Westlake found themselves in trouble tonight, down 10-7 at halftime, and 13-7 midway through the third quarter against Lake Travis.
Lake Travis came into the game 2-2, though they’ve had a lot of injuries, including to their star Quarterback, Bo Edmundson, one of the top QB’s in the state. The Cavaliers dropped the first two games of the season, but then beat Buda Johnson 55-17, and Austin Akins 63-0.
For Westlake, the 3-time defending champs, it has been business as usual. First-year Head Coach Tony Salazar has the Chaps rolling and as the #1 team in Texas in most polls. They entered 3 and 0, with wins of 44-14, 47-14, and 56-6. But, Lake Travis gave the Chaps trouble.
Lake Travis vs Westlake, “Battle of the Lakes,” is a showdown that we look forward to each year. This year did not disappoint. The Cavaliers and Chaps traded first-quarter touchdown passes, with Lake Travis striking first on a 16-yard TD, and Westlake responding with a Brett Skinner to Bryce Chambers on a 3rd and 20 play. Late in the first half, Lake Travis took a 10-7 lead on a field goal from Hunter Rioux.
The Cavaliers added another Rioux field goal in the third to take a 13-7 lead. It seems an upset might happen, but then the Westlake defense put the clamps down on Lake Travis, and the quiet Chaps offense woke up.
Westlake scored 28 points in the last quarter and a half of the game, led by Jack Kayser. Kayser ran for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns in the second half and finished with 197 yards rushing. Skinner also had two second-half touchdowns, the last being to standout WR Jaden Greathouse to ice the game.
Westlake survived the upset scare, 35-20. They have won 4 out of 5 against Lake Travis after a decade of the Cavaliers dominating the rivalry. Despite the loss and the 2-3 record, there is still a path to make the playoffs for Lake Travis, and could still finish second in District 26-6A. They host Del Valle next week then travel to Austin Anderson. If they win both, they’ll be 4-3 going into a showdown with Dripping Springs. The Dripping Spring Tigers are 4-0 and just beat Bowie tonight 55-7.
For Westlake, the close game may bring them back to the field a bit in terms of the rankings, but we expect they’ll stay at #1. Westlakes biggest remaining game will be against the above-mentioned Dripping Spring Tigers, and if they win that, they should end the regular season undefeated for the third year in a row.
