As the old saying goes “save the best for last.” And in the Austin area on Friday night, Westlake (9-0) will host Lake Travis (8-1) in the final regular-season game for both teams. Two high-powered offenses let loose on the gridiron under the lights of Friday night.
Austin Westlake vs Lake Travis
Lake Travis Cavaliers
The Offense
The Cavaliers are scoring 52 points per game on offense, and have scored 50+ points in five straight games, including two games with over 60+ points scored.
Lake Travis runs a balanced offense: 227 yards passing, 214 yards rushing per game, for 441 yards of total offense per contest.
The engine that powers this high-scoring offense is QB Bo Edmundson. He has passed for 1955 yards and 25 touchdowns and only 6 INTs (in 234 pass attempts). This season, Edmundson has posted three games with three passing touchdowns, and three games with 4 passing touchdowns.
In the running game, Nico Hamilton (610 yards, 5 TDs) and Derrick Johnson (825 yards, 10 TDs; 4 receiving TDs).
Edmundson throws to a dependable target in WR Isaac Norris (49 catches, 713 yards, 9 TDs).
The Defense
From a defensive standpoint, the Cavaliers have recorded a whopping 703 tackles, 58 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, and 12 INTs through nine games.
The leaders on defense are:
- Tray Dorsett: 38 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
- Max Linhoff: 38 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and 1 INT.
- Tavin Lewis: 66 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks.
- Griffen Willis: 48 tackles, 5 TFLs.
Lake Travis holds an 11-4 record in the series with Westlake, including a 26-25 win in their last meeting in 2019.
Austin Westlake Chaparrals
The Offense
Westlake is scoring 56 points per game on offense. In the month of October, they have allowed just 9 points total in their last five games, including three shutouts. In those three shutouts, the Chaparrals have outscored those opponents 168-0. Also in October, Westlake scored 77 points twice.
Star QB Cade Klubnik has been hurt the last three games and his status this week is uncertain.
Klubnik is one of the top quarterback prospects in the country. He was the MVP of the Elite 11 Quarterback Competition over the summer and is committed to Clemson, according to 247sports. In six games played, Klubnik has passed for 1476 yards, 20 TDs, and just 2 INTs.
Christian Edgar has played some at quarterback in eight games this season. He has passed for 706 yards, 10 touchdowns, and zero INTs. He also has 455 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns.
Edgar has filled in nicely in place of Klubnik, passing for 601 yards, 9 TDs, zero INTs in the last three games. Last week vs Austin High, Edgar passed for 211 yards and rushed for 114 yards, and accounted for four touchdowns in the 77-3 win.
The rushing attack is led by Hunter Henault, who has rushed for 754 yards and nine touchdowns. He averages 6 yards per rush.
Westlake also runs a balanced attack on offense, passing for 265 yards and rushing for 239 yards, for 504 yards of total offense per contest. They have gained 4543 total yards in 9 games.
Klubnik and Edgar both throw to the capable Jaden Greathouse (38 catches, 663 yards, 11 TDs) and Hunter Luke (21 catches, 410 yards, and 5 TDs).
The Defense
In those three shutouts, the Chaparral defense produced:
- 4 INTs
- 10 sacks
- 16 TFLs
- 118 tackles
For the season, the defensive unit has recorded 586 tackles, 23 sacks, 12 INTs, 9 fumble recoveries, and 43 tackles for loss.
The leaders on that stingy defense are:
- Carter Barksdale: 49 tackles, 1 INT, 5 TFLs.
- Luke Aaron: 45 tackles, 4 INTs
- Will Courtney: 56 tackles, 2 TFLs.
- Ethan Burke: 32 tackles, 9 TFLs, 6 sacks, 1 INT.
- Byers Petty: 44 tackles, 4 TFLs, 5 sacks, and 1 INT.
Westlake hasn’t had much luck vs Lake Travis over the years, going 4-11 against the Cavaliers since 2006.
Who wins this battle of top teams? Leave a comment below.
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