At one point during Friday’s highly anticipated Battle of the Lakes matchup between three-time state champion Westlake and perennial contender Lake Travis, the latter appeared poised to pull off the unthinkable, at least in the Lone Star State: Snapping the former’s lengthy winning streak dating back to at least half a decade ago.
Westlake; however, pulled itself together and exerted the dominance that made it one of the state’s best programs, overcoming a 10-7 halftime deficit to defeat its biggest rival 35-20 at home, per a report from Austin NBC affiliate KXAN.
KXAN reported that the victory preserves the undefeated Chaparrals’ 44-game string of wins, which coincidentally started after they fell to Lake Travis in 2019.
According to the station, the vaunted quarterback-wide receiver combo of junior Brett Skinner and senior Jaden Greathouse accounted for two of Westlake’s multiple scores, including the go-ahead 25-yard touchdown to put the Cavaliers away.
It was the first touchdown toss from Skinner to Greathouse, a Notre Dame pledge, in the beginning of the third quarter that triggered the Westlake landslide, per the Westlake Nation Facebook page.
Junior running back Jack Kayser joined in on the offensive onslaught by rushing for 205 yards and two touchdowns, as well as hauled in four receptions for 37 yards.
First-year Westlake head coach Tony Salazar implied that his team didn’t panic when Lake Travis was in the driver’s seat.
“The kids found a way to win,” Salazar, who succeeded the retired Todd Dodge after the Chaparrals secured their third Class 6A crown in a row, told KXAN. “We got out of our own way and the penalties slowed down. The kids did what we asked them to do. They fought tooth and nail.”