Week 15: Pearland Dawson

Eagles in 2009: 12-2
Last year’s game: DNP

Lake Travis cruised to an easy semifinal win over Friendswood last year, 56-22. Friendswood fell to Dawson in this year’s Region III final, 28-11. Odds are this challenge will be tougher than last year’s, but the Cavaliers are still the favorites.

Scouting Report

Pearland Dawson quarterback Darian Lazard is a one-man wrecking machine. He can run, he can throw and he can slip out of plenty of tight situations.

When he takes the field against Lake Travis this Saturday at Kyle Field, it may remind Cavalier fans of a show they’ve seen a few times this season already, and it should.

The Eagles’ attack, which rides each and every wave of success Lazard has on the field, is similar to that of Killeen’s attack, one built around multi-talented quarterback Michael Cummings.

“He’s similar to Cummings, but not quite as big,” Lake Travis head coach Chad Morris said. “He’s a phenomenal athlete, a great play-maker and is definitely a kid that – when the ball is in his hands – you’ve got to hold your breath because he can make some things happen.”

On top of that, receiver Marcus Vaughn gives Lazard a potent go-to man, and will be a good test for the Cavs’ secondary, which hasn’t faced many big-play receivers this season.

Dawson is coming off a 28-11 win over Friendswood – the team Lake Travis beat last year to reach the state championship.

“Dawson made the best of their opportunities. Friendswood had great field position the entire game, and Dawson just played great defense,” Morris said. “They put some pressure on the quarterback and mixed up their coverage. They did a great job scheming for Friendswood, especially after losing to them in the regular season.”

All of this is even more remarkable when you consider that Dawson head coach Eric Wells is pushing a team in just its second year of varsity football.

“I think the thing you have to look at is a favorable split when the school was formed, and a lot of kids that were brought up in a winning football culture,” Morris said of the school’s meteoric rise. “That area is tradition-rich, Wells has done an incredible job and he’s a guy that was on the staff at La Marque under Alan Weddell when they were winning titles and with Tony Heath, a good friend of mine, at Pearland. So he’s done an incredible job and he’s been successful everywhere he’s ever been.”

Who to watch this week

Lake Travis: Defensive line
Boosted lately by the efforts of newcomers Tyler Paulsen and Zach Watts, the line now gets Shaq Marable back at full strength. The front four are as strong as they’ve been all season.

Pearland Dawson: Darian Lazard, QB
As the Utah commit goes, so go the Eagles. Their reliance on his abilities is similar to that of 2009 Lake Travis opponents Killeen and Flour Bluff’s reliance on their quarterbacks.

Inside the numbers

Date    Opponent    Time/Score
Aug. 30    at Westwood    W, 55-31
Sept. 4    Westlake    W, 42-21
Sept. 10    at Cedar Park    W, 54-17
Sept. 18    at Boerne    W, 52-0
Sept. 25    at Killeen*    W, 56-31
Oct. 2    Hutto*    W, 57-16
Oct. 9    at Lampasas*    W, 38-7
Oct. 16    Hendrickson*    W, 58-15
Oct. 30    at Dripping Springs*    W, 52-0
Nov. 6    Marble Falls*    W, 52-7
Nov. 12    Crockett (LTISD)    W, 58-7
Nov. 21    Cibolo Steele (Alamodome)    W, 27-20
Nov. 28    C.C. Flour Bluff (Alamodome)    W, 52-13
Dec. 4    Alamo Heights (Bobcat Stadium)    W, 27-13
Dec. 12    Pearland Dawson (Kyle Field)    2 p.m.
* – District 25-4A Game

Rushing    No    YDS    TD    AVG
Andy Erickson    103    938    20    9.11
Michael Brewer    94    522    18    5.55

Passing    C    A    I    YDS    TD
Michael Brewer    233    328    5    3,981    39

Receiving    No.    YDS    TD    AVG
Conner Floyd    61    1,199    11    19.65
Andy Erickson    53    1,152    11    21.73
Griffin Gilbert    41    482    6    11.75
Tanner Gillette    37    664    4    17.94

Tackles    No.    TFL    SCK    HURR
Quinton Crow    166    10    5.0    3
Austin Williams    147    5    0    2
Trevor Gillette    122    15    1.0    4
Ian Lazarus    122    8    3.0    4