Dripping Springs’ Colten Tripp returns a interception for a touchdown During the second quarter of the Class 6A Division II playoff game against Harlan on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio.
Charlie Blalock/Special to American-Statesman
Dripping Springs players celebrate after scoring a touchdown. During the third quarter of the Class 6A Division II playoff game against Harlan on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio.
Charlie Blalock/Special to American-Statesman
SAN ANTONIO — The lights went out briefly Friday at Alamo Stadium.
Shortly thereafter, Dripping Springs turned off the lights on San Antonio Harlan’s season.
Article continues below this ad
Using a dominating first half where they built a 49-7 lead, the Tigers cruised to a 52-28 win in a Class 6A Division II area round playoff game.
Dripping Springs had its usual stellar passing attack as Chase Ames threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns. But it was the Tigers’ run game and defense that impressed the most.
Jaceton Gotta finished with 129 yards and a TD on the ground, while the Dripping Springs defense kept Hawks running back and TCU commit G’Ivori Graham to 6 yards rushing in the first two quarters.
“Graham is phenomenal and their quarterback (Aldric Trotter) is a great athlete, but I felt we came out at the start of the game and were really executing well and playing fast on defense,” Dripping Springs coach Galen Zimmerman said. “We were really assignment sound and it was fun to watch. We didn’t give them a ton of looks. It was really just get lined up correctly and eliminate the big play.”
Article continues below this ad
Dripping Springs’ defensive line controlled the battle in the trenches. Harlan, which entered the contest on a 10-game winning streak, had only 29 yards on the ground and three first downs in the first half. Take away a 49-yard pass that set up their only score, and the Hawks finished with less than 100 yards of offense in the first 24 minutes.
“It was just playing to our standard … and having a ‘So what?’ mentality,” said Major Bettridge, who along with Colby Hans, Brady Smith and Jackson Saafir excelled for the Tigers up front defensively. “It all goes back to how we approached playing Westlake. You go up against great teams and great opponents, but that doesn’t matter. We still have to play our ball and our brand of football.”
While Dripping Springs stopped the run on defense in the first half, Gotta nearly ran at will for the Tigers on offense. He had 122 yards and broke multiple tackles on several attempts, including a 47-yard TD jaunt midway through the first quarter.
“Everything was working in the run game,” Gotta said. “I feel like our line prepared the most out of any group on our team. They worked their (tails) off all week just for this moment. … The openings they made, you just love to see those and then run through them.”
Article continues below this ad
Gotta missed a lot of the season injured, but with his physicality and speed, he’s easily one of the top 10 running backs in Central Texas. He rushed for 133 yards Nov. 7 during a 45-35 win over Westlake, and if the Tigers have an extended playoff run, he could surpass 1,000 yards for the season.
“Gotta just continues to get better, and I felt like our offensive line was really, really physical,” Zimmerman said. “We have four good running backs, but Gotta just exploded tonight. And there were a couple of runs where they had him, then he slipped away.”
Colten Tripp excels in secondary for Dripping Springs
Colten Tripp wasn’t going to let a broken vertebrae end his high school career.
Article continues below this ad
Suffering the injury in the 2024 season opener against Vandegrift, Tripp went through a long, arduous recovery, but made it back onto the football field this season.
That hard work paid off Friday when he made two interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown.
“There’s no better feeling than to score a touchdown,” Tripp said before slightly reconsidering. “Well, maybe hitting someone hard, but it’s up there. … All my boys came over and hyped me up after the TD. And I’m just glad to be playing with this team.”
Tripp credited studying film during the week for his two picks.
Article continues below this ad
“(Trotter) looks down his receivers, so I was trying to bait him,” he said. “It seemed to work out.”
Playing into December?
Dripping Springs (11-1) has already had a phenomenal year, but it wants more. The Tigers will be the favorite in their regional semifinal against Medina Valley, then potentially could have a rematch from their season opener against Vandegrift in the regional final.
“The dream of every Texas high school football team is to be playing after Thanksgiving,” Zimmerman said. “But our goal is not just round 2 or Thanksgiving; we want to maximize every day. This group wants to be together as long as possible, and it’s kind of a special group.”
Article continues below this ad
Notable stats
Cooper Reid had five catches for 106 yards and a TD
James Montgomery finished with seven catches for 100 yards
Article continues below this ad
Lawson Attaway, Merrik Bloomgren and Pete Fredenburg all scored touchdowns
G’Ivori Graham ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns
Article continues below this ad
Aldric Trotter rushed for 125 yards and a TD