Coach Todd Dodge gripped the shoulder of quarterback Sam Ehlinger, looking towards a potentially bright future dawning on the horizon of the upcoming 2016 season. The photograph – gracing the cover of Texas Football magazine – was shot to resemble an iconic image from the 1950s, showcasing a coach and his protege absorbing the X’s and O’s of gridiron tutelage.
The path to the UIL state championship seemed like a sure thing for Westlake during the preseason; the Chaps boasted the best local quarterback since Drew Brees and were attempting to win the championship that eluded the school for twenty years. The two-decade anniversary was arriving in December and the city of Austin knew how appropriate a win would be to commemorate the title. The season opener further solidified the dreams of the Chaparral faithful; Westlake bested Katy 32-29, handing the Tigers their first loss since 2014.
Ehlinger started the season with 314 total yards of offense, but ended the year with his wrist resembling a chunk of uncooked sausage against Laredo United, seeing the field only five times in his senior campaign. The Katy slugfest took a piece of Ehlinger with it; in numerous occasions during the game, the Westlake quarterback was seen limping or favoring a leg, requiring knee surgery following the victory. Back-up Matthew Gense was adequate in replacing Ehlinger, but shattered his collarbone against Hays in September. Ehlinger attempted a comeback in the Lake Travis blowout, but hurt his thumb, spending most of the remainder of the season on the sidelines with a mummy bandage secured around his hand.
With the depth chart at the position vanishing fast, Coach Dodge employed a quarterback by committee role with sophomores Taylor Anderson and Sam Saxton, consistently feeding the rock to junior running back Nakia Watson. Despite doing better than expected, injuries and fatigue caught up to the Chaps, falling in the quarterfinals 51-3 to the Cavs – the tenth consecutive loss to their rivals since 2006.
Key Losses
QB Sam Ehlinger, LB Levi Jones, OT Stephan Zabie, WR Andrew Boykin.
Three Westlake graduates are ranked in the 2017 Top Texas Football Recruits top-100 list, as per 247 Sports. Levi Jones is the highest ranked recruit at No. 14 in the state. The four-star outside linebacker is currently deliberating between several schools for 2017 enrollment, visiting the campuses of A&M, Florida, Florida State, UCLA and USC. As of this writing, Jones has fielded over 20 DI offers. In his senior season, he accounted for 72 solo and 31 assisted tackles, totaling 238 tackles in his career.
No. 20 ranked Ehlinger’s dual-threat abilities caught the attention of Texas; the Longhorns have conditioned him as an ardent recruit for the program – a commitment that may persuade undeclared Stephan Zabie (No. 38) to suit up in the burnt orange next season. The offensive tackle was one of six starters that missed the entirety of the season, but his bulky frame (6’5”, 290 lbs.) was sorely missed on an offensive front that dealt with quarterback injuries for the duration of the year.
After graduation narrowed the receiving depth preseason, senior Andrew Boykin took advantage, elevating to the teams leading option with 1,078 receiving yards for 66 touchdowns – nearly doubling his reception total from the previous year. The 2017 receiver class is going to be a mixed bag: Jake Ramos had the second most receiving yards (490), but the third and fourth on the list – Noah Skrudland (302) and Connor Howard (286) respectively – graduated. Expect the Chaps to continue ushering Watson out on the field.
Key Returners
RB Nakia Watson, QB Taylor Anderson, DB Connor C Kelley, MLB David Dickerson, CB Matthew Sams.
In comparison to the three ranked recruits in the senior class, the junior unit only boasts one in Nakia Watson. The tailback was the breakout star for the Westlake offense and the best running option the Chaps have fielded in years. Notorious for not having a particularly strong offensive backfield, Watson padded the Austin stat-book, scrambling for 1,648 yards and 22 touchdowns – scoring in 11 consecutive games.
The quarterback situation is a little uncertain moving forward: The starting nod will likely be given to Taylor Anderson, a sophomore that lead the Chaps in seven games with 819 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, along with 131 rushing yards. In comparison, Ehlinger managed 850 yards with a 60.6% completion percentage, seven touchdowns on three interceptions and 194 rushing yards, despite only starting five times – his body ravaged with injuries that he didn’t fully recuperate from. With Watson in the fold, Anderson wasn’t required to do much, but he is a dual-threat option with upside in Coach Dodge’s spread scheme.
On the other side of the ball, the Chaps defense was better than expected throughout the schedule, compensating for an injury riddled offense by holding the opposition to an average 17.1 points per game. In thirteen contests, the unit was responsible for 70.4 tackles per game, 31.5 sacks, and 14 interceptions – all exceeding the nation’s average. Despite some departing starters, the defense will remain mostly intact, highlighted by David Dickerson – who lead the Chaps with 107 total tackles, including 69 solo and 38 assisted. Connor C Kelley (74 total tackles) and Matthew Sams (69 total tackles) will also be crucial pieces moving forward.
The Verdict
Coach Dodge has never lead Westlake without Ehlinger on his team. Already, the former Southlake Carroll leader initiated various quarterbacks into the Westlake spread scheme in Sam’s absence, all handling the responsibility with mixed results. It doesn’t help that 62 seniors will graduate this year, further thinning the team’s depth.
In ten years as a high school HC, coach Dodge has compiled a record of 134-26, mentoring seven State Offensive Players of the Year. Even with his leadership pedigree, it’s difficult to imagine anyone replacing Ehlinger as coach Dodge’s offensive muse.
It’s not hard to fathom that the best chance the Chaps had at a title were over the last two years. Now that the program’s three best players have graduated, it’s unlikely that the team will hoist the UIL Championship crown in December. With a murky future for the offense, expect an early playoff exit for a Chaps team that may be better than expected behind the ground-and-pound of Watson.
Brought to you by: XENITH
I think you underestimate the talent of this team. First, there were only three senior starters on the defense the rest were almost exclusively juniors. A defense which dominated everyone outside of Lake Travis. A junior class, that since the 8th grade has had more success against rival Lake Travis than any other grade.
On offense, Nakia Watson and Jake Ramos are top-tier talents at their respective positions. Ramos’s production was impacted by the loss of Ehlinger (out almost entire year). In addition, you have RB Izaiah Faz (who started two years ago as a Sophomore), Steven Crider (WR) and a number of exciting young WR’s. At QB, Taylor Anderson gained valuable experience as a Sophomore, playing more than half the year. On the OL, you have three returning startersin Webster (C), Aylor (T), and Armstrong (G). Graduating OT Stephan Zabie never played a single down last year.
On defense, where do you start? They are fully loaded, including Cassity, O’Neal (Sophomore), Duffy, Dickerson, Sams, Kelley, Andreo, Rousseau and Jones. From front line to secondary, no weaknesses.
I believe, this team has the talent to make State. A lot of similarities to Katy two years ago.