Round Rock defense stifling opposition running backs, keeping Dragons undefeated

It’s going to take a special offense to be successful against Round Rock.

For the second game in a row, the Dragons kept in check one of Central Texas’ premier running backs, holding Manor star and USC pledge Quinten Joyner to 108 yards and no touchdowns during a 17-7 win Friday in a District 25-6A game at Dragon Stadium.

One week after limiting Stony Point’s Cameron Cook to 67 yards, Round Rock was again lights-out defensively, holding the Mustangs to less than 200 yards of offense and forcing three turnovers.

“Feels really good to do that — and it wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last,” said Round Rock senior defensive lineman Jett Jones, who was a disruptive force in the trenches all night. “We did it with Cook last week and then did it with Joyner tonight. We’re going to face more great running backs the rest of the way, and that’s how we’re going to have to play to get the victories.”

In an extremely physical game that was a throwback to a bygone era, with both teams trying to win by establishing the run and playing tough defense, the Dragons produced two turnovers on Manor’s first three possessions and forced three punts and three turnovers on downs.

“We game-planned well as we knew they would try and come in with the back-side cuts on the running game and try to be a little savvy with it,” Jones said. “But we were ready for it, and we played really physical up front, and that helped us prevail.”

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Offensively, Round Rock (6-0, 3-0) did just enough.

Quarterback Mason Cochran ran for 68 yards and a touchdown and threw for another score, while Dragons running back Vincent Mighetto-Frueh finished with 77 yards on the ground.

“We made the plays when we needed to and got the first downs when we needed to,” Round Rock coach Jeff Cheatham said. “The score doesn’t show how much we had the ball with time of possession.”

After forcing Manor to punt from its own 4-yard line late in the first quarter, the Dragons took over deep in Mustangs territory, and Cochran scored on a 12-yard run a few plays later.

Manor (4-2, 1-2) appeared to have a safety midway through the second quarter when Round Rock snapped the ball over its punter’s head and out of the back of the end zone, but the Mustangs were flagged for a personal foul on the play to give the ball back to the Dragons.

On the next play, Cochran fired a 58-yard touchdown pass to Aidan Sterling.

Manor responded with its lone scoring drive, marching 75 yards and getting a touchdown on fourth-and-goal when Quintaelyn Joyner connected with Torry Johnson on a 5-yard pass.

Kai Haruki’s 29-yard third-quarter field goal for Round Rock were the only points in a second half that was dominated by the defenses.

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“This was a hard-fought win,” Cheatham said. “It was a knock-down, drag-out fight the whole game. I was really pleased with our defense and how they stopped the run and kept them at bay. We knew we had to stop (Quinten Joyner). If we could stop him and push them into passing downs, we could push guys up the field and get a rush.”

The win sets up a showdown for Round Rock with district rival Vandegrift — which is also 3-0 in district play — next week, with the winner having the inside track to the district title.

And as the Dragons try to stay undefeated, Jones said part of the reason for their success is everyone on the team being on the same page.

“This team is very unique in the fact that we have a collective mindset,” he said. “We’re together as one very well, and on the field you can see the result of that. How can you not love being 6-0?”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Round Rock football defeats Manor in key district matchup