The ‘Dawgs met the Westlake Chaparrals on the gridiron on Friday, October 27, at Westlake. Going into the competition, the football powerhouse Chaparrals were undefeated and held the first seed in the district standings. 

Having officially secured a playoff spot last week against the Akins Eagles, the ‘Dawgs sought to improve their seeding heading into playoffs. The Chaparrals were unfazed by the ‘Dawgs’ efforts and quickly jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead.

The Westlake dominance continued into the second quarter, as the ‘Dawgs trailed 52-0 at half, surpassing the most points they’ve given up in a game all season in a single half. The offensive woes continued for the ‘Dawgs in the second half, as they were unable to generate a meaningful drive into Chaparral territory to get on the board.

Overall, the ‘Dawgs amassed 19 yards of total offense, as much of the yardage earned was negated by sacks and tackles for losses. Junior quarterback Cruz Tello connected with his receivers on three of his eight attempts for 20 yards.

“It’s a tough loss and we will learn from it and get better,” Tello said. “We have to use this game to get ready to play whoever we face in the playoffs.” 

Coming out of the half time break, the ‘Dawgs managed to hold the Chaparrals to 10 points, thereby bringing the final score of the game to 62-0. Senior defensive back Cole Jaynes speaks on the potential silver lining of such a disappointing loss.

“Obviously, it never feels good to take a loss like that,” Jaynes said. “However, with playoffs a couple weeks away, ending the season with two high caliber teams like Westlake and Lake Travis can give us a good look at the level of competition that we are going to face in the playoffs. As a team, we can use this loss as a learning experience, taking note of what went wrong, and move forward.” 

The ‘Dawgs will close out the regular season with a chance to overtake 3-seeded Lake Travis at home on Thursday, November 2.