On Saturday afternoon in Waco, fans from all across Texas anxiously awaited a playoff clash between two longtime Texas high school football powerhouses, Westlake and Katy High School. Fans piled through the gates of McLane Stadium, the everyday home of college football’s seventh ranked team, the Baylor Bears, for one of the more anticipated matchups in recent Texas high school football history. A battle between two reigning state champions, with one leaving the stadium with a ticket to yet another state championship, and the other exiting with a season-ending loss. 

The Westlake Chaps entered the game with a spotless 14-0 record, rolling over opponents Hutto, New Braunfels, Pharr-San Juan Alamo North and Vandegrift to advance to the state semifinals. Led by quarterback senior Cade Klubnik at the helm of the Chaparral offense, Westlake had outscored their opponents 823-107, averaging 58.7 points per game over the course of the season. The remarkable 716 point differential could not be done without the efforts of the Westlake defense, however, as the high-powered unit had allowed just 23 points over the span of four playoff games leading up to the Saturday afternoon matchup with Katy. 

However, the Westlake defense would be put to the test against the 14-0 Katy Tigers, who had trounced opponents Fort Bend Clements, Stratford and King before squeaking away from Summer Creek in a 34-31 shootout the week prior to their meeting with the Chaps. The Tigers offense was backed by a ferocious running attack led by the dual-headed monster of junior running backs Seth Davis and Dallas Glass, who entered the game with a combined 3703 rushing yards and 48 touchdowns on the season. 

“[Leading up to the game], I wasn’t nervous about today’s game at all,” band member senior Alex Jefferson said. “People have said that if anyone were to beat us, it would be Katy. I have [a lot] of faith in [our] team. I didn’t think the score was going to be that close, although I knew it was going [to be] the closest of the season.” 

As the lower level of seats at McLane Stadium began to reach their capacity, it was gametime. The Chaps kicked the ball off to begin the game, and the highly anticipated contest was underway. 

“Today in McLane stadium the true fans were there – specifically ones that are there each and every game,” senior Luke Andrus said. “It was great seeing everyone show out even though the weather [was] cold.” 

The Katy offense got to work first, immediately feeding Davis, but struggling to get the ball going against the Westlake defense. The Tigers ultimately punted the ball away to the Chaps, and Westlake capitalized. The drive began with a few quick connections between Klubnik and his receivers, but capped off the drive with some early fireworks from running back sophomore Jack Kayser, as he made defenders miss en route to a 48 yard Westlake touchdown. The touchdown was just another highlight in Kayser’s remarkable playoff run, his 15th touchdown of the five game stretch. 

The Westlake defense gave way to the Katy running attack on the first few plays of the Tigers’ next drive, but got a huge stop in the form of a sack fumble by defensive lineman junior Colton Vasek, giving the Chaps another scoring opportunity early. Westlake built off of the defensive efforts again, converting a 3rd down and 7 by way of a 38 yard touchdown pass from Klubnik to wide receiver senior Pierce Turner. The Chaps held a 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter of play, and looked as if they could do no wrong on both sides of the ball, making play after play to boost the team. 

“I want to thank my coaches because this season they have done a really good job of guiding us to make these plays,” defensive back senior Luke Aaron said.

The Chaps continued to make plays throughout the second quarter, as the Westlake defense continued to shut down any offensive effort for the Tigers, giving the offense the ball back yet again. The Chaps’ offense continued to move the ball at will, swiftly moving down the field on multiple occasions in the second quarter. The efficient drives were capped off with touchdowns from junior wide receivers Jaden Greathouse and Keaton Kubecka, and added to the first half total with a 24 yard field goal by kicker senior Mark Sayegh. 

The Tigers were able to muster up some momentum as the first half came to a close, but the Chaps defense held strong again, forcing a turnover on downs inside their own 20 yard line. Katy headed to the locker room at half stunned, trailing the Chaps 31-0. 

The Westlake offense picked up right where they left off in the first half, moving down the field and scoring quickly on an 8 yard catch by Greathouse, his second score of the day. The Tigers answered back, however, connecting on a 55 yard touchdown pass from quarterback junior Caleb Koger to wide receiver senior Nic Anderson. The touchdown took the goose egg off of the scoreboard for Katy, but the Tigers still trailed 38-7 with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. 

Despite the score, the Chaps stayed in rhythm on offense, marching downfield and scoring on a quick two yard touchdown pass from Klubnik to Kubecka. Westlake continued to look dominant, heading to the final quarter of the ballgame leading 45-7. 

The Tigers continued to fight back as the fourth quarter wore on, as Koger and Anderson connected for a second time, cutting the Westlake lead down to 31. Klubnik and the Chaps carried out a time-consuming drive as the clock wound down, and they finished the game off in victory formation, taking home a monumental 45-14 win. 

The Chaps were incredibly effective on both sides of the ball all afternoon, as they looked unstoppable in the win. The Chaps proved their worth against the best of the best in Texas, and did it in a convincing fashion. 

The offense was firing on all cylinders, scoring six touchdowns and a field goal. Klubnik had another historic game, as his 310 passing yards moved him ahead of current Indianapolis Colts quarterback and former Chap Sam Ehlinger as the Westlake leader for passing yards in a career. Klubnik also became the first Chap to ever pass for 7,000 yards in a career. 

The Westlake defense was presented with a very powerful offense, but refused to give way to the Tigers all afternoon. The Chaps completely shut down Katy, holding them to a season-low 14 points. 

With the win, the Chaps historic season continues on, as the dominant performance punches their ticket to the 6A Division 2 championship game, where the Chaps meet Denton Guyer High School with hopes of a third consecutive state title. The Guyer Wildcats defeated Tomball High School Saturday night, also at McLane Stadium, by a score of 59-14 to earn their spot in the title game. The winner will be crowned Saturday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

“I’m really excited because we have a chance to three-peat, and that’s kind of been a goal of ours all season.” Aaron said. “I think we got a long week ahead of us, but we’re ready for it. We’ve worked really hard all year and we’re excited to finish this thing.”