By nature, offensive linemen rarely get a chance to carry the football — let alone score a touchdown.
But at a critical point in a regional playoff game versus Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, Holton Greenfield got that rare chance. And he dove on it — literally.
Greenfield, a sophomore center, jumped onto a quarterback fumble in the end zone, scoring a critical touchdown that helped put Vandergirft on track for the win.
Greenfield, son of Maxavenue Realtor Paula Greenfield, snaps the ball into the hands of one of the state’s highest-scoring offensive backfields. The Vandegrift Vipers have been averaging nearly 50 points per game, and they’re generating even more notice as they march deeper into the playoffs.
After defeating Corpus Christi Flour Bluff, the Vipers went on to defeat LBJ to advance to the Class 5A, Division I semifinals, against Temple. It’s the farthest the school’s program, now just in its 5th year of varsity play, has ever gone.
And their biggest game is on a massive stage — the Alamodome in San Antonio, 7:30 p.m., Saturday night.
The Vipers usually play at regional fields not far from their home turf in northwest Austin, near the Westminster Glen neighborhood. So, playing about a hundred miles from home in a storied professional sports stadium will be a treat, Greenfield said.
“It’s one of our team goals to play at the Alamodome,” Greenfield said.
Holton said the excitement in the hallways at school is noticeable; even teachers are taking a few seconds during class to praise the team’s success.
“Everybody is getting better and growing together,” Greenfield said of the team. “It’s a very exciting time.”
Listen to the game live at this link.
The Vipers are joined in the playoffs by the Cedar Park Timberwolves, which play against Crosby on Friday in a Class 5A, Division II semi-final. The Timberwolves won the state championship two years ago.