Westlake finally got it done. After two straight losses to the Mustangs, both in the state semifinals, the Chaps completely dominated North Shore en route to a 35-10 win Dec. 14 at Legacy Stadium. They move on to match up against either Duncanville or North Crowley Dec. 21 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the state championship. The Chaps will be seeking their first state championship since 2021, a year in which they completed a three-peat by taking down Denton Guyer. Here are five takeaways from this week’s game:
- Front seven physicality
The Westlake front seven lived in the backfield the entire game. The Mustangs offensive line had no answers for the linebackers and lineman. Senior linebackers Elliot Schaper and Bo Massengale harassed North Shore quarterback Kaleb Bailey all night, leading to five sacks for the Chaparral offense. The Mustangs were consistently behind the sticks early in drives, which resulted in four straight three-and-outs in the second quarter. They also bottled up the star North Shore running back, LSU commit D’Andre Hardeman, and totaled 8 TFL’s. Against a quick North Crowley O-Line, the front seven needs to perform in order for the Chaps to capture another state championship.
- Passing game comes up big
Junior quarterback Rees Wise completely flipped the script from last year’s game against the Mustangs where he went 3-18 passing for 29 yards and three picks. Wise picked apart the North Shore defense this week, completing eight-of-10 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns. He was able to spread the ball around, completing passes to five different targets. Senior wide receiver Chase Bowen led the way once again, hauling in three critical passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. Bowen has been the leading receiver for two weeks in a row, and should be primed to have another big game next week. Senior wide receiver Cash Robin also caught a touchdown, his first as a Chap. With two key receivers on the shelf, Robin has stepped into a much larger role in the playoffs, delivering with two career games.
- Defensive Discipline
Another game, another playcalling masterclass from head coach Tony Salazar. He had the Chaps playing their style of disciplined football all game. Defensively, conservative blitzes gave Westlake opportunities to both get into the backfield and lock down a talented North Shore wide receiver core. Senior safety Payton Luther recorded an interception to go along with the huge game from pass rushers. Colorado signee and Mustangs receiver Quannel Farrakhan Jr. was limited to a few catches, and other than the lone touchdown for North Shore, Bailey had nowhere to go. He dealt with collapsed pockets and lockdown coverage all game long.
- Staying ahead of the sticks
Third-and-shorts are the name of the game for the Chaps offense. When they are able to pick up gains on first and second down, they tend to grind out scoring drives, wearing out opposing defenses. They limited early down sacks and TFL’s against a stout North Shore defense, and were able to find success both on the ground and through the air. Long drives killed the Mustangs defense, and gave the Westlake offense the ability to keep them on their toes, mixing up the offensive playbook.
- RPO’s
Wise dissected the Mustangs defense with a myriad of RPO’s. The game-icing touchdown to senior running back Grady Bartlett came on a beautifully-executed option, where Wise dropped back, crept towards the line, and then lofted a beautiful ball to a wide-open Bartlett. The new wrinkle added to the offense could pay off in a big way next week against North Crowley in Jerry World.
