RIVALS FOREVER
How Austin-area football rivalry is playing out with Texas, Oklahoma QBs
Blue-chip recruits, a pair of eventual NFL athletes and even the expected starters for Saturday’s Red River Rivalry game between Texas and Oklahoma have all played quarterback during the 11-year series between Lake Travis and Westlake.
But when the not-so-friendly neighbors renew their rivalry Friday night at Chaparral Stadium, two first-year starters will line up behind center for just the second time in the series’ history.
Both Westlake junior Taylor Anderson and Lake Travis senior Matthew Baldwin have enjoyed remarkable success in their first full seasons as starting varsity quarterbacks. Each has accounted for more than 1,500 yards of offense and at least 15 touchdowns, and both lead state-ranked Class 6A teams.
Baldwin assumed the starter’s role almost immediately after eventual Baylor
signee Charlie Brewer guided the Cavaliers to the Class 6A, Division I state championship last December, but the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Anderson took a more circuitous route. He didn’t earn the starting nod over sophomore Kirkland Michaux until a week before Westlake’s season opener, but he has certainly met the oversized expectations that come with playing quarterback for the Chaparrals.
Anderson has thrown for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns and has rushed for 413 yards and five touchdowns to help Westlake to a 6-0 record. He has shown a nice touch on deep throws and has become better at hitting his underneath receivers, said Westlake coach Todd Dodge. Anderson’s deft fakes and deceptive speed have confounded defenses that focus too much on Chaps running back Nakia Watson, a Wisconsin pledge who has rolled to nearly 1,000 yards this season.
Anderson “has been exactly what we hoped he would be,” Dodge said. “He’s a dual-threat quarterback with a stronger arm than last year who’s worked hard on improving his intermediate passing. That improvement has coincided with us getting more people involved in the offense.”
Anderson opened the season by throwing a pair of interceptions in Westlake’s 35-28 victory at College Station, Dodge recalled, and “ever since then we’ve tried to trick him in practice with some similar coverages, but he just hasn’t made that mistake anymore.”
Since that opening vic- tory, Anderson has thrown just one interception.
Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said video study shows that Anderson “looks like a typical Westlake quarterback. He’s a good runner, he gets the ball out on time, and he’s just well-coached. And it looks like he has a lot more velocity on his throws than we saw last year.
“Coach Dodge always does such a good job with his quar- terbacks.”
Anderson first saw extended playing time in Westlake’s District 25-6A matchup against Lake Travis last season.
He began the 2016 season on the junior varsity before injuries led to his promotion to varsity. After a first-quarter injury knocked Sam Ehlinger out of the game, Anderson came on and took his lumps, along with the rest of the Chaparrals, during a 49-7 loss.
“It happened so fast that I didn’t have time to be ner- vous,” Anderson said of his debut, “but I wouldn’t have had any of the success that I have if it wasn’t for that game.”
Said Dodge: “If you can image getting your first varsity snap before however many people that were packed into Cavalier Stadium — without any snaps with the No. 1 offense — that’s what Taylor had to do last season. To Taylor’s credit, he used that as a confidence builder. He survived, learned some lessons and quarterbacked us to a bunch of wins.”
In Ehlinger’s absence, Anderson started four games and helped Westlake reach the Class 6A, Division I state quarterfinals, where the Chaps lost to Lake Travis for the 10th straight time.
In praise of Baldwin
On Friday night, Carter and the Cavaliers will hand off much of the responsibility for their winning streak against Westlake to Baldwin.
A 6-3, 210-pounder who has committed to Colorado State, Baldwin has passed for 1,867 yards and 24 touch- downs this season while completing 69 percent of his attempts. His production has helped the Cava- liers (4-1) average more than 50 points a game and compares favorably with the college recruits who preceded him at Lake Travis.
Through the first five games, Baldwin has piled up more touchdown passes over that span than any other Cavaliers quarterback on a list that includes Baker Mayfield — who will lead the Sooners against Ehlinger and the Longhorns on Saturday — Michael Brewer, Garrett Gilbert and Charlie Brewer.
“We’re really proud about how he’s playing,” Carter said. “We knew what we had with him, and we expected him to play at a high level. He’s met those expectations, and overall the offense has been productive.”
Baldwin said he has receiv- ers who would bolster any quarterback’s stats. Junior Garrett Wilson has 40 catches for 829 yards and nine touchdowns this season, and sophomore wide- out Hudson Card has 644 yards from scrimmage and nine TDs. Both are taller than 6 feet and can be matchup nightmares for defensive backs.
“Having guys like that makes it so much easier for me,” Baldwin said. “They’re both just playmakers, and they hardly ever bust routes.”
Baldwin can tuck the ball and run when needed — he has 110 yards rushing and averages almost 5 yards per carry — but he relies on his textbook form in the pocket to pick apart defenses.
“He has such good fun- damentals, and that helps with his accuracy,” Carter said. “He has great footwork, and he gets the ball out of his hand quickly. I think peo- ple may not have realized his arm strength — he has the type of arm you see in college or the NFL.”
Baldwin has an admirer in Dodge, a former Long- horns quarterback who has developed a reputation for grooming high school QBs.
“There’s a reason he’s so accurate. He has great foot- work, he lets his backside fly, and the ball explodes out of his hand,” said Dodge, who has coached six prep quar- terbacks who went on to play Division I football. “He just has tremendous balance, and he makes it look effortless. And I’ll bet he never has arm issues because he’s so fun- damentally sound.”
Baldwin resisted the urge to transfer from Lake Travis in an effort to gain playing time and improve his recruiting prospects. Instead, he waited patiently behind Charlie Brewer, a two-year starter.
“I’ve talked with my family about the what-ifs,” Baldwin said. “What if I had played at a smaller school? What if I had started (on the varsity) for three years?
“But if I had done that, I felt like I would have sold out a little bit. I’ve been in Lake Travis ever since I was born, and I’ve played with most of (the seniors) ever since I was a little kid. It just wouldn’t have felt right to play anywhere else.”
Dodge praised Baldwin for his long-standing com- mitment to playing for the Cavaliers.
“You see so many times these days that people want instant gratification, but he waited his turn and has stepped up,” Dodge said. “I respect guys like that.”