As expected, Lake Travis quarterback Garrett Gilbert was named the Associated Press 4A Offensive Player of the Year Wednesday. Gilbert has led the Cavaliers to a 15-0 record and a spot in Saturday’s state championship game against Longview.
While Gilbert, who last week was named the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year, gets the lion’ s share of attention when it comes to the Cavaliers’ success, he’s far from the team’s only star. Four of his teammates were named to the AP All-State first team as well.
Offensive lineman Paden Kelley and wide receiver Cade McCrary joined Gilbert on the first team offense. Linebackers Quinton Crow and Harry Hatch made the first team defense, giving some recognition to the oft-overlooked Lake Travis defense.
The AP makes its selections following the regular season. Kelley is the anchor of the Cavaliers’ offensive line. McCrary is the team’s leading receiver, finishing the regular season with 54 catches for more than 1,100 yards and 16 touchdowns. Defensively, Crow finished the regular season with 129 tackles, including 14 for loss and with five sacks. Hatch had 99 tackles with 19 for loss and 11 sacks.
Gilbert enjoyed a stellar regular season, passing for 3,043 yards and 38 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He currently ranks second on the all-time lists of career completions, attempts and touchdowns and third in career yards. With a 350-yard game against Longview Saturday, Gilbert can become the state’s all-time career passing yardage leader.

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