Westlake (Austin, Texas) saw its defense come up with stop after stop and its offense score the knockout late in the fourth quarter of the Chaparrals' 24-21 upset Saturday of No. 2
North Shore (Houston) in a Texas 6A Division I semifinals. Westlake (13-0) faces No. 21 Southlake Carroll, a 34-27 winner over No. 5 Duncanville.
The two upsets turn the championship into a father-son coaching battle as Westlake's Todd Dodge faces his son Riley, the head man for the Dragons. The 10th-ranked Chaparrals, winners of 23 straight, look for back-to-back state titles after winning the 6A Division 2 crown in 2019.
The Chaparrals' victory also ended the three-peat hopes for North Shore and Auburn-bound quarterback
Dematrius Davis, who would've put himself in rarefied Texas air with the title. Only six Texas teams have won three straight titles at its highest classification. Davis was trying to join Allen's Kyler Murray as the only quarterback to lead teams to three straight.
Westlake head coach Todd Dodge celebrates his team's 24-21 upset over No. 2 North Shore on Saturday.
Photo by Paul Brick
Before the stage could be set for the family showdown, Todd Dodge's defense bottled up the high-powered Mustangs offense almost the entire day, giving up two of North Shore's touchdowns on big plays.
Davis found
David Amador in stride for a 55-yard strike in the second quarter before calling his own number on a spectacular 49-yard TD scamper in the third.
Westlake's bend-but-don't break defense surrendered a North Shore touchdown with just over four minutes to play as
Xavier Owens capped a 10-play, 84-yard drive with a 9-yard go-ahead run. The score put the Mustangs up 21-17, their first lead of the game.
But the Chaps had a final answer.
Junior quarterback
Cade Klubnik engineered a 69-yard scoring drive fueled by a 46-yard bomb down the right hash to
Michael Taaffe, putting the ball at the Mustangs' 10. Four plays later, on fourth-and-one from the 1, Klubnik kept the read option and waltzed into the end zone for a 24-21 lead.
Michael Taaffe, Westlake receiver
Photo by Paul Brick
Not only did the offensive have an answer, but so did the Westlake defense, stopping Texas A&M-bound receiver
Shadrach Banks a half-yard short on a fourth-and-17.
Banks was one of the lone offensive bright spots for the Mustangs (14-1), running for nearly 150 yards as he often lined up in the backfield with Davis. Meanwhile, the Chaparrals picked off Davis twice, doubling his season interception total.
The Chaparrals opened the scoring with a 48-yard field goal by
Charlie Barnett on their first possession and made a defensive statement on the first North Shore possession. As the Mustangs looked to move the ball past midfield,
Lucas Mireur recovered a Rashaad Johnson fumble and returned it to the North Shore 14.
Two plays later, Klubnik found
Luke Nicklos on a 6-yard out to put the Chaps up 10-0.
After North Shore cut the lead to 10-7 on Amador's touchdown catch, Westlake defense got a late second-quarter stop that sparked the Chaparrals' second score of the half.
With the Mustangs driving, Nick Morris stopped Davis on a fourth-and-14 run deep in Westlake territory. Klubnik and company got a boost as
Grey Nakfoor busted free for a 45-yard off-tackle run.
Two plays later, Klubnik hit Taaffe on a comeback screen that went for a 17-yard touchdown, giving Westlake a 17-7 lead.
Westlake quarterback Cade Klubnik celebrates his game-winning rushing touchdown with teammates late in the fourth quarter.
Photo by Paul Brick
Dematrius Davis, North Shore quarterback
Photo by Paul Brick
