Senior linebacker Elliott Schaper and junior lineman Maddox Flynt broke through the Brennan line and took down Bears junior quarterback Cayden Glass to force a 3rd-and-13 from their own 22. Then after a declined penalty, junior defensive back Hayes Brodhead leaped at the Bears punt and blocked it, giving the Chaps possession on the one-yard line.

Key plays from its special teams and defense were there all night as Westlake (11-1) beat Brennan (10-2), 24-7, in an area playoff matchup Friday night at Burger Stadium. Even though the Chaps offense wasn’t as explosive as in past games, the defense held up, recording seven tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception to hold Brennan to 121 yards in total.

The star of the defensive show was Schaper, who recorded a sack, 12 tackles, four tackles for losses and the lone interception for the Chaps.

“One of the biggest goals we have is to hold [them] to 14 points or less,” varsity football head coach Tony Salazar said. “We feel like when we can do that, we can win any game we’re in. Our defensive guys did that tonight, kept a really explosive offense that averaged 47 points to seven. So hats off to them, [they] did a great, great job.”

On the opening drive, junior quarterback Rees Wise had a pass picked off by Brannan junior safety Timothy Cummings. A series of offensive penalties handed the ball back to the Chaps, but again, the offense couldn’t get going.

Brodhead’s blocked punt to give the ball to the Chaps at the Bears one-yard line finally sparked a score. Wise found senior defensive lineman Cullen Devine for a three yard passing touchdown.

More defensive stops followed. Senior linebacker Bo Massengale pushed Bears senior running back Malik White backwards on third down to force another punt, and a rushing touchdown from Wise took the Chaps into halftime with a 14-0 lead.

The Chaps offense started both games this postseason slowly leading to tighter games. Last week, they put up 18 points in the first half. If this continues, the Chaps may end up in tough situations down the road in a stacked playoffs this year featuring teams such as Lake Travis, Atascocita, North Shore and Duncanville.

Wise led all Westlake rushers with 57 yards on 24 attempts due to injuries plaguing seniors wide receiver Cal Livengood and running back Grady Bartlett. Wise picked up his second rushing touchdown of the night to start the second half.

The Chaps defense only gave up one yard to the Bears offense on their next drive.A mid-range field goal pushed Westlake up 24-0.

With time winding down, the Bears spoiled the shutout with a Glass rushing touchdown. But a Schaper interception later, the Chaps kneeled the clock out to secure a victory.

This Friday, the Chaps will face Johnson, who defeated Los Fresnos 23-20, in a regional playoff matchup. A win could set up a rematch with bitter rival Lake Travis. To get there, the Chaps will have to take down senior running back Kael Hatnot who averages nearly 150 yards a game to go with his 29 touchdowns this year.

The Chaps offensive line will have to stop Johnson senior defensive end Charles Steward, who led the team in solo tackles and tackles for loss with 34 and 10, respectively. Along with that, Steward managed 14 sacks. To pair with him, senior cornerback Timothy Boyd has six interceptions and four pass deflections.

Westlake handled Johnson without a problem last year in the regular season, 34-0.

“We just need to push ourselves more,” Wise said. “I’m gonna push each other, I’m gonna push myself, and we’re gonna get better.”