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The Elgin High School varsity football team is coming off its bye week and is now heading into its final regular-season game of the year as the Wildcats will travel Thursday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. to take on Leander Rouse High School at A.C. Bible Memorial Stadium.
This is Elgin’s most important game of the season as the Wildcats enter their 5A-2 District 11 finale against the Raiders with a 4-5 overall record and a 2-3 mark in district play. The Wildcats recently ended a threegame losing streak with a resounding 44-17 victory at home Oct. 20 against Pflugerville High School on senior night to stay in the race for a playoff spot.
Rouse is currently on a two-game skid after a 27-19 loss at home to Waco University High School and a 29-22 loss on the road at Pflugerville. The Raiders lost to the Pflugerville Panthers last Friday night after blowing a 22-7 lead after the first quarter.
Under Elgin head coach Heath Clawson, the Wildcats have scored a ton of points in the games they’ve won as they beat Austin Akins 47-0, Cedar Creek High School 64-14, Pflugerville Connally High School 50-28 and recently dropped 44 points on the Pflugerville Panthers.
Through nine games, Elgin senior standout quarterback Nathen Lewis has had an outstanding season as he has thrown for 1,296 yards on 84-of-157 completions with 15 touchdown passes, just six interceptions, 709 rushing yards and 11 scores on the ground. In addition to Lewis, the Wildcats’ ground game has also done a lot of damage with senior Darren Harper rushing for 318 yards and six touchdowns and fellow senior Curtis McFarlin has 300 yards and four rushing touchdowns for Elgin.
The Wildcats’ defense has been led by senior star linebacker Derrius Holiday who has been all over the field this 2023 with a team-high 94 tackles and seven sacks, while senior defensive lineman Rogelio Huitron and junior Jackson Clowdus have racked up 64 and 61 stops on the year, respectively.
If Elgin wins Thursday against Rouse, the Wildcats control their own destiny and will be in the playoffs. A loss would essentially end the Elgin football season because a Pflugerville win over rival Pflugerville Connally would boost the Panthers’ record to 3-3 in the district and Killeen Chaparral High School has already finished its season with a 3-7 record and 2-4 mark in district play. However, if Elgin and Pflugerville both lose, Chaparral has the tiebreaker over both teams based on head-to-head victories.
