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Tag: Hank Carter LT

Battle of the Lakes:15

Written by Tucker Stephenson on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

AUSTIN — The budding rivalry between Central Texas powerhouses Westlake and Lake Travis is one that doesn’t need any additional fuel added to the fire.

But that didn’t stop former Cavalier Baker Mayfield from pouring a can of gasoline onto the blaze back in June when he took a shot at former Chap and current Longhorn Sam Ehlinger.

“He couldn’t beat Lake Travis, so I don’t really care [about] his opinion on winning,” Mayfield said. “Westlake is a great program, but the two best quarterbacks to come out of there are Drew Brees and Nick Foles. Sam can stay down there in Texas.

“That will stir the pot. He doesn’t like me, and I hope he knows I don’t like him either.”

To fans and competitors on either side of the “Battle of the Lakes,” those kind of feelings are nothing new — and they’re often mutual. 

In each of the past two seasons, the Chaps have earned bragging rights, including last year’s surprisingly one-sided 44-14 drubbing at Chaparral Stadium. Westlake’s 21-14 win in 2017 snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Cavaliers, who still lead the overall series 10-4.

Last year’s matchup decided the District 25-6A championship and pundits expect the same stakes for this season’s meeting, although Lake Travis is the early favorite to get back in the win column and claim the 25-6A title this time around.

It’s not difficult to see why. The Cavs bring back 15 starters from a team that went 12-2 in 2018 and advanced to the Class 6A Division I state semifinals. 

Quarterback Hudson Card, a Texas commit, is back to lead an explosive Lake Travis passing attack, and despite the loss of all-everything receiver Garrett Wilson, there are plenty of targets for Card to zero in on. Versatile wideout Kyle Eaves leads the charge, and teammates Lake McRee and Grayson Sandlin have the size to play either receiver or tight end.

Lake Travis QB Hudson Card targets his receiver in the Battle of the Lakes match-up in 2018 vs Westlake. Photo: Texas Sports Monthly- Stan Martin

Running back Weston Stephens also returns, as do linebackers Maui Trevino and Nick Villarreal. Meanwhile, sophomore defensive back Derrick Johnson could become an impact performer right away.

The Chaps will look to replace graduate Taylor Anderson at QB and the heir apparent looks to be either Kirkland Michaux or Drew Willoughby. Both got playing time in 2018 due to injuries, and whoever wins the starting battle will likely rely on weapons like WRs Mason Mangum and Jackson Coker.

Westlake, which was 13-2 last season and made it to the 6A DII state semifinals, also welcomes back standout defensive backs Sage Luther and Leo Lowin, defensive end Bobby Duncum and offensive tackle Connor Halverson. Running back Jax Crockett was lost to an injury during the 2018 postseason, but he appears poised to pick up where he left off as a sophomore. The 15th meeting all-time between Lake Travis and Westlake is set for Friday, Oct. 11 at Cavalier Stadium.

Looking Ahead with Coach Carter in 2018

Written by Steven Ryan on . Posted in HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.

TSM: How sweet was it to bring Lake Travis its first state championship at the highest classification?
Coach Carter: It was awesome, man. It was extremely gratifying. Getting to watch the kids set a goal, and work towards it, and 19 weeks of practicing and studying football and schoolwork and workout and weights  and all that to culminate with a state championship at about 11 o’clock in Cowboy Stadium was awesome. That’s one of the reasons that we coach and one of the reasons that we play the game. That was certainly a really special moment.
What can you say about the job Lake Travis Independent School District does in giving you the resources you need to run a successful high school football program?
Our school board and administration and community are tremendously supportive. We have great facilities. More than that our parents are sending us kids that are hard workers and unselfish and highly intelligent and talented. So all those things mixed together, we don’t have any excuses. We should do well with what we have.
Rivalries are one of the funnest aspects of sports. Y’all got a pretty good one with this Westlake/Lake Travis deal, which many consider the biggest regular season game in Central Texas. What are the benefits of having a rival like Westlake?
I think it’s just fun for the schools. It’s always been that way and now that we’re in the same district, it helps determine the district championship, it helps determine your playoff seeding in the first round, whether you get a home game or an away game. So, yea, I think the rivalry in itself is something that makes high school sports special, and they are a tremendous program. They’re nationally known and respected, and I think any time that we get the chance to play them at anything, whether it be football, volleyball, it’s big for both schools and that’s pretty awesome.
How do you feel about what y’all return on offense the season?
Well, we don’t return a lot of starters, but we have a lot of great kids in our program that are working their tails off right now, and they are looking for an opportunity to show what they can do. I’m excited about all the facets of our team this year. I think that our quarterback, Matthew Baldwin, I’m really excited to watch him develop. Obviously Garrett Wilson and Matthew Herrera, two returning starters from a year ago, and then we got a bunch of kids that people may not know their names yet, but they’re going to shortly. We’ve had a great fall camp so far and I love their attitude and the way that they’ve gone about coming out to practice everyday trying to get better.
How do you feel about the state of the defense with the season-opener right around the corner?
I think this year, defensively, by the time the coaches, we all get figured out where we play everybody, I think we’re going to have an awesome, awesome defense. Like a year ago, we’re having to shift some pieces around because of graduation, because of the body types that we have in the program. So we’re still trying to figure out where the best spot for everybody will be. But we got a ton of kids that are smart and gritty and tough and they’re excited to get out there and go run and chase that ball on Friday night so we’re looking forward to it.
You’re starting the season with two big-name opponents in Cibolo Steele and Converse Judson. Why do you go out and schedule these state-powers to start out the year?
Well, a couple reasons. No.1, we are just trying to fill our schedule, to be honest with you. It’s pretty difficult for us to find teams that are willing to play, so that’s part of it. We don’t want to have to leave the state. We don’t want to have to drive halfway across the state more than once if we don’t have to. So we’re looking for quality opponents, and more than anything, we’re looking for, we want 10 in-state ballgames. So I’m excited about our non-district schedule. It’s four great teams, great programs. We had a long trip last year up to Dallas (to play Dallas Jesuit) and this year we’ll be going to Converse. Obviously, all four teams we play in non-district, they’re great, and we got our work cut out for us in all four of those games.