By Michael Adams
michael@otssports.com

Week 5 of the 2023 high school football season had a few surprises, but it also had several teams emerge as contenders

Smashmouth football breaks out at Cavalier Stadium

Anyone expecting the custom air-raid shootout at the Battle of the Lakes rivalry game was greatly disappointed on Friday. The annual game is typically a high-scoring affair, but the 2023 version was anything but. Westlake defeated Lake Travis 20-14 at Cavalier Stadium.

Westlake had just 68 passing yards and no passing touchdowns. Quarterbacks Paxton Land and Rees Wise combined for only 8 completions. That had a lot to do with Lake Travis’ defense, yet uncharacteristic for a Westlake program that is a quarterback factory. Running back Jack Kayser had 29 of the Chaps 53 rushing attempts for 161 yards and one touchdown. 

Lake Travis’ offense was stagnant throughout the game but had a few moments of spark. Nico Hamilton rushed for a 1-yard touchdown that was set up by a 46-yard reception on the play before. Josiah Thomas caught a touchdown pass from Kayden Leon in the fourth quarter for the Cavs’ only two scores. 

Dripping Springs would like word

The Tigers (3-1, 2-0 District 26-6A) emerged as a legitimate threat to Westlake’s hold on the district. While the Chaparrals (4-0, 2-0) were holding off Lake Travis, Dripping Springs was making a statement with a 49-12 victory over Bowie. The Tigers scored 35 unanswered points in the second half after only leading by two at halftime.  Dripping Springs has a road game in Week 6 against a good Buda Johnson team that beat Anderson 49-27 Friday night. 

Elgin emerges as a playoff contender

Don’t look now, but the Elgin Wildcats (3-2, 1-0 District 11-5A-II) put themselves in control over their own destiny with a 50-28 victory over Connally Friday at Wildcat Stadium. There’s still a long way to go for the Wildcats to make the postseason. Elgin travels to Belton in week 6 and hosts Killeen Chaparral the following week in a key district game. 

It should be noted that the Wildcats are the highest scoring team in the district with 191 total points and has allowed the third-fewest points of the 7 teams in the district. 

District 11-5A-I might get a little crazy

The Georgetown Eagles (2-2, 1-0 District 11-5A-I)  turned a few heads on Friday with a 14-10 win over the defending district champions A&M Consolidated in College Station. It wasn’t the only head-turner to start district play.

Cedar Park (3-1, 1-0)  and Hendrickson (3-1, 1-0) cruised to wins over East View and Glenn, respectively, and College Station (3-1, 1-0)  had their way with Leander. There are a couple of key matchups this week. Cedar Park hosts A&M Consolidated while Georgetown hosts Hendrickson on Friday. 

Weiss keeps rolling 

The Weiss Wolves left little doubt they are the team to beat in District 12-6A. Weiss (5-0, 1-0) manhandled Harker Heights Friday on its way to a 52-14 victory over the Knights. The Wolves are the only undefeated team in the district and are outsourcing opponents by an average 20 points per game. Weiss hosts Temple (1-4, 0-1) Friday at The Pfield.