From Drew Brees to Baker Mayfield, Westlake vs. Lake Travis rivalry has epic starpower

Rick Cantu, Austin American-Statesman

It's easy to understand why Westlake vs. Lake Travis has become one of the premier high school football rivalries in Texas.

The schools are separated by 12 miles. They have taken turns winning their district for 15 years. And they have combined for 10 state championships — six by the Cavaliers, four for the Chaparrals.

Lake Travis won its first state title in 2007 behind coach Jeff Dicus. Chad Morris won state twice with a combined record of 32-0 in 2008 and 2009. Westlake became a state power in the 1990s under coach Ron Schroeder and continued its winning ways under Derek Long, Todd Dodge and Tony Salazar.

More: Watch Westlake vs. Lake Travis live in Texas high school football on NFHS Network (subscribe today)

As we look ahead to Saturday's regional championship between the Cavs and Chaps at The Pfield in Pflugerville, we look back at some of the players who have made the rivalry what it is today:

Former Westlake quarterback Drew Brees went 28-0-1 in his two years as the Chaparrals' starter, leading the program to its first of four state championships in 1996. He's one of a handful of future college and NFL stars that came out of the Westlake and Lake Travis programs.
Former Westlake quarterback Drew Brees went 28-0-1 in his two years as the Chaparrals' starter, leading the program to its first of four state championships in 1996. He's one of a handful of future college and NFL stars that came out of the Westlake and Lake Travis programs.

Drew Brees, Westlake quarterback (1995-96)

Brees burst onto the football scene by compiling a 28-0-1 record in his two years as Westlake's starter and was the MVP of the Class 5A DII state championship game in 1996. That was the first of four state titles the Chaparrals have won. In college he set two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten records and 19 Purdue records and then enjoyed a 20-year NFL career with the Chargers and Saints. He led the league in passing yards a record seven times, and was voted MVP of Super Bowl XLIV after leading the Saints past the Colts. Brees still holds two NFL and 14 Saints passing records. He was a second-round pick of the 2001 NFL draft.

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Cameron Dicker, Lake Travis kicker (2015-17)

A three-year starter, Dicker was part of the 2016 Lake Travis team that won the Class 6A DI state championship. He was voted All-State twice before a standout career with the Texas Longhorns. He's Texas' career scoring leader for a kicker (386 points) and in his two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, he has made 36 of his 38 career field goal attempts.

Former Lake Travis Cavalier kicker Cameron Dicker might best be remembered for hitting a game-winning field goal against Oklahoma in 2018. He has been the place-kicker for the Los Angeles Chargers the past two seasons
Former Lake Travis Cavalier kicker Cameron Dicker might best be remembered for hitting a game-winning field goal against Oklahoma in 2018. He has been the place-kicker for the Los Angeles Chargers the past two seasons

Sam Ehlinger, Westlake quarterback (2014-16)

Voted the state's player of the year by the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2015, Ehlinger was a three-year starter for the Chaparrals. He passed for 7,491 yards, 89 touchdowns and also 36 rushing touchdowns at Westlake. He went on to start for Texas and his 27 career wins rank No. 4 in Longhorns history behind Colt McCoy, Vince Young and Major Applewhite. Drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, he's in his third season in the NFL.

More: Lake Travis running back Nico Hamilton carries player of the week status into playoff game

Nick Foles, Westlake quarterback (2004-06)

Foles faced Lake Travis just once during his three years on varsity, beating the Cavaliers 38-14 in a non-district game in September 2006. He played college football at Michigan State and Arizona but is best known for his NFL heroics. He was the MVP of Super Bowl LII after guiding the Philadelphia Eagles past Tom Brady's New England Patriots 41-33.

Garrett Gibert, Lake Travis quarterback (2006-08)

Gilbert guided Lake Travis to its first two state championships in 2007 and 2008, earning Gatorade state player of the year honors before signing with Texas. As a Cavalier, he went 39-4 and passed for 12,311 yards and 130 touchdowns against 25 interceptions. He stepped in for McCoy as a true freshman in the 2009 BCS championship game loss to Alabama when McCoy was injured early, throwing two touchdowns in the 37-21 loss. He transferred to SMU in 2012 and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams. He played for nine different teams.

Baker Mayfield, Lake Travis quarterback (2011-12)

Long before he became the Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma and the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft, Mayfield was a winner with the Cavaliers. He guided Lake Travis to the 2011 Class 4A state championship and went 25-2 in his two years as a starter. His most memorable play as a Cavalier was a 96-yard touchdown pass to Grant Foster in the final minute of a 14-11 win over Westlake in 2012. He has played for four different NFL teams and is the current starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

More:Austin-area high school football playoff schedule for this week's games

Todd Reesing, Lake Travis quarterback (2003-05)

Reesing helped establish Lake Travis' reputation for producing high-level college quarterbacks — he was the first of 10 straight Cavaliers quarterbacks who signed NCAA Division I scholarships. He was an All-Central Texas selection in 2005 before a three-year college career with Kansas, establishing 14 school records and leading the Jayhawks to the 2008 Orange Bowl. He had a brief professional career in the Canadian Football League.

Michael Taaffe, Westlake safety (2019-2020)

Taaffe helped the Chaparrals win two state championships, a big-game player who was named the defensive player of the game in both Class 6A title games, a 24-0 win over Denton Guyer in 2019 and a 52-34 win over Southlake Carroll in 2020. He walked on with the Texas Longhorns but was awarded a full scholarship at the end of the 2022 season and has developed into a key player for the Longhorns' secondary.

Justin Tucker is remembered in Longhorns circles as the kicker who nailed a field goal to beat Texas A&M in College Station in the last game the old rivals have played. Today he's known as one of the best kickers in NFL history with the Baltimore Ravens.
Justin Tucker is remembered in Longhorns circles as the kicker who nailed a field goal to beat Texas A&M in College Station in the last game the old rivals have played. Today he's known as one of the best kickers in NFL history with the Baltimore Ravens.

Justin Tucker, Westlake kicker (2005-07)

As a senior, Tucker earned an invitation to the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl game and then enjoyed a memorable college career with the Texas Longhorns. In 2011 he kicked the last-second field goal to beat Texas A&M 27-25 in the schools' memorable final game against each other, and as a pro he is considered to be one of the greatest NFL kickers of all time. He owns the NFL record for the longest field goal ever — a 66-yarder against the Detroit Lions in 2021. The 2012 undrafted free agent has been a six-time Pro Bowler.

Garrett Wilson, Lake Travis wide receiver (2015-18)

Wilson played a big role in the Cavaliers' 41-6 win over The Woodlands for the Class 6A state championship in 2016 — throwing for a 24-yard touchdown pass and also catching another touchdown. He signed with Ohio State as a five-star recruit and the nation's No. 2 receiver prospect in 2019 and went on to catch 23 touchdown passes in his three-year career with the Buckeyes. The 10th overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft by the New York Jets, he was the 2022 NFL offensive rookie of the year.

Former Lake Travis receiver Garrett Wilson had a stellar career with Ohio State before being chosen in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Jets. He was named NFL offensive rookie of the year in 2022.
Former Lake Travis receiver Garrett Wilson had a stellar career with Ohio State before being chosen in the first round of the NFL draft by the New York Jets. He was named NFL offensive rookie of the year in 2022.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Top 10 Texas high school football players in Westlake-Lake Travis rivalry

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