Lake Travis wins Thriller over Vandegrift

By Chris Doelle
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Updated: November 11, 2023

Leander Vandegrift, Austin Lake Travis, playoff 2023 Steve Thomas

photos: Steve Thomas

Cavaliers win defensive struggle against Vipers

On paper, the Lake Travis Cavaliers were the underdogs in their 6A D1 bi-district playoff matchup against the Austin Vandegrift Vipers. The Cavaliers were 8-2 and finished third in District 26-6A. The Vipers, meanwhile, were 10-0 and finished as District 25-6A champions. For Lake Travis, however, being an underdog is a foreign concept. “We’re never underdogs,” Lake Travis Head Coach Hank Carter said. Indeed, the matchup between the two Austin area heavyweights felt more like a regional final than a bi-district game. The Vipers featured a stifling defense and potent offense that had run roughshod over every opponent they faced this season. Despite having two losses, the Cavaliers also featured a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball and a winning culture bolstered by six state championships. In a game that lived up to the hype, Lake Travis kicker Braydon Doane was the hero. With six seconds left in the game, Doane netted a 36-yard field goal to seal a 13-10 victory. In the game, the Cavaliers’ defense held Vandegrift to a season-low 156 yards of total offense. Throughout the game, the Cavaliers wreaked havoc in the backfield. The pressure from the Cavaliers disrupted quarterback Deuce Adams’s timing and effectively stifled the Vipers’ run game.

In the first half, neither team was able to score in the first quarter. On their opening drive, the Cavaliers were driving into Viper territory; but Vandegrift defensive back Diego De La Vara Vazquez ended the drive with an interception. The Cavaliers had a chance to score before the end of the quarter, but Braydon Doane missed a 37-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Vandegrift kicker Charlie Reed put the Vipers on the board with a 49-yard field goal. The 3-0 lead was short-lived and would be Vandegrift’s only lead of the night. Following the Vandegrift field goal, Lake Travis quarterback Chaston Ditta connected with quarterback-turned-wide-receiver Kadyn Leon for a 31-yard touchdown pass. Aiding the Cavaliers on that drive was the rushing attack of running back Nico Hamilton. Hamilton sat out the first quarter but gave the Cavaliers a spark upon entering in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, the defensive struggle continued. On Lake Travis’s second drive, Diego De La Vara Vazquez appeared to get a massive momentum shift for Vandegrift. Vazquez knocked the ball loose from Chaston Ditta and ran the ball back for a touchdown. Unfortunately for the Vipers, Ditta was ruled down before the ball came out. Early in the fourth quarter, Doane hit a 33-yard field goal to extend the Lake Travis lead to 10-3. Vandegrift responded on the ensuing drive when quarterback Deuce Adams tied the game with a 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jase Skoglund. Following the touchdown, Lake Travis drove the ball deep into Vandegrift territory; but Kadyn Leon dropped a backwards pass from Ditta which the Vipers recovered. Despite the massive momentum shift, the Vandegrift offense could not take advantage and were forced to punt. The Cavaliers got the ball back with just over four minutes left in the game and ran the clock all the way down to six seconds remaining before Doane hit the game-winning field goal.

After the game, Hank Carter lauded his team for their effort and focus. Carter praised the selfless attitude of his players and said that he had great confidence in his team entering the game. Carter also said that his team was able to drown out the outside noise throughout the week and focus on the task at hand. Echoing his coach’s sentiments, Nico Hamilton said that, while they knew many on the outside did not think they would win, he and his teammates knew that they could win if they just did their jobs and focused. Lake Travis improves to 9-2 on the year and will face the San Antonio Johnson Jaguars in the area round. Site, date, and time are to be determined.

Vandegrift, meanwhile, finishes the season at 10-1. After the game, Head Coach Drew Sanders said that he knew it was going to be a tough contest. “It was the type of game I expected it to be. I just hoped to be on the other side of that last-second field goal,” Sanders said. Sanders credited Lake Travis’s defense for shutting down the Vipers’ run game and forcing them to be one-dimensional. Sanders expressed disappointment at how the season ended, especially for his seniors, but also credited his team for the work they had put in throughout the season.

by Steve Thomas

Players Pictured

Austin Lake Travis