Dripping Springs High School football program moves to Class 6A

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas - The Dripping Springs High School football team is a team considered by many to be on the rise, and it's led by one of the nation's top-rated quarterbacks.

It's time for the Tigers to bulk up as their school has grown up.

Head coach Galen Zimmerman says, "It was expected. We knew with the growth that this was eventually going to be here. It was just kind of a question of when."

After standing as one of the area's best Class 5A programs in recent years, the Tigers make the move to Class 6A and when play in their new district rolls around they'll be standing toe-to-toe with the likes of Texas high school football royalty in Westlake and Lake Travis.

Safety/long snapper Keller Stafford says, "I mean that's some of the best talent in the state of Texas. Just can't wait for that competition we're going to see." 

Teammate Walker Wright, punter/wide receiver, agrees. 

"We haven't gone against Lake Travis and Westlake while in 5A but this summer, 7-on-7, we moved the ball well. That was good for us. That's how our guys got some good competition against guys like that," Wright says.

Zimmerman says the margin for error going into 6A will be a bit smaller than some of the teams that have been there. 

"You got two top 10 teams so there's a huge talent pool there. Just the depth of some of those programs," Zimmerman says.

But where the Tigers may lack in depth, they'll make up for it with Division 1 talent at quarterback. Austin Novosad will play college ball at Baylor next season but first, he leads Dripping Springs as quite possibly the best quarterback in their new 6A district.

"I've just set my course growing as a person and as a qb. We've brought some attention out to Dripping Springs, now people are starting to notice the talent that we have," Novosad says.

"Getting into this new district, it's gonna be seen so I'm excited. I'll stay in contact with Baylor through the season but focusing on this season is important to me," Novosad adds.

With their Baylor-bound quarterback and recent 7-on-7 success, Dripping Springs feels Class 6A ready. 

The team also gets confidence and motivation from a bittersweet 2021 that saw the Tigers go 10-1. It's a great record, but a record not good team wants to finish with because it means they had a perfect regular season only to lose in round one of the playoffs.

Defensive lineman Elijah Gonzalez says, "Obviously no one wants to go out first round of the playoffs. Now that we have that fire burning on the inside of us that we lost last year I think we're going to come strong and heavy towards the playoffs, make a push this year."

Stafford agrees. "Something we're leveraging from last year (is) we don't want to be that team that does great but can't make it out of their region."

It's a goal that the whole team is fired up for and behind.

"This team. These seniors. We kinda have our mind set on making a run and I think it's the year to do it. So I think we're ready," Novosad says.