Finding reasons to complain about a run to the title game – it’s the Westlake Way

By Max Thompson, Lake Travis View

Oh Westlake, where to start?

First off, congratulations on a year of second place finishes in 2009. You were so close in the title game, not so close in the Lake Travis game, and I know, I know, you were technically co-champions of 25-5A. But I think anytime Bowie helps you win a district title, it automatically doesn’t count. Plus, you lost to Bastrop, the one team not even your savior Ron Schroeder could resurrect.

Naturally, after making a habit of coming up short, some tweaks were necessary. I get that. However, word on the street is you’re a running team these days. That’s funny. What’s next, the wishbone? Chaps, the 20th century called, it wants its offense back.

I also heard the reason the game was moved to DKR was so that if Lake Travis scored a phantom touchdown, it would be so clear on the jumbotron that the refs would have no choice but to overturn it. If the Alamodome screens aren’t clear enough, that glorified big screen Hitachi at Chaparral Stadium certainly won’t do the trick. I know, Lake Travis doesn’t have a big screen. The Cavs decided not to invest in a new scoreboard when they opted to build that impressive indoor practice facility instead. The choices we make, I suppose. Lake Travis chose to build facilities to benefit their kids with the practice field and the state of the art weight room. Westlake chose to build facilities that impress their friends – a big screen and an extra large press box in which boosters dine in style before games.

Speaking of boosters. There was a “Kick the Cavs” game at the fall scrimmage and carnival? How did that work, exactly? Was there a bunch of people kicking mustachioed swordsmen? I can’t imagine that would go over well. So much for shrugging off the lowly 4A Cavaliers as rivals, huh? I thought you had bigger fish to fry than a 4A guppy? Austin High is so hurt you’ve moved on and found someone else. So hurt that I’m sure the Maroons will fold by 40 points just to bring back the glory days of that rivalry in name only. No wonder you’re confused about how a rivalry works.

One does have to give credit where credit is due – Darren Allman was a tremendous hire. With a mountain of expectations and two tough acts to follow in Schroeder and Derek Long, Allman’s coaching job last year was nothing short of awesome. Of course, I’m sure there are plenty of people in red and blue that have already found some reason not to like him or the job he’s doing. I know, I know, it’s only the parents of the kids who never play, but those 10 people are awfully noisy, much noisier than all the good folks in Westlake that I’m told exist. I’m sure they all know better than the guy the district threw a six-figure salary at.

It also must be tough for you to have to root for Garrett Gilbert now. Rest assured, I’m sure you’ll find a way to give Justin Tucker all the credit for the Longhorns’ success this year.

Everything’s changed, Chap fans, and it’s time for Lake Travis to take the lead in this series. The Chaps’ dominance in Central Texas has ended, and they’ll have to settle for being one of the top three each season now that Lake Travis and Stony Point are around. Sorry they’re spoiling all the fun and ending the monopoly you so dearly loved for so long.

Lake Travis may have the hot hand now, but Westlake has built a lasting tradition

By Thomas Jones, Westlake Picayune

What more can be said about the Lake Travis football program? The Cavs have won three consecutive Class 4A state championships. They haven’t lost since a happily married Tiger Woods hit the golf ball better than anyone and Harry Potter hit puberty.

Congrats, Cavs. You’re the best.

Now, for posterity’s sake, keep doing it – year after year, and decade after decade – in order to establish a legacy that will rival, well, Westlake.
I can see the Cav faithful now, rushing to their trophy case in order to validate some insecurities. Yep, three championship plaques to one. No matter that the Class 5A trophy glitters just that bit more, and it actually seems a smidgeon bigger, too.

But dynasties form over decades rather than dots in time, and that’s really what any football program – and any football community worth its salt – craves. Pop Warner players grow up proud to serve as ballboys, and fathers hope sons repeat their winning feats. At Westlake, winning has been as constant as Blue Ribbon recognition and exemplary ratings.

For the Cavs? Well, winning has been like Lake Travis itself. When it rains, it floods, and the wins come gushing forth like the Pedernales River after a week of storms. But come drought, things dry up. Quickly. And the Cavaliers don’t exactly have a reservoir of tradition to draw the next drink from.

Prior to 2004, Lake Travis had four winning seasons in its history. The program didn’t reach the playoffs until 2000 and didn’t win its first district championship until 2004. When the current Cavs competed in Pop Warner, they probably stayed home on Friday nights playing Madden; the Cavs went a combined 1-19 in the 2001-2002 seasons.

Such past makes Lake Travis’ recent history that much more remarkable. Former coach Jeff Dicus designed the program from dregs and tapped into the vast potential that lurked in Lakeway and its surrounding communities. Chad Morris built on that foundation, winning two more state championships and leaving Lake Travis with a perfect 32-0 record.

Now, the reins of the reigning state champs have been handed to Hank Carter, Morris’ longtime defensive coordinator. Because of circumstance, however, Carter will have a more difficult job than any other coach in Lake Travis history.

Dicus built the squad free from the burden of expectations, and Morris benefited from a wealthy cycle of talent uncommon in any program.
What does Carter inherit? A sparkling program that appears to have reached its zenith. Carter has proven himself a capable coordinator and is a popular leader, but he will confront conditions not seen before in Lake Travis. He must work with a coaching staff weakened by attrition, and he will soon face the state’s fiercest competition; the Cavs will likely join Class 5A in the next realignment, or 2014 at the latest.

Instead of playing, say, Austin Crockett or Corpus Christi Flower Bluff or football neophyte Pearland Dawson in the postseason, the Cavs will face San Antonio Madison, Converse Judson and other South Texas heavyweights.

And if Lake Travis does get to a Class 5A title game, the team won’t beat up on Highland Park (2007) or Longview (2008, 2009), two foes that have combined for one championship in the last half-century. Instead, they may confront teams such as Midland Lee, which won three consecutive Class 5A titles a decade ago, including one over Westlake in 2000. Or Southlake Carroll, which has won seven state championships over the past 22 years, including a victory over Westlake in the 2006 title game. Or Trinity, which has won three championships in the past five years, including last season’s overtime thriller over Westlake.

Get the point, Lake Travis? The sun appears to be setting on your fledgling dynasty. At least you have a short drive to The Oasis for a good view.