LAKE TRAVIS Coach Hank Carter heads into his 12th season as the leader of Cav Nation. The tumultuous 2020 season saw the Cavs finish with the record of 6-1 losing in the first round of the playoffs to Round Rock by the score of 35-21. 2021 started with a bang with the announcement in April that IHSFAN Top 10 Player and former Del Valle star WR Caleb Burton will be running routes at Cavalier Stadium in the fall. The offense will return 4 starters including IHSFAN Top 10 player and Offensive Newcomer of the Year Jr. QB Bo Edmundson. Other leaders on offense include the 4-star Ohio State commit Sr. WR. Caleb Burton, and 2nd AD players Sr. TE Isaac Norris and Sr. OL Seth McDaniel. The defense returns 6 starters and will be led by 1st AD Sr. LB’s - Derrick Johnson and Watson Cusick. Other leaders on the 2021 squad include 2nd AD players: Sr. DE Max Linhoff, Sr. DB Chernet Estes, Sr. DB Jacob Glova, and Sr. DE Trey Dorsett. The Caleb Burton transfer is a game changer for the Lake Travis offense. Burton will remind many Cavs fans of the great Garrett Wilson. Look for 26-6A to be decided on the last game of the season in the annual Battle of the Lakes.
WESTLAKE By Joe Taylor
The 2020 Westlake Chaparrals made history again as the Chaps won the school’s second consecutive state championship and the program’s third title. The 52-34 win over Southlake Carroll in the 6A Division I State Finals earned head coach Todd Dodge his sixth state title as a head coach. Quarterback Cade Klubnik (IHSFAN Top 10 Player) returns for his senior season and will have the opportunity to become the only starting quarterback to win two state titles. Klubnik completed 68 percent of his passes in 2020 for 3,495 yards. The Clemson commit fired 35 touchdown passes, ran for 583 yards, rushed for 15 touchdowns and earned the 6A Division I State Championship Game’s Most Valuable Player. Like the 2019 offensive line, Westlake’s 2020 line was arguably the most cohesive unit in all of Texas. The 2021 season features the return of both tackles in Connor Robertson and Bray Lynch along with center Jack Griffin. Mike McKelvy provides impressive versatility to an already dominant group of returning starters. Zane Minors and Grey Nakfoor combined for 40 touchdown runs in 2020 and racked up 2,013 yards for the 6A Division I champs. While the rushing attack was the featured weapon in the Westlake offense, Jaden Greathouse hauled in 63 receptions for 1,145 yards and 13 touchdown catches. Greathouse has earned All-American status in both his freshman and sophomore campaigns and will lead a new crop of Chaparral receivers this fall. Look for Bryce Chambers to emerge as a speed threat out of the backfield as the offense reloads for another title run. Two consecutive state titles have made the Westlake defense the envy of Texas High School Football. Defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, Tony Salazar, is the mastermind behind that success. Salazar leads a talented defensive coaching staff and his 2020 squad responded with six shutouts and allowed an anemic 7.6 points per game. Carter Barksdale returns to the defensive backfield. Ethan Burke was a fixture on the 2020 defensive line rotation and will be a force at defensive end. Newcomer Colton Vasek leads a new breed of Chaps who wish to make a little history of their own.
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