Taylor swamps Canyon Lake Hawks, who prepare for Lampasas
The Canyon Lake High School football team finds itself in a tough spot after losing to the Taylor Ducks 66-28 Oct. 27. The road loss means the Hawks (2-7 overall, 1-3 District 13-4A Division I) will sit out the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade.
The Ducks (5-4 overall, 2-2 District 13-4A Division I) amassed 618 yards compared to the Hawks’ 400 yards on the night. Taylor’s Joshua Mikulencak passed for 440 yards and completed 20 of 24 passes. His favorite target in the game was his brother, Jacob Mikulencak, who caught nine passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns.
On the Hawks’ side, Steven Crowder went 12 for 26 passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with Harris Gilliam four times for 108 yards and one touchdown. Gilliam also had a rushing touchdown on the night.
Just behind Gilliam was Canyon Lake’s Caden Rodriguez who caught two passes for 81 yards and one touchdown.
The Ducks jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before the Hawks scored. Canyon Lake’s first touchdown came on a Crowder to Gilliam 63-yard pass in the first quarter. Taylor added two more touchdowns to go up 28-7 before the Hawks added another score.
This was another Crowder pass, but to Rodriguez.
Crowder hit Rodriguez over the middle on a short pass and then the senior running back sprinted for the end zone. The 69-yard touchdown cut the Taylor lead to 28-14.
It was the closest the score would be the rest of the game. The Ducks worked their way out to a 42-21 lead at the half. Then in the second half, Taylor pushed their lead to 66-21.
The Hawks’ final score came in the fourth quarter when Gilliam made a 20-yard run for the end zone.
The loss knocked the Hawks out of the playoffs. And it does put them in a spot to help determine the eventual district champion. The Hawks host the Lampasas Badgers on Friday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m.
The Badgers enter the game coming off a 42-7 win over Marble Falls. The win improved the Badgers’ district record to 3-1 (7-2 overall). With the Burnet Bulldogs beating the Davenport Wolves on Oct. 27, it means the Badgers and those two teams have 3-1 district records.
If Canyon Lake beats the Badgers and Davenport and Burnet win their games, or one if those two teams win their contest, then Lampasas could lose any hope for a part or all of the district title.
The Hawks, however, will have their hands full with the Badgers.
Lampasas enters the contest averaging 422 yards of total offense per game. They almost split running and passing with a 50-50 split. The Badgers rush about 219 yards per game with a 204-yard passing average.
Still, it’s the last home game of the season and marks the Canyon Lake seniors likely last game. And the Hawks can still influence the fate of several district teams with a win. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Hawks Stadium, 8555 FM 32 in Fischer. Tickets are available online.
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