GAMES
RANKINGS
Westlake vs. Lake Travis: Stakes raised for “Battle of the Lakes II”
College football celebrated its annual “Rivalry Week” last week – with an understandable special emphasis on a certain little shindig in College Station. To the folks from Westlake and Lake Travis High Schools, however, the revival of the “Lone Star Showdown” was likely little more than an appetizer for the game that really matters the most: the Chaparrals and the Cavaliers meeting for the second time this year in the 6A D1 Region IV Finals/State Quarterfinals.
When they meet at 7:00 Friday at the Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex, it will mark the second consecutive year these two District 26-6A rivals will clash in a sequel with a spot in the state semifinals on the line.
Both teams have turned away rising Austin area 6A powerhouses such as Vandegrift – also playing in a 6A D2 regional final on Friday – and Dripping Springs the past few seasons to remain the top programs in Central Texas.
Both cruised through their regular seasons relatively unscathed. Westlake (12-1) saw its 44-game regular season winning streak halted by a 39-21 loss to Humble Atascocita back on September 13. (Fear not, Chaps fans; the Eagles clash with North Shore on the other side of the 6A D1 bracket. A win Friday might set up a second sequel.)
Junior quarterback Rees Wise (148-219, 2,121 yds., 19 TD, 6 INT; 12 rushing TDs) guided 3rd-year Head Coach Tony Salazar’s club to an undefeated District 26-6A title and playoff wins so far over Vista Ridge (46-17), SA Brennan (24-7) and Buda Johnson (52-14) to reach the rematch.
Senior quarterback Chaston Ditta (194-331, 2,796 yds., 27 TDs, 4 INTs) and junior running back Vann Hopping (192-1,482, 7.7 YPC, 28 TDs) have guided veteran Head Coach Hank Carter’s Lake Travis squad to its own superb season. At 12-1 overall, the Cavs suffered their only loss of the season back on Oct. 25 to – you guessed it – the Chaparrals. That 28-16 Westlake win in 2024’s first “Battle of the Lakes” at Cavaliers Stadium marked their fifth straight victory over Lake Travis.
Lake Travis regrouped quickly with two district wins, followed by playoff victories over Round Rock (41-14), SA Johnson (55-27) and last week over SA East Central (52-7) to get another crack at the Chaps.
The Cavaliers dominated this series up until just under a decade ago, taking 12 straight games from 2008 to 2016 on their way to six state titles (and five straight from 2007-11). Since then, it’s been all Chaps, as Westlake has won the last five meetings on their way to four state titles of their own.
Battle of the Lakes II will showcase Texas High School football at its finest. And with a berth in the state semifinals on the line, there’s much more than bragging rights at stake this time around.
VYPE/ESPN Austin Central Texas Game of the Week Preview: Vandegrift vs. Harlan
The Vandegrift Vipers played in the 6A D2 state championship game in 2022. The Harlan Hawks put a scare into them on the way, racing out to a 21-7 lead in the regional semifinal game before the Vipers stormed back for a 49-21 win. Two wild finishes later and Vandegrift was playing in AT&T Stadium.
Safe to say, Vandegrift won’t be caught off guard when the Vipers face the Hawks again, this time in a 6A D2 Region IV Final in the VYPE Central Texas High School Football Game of the Week, simulcast on 102.7 FM ESPN Austin radio.
After cruising through the first two rounds of the playoffs with easy wins over Austin High (56-14) and SA Sotomayor (51-0), Coach Drew Sanders’ Vipers (12-1) found themselves in a dogfight with Cibolo Steele last week. With their seemingly safe 20-point early fourth quarter lead whittled to just six and Steele on the move, the Viper defense recovered a fumble. Brendan Fournier rambled for a 44-yard touchdown run on the very next play and Vandegrift was back in the Elite Eight after a marquee 49-35 win over the Knights.
Senior quarterback Miles Teodecki (152-224, 2,453 yds., 37 TD, 7 INT) continues to find the open target amongst a fleet of receivers, led by junior Brock Chilton (46-873, 19.0 YPC, 12 TD) and senior George Farley (34-629, 18.5 YPC, 10 TD). Meanwhile senior running back Fournier (166-975, 5.9 YPC, 15 TD) has turned into a workhorse since his return from an early season injury. And although the Viper defense surrendered 35 points to Steele, that was still roughly 21 points below the Knights’ average for the season.
Head Coach Eddie Salas has quickly turned Harlan into a San Antonio power. The Hawks (12-1) have made the playoffs in five of their first six seasons of varsity play and have reached double digit wins for three straight years. Harlan defeated Clark (41-23) and drubbed Dripping Springs 55-24 in their first two rounds before holding off New Braunfels Canyon 39-36 to set up this rematch, one year removed.
Quarterback Aldric Trotter is a dual threat behind center for the Hawks. The junior signal caller has been effective through the air (134-207, 2,268 yds., 21 TD, 3 INT) and leads the Hawks’ rushing attack (129-891, 6.9 YPC, 14 TD). Senior Adrien McDade (128-881, 6.9 YPC, 10 TDs) complements Trotter in the ground game.
If 2022 was the game that got away for Harlan, it was the refocusing springboard that launched the Vipers on their “Jerry World” trajectory. The 2024 edition should be a more-than-worthy sequel.
What: 6A D2 Region IV Final/State Quarterfinal
When: 7:15 Pregame, 7:30 Kickoff
Where: Bobcat Stadium, Texas State University
Who: Merle Bertrand, Hank Hudson, Matt Sanders
Watch: https://www.vype.com/nfhs-6a-dii-football-reg-iv-final-vandegrift-vs-sa-harlan OR https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/uil/gam493b3d4452
Audio Stream: https://www.1027espn.com/listen-live/