AUSTIN – Looking upon a handful of shellshocked faces Friday, Hays Rebels head coach Les Goad instilled upon his players that football, as in life, is often filled with hard knocks.
A 70-14 loss at the hands of the state-ranked Westlake Chaparrals, which abruptly ended the Rebels’ seven game win streak and possibly their district title hopes, hit that point home.
But for Goad and his staff, challenging players to respond is imperative with two more regular season games left. As an important battle with Lake Travis looms, Goad said many of the goals the team is striving for remain attainable.
“You have to put this (loss) behind you. It’s going to hurt, but you have to be thick-skinned and committed enough to bounce back,” Goad said. “The goals these guys have before them … making the playoffs, a winning season, they’re still there.”
Hays (7-1, 5-1) struggled to contain a torrid Westlake offense that lobbed a flurry of knockout punches early in the contest.
At the center of it all was Chaparral quarterback Taylor Anderson who went 10 of 13 for 259 yards and five touchdowns passing. Wide receiver Mason Mangum, who was Anderson’s primary target, caught five passes for 169 yards and a trio of touchdowns.
Goad said players and staff understood Westlake was a tough team to stop. But before they knew it, Westlake built a 21-0 lead with a minute left in the first frame, snatching momentum the Rebels didn’t recapture.
“We took a lot of chances on our end and put ourselves in bad position many times,” Goad said.
But the Rebels were their own worst enemies at times as well. Execution issues and miscues partially played a role in Rebel offensive struggles in the game.
The inability to break through a formidable Chaparral defense, however, hindered Hays and kept its offense to only 264 yards and three total turnovers in the game.
That includes a Westlake interception returned for a touchdown, which increased the Chaparral lead to 28-0 heading into the second quarter.
Hays’ lone response of the first half came on a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Xavier Martinez to running back Sam Scott. Once on the canvas, however, Hays never got back up.
Goad believed not taking advantage of early opportunities set the tone for Hays in the rest of the game. Running back Xavier Green led Hays with 62 yards on 11 carries, while running back Bobby Green rushed for 45 yards on six carries and a late fourth quarter touchdown.
“We haven’t seen a defense like that all year, as far as the way they played, personnel and the way they execute,” Goad said. “They’re a great team. You have to give credit to them. They’re ranked in the top 10 for a reason.”
Focus now centers on Lake Travis, which brings an equally explosive offense led by quarterback Hudson Card, a University of Texas at Austin pledge, and wide receiver Garrett Wilson, an Ohio State University commitment.
The stakes will be raised as the winner of Friday’s game secures the district’s top seed in the 6A, Division I playoffs, and avoids possibly playing powerhouse Converse Judson in the first round.
“There’s still a big feather out there. Lake Travis is right up there with Westlake,” Goad said. “We have a big challenge next week and it will be a testament on how we bounce back.”
Hays hosts Lake Travis Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Shelton Stadium.
25-6A Standings
*Top 4 make playoffs
Westlake 6-0
Hays 5-1
Lake Travis 5-1
Bowie 4-2
Anderson 4-2
Del Valle 2-5
Akins 1-5
Austin 1-6
Lehman 0-6
The week ahead
Hays vs. Lake Travis
Lehman vs. Bowie
Westlake vs. Anderson
Austin vs. Akins
Del Valle is idle
Playoff positioning projections
In Class 6A, the top four teams that qualify for the postseason are split into Division I and Division II, which is based on student enrollment numbers.So, if the regular season ended today, Hays (2,988) and Lake Travis (3,085) would be in Division I, while Westlake (2,706) and Bowie (2,873) would be in Division II.
