Chaps Roll the Tigers to Return to State

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: December 12, 2021

Austin Westlake over Katy 6A DII semifinal 2021 by Steve Thomas

photos: Steve Thomas

Westlake Cruises Past Katy to State

In his swansong season, Austin Westlake head coach Todd Dodge has turned his team into a juggernaut. The Chaparrals have not lost a game since October 2019 and have won back-to-back state championships. Entering Saturday’s UIL 6A DII semifinal at McLane Stadium in Waco, the Chaps were 14-0 and had been outscoring their opponents by an average of 59-8. To advance to their third-consecutive state championship game, the Chaps would need to take down another 6A powerhouse, the Katy Tigers. Katy also entered the game at 14-0 and had outscored their opponents 47-13.

In what figured to be Westlake’s biggest test of the season, the Chaps passed with flying colors. As they had throughout the season, the Chaps dominated both sides of the ball. The offense struck early and often; and the defense stifled the Katy offense enroute to a 45-14 victory. Quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for 309 yards and five touchdowns, and running back Jackson Kayser rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the Chaps shut down the Katy rushing attack limiting the Tigers to 103 yards rushing on 40 attempts and also recovered a fumble. Katy quarterback Caleb Koger threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

From the outset, Westlake was in complete control. After the defense forced Katy to punt on the opening possession, Jackson Kayser broke free for a 48-yard touchdown run to put Westlake up 7-0. Westlake linebacker Byers Petty recovered a fumble at the Katy 39-yard line on the ensuing drive, and Cade Klubnik connected with receiver Pierce Turner for a 37-yard touchdown pass. In the second quarter, kicker Mark Sayegh netted a 24-yard field goal to extend the Westlake lead to 17-0. On Westlake’s next offensive possession, Klubnik connected with receiver Jaden Greathouse for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Following the touchdown, the Westlake defense stopped running back Seth Davis short of the first-down marker on fourth down and gave the offense the ball at the Katy 34-yard line. Klubnik capped off the drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to receiver Keaton Kubecka to give Westlake a 31-0 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, Klubnik connected with Greathouse on the opening drive for Greathouse’s second touchdown of the night on a six-yard pass. The Tigers finally got on the board on the ensuing drive when Koger connected with receiver Nic Anderson for a 55-yard touchdown pass. Westlake responded, however, on their next drive when Klubnik connected with Kubecka for a two-yard touchdown pass. With less than five minutes to play, Koger connected with Anderson again for a 31-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a consolation score.

After the game, Dodge emphasized the incredible trust he had in his team to do what they needed to win. Dodge said that he told his players, “As coaches, we’re going to get out of the way. I trust this team.” Dodge also praised his team’s focus and their ability to consistently tune out any outside hype or talk of how they should perform. Dodge said, “If you listen to that, you get soft.” Regarding his impending retirement, Dodge said that he felt like a member of the senior class as he would also be done after this season. Dodge also attributed some of the success he had during his time at Westlake to the rivalry with Lake Travis. Regarding the rivalry, Dodge equated it to iron sharpening iron. With the win, Westlake improves to 15-0 overall. Next week, the Chaps will face either the Denton Guyer (13-1) Wildcats in the 6A DII Championship Game at AT&T. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm CST on December 18th. Katy finishes the season at 14-1.

by Steve Thomas

Players pictured:

Westlake