Westlake Steamrolls Bowie to Stay Perfect

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: September 23, 2017

photos: Steve Thomas

Battle of "3-0" and Someone's "O" Must Go

After easy wins over Niceville (FL) and Pflugerville, the Austin Westlake Chaparrals looked to face their first major test Friday on Homecoming Night against long-time rival the Austin Bowie Bulldogs.

Both teams entered the game at 3-0 and featured talented rosters. Despite the fact that this was no longer a district game, both fan bases turned out in large numbers leading to a reported sellout crowd. Since 1988, the two sides have met 37 times with Westlake holding a 33-4 edge in the series. The Bulldogs' last win against the Chaps came in 2014. Last year’s contest however, was the Bulldogs’ only loss in the regular season.

Despite the even matchup on paper, Westlake dominated the game on both sides of the ball. Senior defensive back Thomas Rousseau intercepted Bowie sophomore quarterback Trinidad Sanders’s pass on the second play from scrimmage. Junior quarterback Taylor Anderson then capped off a 66-yard drive with a ten-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Michael Granson to give the Chaps a 7-0 lead.

Bowie junior wide receiver Jackson Lord returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards to tie the game at 7-7, but that was as close as the Bulldogs would get.

Senior running back Nakia Watson gashed the Bulldogs defense rushing for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor Anderson was able to take advantage of the Bulldogs’ focus on Watson and use the read-option to rush for 107 yards and two touchdowns of his own. Anderson also connected with Granson again in the third quarter for his second passing touchdown.

Defensively, the Chaps stifled the Bulldogs allowing only 156 yards of total offense and forcing five turnovers including four interceptions and one fumble. Junior defensive back Drew Webster returned the fourth interception to the end zone for the game’s final score to give Westlake a resounding 49-7 Homecoming victory.

With the win, Westlake improves to 4-0 on the year. The Chaps will host the Austin Vandegrift Vipers next week to open play in District 25-6A. The Vipers are 2-2 on the year following a 31-10 win over Killeen Harker Heights on Friday.

Bowie, meanwhile, fell to 3-1 but will face another undefeated team next. The Bulldogs will host Abilene Cooper next Friday night at Burger Stadium in their final non-district game. The Cougars are 4-0 following a 62-3 win over Wolfforth Frenship.

by Steve Thomas