Week 1: Hendrickson

Hawks in 2009: 6-5, DII Area Finalist
Last year’s game: Cavs won 58-18
Lake Travis has never lost to Hendrickson since the two began playing each other in 2006. The Hawks have managed just 18 points in the last two meetings, but feature one of the state’s best running backs in senior and Texas Tech commit Kenny Williams.

Scouting Report

Look at the basic facts and Hendrickson underwhelms you for a number of reasons.
They lost to Vista Ridge 21-14 last week, and the Rangers went 1-9 last year. Star running back Kenny Williams had just 41 yards in the losing effort for the Hawks. Lake Travis has outscored Hendrickson 115-18 in the last two meetings, and in the three weeks surrounding their date with the Hawks, Lake Travis plays Westlake (5A DI runner-up), Aledo (4A DII state champion) and Kerrville Tivy (4A DII semifinalist). The Hawks simply look like an easy mark.
Lake Travis head coach Hank Carter thinks that’s all the more reason to be vigilant,
“I told our kids this is the trap game that you always hear about,” Carter said. “It’s a short week after an emotional game against our rival, and the next week we’ve got a huge game against Aledo. This is a trap game. Hendrickson didn’t play their best ball Friday night, but they will play much better against us this week.”
And Carter also knows that no matter how much he stresses the seriousness of the threat the Hawks present, there’s always a chance it won’t hit home until the teams are on the field.
“Last year, I can remember all week long we harped and harped about tackling Williams and about the third play of the game he went 55 yards for a touchdown right up a seam,” Carter said. “It was an assignment thing, and in the open field we had one or two guys with a shot, and if they don’t get him, nobody’s going to get him.”
Defensively, the Hawks have always had players that the Cavalier coaching staffs have admired, and this year is no different. It starts at the front.
“They’ve got one of the best defensive fronts we’re going to see all year, and they’ve got tremendous team speed,” Carter said. “They’ve got great players. Vista Ridge got after them a bit last week, but teams like Hendrickson get better as the season goes on. They get better from week-to-week, just look at what they’ve done in the past few years. They may start slow, but they drastically improve from week-to-week. We can’t take for granted the way that they do things, or we’ll wake up on Saturday with egg on our face.”
He has a point. For all the inconsistency, the Hawks have still won four playoff games in the last two years. They can be dangerous to those that overlook them.

Who to watch this week

Lake Travis: Receivers
The corps is banged up and missing its leader, so its performance this week will go a long way to easing doubts about next week.
Hendrickson: Secondary
The Hawks have never done a good job containing the Cavs, surrendering 115 points in the last two meetings alone.

Inside the numbers

Date    Opponent    Time/Score
Aug. 28    Westlake!    W, 32-21
Sept. 3    at Hendrickson    7:30 p.m.
Sept. 10    Aledo    7:30 p.m.
Sept. 17    Kerrville Tivy    7:30 p.m.
Sept. 24    at Dripping Springs*    7:30 p.m.
Oct. 8    Vandegrift*    7:30 p.m.
Oct. 15    at Vista Ridge*    7:30 p.m.
Oct. 22    Rouse*    7:30 p.m.
Oct. 29    at Marble Falls*    7:30 p.m.
Nov. 4    Cedar Park*    7:00 p.m.
! – DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium
* – District 25-4A Game
District 25-4A Standings

Team    District    Overall
Lake Travis    0-0    1-0
Cedar Park    0-0    1-0
Dripping Springs    0-0    1-0
Marble Falls    0-0    1-0
Vandegrift    0-0    1-0
Vista Ridge    0-0    1-0
Rouse    0-0    0-1

This week’s Games
Vandegrift vs. Taylor, Rouse vs. Bryan Rudder, Cedar Park @ Killeen Ellison, Marble Falls vs. Medina Valley, Dripping Springs @ Wimberley, Vista Ridge vs. Harker Heights

LTHS Statistical Leaders

Rushing    No    YDS    TD    AVG
Michael Brewer    10    50    1    5.0
Michael Pojman    7    38    0    5.4
Turney Maurer    3    19    0    6.3

Passing    C    A    I    YDS    TD
Michael Brewer    23    42    1    296    1

Receiving    No.    YDS    TD    AVG
Griffin Gilbert    10    167    1    16.7
Turney Maurer    4    33    0    8.25
Michael Pojman    4    27    0    6.750

Tackles    No.    TFL    SCK    HURR
Zach Streuling    18    2    0    0
Austin Williams    11    0    0    0
Shaquille Marable    8    1    1    0
Jonathan Roberts    7    0    0    0