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.

Brewer bests Manziel as Lake Travis Edges Tivy, 48-42

By Sam Bohmfalk

If it was possible to out-Manziel Kerrville Tivy quarterback Johnny Manziel, Lake Travis quarterback Michael Brewer did it. The Cavaliers’ senior quarterback passed for 248 yards, but it was his 192 rushing yards that propelled Lake Travis to a 48-42 victory over Tivy.

None of the drives was more important than the 19-play drive at the end of the fourth quarter that ran out the clock. On that drive, Brewer steadily moved the Cavaliers down the field, depriving Manziel of a chance to win the game.

And win the game he just might have. Manziel was largely unstoppable on the night, accounting for all but 15 of the Fighting Antlers’ yards. Manziel got Tivy on the board early, marching the team down the field before finding Sean Kibbett from 31-yards out.

Brewer responded in style, capping off a drive with a 1-yard plunge to tie the game and then leading the Cavaliers on a second first-quarter scoring drive that ended in a Michael Pojman 1-yard run. The lead was one that Lake Travis would not relinquish for the rest of the game.

It looked as if the two offenses were going to match each other touchdown-for-touchdown. The Cavaliers got the last laugh of the second quarter, however, returning a kickoff 100-yards to pay dirt, giving them a 42-28 halftime lead.

Manziel immediately brought the game closer, scoring his first of two rushing touchdowns on the night from 6-yards out.

The Fighting Antlers’ defense—to use the old adage—bent but did not break in the second half, holding Lake Travis to two fourth quarter field goals. Unfortunately, the defense bent a little too much on the last drive, and was unable to give Manziel a shot to defeat Brewer.

The two senior quarterbacks haven’t seen the last of each other, as they’re soon-to-be Big XII rivals, with Manziel having a verbal commitment to Texas A&M and Brewer to Texas Tech.

Area Round Preview: Lake Travis vs. Kerrville Tivy

By Sam Bohmfalk

Click the graphic to see Kerrville Tivy’s offensive breakdown by player.

Lake Travis’ come-from-behind victory over bi-district foe McCallum last week was in many ways similar to a regular season victory they had in week 4.  That win, 37-33, was against area opponent Kerrville Tivy.

In that September 17 affair, Tivy jumped out to a 19-0 lead thanks to two rushing touchdowns and a passing score by workhorse quarterback Johnny Manziel.  However, just as they did against McCallum, the Cavaliers’ defense sured-up some of its holes and managed to hold the opponent scoreless in the 4th quarter—with both games including a late goal line stand—while picking up a 4th quarter touchdown that proved to be the difference maker.

Although this will be the teams’ second meeting of the season, Lake Travis will have star quarterback Michael Brewer on the field for this matchup.  He will have to be better than he was in last week’s bi-district game in which he struggled mightily, completing just five passes.  His fill-in in week 4, Colin Lagasse, threw four touchdown passes against Tivy, but his biggest contribution in that game was a goal line interception with just over two minutes remaining that effectively sealed the result.

This matchup will hinge on which of the soon-to-be Big XII quarterbacks comes through in the end: the A&M commit Manziel, or the Tech-commit Brewer.  Brewer comes in cold, while Manziel accounted for all seven touchdowns in last week’s 49-21 victory over Hays.

Series tied, 2-2
2000: Kerrville Tivy 13, Lake Travis 10

2001: Kerrville Tivy 54, Lake Travis 0

2007 (Area): Lake Travis 45, Kerrville Tivy 29

2010: Lake Travis 36, Kerrville Tivy 33

Prediction: Lake Travis knew what to expect last week against McCallum, and struggled.  They know what’s coming this week, but I think Tivy quarterback Johnny Manziel is going to show the magic that has put him in the running for the Texas 4A Player of the Year.  Kerrville Tivy 34, Lake Travis 31