With Bowie backed up on their own 28, Bulldog senior quarterback Cruz Tello attempted a pass to junior wide receiver Luke Nelson. Senior defensive back Brandon Clark stood behind Nelson, and at the last moment, snatched the ball out of his hands and took it 32 yards back to the house for a Chaps touchdown.

Now up 21-0, Westlake had all the momentum it needed to close the game out.

The Chaps (5-1, 3-0 District 26-6A) took down Bowie (5-3, 1-3 26-6A) at Chaparral Stadium, 48-7, Friday night. The Bulldogs haven’t defeated Westlake in the past nine years, with their last win against the Chaps coming in 2014.

This year, complementary football from the offense and defense gave the Chaps the win on Friday night. Two interceptions and multiple field-flipping plays by the special teams unit supported a strong Chaps ground attack that ran for 217 yards. Westlake also picked up four sacks and three tackles for loss while holding Bowie to 335 yards of total offense.

“I mean, it’s just, it’s all about complementary football…” Devine said.“If [offense] lays an egg, defense has to have it back. I mean, we just gotta, we gotta know that our brothers have us on the other side of the ball.”

Senior running back Grady Bartlett punched the ball in from seven yards out on Westlake’s second drive to open the scoring after the Chaps ran the ball eight-straight times earlier in the possession.

Then, with Bowie almost in Chaps territory, the defense stepped up. Junior defensive back Thompson Bennett defended a deep pass downfield before junior linebacker Mason Lastor broke through the Bowie offensive line unguarded to sack the quarterback and force a fourth down.

As a unit, the defense looked the best they have this season. Senior defensive lineman Cullen Devine had three sacks to add to the solo sack from Lastor, and the secondary recorded two interceptions and two pass deflections.

“It’s great play calling.” Devine said. “Our coaches do a great job of knowing what they want and when they run it. We were set up every play for success.”

After a Bulldogs punt forced by a pass deflection, tackle-for-loss and sack, Westlake mixed up the game plan with more passing than the drive before. Senior quarterback Rees Wise connected to senior wide receiver Cal Livengood two times in a row before Livengood got the rock on the ground to move the Chaps to the Bowie 16. Bartlett pushed his way into the endzone from the one-yard line at the beginning of the second quarter, giving Westlake a 14-0 lead.

“I thought our quarterback did a great job of taking care of the football,” Salazar said. “We had no turnovers tonight. We did a good job at holding onto the football and scoring touchdowns.”

With Bowie in its own territory on the next drive, Clark snagged a Tello pass attempt and took it to the end zone. Then, another Bowie drive stalled out and a bad snap led to a Chaps’ snap recovery, which let the offense take possession at the Bowie 41.

The Chaps couldn’t capitalize on the field position, but Devine and the defense stepped up again. Devine had a solo sack, then on the next play, a half-sack with senior linebacker Elliot Schaper.

“We were getting a little desperate trying to put points on board,” Devine said. “I was trying to turn my mindset on the pass rush mindset, rather than playing run first.”

That mindset led to another punt by the Bulldogs which this time, was blocked by senior defensive back Josh Rones and recovered by Schaper at the Bowie six. Wise’s six-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal on the ensuing drive put the Chaps up 28-0.

Overall, the offense picked up 217 of their 335 total yards on the ground. Bartlett led the attack with 12 carries, 48 yards and two touchdowns. Henault, returning from injury, backed him up with six carries for 35 yards and a touchdown. Both Livengood and Wise added touchdowns with only four carries apiece

“That [running the ball] was a focus leading up to the game.” Livengood said. “I mean, their [Bowie] defense, they dropped like six or seven guys back, so they have a wider box…so you got to take your odds every time.”

Complementary football from the Chaps offense and defense will remain  the key in next week’s game as they visit the Cavaliers, who are currently ranked sixth in the state. To win a fourth-straight Battle of the Lakes, they’ll have to stop a high-power offense led by senior quarterback and East Carolina-commit Chaston Ditta.

Through the air, Ditta connects with junior wide receiver Patrick Colby, who averages 97 yards a game. On the ground, Lake Travis will run the ball with their star junior running back Vann Hopping, who has 824 yards and 18 touchdowns through seven games this year.

“That’s how you get that [preparation],” Devine said. “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I mean, it’s just it all leads up to the end.”