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Leading 14-7 with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter, Westlake put the game away on Jack Kayser's 4-yard touchdown run, the 69th career rushing touchdown of his career and second of the game. An interception off a deflected pass by Westlake's Denim Collins set up the possession that Kayser ended with a score. Lake Travis quarterback Chaston Ditta fired a pass to Kadyn Leon that bounced off his arm. Collins dove underneath the ball to make the big play and get the ball back for the Chaps.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two Texas high school football powerhouses went toe-to-toe at The Pfield in Pflugerville on Saturday, and Westlake punched its ticket to its seventh-consecutive 6A semifinal 21-14 over Lake Travis to win the 6A Division I Region IV championship.
Leading 14-7 with 3:21 left in the fourth quarter, Westlake put the game away on Jack Kayser's 4-yard touchdown run, the 69th career rushing touchdown of his career and second of the game. An interception off a deflected pass by Westlake's Denim Collins set up the possession that Kayser ended with a score. Lake Travis quarterback Chaston Ditta fired a pass to Kadyn Leon that bounced off his arm. Collins dove underneath the ball to make the big play and get the ball back for the Chaps.
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Lake Travis scored a touchdown with 0:27 left in the fourth quarter to get it back to a one-score game, a 2-yard pass from Ditta to Josiah Thomas, but the Chaps recovered the onside kick attempt to seal the win.
"I'm so proud of our guys," Westlake head coach Tony Salazar said. "We knew this would be a one-score game like this, and our guys gutted out the week of work. Now we get a shot to where we want to be."
The teams nearly went the entire first half scoreless until the Chaps scored with 0:06 left. Sophomore quarterback Rees Wise hit Cal Livengood with a 16-yard pass over the middle that Livengood caught right at the goal line and then tumbled into the end zone. After the PAT, Westlake took a 7-0 lead into the halftime break.
The Chaps stretched their lead to 14-0 in the third quarter following a 12-yard touchdown run by Kayser.
Lake Travis got on the board with 9:23 left in the fourth quarter on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Ditta to Kadyn Leon. Leon, who started the year at quarterback but moved to receiver in the Cavs' first playoff game, climbed the ladder to snatch it over a Westlake defender to make it 14-7 after the PAT.
The Cavs attempted an onside kick after that touchdown but Westlake recovered it and got great field position near midfield. However, the Cavs made a big play and Cam'ren-Chance Brooks picked Wise off to stop the short-field drive. The ensuing drive was the Collins interception to set up Kayser's second touchdown.
Westlake beat Lake Travis 20-14 when the teams met in district play on Sept. 22.
Westlake (14-0) will take on Galena Park North Shore (14-0) who topped district rival Humble Atascocita 34-28. That game will be at 2 p.m., Dec. 9 at The Pfield in Pflugerville. Lake Travis (11-3) ends a tremendous season with three playoff victories.