Lake Travis Dominant over Smithson Valley

By Chris Doelle
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: November 19, 2016

photos: Steve Thomas

Lake Travis Rolls to Area Championship

At Texas State University's Bobcat Stadium Friday night, Austin Lake Travis continued its post-season dominance. The Cavaliers rolled over the Smithson Valley Rangers 40-21 in the Area round of the UIL Class 6A Division II playoffs. After losing in last year’s Class 6A Division II Championship game to Katy, the Cavaliers once again looked to move one step closer to their sixth state championship.

The Cavaliers entered the game on a ten-game win streak with an average margin of victory of 44.5 points. Smithson Valley, meanwhile, entered the game on a seven-game win streak. The Rangers were also looking to build on last year’s postseason success in which they advanced to the Class 6A Division I regional finals.

From the beginning, the Cavaliers dominated both sides of the ball; and the Rangers could not catch a break. On the opening possession, the Lake Travis defense held Smithson Valley to a net loss of two yards. The resulting punt only traveled about twenty yards and set the Cavaliers up at the Rangers’ 30-yard line. Senior wide receiver Cade Green then rattled off a 25-yard catch, and senior quarterback Charlie Brewer opened the scoring with a five-yard touchdown keeper. Cavalier junior kicker Cameron Dicker bounced the extra point attempt off the left upright to bring the score to 6-0.

After forcing the Rangers to punt again, the Cavaliers took over and drove the ball all the way to the Ranger 16-yard line. On first down, junior safety Ricky Rios dropped a potential interception that would have halted Lake Travis’s momentum. Two plays later, however, Charlier Brewer connected with Cade Green on a five-yard touchdown pass to put the Cavaliers up 13-0.

The Cavaliers then added a 22-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to increase their lead to 16-0. Both teams traded punts on the next two possessions, and Smithson Valley got on the board shortly before halftime with a sixty-yard pass from senior quarterback Josh Adkins to junior wide receiver Trevon Moehrig-Woodard. On the ensuing drive, however, Charlie Brewer again connected with Cade Green on a 46-yard touchdown pass to stifle the Rangers’ momentum before halftime.

Despite the setback at the end of the first half, Smithson Valley came out swinging to start the second half. The defense forced Lake Travis to go three-and- out, and senior wide receiver Josh Dillon caught an 18-yard touchdown-pass on a flea-flicker from Moehrig-Woodard. The Rangers failed the two-point conversion attempt but cut the Cavalier lead to 23-13.

The Cavaliers looked poised to respond after driving all the way to the Ranger one-yard line. However, a holding penalty on fourth-and- goal negated the touchdown; and the Cavaliers were forced to settle for a field goal.

Neither team was able to score until midway through the fourth quarter. Lake Travis senior running back Maleek Barkley capped of a seven-play 66-yard drive to increase the Cavalier lead to 33-13. Smithson Valley responded with a one-yard touchdown keeper from Adkins and a two-point conversion to cut the lead to 33-21. The Rangers were unable to recover the onside kick, however, and Maleek Barkley scored on a 54-yard touchdown run to ice the game for Lake Travis.

With the win, Lake Travis improves to 11-1 overall. The Cavaliers will face the winner of the Area matchup between San Antonio Southwest and Los Fresnos. (Class 6A Division I Bracket)

Smithson Valley, meanwhile, finishes the season at 8-3.

by Steve Thomas