Prep football week 5 rewind: Cody Stoever paces Wimberley to homecoming win over Lampasas
WIMBERLEY — Cody Stoever is a human wrecking ball with a burning desire to hurt anyone who stands in his path.
The Wimberley quarterback has the mindset of a linebacker. He has thick legs and shoulders and he's not afraid to crack helmets. Texans coach Doug Warren said it drives him "crazy" to see Stoever absorb so many hits. Then again, he knows that's just the way Stoever is wired.
During a 41-20 homecoming victory over Lampasas on Friday night, Stoever left his mark all over the field at Texan Stadium. The do-it-all junior passed for 189 yards, rushed for 158 yards and contributed on all six touchdowns to help the Texans end the first half of the season 5-0.
"Cody, he can hurt you in so many ways," Warren said. "He's such a tough, physical guy. You see some on those runs and we want him to get out of bounds. That's not going to happen. He ain't going to do that."
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The entire game could have been a highlight reel for Stoever. He scored touchdowns on runs of 4 and 24 yards. He threw two touchdown passes to Noah Birdsong and one apiece to Nolan Waida and Chase Carson.
To understand his value in Wimberley, one must check out the numbers: Stoever is responsible for 28 of the team's 31 touchdowns this fall. He accounted for 349 of the Texans' 458 total yards.
Stoever laughs when he's reminded that the coaching staff worries every time he takes off running.
"If you haven't noticed, I'm not sliding," he said. "Something like that, though, instills confidence in my teammates to trust in me. Touchdowns are touchdowns but being 5-0 is the important part. Winning football games is all that matters."
Wimberley is accustomed to winning football games. Last year the Texans were 15-1, losing to Carthage in the Class 4A Division II state championship game. At their current pace — the Texans have outscored their five opponents 228-69 — they have "a chance to be very special" again, Warren said.
On a different note, this marks the 20th anniversary of the "Code Red Defense," a phrase that retired defensive coordinator Dick Smith coined in 2004. Smith, who was part of a staff that won state titles in 2005 and 2011, watched Friday's game from the sideline and nodded his approval when asked about this year's team.
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Lampasas (4-1) proved to be a worthy opponent. Quarterback Reed Jerome accounted for 231 yards and three touchdown passes, but Wimberley received solid contributions from defenders such as linemen Drew Brasher, Payton Peacock and Troy Heugly.
The Code Red" defense is like a family," said Heugly, who moved to Texas nearly three years ago from Tualatin, Ore., a Portland suburb. "We have a lot of pride here."
Notching No. 100
A milestone victory: Johnson coach Steve Hoffman has become a quick winner with the Jaguars, going a combined 23-16 since the team started playing in 2019. Hoffman, 53, became a head coach for the first time in 2007 when he was hired by Del Rio. He went on to become head coach at Corsicana in 2013. On Friday he earned his 100th career victory when Johnson defeated Anderson 49-27. ... Meanwhile, Bowie's Jeff Ables has been stuck on 149 career victories after consecutive losses. He can reach No. 150 Friday night with a home game against Austin High.
Wolves continue to impress
So far, so good: Weiss (5-0) continues to show it's among the best in Central Texas following a 52-14 victory over Harker Heights. Quarterback Jax Brown passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns. No one played bigger than Oregon pledge Adrian Wilson, who caught nine passes for 182 yards and four touchdowns.
Friday night brights
Big-time games: Despite consecutive losses, Anderson receiver Ed Small continues to impress. The future Texas baseball (and possible football) player was nearly unstoppable in Friday's loss to Johnson; he caught 13 passes for 175 yards. For the season he has 40 catches for 621 yards and 10 touchdowns. ... And speaking of impressive performances, Taylor quarterback Jacob Mikulencak had a night to remember in a 62-36 victory over Jarrell. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 342 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on only four carries to help the Ducks improve to 3-2.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: One year after going 15-1, Texans are back with a purpose in mind
