For three quarters Friday, the Hays Rebels kept pace with one of the best offenses in Texas.
But a 21-point fourth quarter barrage gave the Lake Travis Cavaliers enough separation as they rolled to a 60-34 district opening win over the Rebels at Cavalier Stadium.
Lake Travis (4-1, 1-0) survived on the arm of senior quarterback Matt Baldwin, who went 22 of 27 for 459 yards and seven passing touchdowns on the night. Two Cavalier wide receivers finished with 100 or more receiving yards and three or more touchdowns in the game.
Cavalier wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who was Baldwin’s primary target, snagged seven catches for 225 yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Hudson Card caught five passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns.
Lake Travis sprinted out to a 13-0 first quarter lead before the Rebels responded with a 10-yard touchdown by running back Thailand Mayberry, who finished with a game-high 126 yards on 26 carries.
Hays then capitalized on a Lake Travis miscue when quarterback Xavier Martinez tossed a touchdown pass to Bayler Jordan, which gave the Rebels a 14-13 lead early in the second quarter.
Lake Travis, however, responded by outscoring Hays 16-7 to close the first half, which gave the Cavaliers a 29-21 halftime advantage.
The Cavaliers continued its onslaught by taking a 39-21 third quarter lead.
Hays, however, didn’t go away and responded with a time-consuming 13-play drive that featured a pair of fourth down conversions. Martinez punched in a one-yard touchdown run, which pulled Hays to within 11-points at 39-28.
The Rebels shaved the lead even further in the fourth quarter when Martinez tossed a touchdown pass to wide receiver Gentry Brawith, which closed the gap to 39-34.
Martinez went 20 of 27 for 190 yards and two touchdowns passing, while also rushing for 12 yards and one score. Three Rebels finished with 50 or more yards receiving, which included a 58-yard, four catch effort by junior Nate Tate.
Lake Travis found its groove down the stretch by tallying 21 unanswered points to close the game.
