In a sport where many high schools are plagued by consistency issues, the Chaps football team has been among the top teams in the state for nearly a decade. The historic run has included three state championships, an ongoing four-year regular season undefeated streak and numerous semifinal appearances.
The road to the state championship began for the Chaps on Thursday, Aug 22 in a scrimmage against Cedar Park. The Chaps used a balanced attack to start the year off on a high note, trouncing the Timberwolves. Senior wide receiver Brody Wilhelm got the scoring started for the offense, and they never looked back.
The running game took the spotlight in the scrimmage. After losing the most decorated rusher in program history, Jack Kayser, rebuilding will have to happen. However, the two backups from last year, senior Justice Johnson and junior Sebastian Henault, should accelerate that process significantly. Henault shined in the scrimmage and should head into the season as the starting running back.
The defense looks solid as well, despite some key losses. Graduates Wyatt Williams, Ty Ingram-Eiser and Denim Collins were all significant contributors to last year’s historic defense that allowed 10.6 points per game. Returning safeties junior Thompson Bennett and senior Payton Luther will direct the secondary, and the entire starting defensive line returning is a huge boost for the front seven. The defense fields three division-one commits, including senior defensive linemen Cullen Devine and Connor Vasek, who are both committed to Air Force, as well as senior linebacker Elliot Schaper, who is committed to Duke
After taking over for Paxton Land last season, junior quarterback Rees Wise burst onto the scene as a sophomore. He started the entire scrimmage, and he looks to improve upon a season where he tossed 21 touchdowns and 1,877 yards. He will have two returning wideouts in senior Cal Livengood and Wilhelm, who have each shown an ability to produce at the varsity level.
The Chaps will play arguably their hardest schedule ever in 2024. After Johnson and Anderson got realigned, District 26 shrunk, and it opened up two more non-district games. Westlake will play Prosper, Atascocita, San Benito and Cibolo Steele in the non-district schedule. Three out of those four teams are ranked top-25 in the state.
The Chaps open the regular season Thursday, Aug. 19 against the Prosper Eagles. The first-ever matchup between these teams will be held in Crusader Stadium at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
The Eagles are ranked No. 15 in the state and will try to have their way up front against the Chaps. The strongest part of the Prosper offense is their offensive line, with all five of them having numerous Division 1 offers. The Eagles will try to hand varsity football its first regular season loss in four years.
Westlake will play its home opener against San Benito in week two. The last time the two teams played was in the 2022 state playoffs, where the Chaps prevailed 44-7.
They will head into their most anticipated non-district game against the Atascocita Eagles in week three. The Eagles excel with their speed, evidenced by their 4×100-meter relay track team – filled with football players – smashing a national record last year. They are ranked ninth in the state and lost in the state quarterfinals to the North Shore Mustangs last year, which also took Westlake out in the very next game.
The final non-district game will be held at Chaparral Stadium against the No. 10 ranked Steele Knights. These two know each other well but have typically faced off in the AlamoDome deep into the playoffs. Westlake has taken all three meetings since 2017. The Knights SMU-commit deep threat wide receiver commit Jalen Cooper will prove a big test for the Westlake secondary.
