Last weekend, following my trip up north for the Red River game, I decided to cover a game which was sure to garner the attention of many across the Central Texas area. The selected matchup? A top twenty-five showdown between #2 Westlake and #16 Dripping Springs which featured star players such as 2023 four-star defensive end Colton Vasek and 2023 four-star quarterback Austin Novosad.
Entering Friday’s game, both teams were undefeated and were looking to distance themselves in the district title conversation. Additionally, the lights were going to be bright in Dripping Springs as coaches from Baylor and Texas A&M were roaming the facility as well. However, the real talk of the town heading into the game was surrounding Colton Vasek’s recruitment, as the 6’5.5″ defensive end, who is committed to joining the Oklahoma Sooners, is being heavily pursued by the Longhorns and Texas pledges such as Arch Manning.
Early in Friday’s game, Vasek was making his presence felt as he blasted a Dripping Springs running back behind the line of scrimmage, setting the tone for the night. In fact, the district matchup proved to be quite the defensive slugfest, at least through halftime, as the Westlake Chaparrals kicked themselves to a 9-3 lead.
In the second half, Westlake running back Jack Kayser started to break through the walls of the Dripping Springs defense as his elusive running led him to account for 157 all-purpose yards and a touchdown on the night. Moreover, Westlake junior quarterback Paxton Land had himself a solid night as he started to find his groove in the second half and made some crucial plays, such as a 23-yard touchdown rush which gave the Chaparrals a 22-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Along with his legs, Land added 246 passing yards and a touchdown with his arm.
At receiver for Westlake, the duo of Keaton Kubecka and Jaden Greathouse continues to shine as the pair combined for 156 receiving yards. Kubecka, a Kansas commit, did a solid job of keeping the Chaparrals moving on offense while it was impressive that Greathouse, a Notre Dame commit, had a relatively quiet game, for his standards, and still managed to tally five receptions for 70 yards.
On the other sideline, Austin Novosad had himself a decent performance until a disastrous fourth quarter which he would probably like to forget. The Baylor pledge made his fair share of impressive throws which moved the sticks but it just was not his night as the Chaparrals were able to intercept Novosad three times in the fourth quarter, which led to a late 29-10 runaway victory for Westlake.
Extra Point:
With a solid start to their on-the-field performance thus far, the Longhorns find themselves in a reasonable position in Vasek’s recruitment. Of course, it does not hurt that Texas was the Red River Showdown’s victor this season… however recruiting comes down to more than one game. Worth noting, following his game against Dripping Springs, Vasek was in attendance for Iowa State’s game against the Longhorns on the Forty Acres. This, somewhat of a surprise visit by Vasek, certainly bodes well for Steve Sarkisian and the recruiting staff as it indicates Vasek’s continued interest in the Longhorns. Additionally, Arch Manning was also present at the game on Saturday and made his rounds with Vasek as well.
Furthermore, the Westlake defensive end was able to account for seven tackles and a sack against the Tiger last Friday. The Texas legacy is an almost picturesque prototype of the edge rusher position, and would make for a huge recruiting victory for the Longhorns if they were able to flip his pledge down the road.
Miles:
50
