The Westlake Chaps have been dominant in regular season play and look to continue their streak in the second round of the playoffs. A team that is used to winning expects to win. They handled the Cibolo Steele Knights convincingly 30-7 in the first round with ease.
Up next are the Brennan Bears at Texas State stadium over in San Marcos, last year they cruised to a 49-7 win, but Coach Dodge doesn’t want to look past them as they travel down IH-35. “We’re very excited to play at Texas State stadium we haven’t played there. Brennan is a very good team, we played them last year, but it didn’t show how well of a team they were, we jumped on them early.”
Coach wanted to make sure the Chaps doesn’t overlook their opponent. With just one loss this entire season he understands not to look at their next challenge. Every game is important. This week Coach Dodge wanted his team to take in this is a whole new year. “They (team) understand that Brennan is 9-2, they’re good and a very athletic team.” A one game at a time approach. A great team is disciplined and continues to get better.
Coach Todd Dodge asks for an explanation from an official on the sidelines in the Battle of the Lakes game at Lake Travis on October 11th 2019. The Cavs defeated Westlake 26-25!
Coach Dodge has one phrase of how his guys will respond when he needs them to make plays. “Next one in line.” Dodge believes in his players, no matter the conditions. He’s led them to a near perfect season. Westlake’s lone loss came against Lake Travis as they lost by one. Close games will not be an issue for his team.
As the next playoff stage of teams get ready to play it will all come down to coaching. Coach Dodge has earned himself as Central Texas’s top tier coaches.As the playoffs filter out the elite teams closing out their games let’s hope Westlake will stand victorious in San Marcos.
In the 2018 season Wimberley staggered to a 4-7 record. As a respectful winning team the previous two seasons they have come back to winning football this year and have made the playoffs. It didn’t sit too lightly on the players heading into the summer workouts.
“I think that the kids took it to heart, realized it was not satisfactory. They used it as fuel let that drive them. Turn it into a great summer and fall camp,” replied Coach Warren. The fuel turned this season into a successful 4A district 8-3 record. A wake-up call that helped them prepare for the playoffs. It sparked a new drive within them. As the season continued throughout the weeks Coach Warren noticed something within his team which is needed for the postseason.
“Spirits are great, they like being around each other, enjoying it.” Team chemistry is essential for a successful season and beyond. As they got back to winning football it certainly helped that their confidence was high. They will need it for Raymondville who will be there first test in the playoffs.
A formidable opponent who has Coach Warren’s respect. “They’re explosive; their two running backs get tons of yards. Twelve yards per carry, you’re doing something right when you’re doing that, very impressive. They are physical and not afraid to complete plays.”
Raymondville will provide the ultimate test for Wimberley. Spirits will need to stay up. With two players running the ball gaining a first down on every play, Wimberley will need to bring a complete team effort to come out on top. They’ve done it all year so why wouldn’t they keep the trend going. Central Texas has made noise in the postseason and Wimberley wants to be heard.
Westlake has taken an impressive leap this 2019 season, when they score at least 30 points they are undefeated. Lake Travis is there lone loss during the season when they barely lost 26-25.
The Chaps are rolling this season otherwise. Kirkland Micheaux leading behind center has taken his team to dominant wins over Lehman, Del Valle, Akins, and Austin High. Standing at an impressive 6’5 the senior has played smart football throwing less than 5 interceptions so far in the middle of the season and has 14 touchdowns under his belt. A 73% completion rate at a little over 13 yards per completion it’s amazing to think that for every pass he gains a first down on every drive.
There are three receivers that have over 350 yards this season all averaging over 13 yards per catch. When you pass to Lindley, Greathouse, and Mangum you will get a first down. It’s nice to think that you have three receivers you can rely on to assist in moving the ball down the field against opposing defenses in the Central Texas area. They will be relied on heavily as the season goes along. Micheaux last season had a taste of playoff football before losing to the West Brook Bruins in the Semifinals. A game away from state, he has experienced the playoff atmosphere and is more than ready to lead them deeper in the playoffs this season. A state championship is ready for the taking, can they take that next step?
After loosing Senior QB Taylor Anderson last year to injury late in the season; Coach Todd Dodge has tried a different strategy in 2019. This year he has kept defenses on edge playing three Quarterbacks in the trio of Kirkland Michaux, Cade Klubnik and Drew Willoughby. Should any player go down then all three have had plenty of playing time this season and will be ready for NEXT MAN UP football Friday Nights in late November and December this year.
Micheaux carries his leadership from last season giving Westlake another hope of the prized State Championship in 2019. Coach Dodge has kept his program at an elite level for years reloading with players across the board. With just a few weeks before playoff time Kirkland Micheaux can’t lay off the intensity and therefore must give his team hope into the playoffs. Texas football takes it to another level when the playoffs start. Teams are either pretenders or contenders. This Chaps team along with their quarterback will contend come playoff time.
As the sun set and the lights came up on House Park the Anderson Trojans took on the Austin High Maroons in a high octane shootout. Anderson looked to further themselves in the playoff race while the Maroons looked to defend their home field. Anderson came away with a win 70-49 over the Austin Maroons in a game where both teams combined for over 1000 yards. Anderson, who received at start of the game, employed a similar tactic to Hays high school, as they loaded the offensive line and ran the ball on 1st and 2nd down. After that proved unsuccessful, Anderson took to the air by throwing a 38-yard pass from senior quarterback Carsten Gross to senior receiver Jason Seager. After running the ball five consecutive times junior running back Joseph Baran was finally able to cross the goal line.
Attempting to get right back in the game, Austin High went for it on 4th & 7 from their own 26-yard line. Ultimately not getting the 1st down set Anderson up in fantastic field position. Anderson capitalized on the short field as Gross connected with wide receiver Grose Kiel on a contested end zone catch that put Anderson up by two scores.
Matters only got worse for Austin High on special teams. Anderson, looking to keep the momentum flowing called for an onside kick. Muffed by Austin, Anderson recovered setting them up with excellent field position once again. Anderson took full advantage of it, as 6’4” quarterback Carsten Gross powered his way into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown putting Anderson up by 21.
Forcing Austin to punt, Anderson could seal the game away with a score right here. Austin’s Defense was going to put a stop to that as they forced and recovered a fumble. Iowa commit quarterback Charles Wright needed to make a play if he wanted his team to stay in the game. He did just that finding Matt Ruiz on a 17-yard score, just like that Austin was back in the game.
Both teams continued to score matching blow after blow. The Trojans scored as senior receiver Grose Kiel climbed the ladder on a 19-yard jump-ball touchdown. Carsten Gross scored on a 3 yard QB keeper. Sophomore Colin Page hit the sideline and crossed the goal line for a 15-yard rushing touchdown.
Austin was also productive as they moved the ball downfield at a fast pace. Talking about fast-paced, Matt Ruiz scored again off a WR screen in which he ran up the sideline for a 48-yard touchdown. Austin scored on another big play as Charles Wright found Nick Anderson over the middle for a 59-yard touchdown. On the final play of the second half, Charles Wright found Grayson Davis on a wide-open swing pass for a two yard score. Heading into halftime Anderson was in the lead, though Austin was fast approaching. Both teams needed to improve their defense as neither offense could be stopped. For Austin, it was about winning jump balls and stopping quarterback Carsten Gross who trampled the Austin defense play after play. For Anderson, it was about limiting big plays. The majority of Austin’s Scores came on either a big play or were set up by one. If Anderson could limit this, their defense would be more effective.
“We have to do a better job stopping the run”, saidAnderson head coach Daniel Hunter. “People may look at how many passing yards we gave up and think we need to improve on our coverage but real football people understand that if we stop the run than we don’t allow as many 1st downs and a byproduct of that is less opportunities to throw the ball downfield. We have given up 300 yards passing and Won the game, but we have never given up 300 rushing and Won a game. Rushing the football and stopping the run, is still the most important part of football.”
Despite any adjustments, the coaches made at halftime both offenses could and would not be stopped in the second half. Carsten Gross threw for two Touchdowns and ran four in, totaling 185 passing yards and 114 rushing yards. On the receiving end, Grose Kiel caught both touchdowns and totaled 98 receiving yards in the game. Colin Page lead the team in rushing as he went for 159 yards and two scores on the ground.
Coming into the game Trogan’s Carsten Gross and running back Joseph Baran were tied with 59 carries on the season. It was not uncommon to see Gross on both designed and improvised runs, which proved to be an effective strategy when Austin shut down Anderson’s passing attack. Both run games were firing on all cylinders as Anderson totaled over 400 rushing yards and had a total of eight rushing touchdowns. Austin’s Grayson Davis also put in work as he ran for over 160 yards and made a difference in the receiving game with two touchdowns.
“I thought Charles Wright was a game-changer on Friday night”, said Austin Head Coach Michael Rosenthal. “(Wright) He had 6 TD’s and threw for over 350 yards. He took care of the football. Matt Ruiz also had a great game as well. He had 9 catches for 138 yards and 3 TD’s It was by far his most productive game of the year. I am looking for our physicality to improve. I think we have had moments on both sides of the ball this year where we have blocked well and tackled well. We are looking for more consistency and to put a complete game together. We need all 3 phases to have their best games against Bowie and Akins.
I think this year’s team has had to deal with more adversity throughout the year. We have gotten very close at times to getting over the hump, but we just need to find a way to make one more play and we haven’t done that yet. I am looking forward to the final two games to see our best effort each and every play.”
From here Austin has a matchup with Bowie and Akins to finish out the season. Anderson finds themselves in a different situation as they are fighting Bowie, Hays and Del Valle for the remaining two playoff spots. Anderson will look to beat Lehman in what could be considered a favorable matchup.
“We felt good running the ball with our backs and the quarterback run game”, said Anderson Head Coach Hunter, when asked what was the most effective part of the game he could attribute this win to. “We threw in some reverse passes when we felt like they had became frustrated and started blitzing. All in all our offense had a great night, and our defense got the stops we needed to put some distance between the scores. Austin High has a great offense and we knew they would score some points on us we just came in with the mindset to jump on them early and create distance on the scoreboard”
Every school has expectations, but the ones in Austin remain as high as the Texas sky.
Just ask Rick Barnes.
Longhorns men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart will find out exactly how tough it is to coach on the hot seat this season after Texas won the NIT a year ago to salvage a topsy-turvy 2018-19 campaign. There’s only one acceptable tournament to be invited to this time around — the Big Dance in March.
Smart himself acknowledged that fact last March, and UT athletic director Chris Del Conte echoed the sentiment even after the Longhorns won the NIT, saying “we’re not where we want to be, but we’re making progress.”
Texas pulled in another solid crop of recruits this year after snagging three of the top 75 prospects in the nation — shooting guard Donovan Williams, center Kai Jones and homegrown product Will Baker, who played center for Westlake while rising up the ranks to become the No. 35 overall recruit in the country.
Baker is expected to start at center this season, while Williams and Jones have opportunities to work their way into valuable roles.
The Longhorns’ starting lineup for 2019-20 is also projected to include guards Matt Coleman and Courtney Rainey, who averaged 9.8 and 8.1 points per game last year, respectively. Coleman, who was the only Texas player to start all 37 games a season ago, added 3.4 assists per outing and was the lone Longhorn to earn preseason acclaim from the Big 12 after taking home honorable mention.
Rainey returns after shooting a team-best 38.6% from beyond the 3-point arc and proving to be another capable scorer. The same can be said for wing player Jase Febres, who knocked down 37.2% of his 3s while putting in 8.9 points per contest.
Jericho Sims is expected to lock down the starting power forward spot and has shown plenty of athleticism during his time on the 40 Acres. Sims has even drawn comparisons to current NBA players Mo Bamba and Jaxson Hayes, but he still has to show that he can turn potential into reality.
The biggest fan favorite on the team will undoubtedly be guard Andrew Jones, who touched the hearts of many Longhorn fans as he took time off to battle Leukemia last season. Jones was cleared to return to basketball activities in early August, and his comeback story will be one of the best in all of college hoops.
Meanwhile, wing player Gerald Liddell and big man Kamaka Hepa will likely fight for minutes as reserves.
Texas was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 during the preseason coaches’ poll behind Kansas — no surprise there — Baylor and Texas Tech. Bringing up the rear were West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas State and TCU.
But before the Longhorns begin conference play on Jan. 4. 2020, Texas will look to navigate an early portion of the schedule that includes games against Purdue, Georgetown and Providence. The Longhorns and Aggies will even reprise their old rivalry on the hardwood during a Dec. 8 meeting in Fort Worth for the Lone Star Showdown.
Smart should be able to get away with a loss to a rival here or there, though. After all, this isn’t football. But it’s still Texas, and another season without March Madness will be viewed as a colossal failure.
AUSTIN, Texas –
Westlake High School celebrates its 50th anniversary and Homecoming
with several events beginning Friday. The weekend of events includes
tours of the school, a former WHS staff lunch. an alumni association
tailgate and culminates with the Homecoming volleyball game against Del
Valle at 6:30pm and the football game at 7:30pm (SOLD OUT).
Saturday, the Eanes Education Foundation will host the Inaugural Distinguished Alumni Brunch, which will recognize:
Rich Riley ’92 Former CEO of Shazam & Co-Founder of HomePoint
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (9) and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) speaks after an NFL divisional playoff football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019. The Saints won 20-14 to advance to the NFC Championship. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Drew Brees ’97 Super Bowl MVP-Winning Quarterback & Philanthropist
Alexis Jones ’01 Author, Activist & Founder of I Am That Girl & ProtectHer
Outstanding Young Alumni
Matt Nader ’07 Advocate of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness
The event will be hosted by KXAN meteorologist and WHS alum, David Yeomans, with guest speaker, WHS alum Alexis Jones.
A
full list of 50th anniversary/ Homecoming events is below and attached.
Westlake junior Ryan Mulcahy created the 50th-anniversary logo
(attached) after a school-wide logo contest.
Friday, Oct. 18, 2019
12:09pm – 1:45pm
Former Westlake HS Teacher Luncheon – WHS Courtyard Former WHS teachers are invited to a free, come-and-go, live music event with lunch provided
5pm
Westlake HS Tour – Front entrance of WHS on Westbank Dr. (near stone marquee)
Alumni are invited to tour the campus, see old hangouts and hear about new student programs
5pm – 7pm
EEF / Alumni Association Tailgate – Across from WHS in Dr. Brian Smith’s parking lot
Free, come-and-go EEF event to gather, recognize and welcome alumni
6:30pm
Homecoming Volleyball Game vs. Del Valle HS – Competition Gym
Tickets required
7:30pm
Homecoming Football Game vs. Del Valle HS – Chaparral Stadium SOLD OUT; reserved seating for alumni and former teachers
Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019
9:45am
Westlake Tour – Front entrance of WHS on Westbank Dr. (near stone marquee)
Alumni are invited to tour the campus, see old hangouts and hear about new student programs
10:30am-12pm
EEF Distinguished Alumni Brunch – WHS Commons
EEF
complimentary brunch (RSVP required) to recognize inaugural class of
WHS Distinguished Alumni and unveil the new Alumni Wall with Founders
Circle in the Commons. All alumni invited to attend.
For
50 years, Westlake High School has been lauded as one of the top high
schools in Texas and the nation. The school was constructed after two
contentious community elections proposed separation from Austin ISD and
the construction of a high school dedicated to Eanes students. The first
vote was in favor of the split, 708-564. After disgruntled residents
challenged the election, another vote passed in favor, 1,000-601. In
1969, Westlake High School opened making Eanes ISD a K-12 school
district.
For information on the history of Eanes ISD and Westlake High School, visit http://ehc.eanesisd.net/.
For information on Westlake High School’s 50th-anniversary events, visit www.eanesisd.net/WHS50.
As the calendar turns toward October, a new NBA season lies on the horizon.
The
landscape of the entire league has shifted thanks to Kawhi Leonard’s
departure from Toronto and subsequent arrival in Los Angeles with Paul
George. Of course, that’s not the only shakeup that has basketball fans
patiently awaiting the arrival of the 2019-20 campaign.
The
three Texas teams all look loaded for a run at the playoffs — and
perhaps even more. Here’s a quick look at all three, beginning with the
biggest burning question for each Western Conference Southwest Division
squad.
Houston Rockets
Can James Harden and Russell Westbrook really coexist in the backcourt?
This
will be one of the most interesting sagas of the entire season. But if
the duo can find a way to merge their strengths and properly share the
lone basketball on the floor, then this could be the year that Houston
finally earns a berth in The Finals come next June.
Houston
still has plenty of firepower alongside the tandem, as SG Eric Gordon,
SF P.J. Tucker and PF/C Clint Capela are expected to round out the
starting five. The Rockets also made an under-the-radar move this
offseason by bringing back 3-point marksman Ryan Anderson following a
subpar year in Phoenix.
San Antonio Spurs
Is Dejounte Murray 100 percent healthy?
The
young point guard out of the University of Washington developed into a
Third Team All-NBA defender in a short amount of time before suffering a
torn ACL during last year’s preseason. Derrick White stepped up in a
big way to fill the PG role, and a potential Murray-White combo has
Spurs fans salivating.
Shooting
guard DeMar DeRozan returns for his second season in San Antonio, and
former Longhorn LaMarcus Aldridge is also back in the starting five, as
is veteran small forward Rudy Gay. Guard Bryn Forbes could take on a
starting role until Gregg Popovich gets his rotation worked out.
Spurs
fans also can’t wait to see second-year pro Lonnie Walker get some
minutes after he lost a large portion of his rookie season to a torn
meniscus.
Dallas Mavericks
Can Kristaps Porzingis realize his potential?
The
“Unicorn” had his moments in New York prior to a torn ACL and is now in
Dallas alongside the 2018-19 Rookie of the Year — point guard Luka
Doncic. The Mavericks were thrilled when Doncic fell to them in the 2018
draft and he had an incredible debut season, averaging 21.2 points, 7.8
rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Adding Porzingis to the mix is a
scary proposition for the future.
Dallas
is expected to also start PF/C Dwight Powell, SG Delon Wright and SF
Justin Jackson. Expect the Mavericks to continue to search for a third
star to pair with Doncic and Porzingis.
Just send the bill to Mark Cuban. He can afford it.
This story has been
written before, and will likely be written again. Vandegrift’s mighty
defense went up against a high-scoring offense, and like it usually does
in these situations, shut it down. The Vipers used a solid game plan,
maximum effort and near-flawless execution to keep Vista Ridge (4-1) off
the scoreboard for the first two-and-a-half quarters in a 31-12 win
Friday at John Gupton Stadium in Leander, TX.
“We knew we’d be depending
on our defense tonight,” said Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders. “We felt
it was strength versus strength because they came in averaging over 40
points a game and for us to do what we did tonight, shut them out in the
first half really I thought set a tone to our guys. We had a great week
of work. We didn’t play particularly well last week in a win over
Hendrickson and everybody kind of got down on us. I think the kids took
that personal, came out and played really well tonight.”
The outcome might’ve been
different if not for some costly mistakes by the Rangers. Vista Ridge
marched down the field on its opening drive before Vandegrift stiffened
up right before the goal line. Facing 4th & goal from the 1, the
Rangers surprised the Vipers with a perfectly drawn up pass play. The
execution fell short, however, as the wide receiver dropped a ball that
hit him right in the numbers. On the ensuing possession, Vandegrift
punched the reeling Rangers right in the mouth with junior running back
Bowen Lewis (23 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD) breaking loose for a 48-yard
score.
“We worked all week on our
train check,” Sanders said, “which is the adjustment to their big,
heavy set, and we executed it to perfection, and so I was really pleased
to see that. It was first & goal from the 1, and it just shows a
lot of guts on our defense to, first of all, do what you’re coached to
do and then stop them four downs in a row. Huge credit to our defense,
just unbelievable heart.”
The Rangers also had two
back-breaking mistakes on special teams and a pair of lost fumbles,
while Vandegrift played a clean game with zero turnovers and only two
penalties. Vista Ridge had a deep snap sail over its punters head to
set-up a five-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Ryan Sheppard
to open the second quarter.
“That’s kind of what our
defense does, it makes plays, and then our offense is opportunistic, and
it’s also very specific and organized, and they do a great job of
making the plays count,” Sanders said. “We’re not a super explosive
offense, but we’re a very efficient offense that gets things done and
it’s a recipe for winning ball games… I don’t know how people view us,
but I think as I look at my own team I see us as a team that plays
really sound, fundamental football. We don’t make many mistakes. We play
good defense, we play efficient offense, we play solid special teams,
and I think we’re a tough out for anybody we play.”
A lost fumble later in the
period gave the Vipers another short field, which they took advantage
of as senior quarterback Dru Dawson (8-for-13, 82 pass yards, 2 TDs, 48
rush yards) hooked up with senior wide receiver Trey Mongauzy for a
14-yard score. Vista Ridge opened the second half with another botched
punt snap. The Vipers scored three plays later with Dawson finding
Mongauzy (3 catches, 46 yards, 2 TDs) again to make it 31-0 and send the
more casual fans scrambling to their cars.
“We get a great week of
work in. We trust our coach’s game plan. They work really hard to put a
great game plan in and we stay locked into the game. Good things happen
when we stay locked in,” said senior defensive end Matthew Graham. “We
(the defensive line) are not the biggest, but we play really hard, we
believe in each other, we believe in our D-line coach, who’s an awesome
guy, and we’re relentless. We always find a way.”
Rodney Vincent Vista Ridge Head Coach Talk with us on The Friday Night Countdown before facing the Vipers Defense.
Friday
night, a decades-long hometown rivalry was rekindled as the Austin High
Maroons took on the Westlake Chaparrals. The student sections were
jammed packed with loyal fans who tirelessly cheered on their team. The
unyielding support compelled both teams to play with more energy and
vigor. This game was one for the books and even broke records as
Westlake’s senior wide receiver Mason Mangum became the all time
receiving leader in Westlake football history.
Westlake
came into this game with 32 consecutive winning seasons as well as a
21-2 record against Austin High dating back to 1994 and were the
favorites in this matchup. Though the odds were against them, Austin
High looked to put up a fight and turn the tides.Ultimately it was not
enough as Westlake overpowered Austin winning 63-8 and pushing the all
time record to 22-2. Putting Westlake in a comfortable 5-0 position,
they look like division favorites this year.
Austin
High received the ball to start the game, coming off a good win against
Lehman they looked to carry the momentum onward. Westlake quickly shut
that down forcing the Maroons backward into a 4th & 20. The Maroons
came out in punt formation. Westlake surged through the left side of the
formation allowing senior wide receiver Ryan Lindley and junior
defensive back Lucas Miruer to get a hand on the ball ultimately
blocking the punt.
Starting
on Austin’s 10-yard line senior quarterback Kirkland Michaux scored on
Westlake’s first play from scrimmage. Kirkland ran the ball in on a 10
yard quarterback keeper putting the first points on the board. In this
game Kirkland was one of four quarterbacks who played for Westlake
Highschool.
Austin
jumped out to a better start on their second drive after picking up a
first down, however they were soon confronted by a problem that lingered
throughout the game. Pass protection. Austin simply could not handle
Westlake’s pass rush as quarterback Charles Wright was in constant
duress. On that drive, Charles was sacked by senior defensive end Bobby
Duncum to ultimately end the drive.
Starting
on Austin’s 44, Westlake hoped to repeat their last drive that ended in
a touchdown. This time Austin’s defense was a little bit stiffer as
they forced Westlake into multiple third downs. Stoping the Westlake
offense on the last two downs, Austin forced them into a 3rd & 2
situation from about the 16. Needing the first down, Westlake running
back Grey Nakfoor took it straight up the middle resulting in Westlake’s
second touchdown.
This
game was truly a battle in the trenches. It was decided by which team
was going to be more aggressive upfront and put the other team in a bad
situation. At times Austin High was able to do that, but ultimately
Westlake won the battle in the trenches. Their offensive line provided
clean pockets as well as running lanes. This was the true defining
factor of the game.
Throughout
the first half Austin was not able to sustain any drives giving
Westlake multiple opportunities to score. Westlake did just that,
scoring over 40 points in the first half, including a 29-yard touchdown
pass from Kirkland Michaux to Mason Mangum and a 10-yard touchdown pass
from Kirkland to Ryan Lindley. After a sack by Austin High’s Abrion
Boudreaux, Westlake quarterback Drew Willoughby threw a 65-yard
touchdown pass to freshman receiver Jaden Greathouse.
Heading
into halftime Austin needed to change something, while Westlake was
focused on preserving their lead. Westlake took their foot off the pedal
in the second half as they ran a slower-paced offense and were more
conservative. On the flip side, Austin came out firing hoping for
redemption or just something to build on.
Austin’s
offense and defense played much better in the second half, though it
was not enough to reclaim the lead, it was a valiant effort.
After
having multiple drives that stalled out on 4th down, Austin needed to
make a play and they did just that. Set up nicely by a PI call Austin
hiked the ball from Westlake’s 26 yard line. On the right sideline
senior wide receiver Colby Kalbacher went deep on a fade route with a
money pass from Charles Wright. Austin had scored their first touchdown.
Austin went on to get the two point conversion. This meant that Austin
scored more points against Westlake than any other team this season.
Offensively,
Westlake quieted down but Austin High middle linebacker Everett Butler
did not. Butler went sideline to sideline making tackles and blocking
passes. Butler was the highlight of the Austin High defense, along with
defensive lineman Abrion Boudreaux.
That
was not say that Westlake did not make defensive plays in their own
right, as demonstrated by senior free safety Sage Luther’s interception
to set the Chaps up in great field position.
Westlake’s
offense was looking to run the clock out when all of the sudden Chaps
running back Zane Minors burst through the middle of the field for a
76-yard touchdown run, he took off and never stopped.
“Great
early field position and good pass rush”, is what Westlake head coach
Todd Dodge attributed to this victory over Austin High. When
asked what area of the team he is most focused on improving, Dodge
said, “I’m most looking forward to improving our running game on
offense.”
“I
will continue to use all three QB’s. Together they lead the greater
Austin area in passing yards, TD passes and completion percentage. Stats
aren’t important but production is. They have all been productive”,
Dodge answered when questioned about his multi-quarterback strategy.
It
was a great game played in historic House Park. Westlake, heavily
favored coming in, came out with a win but the Maroons put up a good
fight. The Maroons have another tough matchup against the Lake Travis
Cavaliers this week while Westlake has a favorable matchup against the
Lehman Lobos.
FOOTBALL IS BACK! After a great year for the Texas Longhorns and a deep run in the State High School Playoffs for several local teams in central Texas, we dig right in to the ACTION! Dallas Cowboys and Texans revamp for playoff runs this season. Listen to our new RADIO SHOW on 104.9 THE HORN FM as THE FRIDAY NIGHT COUNTDOWN RETURNS 6:30-7:15pm every Friday Night. Take a look at our preview edition and reserve your ad space this season!
