The Herald-Zeitung

Eric Nelson was ecstatic to see the student body rush the field after the buzzer sounded to put a 14-7 victory over District 8-3A foe Liberty Hill in the books at Hawks Stadium on Friday night.

“This is the biggest win in Canyon Lake football history and I’m so glad to have been a part of it,” Nelson said. “Liberty Hill blew us out last season and our motivation coming into this game was a little retribution.”

Nelson was a key factor in Canyon Lake exercising the Liberty Hill demons, as the 6-foot-5 senior wideout/safety caught a 77-yard touchdown play action pass early in the third quarter to tie the ball game at 7-7 and intercept a “Hail Mary” pass in the waning moments of the fourth to preserve the win.

“This is one the best feelings right now,” Nelson said. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt this good.”

Canyon Lake coach Matt Monzingo was speechless during his post-game speech to the team, as he was overcome with pride for the young Hawk team.

“It was a frustrating first half,” Monzingo said. “We played our butts off, but (Liberty Hill’s) defense gave us a lot of problems.

“I’m just proud of our kids for hanging in there when it mattered most.”

A Panther fumble on the opening play of the fourth quarter that gave the ball back to Canyon Lake at the Liberty Hill 45 got the Canyon Lake crowd energized and the Hawks didn’t let the fans down.

Senior quarterback Ross Wagliardo went 3-for-3 on the ensuing drive that included a bullet pass to Todd Pippin, who took it down the right sideline, for the game-winning 13-yard touchdown.

Wagliardo went 11 for 19 for 175 yards and two touchdowns, while Nelson caught six passes four 108 yards and a touchdown.

The win improves Canyon Lake’s record to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in district, while Liberty Hill drops to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in district play.

The key play of the game didn’t turn into points for the Hawks, but was made by a hungry Canyon Lake defense.

Down 7-0 early in the second quarter, Liberty Hill’s rushing attack, led by junior fullback Ryan Fickel, got the ball at the Hawk 43-yard line just before the end of the first and marched 30 yards to set the table for another touchdown to add to their lead.

But Canyon Lake’s defense made a stand and forced a fumble from Panther fullback Tyler Lawhorn, which the Hawks recovered at the 10-yard line.

“That was a huge play for the entire team,” said Monzingo of the forced fumble. “That play gave us momentum and a shot in the arm that we needed to know we could not only play against a two-time state champion like Liberty Hill, but beat them.

“Our defense played their butts off tonight and kept us in the game. The offense started slow, but we got Ross some protection and we were able to hit Eric with a nice play action pass that we tried twice to Joe (Shone) earlier in the game. Our kids never gave up and that’s what you saw from this game.”

The Panthers looked like the dominant team early in the ball game.

Liberty Hill stymied Canyon Lake’s first series at midfield and a bad punt gave the Panthers the ball at their own 43-yard line.

The Panthers marched it 57 yards in 16 plays, culminating in a one-yard run by Fickel for an early 7-0 lead. On that drive, Liberty Hill was faced with a 1st-and-20 after a chop block penalty, but the powerful Panther running game made up the lost yardage. Fickel busted off a nine-yard run right through the heart of the Hawk defense for the first down to keep the drive alive.

Nelson believes that the Hawks are playoff contenders right now and is proud to be a part of a history-making team.

“I want to be a part of the first playoff team at Canyon Lake,” Nelson said. “That is something that is stamped in the history books. And this was a big step for us making that dream a reality.”

Canyon Lake is on the road next week when they travel to face Llano in a district matchup.