ROUND ROCK – The Lake Travis offense received the ball at the Chaparral 22 yard line with just over a minute left in the game. making the Westlake defense face a steep challenge. Ditta looked left to an open receiver and sent it over but misfired and threw it to far right, right into senior defensive back George “GJ” Jones III where he took it to seal the win for the Chaps in the playoff edition of “The Battle of the Lakes.”
But before Colby could turn upfield, Chaps junior safety Thompson Bennett ran over and punched the ball loose. Senior defensive end Cullen Devine fell on the ball and gave it to the Chaps in a position to score, which they soon did.
The Chaparral (13-1) defense came up clutch in the UIL 6A DI Region IV final again and again as they defeated district-rival Lake Travis (12-2), 24-17 Friday night at Kelly Reeves Stadium. Westlake allowed Lake Travis just five third-down conversions in 12 tries and recorded four takeaways.
The defense started slow, allowing a 68-yard pass and then a two-yard rushing touchdown on Lake Travis’ first drive. However, the Chaps soon tied the game with a five-yard rushing score. After the Cavaliers’ offense stalled, varsity football took the lead with a field goal.
Now with the lead, senior linebacker Elliott Schaper started his night of interceptions. He nabbed one from Ditta over the middle. Though nothing came from the turnover, the Chaps secondary continued to dominate. Junior linebacker Mason Lastor and senior defensive lineman Porter Patton dropped Ditta for a loss, setting up a fourth down where the Cavs couldn’t convert.
The Chaps offense capitalized on the opportunity taking a 17-7 lead on a four-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Grady Bartlett.
The defense let up on the next Cavalier drive as Ditta hit Colby for a 24 yard gain and completed a couple of more passes to get the ball to the Chap six yard line. Ditta powered up the middle to set up a fourth and goal from the one. With the crowd noise mounting, Lake Travis jumped offsides forcing a field goal on what could have been a crucial drive to get within three before half.
Out of halftime, Ditta pump-faked twice, then drilled Colby with a sidearm throw to even the game up on a seven-yard pass. These two connected all night, contributing to the 221 passing yards from the Cavs’ offense .
The Chaps offense couldn’t retaliate, and they relied on the defense to stay level. After a Wise fumble, Westlake stopped LT at the TK-yard line and forced a punt. Then, late in the third quarter with the scores still tied, Bennett punched the ball out of Colby’s hands to give the Chaps the ball around midfield.
Wise recognized a blitz on the ensuing drive and found Clark in open space on a wheel route down the right sideline for the go-ahead touchdown.
“They’re stepping up and making plays. We saw Brandon Clark move to offense last week, and he made a big time touchdown catch tonight,” varsity head coach Tony Salazar said. “We just got used to all the bodies we have, and sometimes we require some guys playing out of position or the two becoming one real quick and that’s what happened. Those guys are just holding the rope for the rest of the team.”
The Cavs offense needed a score but the Chaps had other plans. Devine pushed Ditta to the ground to force a Cavalier punt. More struggles from the offense handed the ball back to Ditta where he ran it down to the Chaps 10. With Lake Travis needing to score a touchdown, Ditta hurled one over the middle expecting to find one of his wideouts. He instead threw it to Schaper. The Chaps offense took over and attempted to run out the clock. Westlake had an opportunity to close out the game on a third and one. However, two false starts made it a third and 16 from their own 17. Wise handed the ball off to Bartlett on the crucial play, but he was tripped up at the line of scrimmage, handing the ball back to the Cavalier offense once again.
Senior linebacker and Duke University commit Elliott Schaper recorded two interceptions on the night, the most in a game by Schaper in his career.
“He’s the best middle linebacker in Texas, bar none. He’s our leader. He’s our best player. He rises to the challenge in the biggest moments,” Salazar said. “He’s the best linebacker to ever come through this place. It’s just a testament to his hard work, his dedication and the type of kid he is. He’s just our leader. We’re so thrilled that he leads our football team.”
Senior cornerback George “GJ” Jones III tacked on one of his own. Three of Ditta’s picks this year have come by way of Jones.
After a 28 point win versus Atascocita, North Shore will again face Westlake in the semi-finals of the postseason, this time in Katy on Saturday. Last year, the dominoes fell North Shore’s way in a 23-14 win.
The winner of this Saturday’s matchup will face the winner of Ducanville versus North Crowley in the finals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington Dec. 21. Ducanville won the state title in that stadium last year 49-33 against North Shore. It would be the first-ever matchup between the Chaps and either team if they play in the finals.
“5-1-2, We own this city baby,” Salazar said.
