Westlake defense, Jack Kayser's rushing help Chaps stop Lake Travis in rivalry matchup

WEST LAKE HILLS — For all its offensive firepower, Westlake relied on its defense to get out of tough spots and earn a come-from-behind win over Lake Travis in the latest Battle of the Lakes.

Two second-half fumbles and a key fourth-down stop powered the Chaps to a 35-20 win over the rival Cavaliers on Friday at Chaparral Stadium. Nathan Blue and Wyatt Dollar recovered fumbles that led to easy touchdowns, helping the Chaps (4-0, 2-0 District 26-6A) overcome a penalty-riddled first half.

“We played a really bad first half, just shooting it straight,” Blue said after the game. “In the second half we came out firing.”

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“We practiced all week about stripping the football,” Westlake coach Tony Salazar said. “We wanted to find a way and I saw that tonight. I saw balls being punched out, stripped out. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids.”

Lake Travis (2-3, 2-1) took a 10-7 lead into the locker room following a first half in which Westlake committed six penalties, including a trio of personal fouls. Salazar said a quick halftime talk straightened things out, and the defense stepped up in the third quarter.

“That’s all it was,” Salazar said. “We can’t give a team like Lake Travis multiple chances with our fouls. We didn’t play to our standard in the first half, but no matter how ugly that was, we were only down three points. We got the lead in the first part of the third quarter and then the defense rallied and made timely plays.”

Blue’s recovery of Lake Travis quarterback Kadyn Leon’s fumble set up Jaden Greathouse’s 8-yard touchdown grab to put Westlake ahead to stay with 7:03 left in the third quarter. The Chaps kept the lead when the defense stuffed Lake Travis’ Nico Hamilton on a fourth-down attempt deep in Westlake territory. By the time Dollar stripped Marcion Williamson to set up Jack Kayser’s second touchdown, the damage had been done.

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“We had three turnovers tonight and we didn’t pick up a crucial fourth and short,” Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said. “Then we had two unsportsmanlike or late hit penalties in the second half and had some things at the end of the game where we didn’t do what we were supposed to do. You can’t do that against a good team.”

The Chaps couldn’t capitalize on a first-half Lake Travis fumble but made the second half turnovers count. Westlake turned three Lake Travis turnovers into 14 points. By contrast, Lake Travis turned two Westlake turnovers into just three points.

Westlake needed just two plays to score after each turnover and added two more fourth quarter scores on Kayser’s 41-yard run and a 25-yard Greathouse touchdown grab.

“It was great to see the offense ball out,” Blue said. “We knew they were going to. Lake Travis talked all week about how great their defensive line was. They were good, but we were better.”

Lake Travis opened the game with a 13-play, 75-yard drive capped by Sam Self’s 16-yard touchdown grab and controlled the time of possession heading into the locker room. Self led Lake Travis with nine catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns. But the second half turnovers led to the Cavaliers’ defense being on the field too much late, and eventually Kayser found a way through.

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“We all just struggled in the first half, but we adjusted as a team by coming together and trusting our brothers,” Kayser said. “When we do that, we win. It’s that simple.”

For the second straight Battle of the Lakes, Kayser powered Westlake’s offense. After rushing for 171 yards against Lake Travis last year, he used a big second half to finish with 201 yards on 29 carries Friday.

“Lake Travis played with a bunch of fire,” Salazar said. “They are talented up front on the defensive line and they have good linebackers, so we had to keep running at them and imposing our will. In the third and fourth quarter (Kayser) does what he does. He took over that football game and I’m so glad he’s part of our team.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Westlake football defeats Lake Travis in rivalry matchup