Some 4,500 yards and 73 touchdowns later, Wimberley's Cody Stoever is no longer a secret
WIMBERLEY — It would be easy to judge Wimberley quarterback Cody Stoever by the impressive stat lines he delivers each week during the football season.
His numbers from this past season need no explanation: 2,992 passing yards with 41 touchdown passes, 1,585 rushing yards with 32 more touchdowns. In his final game, a 35-33 loss to Bellville in a Class 4A Division II state semifinal, he was responsible for 470 of the Texans' 477 yards.
For his season-long resiliency and production, Stoever was selected the Austin-area offensive player of the year on the American-Statesman's annual All-Central Texas Football Team, our annual squad that this year honors nearly 70 area players.
But there is a story behind every amazing achievement, and Stoever's started when he injured his right thumb early in the first quarter of the state semifinal.
Stoever had no intention of leaving the most important game of the season.
He finished the night by scoring all five of Wimberley's touchdowns, including a short run with 43 seconds left to trim the Texans' deficit to 35-33. On the ensuing 2-point conversion, he dove for the goal line but was ruled down an inch short. He's seen that play "hundreds of times" on video.
"I thought I got in," Stoever said this past week.
The day after the game, X-rays revealed a broken wrist. Ligaments were "torn off the bone," said Christina Stoever, his mother. He was fitted with a cast three days after the game. It was removed this past Monday and he'll wear a brace for two more weeks.
Coach: Cody Stoever has the 'it' factor
About 20 minutes after the Bellville loss, with players and coaches still mingling with friends and relatives on the sideline, Stoever walked alone back to the spot on the field where he had fallen short of the end zone. He stopped and stared at the grass turf.
"I was thinking, what could I have done more in the game to come out with a win," he said. "It also gave me motivation that we were so close to winning and that we'll be back here next year."
Texans coach Doug Warren rightfully told his leader that a player who gains 98.5% of his team's yardage should not be asked to do more.
"I think he was in shock when the play was ruled short," Warren said.
Warren said Stoever has an "it factor" that very few players possess. Standing 5-feet-11 and 195 pounds, Stoever gets his physical strength from thick legs. He has pleaded with Warren to let him play defense, too, but Warren is smart enough to know he'd be run out of town if Stoever got hurt playing defense.
Overlooked, but not underappreciated
Stoever grew up in an athletic family and he had to be tough to keep up with the neighborhood kids. His brother Cade, who played wide receiver at UTSA, and former Wimberley quarterback JoJo Weeks, another Roadrunner, were among the older boys in the neighborhood who showed young Cody no mercy while playing backyard football.
"I was the one who'd go back in crying with bumps and bruises, a bloody nose or a scraped elbow," Stoever recalled. "The guys had told me that I could play with them, but they weren't going to go easy on me. It made me tougher."
While most fans recognize Stoever's grit, he also has a softer side. Naturally humble, he leads the team in prayer after every game. He answers "yes sir" and "no sir" to people older than he is. He'll purposefully join fellow students in the lunch room if they're sitting by themselves, his mother said.
"Cody was born to lead," Christina Stoever said. "You could see it when he played Pee-Wee football in the fourth grade. He was intellectual when running plays. He could read defenses and do his own audibles at the line of scrimmage."
As for the next level, Stoever hasn't received much interest from college scouts, but he hopes that changes in the summer. If given an opportunity, he most likely will play defense but will go "wherever they need me."
Stoever made a joke about his shoe size — 12. If he could use those extra inches from his foot to become a taller player, perhaps the scouts would take notice.
But college can wait. There's one more high school season to play next fall. Wimberley is 29-2 during Stoever's two years as the varsity quarterback. He vows to bring Wimberley a state title before he receives his diploma.
And maybe next year Stoever will walk alone to the spot of the field where he actually crosses the goal line for a touchdown. That would complete his journey.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Wimberley's Cody Stoever the Austin-area offensive player of the year
