By Max Thompson

The Lake Travis offensive line is a tight group, one which allows neither opponent nor outsider to break it apart.
But as it turns out, the group can be split into factions.
It seems there’s some disagreement among the five starting lineman about exactly who is responsible for the two sacks of quarterback Garrett Gilbert this season. The Cavaliers have played eight games, and while allowing only two sacks is an incredible feat at this point in the season, the sacks are still someone’s fault, they say. Senior tackle Paden Kelley blames the rookie, sophomore tackle Taylor Doyle.
“You can’t blame him,” Kelley laughed. “He’s young, really inexperienced, and not nearly as strong as me. It’s understandable.”
But ask any other member of the Lake Travis line, and you’ll get a different answer.
“I’m pretty sure one was Paden’s fault,” junior guard Ian Kelso said. “I’m not entirely sure when it happened, but I do think one was Paden’s fault.”
Doyle accepts the blame where he feels it’s due, but the second sack – surrendered against Evangel Christian – doesn’t qualify, in his opinion.
“The first one was my fault, but the second one was Paden’s,” he laughed. “He just likes to blame me for it.”
So what exactly happened? What follows is Kelley’s version of the story.
“I was running my guy around the pocket, and Taylor got beat, so Garrett had to run out of the pocket,” he said. “Garrett got flushed into my guy, basically. Garrett had to run into my guy because he was running away from Taylor’s guy.”
While disagreements in the group are not uncommon, they are always good-natured. Each lineman knows his buddies on the line have his back. The results speak for themselves. Gilbert is on pace to pass for 3,000 yards in the regular season, and the Cavaliers have used a steady running game to counter throughout the season when teams cheat downfield.
“I honestly think we’re a lot better offensive line this year, and the people that needed to step up, stepped up,” senior guard Dusty Williams said. “We’ve done our best to help along the younger guys, and we work really well together.”
Doyle isn’t the only first-timer on the varsity offensive line. He’s joined by junior center Will Hawk who, leading up to spring ball, was still a defensive end. Lake Travis head coach Chad Morris and offensive line coach Kyle Spano still hadn’t found an option at center they felt was far enough along, and decided Hawk was the answer. What followed was a lesson in patience, and the reward that comes with hard work.
At first, Hawk was a relative disaster. He couldn’t maintain consistency in his shotgun snaps, and the ripple effect would wear him out.
“He’s such a technique freak,” Morris said. “He’d get in his own head, and the rest of the play would fall apart, too. We’d send him home after practice and tell him to get his snaps in, and he’d get back the next day, snap a couple great, and then snap a couple that weren’t.”
Still, Morris and Spano saw potential, and Hawk wanted to prove they had made the right decision.
“It was funny at first because they would call the play, and then stop everybody and tell me what I had to do, and then we’d run the play,” Hawk said. “I struggled at first, but the guys and coaches really helped me out, and as far as I can tell, I’m doing pretty well now.”
He is, and so are his teammates, who have formed what the numbers say is one of the best offensive lines in Central Texas, if not the state. Look at successful offensive teams, and they usually have an offensive line that is not only talented, but also tight-knit and dynamic.
Kelley has received a fair amount of press for his accolades, and it’s no surprise that the Texas-bound lineman’s gregarious presence dominates the group, on and off the field. But each player has a defined role, and shares a collective spotlight. Williams has the experience, Kelso the versatility, Doyle the promise and Hawk the command.
Off the field, they share laughs and a common thread – making fun of Doyle. But it’s all in fun, and the sophomore handles it pretty well.
“It’s like we always say,” Morris said. “We can pick on him and make fun of him, but nobody else better.”
To his credit, Doyle usually has something to fire back – especially at Kelley. When asked if he has used Kelley as a role model while solidifying his place on the line, Doyle couldn’t resist.
“I don’t know if I’d refer to him as a role model,” he laughed. “I guess I could look at him and say, ‘that’s what I don’t want to be.’”
Whether Doyle knows it or not, he and his teammates are continuing a tradition of stellar offensive lineman at Lake Travis, from New York Jet Robert Turner, to Tulsa offensive lineman Ronnie DeWitt – the Cavaliers keep producing some of the best lineman in Central Texas. Even before the current run of district championships, the Cavaliers produced offensive linemen. In the 1990s Jake Stoetzner and Dustin Wuest both earned Division I scholarships after starring on the Lake Travis line.
“Even if Paden wasn’t here, I’d want to play at the next level, but it’s cool to see how much football has changed his life,” Doyle said. “And it’s definitely something I want.”
Pretty soon the line will be in Kelso, Hawk and Doyle’s hands, with Kelley and Williams gone. But that’s a pretty good start when building any offensive line.
“I think next year Ian will be the big leader, and I think the line will be in good hands. Taylor will take my spot and try to fill my shoes. I’m not really sure if he’s going to be up to it,” Kelley laughed, then broke character for a moment. “Nah, Taylor will do a good job – because I’ve taught him everything.”