KATY — In the dwindling moments of the game, senior linebacker Elliott Schaper tacked on another sack, but North Shore recovered and reached the verge of the red zone.
“Don’t let em’ score,” varsity football head coach Tony Salazar yelled from the sideline to his defense.
Following those instructions, senior defensive back Payton Luther jumped up and picked off North Shore senior quarterback Kaleb Bailey to give Saturday’s UIL 6A-DI state semifinal an ending reminiscent to the one from a year ago between the same teams. Only the roles flipped.
“I finally caught one,” Luther announced to his team grinning.
Junior quarterback Rees Wise kneeled the clock to zeros to mark Westlake’s first time over the semifinal hump since Salazar took over as head coach in 2022.
Led by what Salazar called a “tremendous effort” from its defense, Westlake (14-1) stomped North Shore (14-1), 35-10, in the 6A-DI state semifinal at Legacy Stadium in Katy Saturday afternoon. Schaper finished with three sacks and four tackles for loss as the Chaps shut down a Mustangs offense that averaged 44.5 points a game coming into the semifinal.
Junior quarterback Rees Wise completed eight passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns while adding another on the ground as well. Senior running back Elijah Clark took the ball to the house from deep for his big gain and touchdown of the day.
“Complete win,” Salazar said. “I mean you look at every phase of it, the Chaparrals won tonight.”
Westlake met North Shore four times in the past five years. In both of the last two years, these two played in the 6A-DI state semifinal where North Shore came out on top. Westlake hasn’t reached the state final after former varsity head coach Todd Dodge retired after three-straight state titles.
“I’m excited to play them again,” Wise said at media day last Thursday. “We’ve been working all year to get back to this exact spot that we lost last year. “
Schaper, who was a freshman the last time Westlake went to the finals, had a message for those who will play their final game in a high-school uniform this year.
“These seniors, we need this,” Schaper said at media day Thursday. “The past two years we’ve gone out to these guys and we want to get back. It’s time. The Chaps need to be back on top, and we’re doing everything we can to get there.”
A firm red zone stand by the varsity football defense after a long Bailey rush on third down left the Mustangs a field goal to open Saturday’s scoring.
Wise answered with a perfectly-placed ball on a 31-yard completion to a diving senior wide receiver Chase Bowen. Then, senior running back Elijah Clark used his breakaway speed to take the ball up the middle and to the house from 49 yards out to put the Chaps ahead, 7-3.
Key tackles for loss from Schaper and junior linebacker Mason Lastor helped Westlake force two-straight punts as its offense continued to pile on points.Wise found Bowen again, this time on a slant-route, for a 37-yard score. Soon after, senior wide receiver Cash Robin caught the ball in the endzone for his first career touchdown to give Westlake a 21-3 lead.
After almost 20 scoreless minutes for the Mustangs, senior wideout Quanell Farrakhan Jr. got the ball in the endzone to make it 21-10 going into the half.Unfazed, the Chaps shutdown North Shore the rest of the way.
“The coverages and blitz packages we had were really implanted by [varsity head] coach [Tony] Salazar and [varsity defensive coordinator] coach [Jason] Jones,” Schaper said. “So smart.”
Needing points after the break, the Mustangs went for it from their own 21-yard line on 4th-and-3. Senior running back D’ Andre Hardeman Jr. ran the ball, but instead of open space, he found senior linebacker Bo Massengale and senior defensive lineman Cullen Devine, who dropped him at the 19.
Immediately, Wise connected with Bartlett for a 19-yard touchdown. Then came the interception by Luther to seal it.
“This is what we’ve worked for our whole lives as football players, to win the state championship our senior year, and to be able to do that is a complete honor,” Schaper said. “And being coached by these coaches, it’s a privilege, and I’m blessed.”
The Chaps clinched a chance to play for a fifth state title at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX, next Saturday night against North Crowley. North Crowley is coming off a tight win over formerly top-ranked Duncanville earning them a chance at state for the first time since 2003 where they played and won the 4A division.
