It’s all downhill after strong start by Eagles in loss to Cavs
Defensive lapses leave area power short of 6A final
SAN ANTONIO — Atascocita won the toss and elected to receive, putting its electric offense on the field first.
The move worked as the Eagles marched 85 yards on eight plays to take an early lead.
But little worked for Atascocita after that.
Once five-time state champion Lake Travis got the ball, there was little Atascocita could do to stop it. The Cavaliers scored on their first four drives, missed a field goal on the fifth and had two punt returns for touchdowns negated by penalties in building a sizable first-half lead that ultimately became a 63-21 win Saturday in the Class 6A Division I semifinals at the Alamodome. Moving on up
Lake Travis advances to its second consecutive title game in the state’s largest classification, doing so five years after completing a run in then-4A that saw the Cavaliers win five straight championships.
The program jumped to the highest class in 2012, losing in the first round of the playoffs. Lake Travis has followed with three trips to the semifinals and two finals appearances.
Lake Travis (14-1) will face The Woodlands, which beat Allen 36-28 to reach its first state final since 2003. They’ll meet next Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Atascocita ends its best season at 12-2, capping a four-year run under coach Craig Stump in which it reached double-digit wins three times (winning nine in 2014) and played in the 6A Division I quarterfinals in 2015 to go with this sea- son’s run to the semifinals.
“What they’ve done is unbelievable,” Stump said. “The worst part is they expected to win. They’re not afraid of anybody. We just didn’t execute too well on defense.” Too many Brewers
Lake Travis answered Atascocita’s opening touchdown drive — capped with Daveon Boyd’s 37yard pass to Alerick Soularie — with one of its own. The Cavs went 77 yards in 10 plays.
Their next drive covered 81 yards in six plays, with quarterback Charlie Brewer scoring on a keeper. Atascocita fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Lake Travis needed just two plays to make it 21-7. Brewer, an SMUverbal commitment, found Maleek Barkley for the first of his five touchdown passes.
Atascocita’s next drive ended on an interception. Lake Travis capitalized, with Brewer connecting with fellow SMU verbal pledge Cade Brewer (no relation) to make it 28-7 early in the second quarter.
“We couldn’t do what we wanted to do,” Stump said. “But when you get behind like that, you have to change what you do.”
Charlie Brewer was 26of-32 passing for 261 yards with the five scores, three going to Cade Brewer.
Boyd finished with 357 yards passing and three touchdowns, but the Eagles lost three fumbles to go with the interception.
“On the first drive, we felt good about what we were doing. We just weren’t executing,” Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said. “We settled down, our offense was scoring, and we were able to get them stopped with our defense.
“If we’re able to score 20 or 30 points in a half, we’re going to be tough to beat.”