Westlake vs. Leander

[westlake]

im without radio or speakers, I need an update!

[LHSLion11]

I kno I kno....I don't think it's on radio...I wonder why??? it's okay you don't have to worry about much...we're gonna win :D

[westlake]

score? then ill decide how much yall are gonna loose by :D

[bowiedawgs01]

16-6 Leander
Under 10 minutes left.

It's on 1530AM in the Austin area.

[bowiedawgs01]

Westlake has to punt on 4th and 18 after having it inside Leander's 40. Leander has the ball on the 20 after a touchback.

[bowiedawgs01]

1:45 left
Leander about to punt.

[bowiedawgs01]

Leander intercepts in the endzone with about 15 seconds left.

Final
Leander 16
Westlake 6

[XSVRanger]

score? then ill decide how much yall are gonna loose by :D

Do you like your crow raw or cooked? ;)

[Redneckn]

Baby and I attended this game...Sort of. We were there about mid-way thru the 1st. We left at the half...While waiting in line and watching, I decided that I really didnt want to pay to see that. We watched from the fence... I have to say that that was the most boring football I've ever seen. Seriously. I hope that is not what most Texas high school ball is like. I can't think of the last time I've seen some ball that lame.

I really do think I know some 3A Louisiana teams that could have taken Leander with a fight and walked all over Westlake.

I know I will get slammed for my opinion, but so be it. I guess it's true that ball played in the Northern and Eastern part of Texas is bad to the bone.
I'll be glad to get to watch Longview next week.

[XSVRanger]

Baby and I attended this game...Sort of. We were there about mid-way thru the 1st. We left at the half...While waiting in line and watching, I decided that I really didnt want to pay to see that. We watched from the fence... I have to say that that was the most boring football I've ever seen. Seriously. I hope that is not what most Texas high school ball is like. I can't think of the last time I've seen some ball that lame.

I really do think I know some 3A Louisiana teams that could have taken Leander with a fight and walked all over Westlake.

I know I will get slammed for my opinion, but so be it. I guess it's true that ball played in the Northern and Eastern part of Texas is bad to the bone.
I'll be glad to get to watch Longview next week.
First impressions are usaully wrong...but they mean so much.

[Redneckn]

You could be right. I am just hoping that it is mostly just week ZERO jitters or something.

That was just mind boggling. The few little pass plays I saw were weak and pretty much pointless.

We'll see what it looks like in the coming weeks though. I will give anything a second chance.

[bowiedawgs01]

I agree that it seemed pretty ugly. But you don't have to pass in order to play real football.

[LeanderLions3033]

I don't know about lame. If by lame you mean shutting westlake down, and being one long td play to staton Jobe away from shutting them out, then i guess it was lame. In my opinion we just played solid defense, its not like either team had any turnovers or anything, its just that both played solid defense. I'm very satisfied with the way this game was played. We look like we could give some teams alot of pain with our defense. And our offense threw the ball nicely. Drew was like 11-16 or something, but you dont need to pass the ball up every other play when your running game is effective.

Final
Leander 16
Westlake 6

I want a person besides Redneckn to give an opinion on what they thought of this game.

[Redneckn]

Bowiedawgs...You're right about passing. You don't have to. But it sure is more fun to watch. But really though, if Texas ever gets a good hard core passing team going, that team will own Texas High School Footall. It will happen, just give a few more years. They will own it even if they cant completely stop the run. If you take a team that is just a hard core pass team that also has a pretty good runner, that team will run all over a mostly running team every time. If you took Longview (i pick on them because i've seen them play a few times) and turned them into a hard core passing team, they would dominate. They have the D to control the run, if they got a gunslinger at QB and format that wasnt scared to put it in the air properly, they would simply dominate completely. IF any of the top 5 teams in 5A were to start gunning that ball, nobody could stop them.
The only real downside to be a passing team is that you have got to have a crop of gunslingers. Otherwise, you will be doomed.


At the time I say all of this I do realize that the Texas teams I have seen have just been a few.

Mainly, I just love being a computer chair coach. :D :D :D :D :D

[bowiedawgs01]

I like a balanced offense. But a dominant ground game will keep that pass-happy offense off the field.

[LHSLion11]

Curenski Gilleylen needs to play more...wherever they can put him...I'd like to see him play QB more...he's an amazing athlete...naturally gifted...

[Texasfrog]

Bowiedawgs...You're right about passing. You don't have to. But it sure is more fun to watch. But really though, if Texas ever gets a good hard core passing team going, that team will own Texas High School Footall. It will happen, just give a few more years. They will own it even if they cant completely stop the run. If you take a team that is just a hard core pass team that also has a pretty good runner, that team will run all over a mostly running team every time. If you took Longview (i pick on them because i've seen them play a few times) and turned them into a hard core passing team, they would dominate. They have the D to control the run, if they got a gunslinger at QB and format that wasnt scared to put it in the air properly, they would simply dominate completely. IF any of the top 5 teams in 5A were to start gunning that ball, nobody could stop them.
The only real downside to be a passing team is that you have got to have a crop of gunslingers. Otherwise, you will be doomed.


At the time I say all of this I do realize that the Texas teams I have seen have just been a few.

Mainly, I just love being a computer chair coach. :D :D :D :D :D

Redneck, there is a team like that in Texas. It's called Southlake Carroll and they have a herd of gunslingers. Also, they have pretty much owned Texas for the last few years except Katy. Plus, there is a handful of teams that can give them a pretty stout game across the State.

If you get a chance go see Southlake if you want to see passing or go check out 4A's Ennis or Stephenville with their wide open Texas Tech offense.

[LeanderLions3033]

We can pass if we need to, if you didnt notice by the gridiorn guide we have a talented group of recievers. But it was all about ball control. Drew ended up passing for 130 yards and he was 14 for 20 with no interceptions. No long pass plays because their wasnt a time in the game where we needed it really. I also noticed a few things about Westlake. If they could have gotten the ball in the hands of Staton Jobe more (he was a burner) it could have been a different story. If we would have put in Josh McKinley at qb (i thought he played well in his first action on varsity as qb, he had a few nice runs) it might have been a differnet game. Drew was playing fine, but josh has to be in more than one series if hes gonna run the ball the way he did. Is their a westlake fan out there that can chime in on this.

[Redneckn]

LeanderLions. You said: "we pass if we have to". That was the point I was making. Because you pass when you have to, you don't do it very well. 130 yds passing in a game is weak.. As I say this, I do realize that y'all are not a passing team. I am just computerchair coaching again. I just dont think running is the way to dominate in football. In fact, I would say that it NOT the way to dominate. Somebody said that SLC had gunslingers. They dominate. ECA has always had gunslingers, they have dominated. They have dominated to a point where they have changed the way football is played in Louisiana.

Anyway. Congrats to Leander on the win.

[westwoodTE]

what do ya'll think about westlake vs westwood next week?

[chap fan]

Actually LeanderLions I agree with pretty much everything you said. We were more impressed with McKinley than Dunn and relieved (and somewhat surprised) that he only played one series. We saw some sparks, and I was pleased with the choices our new quarterback was making under pressure.

We have always started slow. Certainly you deserved to win that game. I think the guy who thought it was crummy football has just forgotten how much most good teams improve over the course of the season. You've got a new group of guys playing with each other and it will take at least a couple of weeks for things to start jelling.

If we both make it to the playoffs, I hope we have a close competitive and exciting game. (And I hope we win)

[westlake]

Nick Foles threw for 170yds for his varsity debut, he is gonna be a hoss. He will take us deep in the playoffs whether it be this year or next year. If you recall westlake lost the opener 2 yrs ago and wound up in the state semifinals where we lost to the Dallas Cowboys, i mean Galena Park North Shore (eventual state champs)

Having not seen the game, just read the game report from Austin american statesman i would say that a 16-6 game is sloppy on both parts, you cant win championships by only scoring 16 points. We will improve, we have lost our opener 3yrs in a row and still made it to the playoffs (in fact we have made the playoffs for like 15 or 16ys in a row now) i also remember that leander beat us last year to open and wound up going like 6-4 or someting, cant remember if they made the playoffs. We couldnt seem to get anything going on the ground, Westlake is a running team, and is out of place throwing the ball, however we have 4 good recievers and a good qb, but we need the running game, dornak needs to be getting 100yds/game.

I think that next week will be close, we will be away, but i think that they will know what to work on from last night and they will have it corrected enough to take it to westwood.

I have read that this is westlake's best team since 2001 (state finalist, lost in championship game to Reggie McNeal) i hope those people are right.

[LeanderLions3033]

Our offense didnt really look sloppy, but when we got in the redzone we couldnt get anything going. And last year was partly an injury thing (i know, excuses excuses) but we lost Jason Barnes and two members of the secondary last year. We'll be fine, and yall will be fine.

[svrangerfan]

Schroeder was a better coach than everybody thought. Westlake has come back to the pack. 10 years ago nobody would be asking if Westlake would win. They always did.

[Texasfrog]

Schroeder was a better coach than everybody thought. Westlake has come back to the pack. 10 years ago nobody would be asking if Westlake would win. They always did.

Also alot of the surroundings area near Austin have exploded with a fast growing population. Population equals more football players at the local schools.

[westlake]

its more like 3 years ago, when the only time we lost was deep in the playoffs.

Schroder was a better coach, he was the winningest coach in Texas in the 1990's 187-27-6 since 1987
5 state champoinship appearances, and 1 title (55-15 "thumping" of Abeline Cooper) We went from 1990-1998 w/out loosing a regular season game, and from 1990-2003 w/o loosing a district game.

Long is doing his best, and has had less athletic talent to work with than in the past. We actually have some size this year, we just need to come together and use it.

The Austin Area has historically not had great football programs though, Hays, Leander, Pflugerville, Smithson Valley, and San Marcos are all programs that have recently come up, like 5 or so years.

we have a
6-4 230lb QB who can throw the ball (second letter)
6-3 225lb WR who and i quote "deals out more punishment than he recieves" (third letter)
6-0 175lb WR who runs a 4.4 40 (third letter)
6-4 235lb TE who is a manchild (third letter)
An O-Line that Averages 245lbs a man, featuring 6-4 295 (#70) and 6-3 255 (73)
and 6-3 270
5-11 185lb RB that ran for 1300 yards last year (third letter)

They are gonna produce, they just need to get in a rythm.

[westlakefootball]

Westlake has so much talent on the team. The offensive coordinator just calls **** plays.

The players listed above by westlake have D1 scholarship offers just waiting for them (the TE already signed to Purdue.) In addition to the them the team also has:

5'8 167 RB who is incredibly explosive and shifty (JR, 2L)
6'0 190 WR who catches just about everything and has decent speed (SR, 2L)
6'? 227 OLB who is a hoss, cleans 320lbs (SR, 3L)
6'? 160 CB who is extremely atheltic (JR, 2L)
6'1 190 (JR, transfer) and 6'0 199 (SR, 2L) ILB who both are athletic, have high intensity, and showed they could make plays against Leander
5'? 213 (JR, 1L) and 5'10 215 (JR, 2L) DL who are athletic and very strong and showed they could make plays against Leander
5'? 155 K/P who can boot punts 45+ yards and give field position to the defense and can hit 50+ yard field goals (JR, 2L)

Overall the team has more than enough talent to get them deep into the playoffs. The offensive coordinator just needs to learn how to use the offense. The passing is unstoppable with the extremely talent QB and WRs, and the run game can be a big factor with the explosive RBs. If the playcalling gets better this team's limit is unlimited.

[westlake]

Coach Ross is a good coach, this is only his 2nd year calling the plays Westlake has one of the most extensive playbooks in the state (i had to memorize a lot of it at one point). Back in the days of Schroeder, coach Davis was the play caller (OC), and he was awsome but he was also a traitor when he took the head coaching job at Austin High in 2002, it is hard to compare someone like that to a guy who is just getting used to reading defenses and picking them over.

But the defense needs to step up also, in a game where the offense can only manage 6points, they have to realize its their job to only allow 5.

Im not too sure about Wang kicking, i hope for the sake of the season that he has improved over last year with his choking. i have never witnessed someone screw up so many kicks.

[westlakefootball]

Coach Ross is a good coach, this is only his 2nd year calling the plays Westlake has one of the most extensive playbooks in the state (i had to memorize a lot of it at one point). Back in the days of Schroeder, coach Davis was the play caller (OC), and he was awsome but he was also a traitor when he took the head coaching job at Austin High in 2002, it is hard to compare someone like that to a guy who is just getting used to reading defenses and picking them over.

But the defense needs to step up also, in a game where the offense can only manage 6points, they have to realize its their job to only allow 5.

Im not too sure about Wang kicking, i hope for the sake of the season that he has improved over last year with his choking. i have never witnessed someone screw up so many kicks.

Eh, I think Coach Ross is a good coach but I'm not too sure about his playcalling abilities. Against Leander, he called a QB draw, and I'm sure you know Foles isn't mobile at all plus he had bruised ribs from a scrimmage... seriously. And, he called the same exact running play two times in a row just b/c it worked the first time. Those are just some of the many terrible plays he has called. He needs to realize that Jobe is a freaking weapon and with Foles and all his targets, the passing game will be the main factor this year, not running. His playcalling is also too predictable.

The defense did fine and will continue doing well, the offense needs to put up more points.

Wang didn't really screw up his kicks, he just dropped the snaps for the punts b/c he was nervous. Kicking is the most mentally difficult position and he was just a sophmore, I think most people expected him to choke. He didn't drop one against Leander and booted a 50+ yard punt I believe and was averaging above 40 per punt before he shanked one. Both his kickoffs were touchbacks, he has a very strong leg and can be a weapon. I don't think choking will be much of a problem this year, he has experience and didn't show signs of nerves against Leander.

[LeanderLions3033]

6-3 225lb WR who and i quote "deals out more punishment than he recieves" (third letter)

If your talking about Will Ball, i think Brett Schroeder would have something to say about that if you saw the front cover of the Austin American Statemsan ;) . Naw but in all seriousness, you guys fielded one of the bigest high school football teams that i've seen. Alot of size all over the field from qb to wideouts to lineman and the defense looked big. And another thing that some of you have to realize is, its a different Leander team when they have a 100% healthy Jason Barnes.

[westlake]

i will agree with you on the play calling, they just need to have floes step up in the pocket and rifle it out there at least 50% of the time. I remember coach ross calling the option against san marcos or something with 45 sec left and down by 6 or something like that? That is with Mark Oliver and Coy Aune and Tony Gulla available.

My quote on william ball was just what they said in the Westlake Picayune, he is a hudge reciever but i diddnt actually see the game or listen to it (i am going to college in Colorado).

[westlakefootball]

Ball is pretty dominant, however his hands aren't all that great. This year should be a great year once all the little corrections are made. I think Coach Ross will eventually see that throwing the ball is what needs to be done. The O-line didn't do so well against Leander. We have a high caliber offense which will be able to pass and run very efficiently, our defense is pretty stout with hosses on the line and linebackers, and a very athletic secondary. Special teams I believe will not be a problem like it was last year, Wang has a big enough leg to possibly kick D1, and no signs of choking or nerves were shown vs Leander. This should be a great year for us and I think we will go very far in the playoffs.

[LeanderLions3033]

Yeah, all this really doesnt mean much since district play hasnt started yet, however i was very impressed with a few people on the team.

Billy Allen #9: made some nice catches and is nice in the open field. Him and Travis Njuko should be a nice tandem at wr.

Josh McKinley #4: Had some nice runs. It didnt show this game, we all knew that Drew was going to play alot more than Josh in game one, since Drew was the starter last year, but look for Josh to cause problems for teams when he gets on the field.

Blake Gideon #35: Made a few nice hits to start the game, and its nice to see a sophomore on the field making key plays and stepping up and hitting people.

Jason Barnes #3: Hes healthy now, and although he only ran for about 90 or 95 yards, it was on just 15 carries.

for you guys

Staton Jobe #2 (i think): He was all over the field on defense and has some wheels, and was able to get past billy on the long bomb. I thought he was the offensive weapon that caused the most problems for us.

Max Minor #28: I felt that he was the better rb out of Dornak and himself. More speed, better cuts, and he ran just as hard in my opinion. You got yourself a good one in him.

Nick Foles #7: 170 yards 1 td 1 int. Not bad for a first start. He looked very poised and my god he is one of the biggest qbs i've ever seen. Dave Campbells has him listed at 6'5" 235. Thats a monster.

What position does Minor play, is he starting anywhere. Because i saw him lineup at wr and rb. He and Jobe need to be on the field at all times for westlake IMO.

[westlakefootball]

He plays running back, he starts at some plays there and Dornak gets moved to fullback, and sometimes Dornak is the running back and another junior who was on varsity as a sophmore last year, Jay Austin, is the fullback. Max is definately much more shiftier and quicker, Matt also has good speed but is more power. I think we just needed to throw the ball more, I believe if we did there is no doubt in my mind we would've won that game. Our playcalling is just terrible. Y'all have a good team with lots of speed and athletic players, I think y'all will have a great season. Best of luck!

[ktCarl]

Redneck, there is a team like that in Texas. It's called Southlake Carroll and they have a herd of gunslingers. Also, they have pretty much owned Texas for the last few years except Katy. Plus, there is a handful of teams that can give them a pretty stout game across the State.

If you get a chance go see Southlake if you want to see passing or go check out 4A's Ennis or Stephenville with their wide open Texas Tech offense.

Katy does pretty well running the ball. They tend to chew up time and keep gunslinger offenses on the sidelines.

Hey Frog, I meant to reply to redneck.....sorry.

[westlake]

thats what westlake used to do, back in the days when we kept 2 1000yd rushers and a hoss fullback in the stable.

Westlake's playbook is so complicated it is hard to understand. Dornak (35) rushed for 1300yds last year and carried the offense last year. Minor (28) averaged like 7yds/ carry last year but only rushed against 2nd string guys.

I dont think that Dornak was necessarily switching to Fullback when minor came on the field, Westlake has a lot of plays designed for 2 HBs

We have so many weapons that we need to spread it around, run sweeps with minor, line him up in the slot, and do screens (i dont know if he has good hands though). Dornak (35) is our power, up the middle pretty much anything. Not too sure where Jay Austin (31) will fit into the scheme, mabe just a blocker for now, and H-back. And im anxious to see how Bost (17) does as a 3rd WR

The o-line is hudge avg 245lbs, it is only a matter of time (hopefully by next week) that they are putting people on their backs.

I think our weakest link is the secondary, and that could be crucial. We do have Ballew (21) who is on the light side listed at 160lbs and was on varsity last year as a sophomore Street and Penn both saw action last year, but are both also on the smallish side.

[westlakefootball]

Jay does some blocking, he also has some run plays for him and screens.

Cory will have a good year I think, his hands are amazing.

Our secondary, though light, is very athletic. Ballew is so athletic it's scary, Penn is a hard hitter and will do very good this year. Street has big shoes to fill replacing Steven Jackson at rover, which is the weakest point on the defense right now.

[LeanderLions3033]

If your secondary is the weakest part of your game, then you will have a VERY tough time against Westwood, who passes a good 40+ times a game. They probably run the ball 10 or 15% of the time and pass the rest and throw in alot of trick plays. And Westwood has given yall problems before. Its only non district but its never good to start the year out 0-2.

[westlakefootball]

Yeah, and they have one of the top receiving corps in the state, it should be a good good.

[westlake]

who is the fourth DB?

Street
Penn
Ballew

The name Ballew is synonomous with athletic, its just a shame that the Grant and Brad werent the big time running backs that Scott was. Jeff Ballew is their younger brother, he is supposed to be pretty big, mabe he will be as good as Scott

[westlakefootball]

I believe it's William Sayers, junior that moved at from JV from last year.

[badger95]

Coach Ross is a good coach, this is only his 2nd year calling the plays Westlake has one of the most extensive playbooks in the state (i had to memorize a lot of it at one point). Back in the days of Schroeder, coach Davis was the play caller (OC), and he was awsome but he was also a traitor when he took the head coaching job at Austin High in 2002, it is hard to compare someone like that to a guy who is just getting used to reading defenses and picking them over.

This is Coach Ross's third year as play caller, and Coach Davis never called the varsity plays. He was the OC by title only, just as Coach Ross was before Schroeder resigned. Under Schroeder, he always called his own plays and his OC called them for the JV A team on Thurs. nights.

No one has mentioned that Leander completely changed their defense from last year and from their Killeen scrimmage. They had been a Split Defense (4-4), and came out in a 3-3 Stack vs. Westlake. That really threw the Westlake O-line for a loop and had to get to half time to make adjustments. After the half, Westlake only had three possessions. The first ended with a missed field goal that would have tied the game. The second ended witha punt, and the third ended with and interception in the end zone. So two of the three were potential scoring drives.

The strength of Leander's offense is their running game which controls the clock, as shown by Westlake only having those three possessions in the second half. Leander won this game hands down, but Westlake was not as bad as you may be inclined to think. They should handle Westwood, and then they will have to prove their worth vs. A&M consol. in two weeks.

[westlake]

I was told that Davis sat in the box and read the other teams D and relayed the play (or at least the type of plays) to schroeder, and that when davis left schroeder had more of a hand in the play calling.

But im not the ultimate authority, and was a sohomore when davis left so i dont know for sure.

I think we well take it to Westwood, and i think that if we dont get our act together will loose to consol.

[Brant_Scott_76]

Even though westlake had a tough loss in week 0, I still think they are going to be a hard team to stop this year once they get rolling we play them after westwood at the chap's stadium, and that ought to be an intresting game, especially with a&m consolidated's new off. and westlake throwing the ball alot more

[westlakefootball]

Yeah, they did change their defense and it completely threw off the o-line who had a terrible game. Foles got hit basically after every single throw. And was it me or did that field goal look like it went in? He kicked it really high so it went over the post and it was hard to tell.

And by the way the 4th person in the secondary is Staton Jobe, he plays both ways.

[LeanderLions3033]

We run a 3-3 stack as well as a 4-2-5 (its got the same look as a 4-4, but with two strong safties in stead of extra corners). It really just depends on how things are going. Or at least thats how it was last year. I'm pretty sure we didnt just magically change the defense on yall.

[westlake]

we run a 5-2 with stand up ends Anchor Backer and Bandit Backer, along with a Rover and a DHB. We also run eagle, but its been so long since ive run it i dont remember how it was set up. If anyone could enlighten me.

[badger95]

I was told that Davis sat in the box and read the other teams D and relayed the play (or at least the type of plays) to schroeder, and that when davis left schroeder had more of a hand in the play calling.


Davis never sat in the box. He was on the field, with a clipboard, standing behind Coach Schroeder, writing down the play that was called. Coach Ross was up in the box when Davis was here and until Schroeder left. Regardless, Coach Schroeder was always the play-caller.

[svrangerfan]

Leaving for a better opportunity does not make one a "traitor". I will continue to believe that until Larry Hill is named head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

[westlake]

No but the OC taking a coaching job with our Arch Rivals is different. If he had stayed another year he would be head coach at WHS, but now he is getting kicked around with crappy football programs.

[svrangerfan]

Yes maybe he is but if he is any good someone will see that and offer him a better position. But usually the best way to get a head coaching position is to be one. Hindsight is always 20/20.

[badger95]

No but the OC taking a coaching job with our Arch Rivals is different. If he had stayed another year he would be head coach at WHS, but now he is getting kicked around with crappy football programs.

Coach Long would still have become the head coach had Steve Davis stayed around. That is why he left to become a head coach elsewhere.

[westlake]

Davis left a year before Schroeder quit. No one knew that schroeder was leaving, not even coach long, untill the day he left.

Davis left because Austin High offered him more money and title to be their head coach. I guess they thought that they would become like westlake if they got davis.

Our offense slumped without davis also...

I dont know where you get your information, but i got mine living through that, showing up to 2-a-days the day schroeder left, and hearing from coach davis that he was going to austin high, and being in the weight room with him on his last day.

I know that coaches dont have the loyalty that players have, but hearing from your Offensive Coordinator that he will be Austin Highs head coach next year is kind of a shock. And i thnk most players took it like i did.