Battle of the Backbone Kicks Off Friday, Live on Youtube

Canyon Lake Broadcasting will livestream Friday’s ‘Battle of the Backbone’ between the Canyon Lake High School Hawks and the Wimberley High School Texans starting at 6:30 p.m. on Youtube.

Click here to watch the away game.

Cory Martelli, who will announce the game, explains:

“Our arch rival nemesis … the ‘Wimberley Texans’ as the ‘Battle of the Backbone’ kicks off this season for the first time ever in this match up.

“The Hawks and Texans have met 12 times since their inception of CLHS Varsity sports in 2008 (2007 CLHS had only sub-varsity sports).

“The Texans hold the edge 9-3 overall in the series, however many of these games were won early on over the young start-up Hawks. In these last six years CL has won three of those last seven games.

“Of those last seven games, the Hawks lost 28-27 (2014) & 20-13 (2018). Each of these games were lost with less than a minute on the clock. So it goes to show you, its been a slobber-knocker of a game as is expected for any rival series in recent years.

“Wimberley has known for quite some time that Canyon Lake is not a walkover as compared to those first five seasons of this rival match up. In 2018, the Lake, beat the Texans on the road for the first time 33-14. This traveling ‘Battle of the Backbone Trophy’ will be up for grabs again as well as bragging rites starting early this season.

“The ‘game’ as it is known, is further fueled by these student athletes, as each team knows their counterpart pretty well, as only a few miles separate each high school in the hill country. Mix in some social media jabs along with some historical on-the-field antics over the years and some words of war and you have got yourself a home brewed rivalr, which good high-school rivalries are all about.

“This will be interesting to see which team it favors to play a rival on their first game.

“As with any team, finding your rhythm, your starters, knowing the offense and defense sometimes takes a few games and mistakes abound on almost every opening day game.

“Each coaching staff will have their hands full in shifting their strategies and personnel around, in this ‘out-of-the-starting blocks’ first game, in an effort to try to curb some of the high emotions and snafus that occur when any first game played as a season opener — much less your rival.

“Wimberley is coming off a state semi-finals run last year with quite a few returners. The Hawks will return quite a few starters as this young football team led by a squad of proven seniors looks to add a ‘W’ in this series on that hot Texan astro turf. This will be game you want to come early and bring everything you have because both sides, fans included are going to give it everything they have for a win.

“Watch the game on Canyon Lake YouTube Channel @ 6:30 pm KICKOFF TIME -7:30 Here is the series: 2008 (A) 41-07 – L 2009 (H) 38-15 – L 2010 (A) 38-18 – L 2011 (H) 50-14 – L 2012 (A) 40-03 – L 2013 (H) 28-13 – W 2014 (A) 28-27 – L 2015 (H) 28-14 – W 2016 (A) 21-31 – L 2017 (H) 20-13 – L 2018 (A) 33-14 – W 2019 (H) 45-07 – L”