From 2019-21, the standard of the Westlake football program was raised. The Chaps clinched their third straight 6A state championship in 2021, ending a dynasty that hasn’t been replicated since. Many of the players from those teams are currently playing college football, giving the Chaps a chance at adding to the illustrious history of Westlake players in the NFL.

“In 2019, it had been years since a state championship,” former head coach Todd Dodge said. “There had been 8 trips to the game without a win, and that team was able to get over the hump. After that, it was like throwing gasoline on fire. Our guys were hungry for more wins.”

At the helm of all of those championship teams was star quarterback and five star recruit Cade Klubnik. After being ranked the number one quarterback in the class of 2022 and receiving over 30 division-one offers, Klubnik committed to play football for Dabo Swinney and Clemson.

Klubnik burst onto the scene as a freshman, entering the 2022 ACC Championship Game in the first quarter after two straight three-and-outs. He then led the offense to four straight scoring drives, finishing the game completing 20-24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown and leading the Tigers to a 39-10 win.

Two years later, Klubnik led Clemson to an appearance in the 2024-25 College Football Playoff, earning the 12 seed in the newly expanded format. Klubnik and the Tigers faced off against six Chaparrals and the Texas Longhorns in the first round. Despite his best efforts, Clemson couldn’t get the job done, falling 24-38 to the fifth-seeded Longhorns

Soon after that, Klubnik announced his decision to return to Clemson for his fourth and final year, bucking the transfer portal trend by spending his entire career with one team. He will look to lead Clemson to their first national title in seven years, which he has some experience in after winning two championships as a starting quarterback with the Chaps.

Klubnik threw to star wide receiver Jaden Greathouse during his time at Westlake. Greathouse finished his high school career with over 4,000 receiving yards, making him one of the most prolific receivers in Texas high school football history. Ranked as a four star recruit, he ended up committing to Notre Dame, heading to South Bend and making an immediate impact in the first game of his career.

“Jaden was the most talented kid I’ve ever coached,” Dodge said. “Not only was he the most talented, he was the most mature, he was the hardest worker. I know he’s taken that with him to the next level at Notre Dame.”

Greathouse hauled in three receptions for 68 yards and three touchdowns in the opening game of his freshman season against Navy, finishing the season with 265 yards and 5 touchdowns. In his sophomore year, Greathouse had a quiet start on a stacked team that landed a CFP berth as the eight seed.

After only grabbing two catches for six yards in the first playoff game, Greathouse exploded in the second, grabbing seven crucial receptions for 105 yards, one of them going for a 54 yard touchdown catch, helping the Fighting Irish secure a 27-24 win and an appearance in the National Championship. Then, in the championship game, Greathouse had another career game, this time snagging six catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns, the latter of which was a 30-yard score that gave Notre Dame some late life. Greathouse is replicating a storied high school career that saw him become the first ever freshman to start at wide receiver.

“Playing at Westlake helped prepare me to understand a college offense to help me play early,” Greathouse said. “The structure and organization of Westlake is very similar to a college program so it made the transition easier.”

The Texas Longhorns, on the other side of the bracket, had two Chaps that shined the most. Starting with Michael Taaffe, a now-safety that played both ways for Westlake, earning two straight state championship defensive MVPs. Taaffe was not a heralded recruit, and after decommitting from Rice, he decided to walk on at UT. After not playing much in his freshman year, he started to crack the rotation in his sophomore year, before completely breaking out in his junior year.

“We all know the story of Mookie and his will to win,” Salazar said. “He was never going to take no for an answer. That he couldn’t play football, that he wasn’t good enough to play football, he wasn’t big enough, he wasn’t fast enough. He just wouldn’t hear it and believed in himself. He still has that mindset today.”

In his third season, Taaffe earned All-American second team honors, the only former walk-on to do so. He went into the CFP playing against Cade Klubnik and playing with the quarterback that he intercepted twice in the 2020 Texas State Championship, Quinn Ewers. Taaffe had a quiet night, finishing with two tackles and one pass defended. However, he made his presence felt in the Longhorns next game against Arizona State. He finished with 10 tackles and two passes defended.

Ethan Burke was the other Westlake starring at Texas. He was in the rotation for the whole season at right end, totaling two sacks, one interception, and a touchdown on the season. One of those sacks came in the CFP, when he screamed around the right side of the offensive line, wrapping up his former teammate Klubnik for a huge sack, contributing to the victory.

Westlake has a storied past, producing two Super Bowl MVPs among numerous other outstanding NFL players. However, the future looks just as bright, with many players from recent years looking to raise the number of successful Chaps.