"It's a great day to be a Chaparral."
Please join us this evening as the Westlake Chaparrals head north to Pflugerville. The Panthers opened their brand new home aptly named "The Pfield" against Bowie two weeks ago and the 44-12 defeat was not the open house they had planned. As Todd Dodge reminisced about last year's 35-0 win over George Herrmann's 2016 squad, he recalled coming off losing the starting quarterback, losing a game, and being a desperate team.
"Some people thought that 35-0 was a blowout win," Dodge said. "Not for us. That game felt way closer than it was, because we were desperate to find out who we were."
Some would say that after the 66-7 defeat of Niceville, the Chaps have a much better understanding of who they are headed into their second road game. A team averaging 322.5 rushing yards per game isn't really in the business of explaining how bread is buttered. The physical nature of the offensive line and the men who run behind it offered a glimpse of what could be in 2017.
The blocking quintet of Armstrong, Wilkin, Webster, Sherhart, and Aylor provided perfect harmony that gave way for a season high 366 rushing yards against the Eagles. Watson dashed for yet another 100+ yard effort. This time the total equated to 165 yards on 18 carries. Watson secured two scores, but it was Taylor Anderson that garnered most of the attention as he enjoyed his first two rushing touchdowns of 2017. To add to a stellar home opener, the junior quarterback was on the receiving end of a touchdown pass.
In a play executed on multiple occasions between Reed Klubnik and Sam Ehlinger, the scheme was simple. While the principle offensive unit took their normal positions, the center snapped the ball to an eager running back. Said running back would execute a toss to a streaking wide receiver who would then look downfield for the open receiver. The intended receiver? The quarterback. In this instance, the direct snap was taken by Watson who then tossed to Izaiah Faz who rolled right and found Anderson in the corner of the end zone. Anderson threw for 159 yards and a touchdown in addition to his rushing and receiving efforts.
Pflugerville is a tale of two teams as the 44-12 season opening loss to Bowie proved that there was work to do. The next week, the Panthers headed northwest to Leander and after trailing 10-6 at the half, Pflugerville erupted with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. Running back IK Evbayiro capped the quarter's first scoring drive with a one yard touchdown run. The Panther defense forced Leander to punt in back-to-back possessions and both drives ended in scores. The first went by way of a Damon Tamez pass to Taye McWilliams while the second came courtesy of an Evbayiro 28 yard run.
Lost in the 21 3rd quarter points is the Pflugerville defense who held the Lions in check in the second half allowing only a field goal. With the first win secured, the Panthers return to the newly constructed "Pfield" with a bit more confidence.
Todd Dodge is always aware of talent other teams boast. "There is not one coach in the state who wouldn't want Casey Washington in their receiving corps," Dodge said. "He's great out of routes and has great body control."
Washington's 184 yards receiving on 13 receptions in just two games also has Tony Salazar's attention. Westlake saw improvement in the secondary from game one to game two, but Washington will be a challenge in one-on-one match ups.
While the Wing-T might be the roots of the Pflugerville program, the offense under Jeff Rogers has morphed into a spread attack. That said, expect Pflugerville to occasionally remember their predecessors and drift into a Wing-T formation to catch the Westlake run defense off guard. Guiding the offensive attack is strong armed quarterback Damon Tamez.
"Damon can throw it to any spot on the field," Dodge said. "He's got a strong arm, but his accuracy has come a long way."
Accuracy and the strong arm behind it could allow for Pflugerville to hit Westlake hard with explosive plays early. Tamez's accuracy has also led to a successful short and quick passing game designed to carve up the field and beat pressure. Look for Westlake's defense to answer for not only Washington on the outside, but also IK Evbayiro, Taye McWilliams, and Kevin Tyler. All three can run the football out of the backfield or line up as wide receivers.
RADIO
Our tailgate show begins live at 7pm on SPORTSTALK AM-1300 The ZONE. Listen live to No Huddle with Todd Dodge. Stay tuned to our halftime coverage for a recap of the first half highlights along with this week's Chap of the Week interview.
THE WESTLAKE CHAP APP
The NEW Westlake Chap App
Head to the App Store on any Apple device. The Westlake Chap App can be downloaded on any iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini, iPad Pro and iPod Touch. Listen to live coverage of Westlake Football all year long. Make sure to UPDATE your Chap App as we're rolling out a new and improved app that will feature ALL Westlake Sports Teams. Westlake football is live and at your fingertips with the Westlake Chap App.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE WESTLAKE CHAP APP
WEBSITE
Go straight to our desktop streaming site WestlakeChaps.com and hear the broadcast live
ANDROID USERS
For Android listeners, the new version of the Westlake Chap App hit the Google Play Store this morning. Download it now!
CHAP SIGNAL
We will provide an in-stadium FM frequency for fans that bring their FM radios with them to The Pfield. Get behind the scenes action live on the Chap Signal. We will update our audience via our social media sites with the frequency. Bring your radio and hear the Chap Signal.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Westlake Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click the links below and like and follow our sites that feature Westlake student-athletes.
We hope you enjoyed our television coverage on Sunday evening on our new home for Westlake Football, KBVO-TV. Tonight's broadcast will air on Saturday, September 16th at 7pm. Please check your provider for the correct channel. The game will also stream live at 7pm so if you wish to watch live from any device, you can. The link below will lead you to the game. Note the stream will not begin until 7pm on Saturday evening. Please share the link to as many fans as possible.
TV LIVE STREAM: http://kxan.tv/westlakechaps
