Posted: Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:45 AM - 9,816 Readers
By: Rick Cantu
Westlake High School is gunning for its first state football championship since NFL star Drew Brees led the Chaparrals in 1996, and neighborhood rival Lake Travis is one victory shy of its third straight Class 4A title.
Westlake and Lake Travis will represent Central Texas as high school football in the state heads toward a climactic finish.
The Chaps (13-2) will tangle with Euless Trinity (13-2) in the Class 5A Division I championship at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Lake Travis (15-0) will play Longview (14-1) — the team the Cavs beat for the title last fall — in the 4A Division I game at 6 p.m. Saturday at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco.
Westlake and Lake Travis know plenty about each other. The Cavaliers, riding a current state-best 45-game winning streak, have not lost since Westlake beat them 28-21 on Sept. 7, 2007, at Chaparral Stadium.
The Chaps reached the state finals for the fourth time this decade — seventh overall — by defeating Katy Cinco Ranch 42-27 Saturday at Royal-Memorial Stadium. A 28-0 scoring spurt led by Wake Forest-bound quarterback Tanner Price and tailback Van Gramann helped Westlake win its ninth straight game. The Chaps also got solid defensive play from linebackers Lance Duran and Bryce Hager, who had 12 tackles apiece,
Westlake's trip to state coincides with the arrival of coach Darren Allman, a 16-year veteran who spent the previous four seasons at Odessa Permian. He's already familiar with Trinity: His Permian teams were 1-2 against the Trojans in 2006 and 2007.
"The first thing you notice about them is their size," Allman said Sunday. "Year in and year out, not many teams in Texas are as big as Trinity. They probably average 6-3 and 290 on both lines. What stands out is how well they can move."
In contrast, players on Westlake's offensive and defensive lines are about 6 feet 1 inch and 240 pounds, Allman said. The Chaps should have a slight edge in team speed, he added.
"It's fitting that we're playing (Trinity) because our seasons have been similar," Allman said. "They lost two games early, just like us, and they were scoring 28 points or fewer in the first four weeks. Since then it's been about 40."
Westlake's only losses were against Lake Travis on Sept. 4 and Bastrop on Oct. 9. Since that loss to Bastrop, the Chaps have averaged 41 points.
The Chaps' rise as a Central Texas powerhouse began as they went to their first state championship game under coach Ron Schroeder in 1990. Schroeder's teams also played for the state title in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2001.
Derek Long, who succeeded Schroeder in 2003, led Westlake to the championship game in 2006.
Lake Travis is a relative newcomer to high school football prominence in Texas. The Cavaliers won their first state championship in 2007 under coach Jeff Dicus. They won their second crown in 2008 under Chad Morris, whose record with Lake Travis rose to 31-0 Saturday with a 57-12 state semifinal victory over Pearland Dawson at College Station.
Morris said he felt "very blessed" after Saturday's blowout for having talented players on both sides of the football.
Junior Michael Brewer, taking over this year after two-time all-state quarterback Garrett Gilbert moved on to the University of Texas, has 41 touchdown passes and 23 rushing touchdowns, including five in the lopsided victory over Dawson.
Senior flex back Andy Erickson has been one of the most explosive offensive players in Central Texas, rushing for 21 touchdowns and receiving 14 more.
"There's no one I'd rather have passing the football right now than Michael Brewer," Erickson after scoring on catches of 27 and 34 yards Saturday.
Brewer, repeatedly questioned during the season about replacing an icon at quarterback, shifted credit to the Cavalier offensive line and receivers.
"They've made it easy for me," Brewer said modestly.
After gathering his team for a spirited post-game huddle at dark and foggy Kyle Field late Saturday afternoon, Morris implored the Cavs to focus on the upcoming challenge.
"One more game!" the coach told them. "We've got unfinished business!"
photography by Jay Janner & Deborah Cannon
