Lake Travis Romps, Setting Up Rematch with Cedar Park

By Sam Bohmfalk

Lake Travis had no problem finding the end zone against Victoria East.

For an eight-minute stretch of time between the third and fourth quarters, Victoria East showed why it was a playoff team. For the other 40 minutes, it was all Lake Travis.

As the final horn sounded, Victoria East was left to ponder a season that no one saw coming, while Lake Travis was already gearing up for a rematch with district foe Cedar Park.

Things started off on the wrong foot for Victoria East, as they muffed the opening kickoff, giving Lake Travis a short field to work with. The 26-yard drive would end with quarterback Michael Brewer rushing it in from 4 yards out, his first of three on the day.

Much like in the Cedar Park-Weslaco East game, the opposition would hit right back. For Victoria East, it was Jonathan Garner who took the ball 75-yards to pay dirt, tying the game at 7.

But the next 15 minutes for Victoria East were, in a word, hell. Colin Lagasse caught sandwiched two touchdown catches around a Brewer 7-yarder and a Dannon Cavil 17-yard run as Lake Travis took a 35-7 halftime lead.

Victoria East was plagued by a bevy of mistakes after their first touchdown, including a fumble and penalties that derailed drives. Quarterback Ervin Yates tried to right the ship, especially after Garner left the game with an injury, but he didn’t have the ability to carry the team.

Looking deflated as the third quarter started, the Titans quickly surrendered two more touchdown runs as the Cavaliers pulled their starters.

For eight minutes, Victoria East looked like a team that belonged as Yates connected on a 74-yard touchdown to Steve Martinez and two separate 9-yarders to pull the Titans within 21 with 7 minutes remaining. The ensuing onside kick just eluded the Titans, who didn’t have enough left in the tank to stop Lake Travis from scoring twice more.

The win by Lake Travis sets up a fourth round matchup with district rival Cedar Park, a team to whom the Cavaliers fell earlier this year, 35-21.

Regional Round Preview: Lake Travis vs. Victoria East

By Sam Bohmfalk

Click to see who the rushing and receiving threats at Victoria East.

Saturday, November 27, 12:00 p.m., Alamodome

One hails from a program that started booking hotel rooms at the state championship site before the season begins. He hails from a program that is developing a lineage of sorts within the college football quarterbacking ranks.

The other hails from a small town two hours southwest of Houston. He plays for a program that is in its first year of existence.

And yet both of them will gather at the Alamodome Saturday, with eerily similar numbers. One has thrown for 2090 yards, the other for 2189. One has thrown for 22 touchdowns, the other just 20. Both lead their teams in rushing.

Michael Brewer, of Lake Travis, and Ervin Yates, of Victoria East, will square off in a game that no one would have expected to happen at the beginning of the season.

The three-time defending state champion Cavaliers have barely scooted by in their first two playoff games, winning each by just a touchdown. Now they’ll face off against a team that seems to have caught fire at the right time, averaging 58 points a game thus far in the playoffs. Maybe most impressive about their 54 points last week, was the fact that they turned the ball over four times.

Turning the ball was not a problem for Lake Travis last week, as they defeated Kerrville Tivy 48-42. Any turnover might have been enough for Tivy quarterback Johnny Manziel to swing the game, but he wasn’t given that opportunity. Brewer rebounded from a tough bi-district game against McCallum to combine for 440 total yards, having a hand in four of the Cavaliers’ touchdowns.

A week after dealing with Manziel, Lake Travis will once again have its hands full with an athletic quarterback in Ervin Yates. Unlike Manziel, Yates has a cast of characters who can step up and carry the load when needed. Running backs Roderick Warren and Jonathan Garner split carries, and each went for over 1000 yards this season. In last week’s game against Veterans Memorial, Garner ran for a season-high 217 yards and two touchdowns as Victoria East rolled 54-40.

Series: The two teams have never met.

Prediction: Lake Travis has too much experience and strength. They prevail in another close one, 35-31.