The ball flew through the crisp fall sky, carrying hopes and dreams of an entire season, an entire team and an entire fan base as it went.
The scene unfolded in slow motion as the ball fell well short of the goalposts , the Lake Travis football team stormed midfield to celebrate their 11-14 win, and the Chaparral fans stood in disbelief, many with hands clenched behind their heads.
With the win, Lake Travis extended its winning streak over Westlake to five games and clinched the District Championship in the process.
As late as the fourth quarter it appeared Westlake would squeak out a win, but a failed fourth down conversion on the Lake Travis 5-yard line and a 96 yard Cavalier touchdown pass followed by a missed Westlake field goal would settle it.
“We gave it our all, and we left nothing on the table,” center senior Zach Price said. “We just couldn’t put it away.”
With four minutes left the Chaparrals faced a fourth and two on the Lake Travis 5-yard line leading 11-7. A field goal would have put Westlake ahead 14-7 and put the pressure on the Lake Travis offense to score and tie the game. However, Westlake went with the risky call by deciding to go for it. Running back senior Chris Canter attempted to run up the middle and was stuffed by the Cavalier defense causing a turnover on downs. Lake Travis would score two plays later on the 96 yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Grant Foster to take the lead.
“We put it all on the line and we couldn’t convert,” offensive tackle junior Will Copa said. “We all said ‘hell yeah, let’s go for it’ and we just couldn’t get it done. It’s as simple as that.”
Quarterback junior Jordan Severt completed 19 out of 25 passes for 232 yards. Wide receiver junior John Rhoads had a big game as well, catching seven passes for 69 yards. Overall the offense gained 426 yards, the highest yard total allowed by Lake Travis so far.
“I thought Jordan played well,” defensive back senior Canyon Manske said. “He displayed great leadership abilities and composure.”
The Chaparral defense held the Cavs to a mere 250 yards, and just 43 yards on the ground. Both were season lows for the Cavs.
Westlake takes on Austin High Nov. 9 at House Park to close out the regular season in second place. They start playoffs the week after.
“A new season begins [when playoffs start],” Canyon said. “We know what it takes to beat a good team and hang with a good team, we just have to eliminate the mistakes and give everything we have.”
