'We were going to score ... no matter what:' Round Rock clutch late to beat Vandegrift

Dov Stickler had seen this scenario play out too many times.

Watching his older brother lose to Vandegrift multiple times while playing for Round Rock, then coming up short all three of his previous years against the Vipers, the Dragons’ quarterback vowed things would be different this season.

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Sophomore Tyson Cummings on a run for Round Rock. Round Rock won a non-district football game 41-38 at Vandegrift on September 18th, 2026. (Henry Huey @HenryHueyPhoto)

So when he got the ball with less than two minutes to play Friday at Monroe Stadium trailing 38-34 and needing to drive 95 yards, he knew there was only one option.

“I’m thinking we’re going to go win it,” Stickler said. “And that’s because I trust my offense and I know that we’re going to make plays. We were going to score on that drive no matter what happened.”

A little more than a minute later, Stickler hit Simon Sylvain down the middle for a 47-yard touchdown pass that gave the Dragons a 41-38 victory and their first win over Vandegrift since 2021. It was also the finishing touch on a performance for Stickler where he threw for 325 yards and five TDs.

“Simon and I have made that connection over the summer … and he had his defender beat, so I just put it up there for him to go get,” said Stickler, who tied the school record for passing touchdowns in a game. “This is big for the community. … We’ve struggled for years against this team, and that kind of burned a fire in me to push a little harder this game.”

With Round Rock’s rushing attack producing 206 yards, Stickler didn’t need to throw much. But when he did, he went big. He averaged more than 32 yards a completion and his touchdown passes came on throws of 51, 11, 75, 67 and 47 yards.

“We had talked about a lot of our guys, Simon and Dylan (Jaeger) especially, if we can get behind them, I think we can throw it over the top,” Round Rock coach Cody Moore said. “We actually had a few more and couldn’t connect. So it’s a lot of credit to (offensive coordinator Chase) Tenney and his staff.”

For his part, Sylvain had no doubt the ball was coming his way on the winning play when he saw Vandegrift’s coverage. A sprinter on the Dragons’ track team, his raw speed came in handy for the second time.

“There wasn’t a safety high, so as soon as I crossed the cornerback’s face, I caught the ball and knew I was going to score,” said Sylvain, who also hauled in Stickler’s 75-yard TD strike in the second quarter. “It was a very, very surreal, overwhelming kind of moment to do that in a game like this.”

Round Rock (3-1) is averaging 38.25 ppg and Stickler has already thrown for 1,132 yards and 15 TDs. The Dragons’ only loss is to Class 5A powerhouse Weiss, and with wins over Dripping Springs and now Vandegrift, they’ve established themselves as one of the top squads in Central Texas.

“We’ve shown what kind of team we can really be,” Stickler said. “So this is an explosion, and we’re going to use this momentum.”

In a game where the teams combined for more than 1,000 yards, the biggest play, ironically, may have come on defense.

With Vandegrift going for it on fourth-and-3 from the Dragons 5 with less than two minutes left to try and put the game away, Round Rock defensive linemen Ford Lucas and Ellis King stopped Vipers running back Evan Williamson for no gain.

And considering Williamson ran for 164 yards and five touchdowns and was part of a rushing attack that finished with 343 yards, the play not only saved the game for the Dragons, but was one of the few times Round Rock slowed down Williamson and teammate Preston James III.

“Our guys made an incredible play,” Moore said. “We had a hard time tackling both of their backs tonight. For us to open-field tackle right there and get them down before a fourth-down conversion was huge. All the momentum was going their way, and for us to get the stop and then for our offense to execute a two-minute drill and score with 50 seconds left is pretty amazing.”

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Round Rock receiver Simon Sylvain with a catch for the winning touchdown late in the game. Round Rock won a non-district football game 41-38 at Vandegrift on September 18th, 2026. (Henry Huey @HenryHueyPhoto)