0 in the 4A Division I Bi-district round to conclude a 3-8 season.
Burnet, 5-6, saw the curtain fall for the season after dropping its fourth consecutive game, 35-21 to Andrews in the 4A-Division I playoff opener.
In the opening round of the 3A Division II playoffs, Van Vleck edged District 13 winner Blanco 48-41.
The Panthers end their season with a 7-4 mark.
Thursday night finals
Pflugerville 63, San Antonio Burbank 13
Davenport 91, Manor New Tech 18
Andrews 35, Burnet 21
Wimberley 69, Pearsall 0
Lampasas 53, Pecos 14
Van Vleck 48, Blanco 41
Westlake, Georgetown, LBJ finish atop regular season Statesman’s Fab Five rankings
6A
#1 Westlake (9-1) hosts Vista Ridge
#2 Vandegrift (9-1) hosts Austin High
#3 Lake Travis (9-1) hosts Round Rock
#4 Round Rock (8-2) visits Lake Travis
#5 Dripping Springs (7-3) hosts McNeil
5A
#1 Georgetown (9-1) hosts Burleson Centennial
#2 Weiss (8-2, 5-2) visits Angleton
#3 Bastrop (8-2) hosts San Antonio Lanier
#4 Liberty Hill (8-2) hosts San Antonio Sam Houston
#5 Pflugerville (8-3) beat San Antonio Burbank 63-13 last night
4A/Others
#1 LBJ (10-0) face Fredericksburg
#2 Wimberley (9-2) beat Pearsall 69-0 last night
#3 Lampasas (9-2) beat Pecos 53-14 last n
#4 Regents (9-1) – TBA
#5 St. Michael’s (9-1) – TBA
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The Austin ISD Board of Trustees voted yes to a highly contentious plan to close 10 schools and make several major programming changes before the 2026-27 school year.
The vote came early Friday morning after months of community meetings and school protests.
Superintendent Matias Segura estimates the plan will generate $21.5 million — eliminating the district’s $19.7 million budget deficit — and reduce the number of “empty seats” in the district by 6,319 from more than 20,000.
“This is difficult, and I wish we didn’t have to do it,” Segura said at the meeting. “But the pressures are gargantuan, and without significant change, we will not be the school district that ultimately can protect who we are moving forward.”
The board’s vote gives the district the green light to close eight elementary schools — Barrington, Becker, Dawson, Oak Springs, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley, Widén and Winn Montessori — as well as Bedichek and Martin middle schools.
Austin Independent School District
Additionally, International High School, which helps ninth and 10th grade students who recently immigrated to Texas transition into the state’s public education system, will close due to low enrollment. International students will be reassigned to a campus near their home and will be offered “newcomer support.”
While the financial savings will be a boon to the district, the plan also aims to improve accountability ratings at seven chronically failing schools. The letter grades are handed down annually by the Texas Education Agency to public schools and are largely based on standardized test scores.
The district’s original plan, released in early October, included 13 school closures and triggered parent and student protests. The district received more than 7,000 pieces of community feedback from concerned parents, teachers and staff. That feedback led to the district scaling back the number of closures to 10.
The board voted on the plan after nearly three hours of public comment from parents, teachers and community members. Nearly every speaker urged the board to reject the plan.
Téo Vigil, a third grader at Ridgetop Elementary, stood on a chair to reach the microphone and deliver his message to the board.
“At school, I learned to listen to my feelings. When I think about this plan, it makes me feel sad, worried and confused. I think you should listen to your feelings, too. Good choices do not feel like this,” he said. “I know you already made a plan, but grown-ups can change their minds when something does not feel right anymore.”
Band director Andria Hyden said she drives an hour from her home in Round Rock to South Austin’s Bedichek Middle School.
Hyden said for many kids, Bedichek is “the only place where they feel safe, accepted and successful.”
“Middle school is already one of the hardest stages of childhood,” she said. “Asking students to start over across three different campuses, to rebuild friendships, to search for trusted adults, to try and find where they fit is not what’s best for their emotional or academic well being.”
Major changes coming to dual language programs
The district’s most comprehensive dual language programming at Becker, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley and Reilly elementary schools will be moved to Sanchez, Pickle, Wooten and Odom elementary schools as part of this plan.
Current dual language students will be given priority transfers to the new campuses.
Sanchez, Pickle and Wooten elementary schools will remain “neighborhood” campuses that serve households in their boundary lines and offer dual language programming to a portion of the student population. The district said it plans on eventually transitioning these schools to campus-wide dual language schools that are non-zoned.
Odom Elementary will become the district’s only school that offers a campus-wide dual language program and is non-zoned. At campus-wide dual language schools, almost all curriculum is taught in both English and Spanish.
The district said it is relocating its dual language programs to serve the emergent bilingual population — students who primarily speak Spanish at home and are learning English — more equitably.
Reilly Elementary will offer a Montessori program, and students from Winn Montessori will be given priority transfers to follow the program as Winn closes.
The plan approved Thursday is far less sweeping than the district’s initial proposal, which also included redrawing the attendance boundaries for 98% of schools and changing feeder patterns so more students stay together through elementary, middle and high school.
The district claims those changes would have balanced out enrollment throughout Austin ISD. District data shows some schools are extremely under-enrolled while others are so full they require portable classrooms.
In a Nov. 4 email to parents, Segura said those aspects of the plan were delayed following “significant concerns” about district officials responsible for handling community feedback related to the plan. Those concerns resulted in two employees being placed on leave while an investigation takes place.
What’s next for the district
The district will send letters to staff at closing schools with a survey asking where they would like to work next school year.
Segura said the district will discuss closing additional schools and redrawing attendance boundaries in the spring and could vote on another plan next fall.
That plan could include closing Maplewood, Palm and Bryker Woods elementary schools. These were originally slated for closure before next school year before the district narrowed its focus. AISD officials have not confirmed all of the schools being considered for future consolidation plans.
Another change that could be settled next fall is a plan that would allow construction to continue at Oak Springs Elementary. The school in East Austin is set to undergo a $47.6 million renovation with money from the voter-approved 2022 bond.
During the construction period, Oak Springs students would attend Blackshear Elementary. Upon the project’s completion, students from Blackshear would return to Oak Springs and Blackshear would likely close.
OpenTable released its Top 100 Restaurants in America for 2025, and Austin stood out as the Texas city with the most recognized restaurants. The annual list — based on more than 10 million diner reviews, reservation demand, diner ratings, and the share of five-star reviews — highlights the country’s most sought-after dining spots.
This year’s collection reflects what diners themselves are booking and praising. Here are the Austin destinations that made the list:
Mediterranean | $50 and over
A modern, California-inflected Mediterranean restaurant known for dishes such as smoky garlic hummus, shawarma-spiced skirt steak and grilled salmon kebabs.
A West Austin favorite emphasizing fresh oysters, cold seafood platters and classic coastal cooking.
Steakhouse | $50 and over
A downtown oyster bar and chophouse offering wood-grilled steaks, market oysters and an intimate fine-dining setting.
An Austin institution since 1975, featuring dry-aged steaks, classic fine-dining dishes and one of the state’s largest wine lists.
A retro-styled “red sauce” Italian-American restaurant with classics served in a lively downtown space.
Contemporary Mexican | $31 to $50
Chef Tyson Cole’s nationally known Japanese restaurant offering non-traditional sushi and creative small plates.
Equine virus outbreak in Texas
A viral outbreak that is hitting horses in Texas has canceled an upcoming rodeo event in Uvalde. The EHV-1 virus is highly contagious and has prompted a statewide alert from Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller.
TEXAS – A viral outbreak that is hitting horses in Texas has canceled an upcoming rodeo event in Uvalde.
The EHV-1 virus is highly contagious and has prompted a statewide alert from Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller.
Local perspective:
On the Double Spur Ranch between Leander and Liberty Hill, owner Steve Smith runs several heads of cattle on his 10 acres. He also has seven horses, which are available for public riding.
Lately, Smith has been focused on his cows because of the screw-worm threat. But now he must keep watch on his horses because of a viral outbreak.
“If I lost my herd, I’d be real pissed off. I would be very unhappy if I’d lost my herd, but I would be heartbroken if I even lost one horse,” said Smith.
Horse owners like Smith are being warned about the EHV-1 virus. It is highly contagious and typically transmitted by close contact. The virus can also be brought into stables, attached to tack gear, and from human clothing.
“I would say the largest shift that I’ll take is to put a little bit of a stop to people that experience and go and enjoy other barns and then one, and then coming here. Because we have a lot of cross-pollination in that way, where people might go volunteer at another barn and then come over here. We love those people, and we want them to hang out with us. However, this might not be the right time to go and pick up something and then bring it and spread it to other horses,” said Smith.
Sid Miller speaks on equine virus outbreak
Dig deeper:
Similar precautions are being taken by Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller.
“For now, just lock down, stay down. I’ve closed my farm, no horses going out, no horses coming in,” said Miller.
Miller issued a statewide alert on Wednesday. It advises horse owners to do health checks at least twice a day. The alert is especially for horses that were at a competition in Waco earlier this month. It’s believed that’s where the outbreak started.
“It’s a biosecurity hazard. This is what we’ve got here,” said Miller.
Miller noted how officials with the San Antonio rodeo announced the cancellation of a qualifier in Uvalde this week. Other shutdowns may be necessary.
“We’re really worried about the National Finals Rodeo and the National Cutting Horse Association Futurity in Fort Worth. Those are two of the largest equine events in our nation during the year,” said Miller.
The Winter Rodeo season ramps up in December. Miller hopes the outbreak will pass before the 2026 season gets going.
“The good thing is we’re kind of in the lull of rodeo season. We’re at the end of one year and haven’t really started the next. The next big rodeo starts off at the Fort Worth Livestock Show in San Antonio, Houston, and Austin, the winter rodeos we call those. So, we’ve got a little time before those kick up, but those are huge events,” said Miller.
Livestock clinics across Texas are also posting alerts on social media. It’s all part of an effort to contain the virus. The original source of the virus has not yet been identified, according to Miller.
“Normally, drinking out of the same water trough is the most common way to spread it. Having horses co-mingled, like in a competition or a barrel race in this case,” said Miller.
What’s next:
It’s unclear how long the outbreak will last. The Texas Animal Health Commission is trying to determine how many horses are infected, and that will determine how long this alert will run.
The virus does not infect humans or dogs, cats, and animals like cattle and pigs.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Rudy Koski
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