Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. at Cavalier Stadium, Lakeway
Last week: Westlake was off; Lake Travis def. Akins 37-0
Last meeting: Westlake defeated Lake Travis 35-20 at Chaparral Stadium in 2022.
All-time record: This is the 18th meeting between the two schools. Lake Travis leads the series 11-6.
Tale of the tape
| Westlake | Lake Travis | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 3-0, 1-0 | 4-0, 2-0 |
| Total points | 142 | 122 |
| Points per game | 47.3 | 30.5 |
| Points allowed | 21 | 40 |
| Points allowed per game | 7 | 10 |
| Passing yards per game | 167.3 | 117.0 |
| Rushing yards per game | 178.3 | 243.8 |
The storyline
The Battle of the Lakes rivalry is one of the best high school rivalries in Texas. This will be the 18th meeting of Westlake and Lake Travis. The Cavaliers lead the all-time series 11-6, winning 10 straight from 2008-2017. However, the Chaparrals have dominated this series in recent years, winning 4 of the last 5 meetings.
A who’s who of Central Texas
The Westlake-Lake Travis game has featured some of the most notable names in Central Texas football history – Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles (Westlake), Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield (Lake Travis), Justin Tucker (Westlake), Sam Ehlinger (Westlake), and Cameron Dicker (Lake Travis), just to name a few. Current Westlake running back Jack Kayser looks to add his name to this distinguished list of Central Texas legends.
Home field advantage
The game returns to Cavalier Stadium Friday for the first time since 2019. It was also the last time Lake Travis has won this game. There is a bit of home-field advantage with the home team winning 10 of the 14 times the game is played at Westlake or Lake Travis.
Westlake is 5-3 in Battle of the Lakes games played in the confines of Chaparral Stadium, while Lake Travis is 5-1 at Cavalier Stadium. When the game is played at a neutral site, Lake Travis is 3-0.
State championship pedigree
An interesting fact about this game is that one of the teams has won a state championship 9 times since the series started in 2006. Lake Travis has won six while Westlake has won three. In fact, either Westlake or Lake Travis – or both – have played in a state championship game 12 times since the series began. Even more notable, only once has either Lake Travis or Westlake failed to reach the state semifinals.
Players to Watch
Westlake: Senior running back Jack Kayser has rushed for 177 yards on 40 carries with 2 touchdowns in three games. Kayser rushed for 215 yards and scored twice in Westlake’s 35-20 win over Lake Travis last year. Senior quarterback Paxton Land has completed 32 of 57 pass attempts without an interception. Land has thrown for 357 yards and 5 touchdowns. Defensively, junior Elliott Schaper and senior Rhett Steppe have three sacks each.
Lake Travis: The Cavaliers are led by senior quarterback Kayden Leon, who has 459 yards passing with 70% completion percentage. He also has 316 rushing yards on 44 carries. Leon has five total touchdowns. Leon’s favorite target is junior Seth Galbraith, who has 8 catches for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns. Defensively, senior Markus Boswell and junior Easton Aird have 29 tackles each and a combined 7 tackles for a loss.
Our pick
This year’s showdown is at Cavalier Stadium, a place that hasn’t been too kind to the Chaparrals. Westlake has only defeated Lake Travis once at Cavalier Stadium. Westlake may have the edge defensively, but only slightly on offense. But none of that matters in a rivalry game. If the Cavaliers can contain Kayser, they win. If Westlake’s defense frustrates Lake Travis’ offense they win. Prediction: Lake Travis 28, Westlake 24.