From worst to the playoffs in one season. That is the job that coach Matt Monzingo has done with the second-year Canyon Lake Hawks.
And the second season begins tonight.
The Hawks (6-4) will take on perennial power China Spring (8-2) at 8 p.m. at Georgetown High School in the Class 3A bi-district playoff matchup.
The Cougars added another District 7-3A championship to their resume and was a regional quarterfinalist in 2008, and coach Mark Bell, who is in his 12th season at the helm for China Spring, has a heavy arsenal to bombard Canyon Lake.
But don’t think that intimidates the Hawks one bit.
“We know that China Spring is a very explosive team,” Monzingo said. “They’ve been tested in a really tough district, but our guys know what they need to do to be successful. I think last week’s loss to Burnet served as a wake-up call for this team, as they came out this week more focused than last week.”
Canyon Lake was thumped 40-7 by Burnet in last week’s regular season finale, but Monzingo believes that the physical and mental roller coaster of trying to clinch a playoff berth may have taken it’s toll.
“I don’t think we had enough left in the tank mentally last week,” Monzingo said. “We didn’t play with a sense of urgency like we had been. We’re in a much better frame of mind going into our first playoff game.”
Sophomore running back Zach Henshaw made history last week by becoming the first-ever 1,000-yard rusher for the Hawks, as he finished the season with 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns for Canyon Lake.
The Hawk offense will need Henshaw to be at his best to establish the running game and keep the Cougars’s dangerous offense off the field.
Senior quarterback Ross Wagliardo finished the season going 162 of 282 (57 percent) for 2,013 yards and 16 touchdowns. His only knock is that he threw 19 interceptions, but 6-foot-5 receiver Eric Nelson should stretch the China Spring defense with his size and speed in the open field.
Nelson caught 49 passes for 720 yards and five touchdowns, while snagging eight interceptions on the defensive side for the Hawks.
China Spring is led by quarterback Brian Bell, who passed for 3,209 yards and 30 touchdowns. His main target is wideout Zach Hogeda, who leads Central Texas with 1,026 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Reece Meador added 747 yards and seven touchdowns for the Cougars this season.
No matter the daunting task. The atmosphere around the campus has been electric, as students and facility are getting behind their Hawks on their first-ever playoff run.
“Everybody around school is really excited,” Canyon Lake receiver Joe Shone said. “This time last year, the mood on the team was really down. We weren’t playing for anything, but the atmosphere is totally different now. We feel pretty good about our team and our chances.”
