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It was another colossal battle of titans when Westlake and Dripping Springs HIgh Schools matched up for the district title last weekend.
When coaches are asked what will be the deciding factor in determining the winner, the answer of turnovers and specialty teams is almost always given as an answer. It may be trite, but it is usually the reason for the defeat. For the most part, the game on Friday, Oct. 13 was a well-matched and well-played one with two blocked punts by Westlake being the difference in the 27-14 score. Three field goals and an extra point were also missed.
Westlake kicked off into the endzone to let the Tigers begin on the 25-yard line. Jack Tyndall carried the ball twice for four yards and made the third time be the charm when he took the ball off left tackle, cut left, avoided a tackler and found himself alone down the sidelines with 4-5 Chaps giving a futile chase as he crossed the goal line for a quick 71-yard touchdown. Landon Requard kicked the extra point. 7-0 with 10.54 remaining.
The next four possessions were three and outs. The second such possession for the Tigers had the punt blocked by Westlake and they took over on the Tigers 20-yard line. Three plays later, the quarterback took it in from the five to tie the game up at seven with 3.07 left in the quarter. Again, the Tigers would begin at the 25yard line. This time, it would take nine plays to regain the lead. The second play into the second quarter, Maddox Maher found Kyle Koch behind everyone and connected for a 42-yard jaunt. 147. It would stay that way until the half, each team missing a field goal.
Westlake got the fast start in the second half at the 39-yard line. The first play was a 44-yard pass to the Tiger 17. Two plays later, the quarterback scored from the nine. 14-14. It would stay that way into the fourth quarter when Westlake would sustain a long drive and the quarterback scored his third. 21-14. 8.56. The Tigers would be forced to punt on their next possession. The dagger went in when the Chaps blocked their second one and returned it 40 yards for the clinching score with 7.08 remaining. The Tigers had two more possessions but could not capitalize.
Friday, Oct. 20, Dripping Springs will battle Lake Travis High School for second place in the district at home. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.
Game stats (DSHS first): First downs 14-12; Rushing 41-197, 37-107; Passing 177-209; Passes 11-29-0, 15-20-0; Punts 6-24, 4-36; Penalties 1-15, 5-53.
Tiger stats: Rushing: J. Tyndall 30-178 TD; Maher 5-9; Nick Tyndall 4-8; Koch 2-2. Passing: Maher 11-29-177 TD; Receiving: Koch 4-85 TD; Maddox Bloomgren 4-54; Cooper Reid 2-39; J. Tyndall 1-(-1). FR: Requard; PR: Koch 2-26.
Tackling (Unasst/asst): Luca Picucci 12-3, Theo Howard 6-5, Nolan Dahl 4-3, Requard 4-1, Tomsen Vickery 4-4, Major Bettridge 2-0, Rio Hay 2-0, Noah Lambie 2-1.
