Westlake overwhelms San Antonio Brennan, sets up showdown with North Shore in state semifinals
SAN ANTONIO — For the past four years, Westlake and Galena Park North Shore have accumulated plenty of wins — and plenty of rings — while battling for the unofficial title of the state’s best high school football program.
Next Saturday at Rice Stadium in Houston, the top two Class 6A teams in Texas will renew their long-distance rivalry when they meet with a spot in the Division I championship game on the line.
“It’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out,” Westlake coach Tony Salazar said. ”They’re a physical football team, but I think we are, too. When you have great teams playing at a high level like this, it’s going to be a great football game. It will be survival of the fittest.”
Westlake secured its spot in that heavyweight showdown by dispatching San Antonio Brennan 47-7 in the Region IV title game Saturday at the Alamodome. That extended the Chaparrals’ area-record winning streak to 54 games and kept alive their hopes of becoming the first team to win four consecutive championships in the state’s largest classification.
That pursuit can’t sit well with North Shore, which has won three Class 6A Division I titles in the past four years. The Mustangs' only playoff loss in that span came in a Division I state semifinal against Westlake in 2020, when the Chaps won a thriller 24-21.
Westlake’s other two Class 6A titles over the past three years have come in Division II.
“We’re going against another state champion,” Salazar said. “There’s no doubt about it: It’s going to take our best effort, and we’re going to have to execute in all three phases of the game. We have to make timely plays and have to play with a lot of guts and a lot of heart. That’s what it takes to beat another champion.”
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Westlake receiver Keaton Kubecka said the Chaps’ win in 2020 was “the best high school game I’ve ever been a part of.” Kubecka, a senior pledged to Kansas, spent much of that game matched up with North Shore cornerback Jacoby Davis, a fellow senior with offers from across the country.
“We had a great battle all game long,” said Kubecka, who had four catches for 93 yards and a touchdown against Brennan while helping the team overcome the absence of injured star receiver Jaden Greathouse. “It will be fun playing those guys again.”
Westlake defensive end Colton Vasek agreed with his teammate. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Texas pledge also played against North Shore as a sophomore and recalled a rugged rock fight in the trenches.
“They’re a hell of a team,” he said. “It will be a battle.”
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Westlake (14-0) rolled into the state semifinals with a balanced effort that overwhelmed Brennan (12-2). The Chaps’ defense manhandled a Brennan offense that entered the contest averaging 48 points a game. The Bears didn’t score until midway through the fourth quarter, and they had less than 100 yards of offense until a drive at the end of the half that ended with a fourth-down stop by Westlake at its own 10-yard line. Vasek had two sacks and exerted constant pressure, and senior Will Magids picked off two passes by Brennan quarterback Ashton Dubose in the end zone.
Brennan didn’t help itself on special teams, either. Two short punts helped Westlake score its first 10 points, and Judson Crockett blocked another punt that led to a touchdown run by Jack Kayser.
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The Chaps will enter next week’s game with some questions despite the lopsided win. Greathouse, a Notre Dame pledge who has set virtually every receiving record at Westlake, didn’t suit up against Brennan, but coaches are optimistic that he’ll be ready for the North Shore game.
There’s also renewed interest in the quarterback position. Brett Skinner stepped in for Paxton Land after a slow start by Westlake’s offense, threw for an unofficial 164 yards and two touchdowns on 7-of-9 passing, and added 20 yards on the ground. His strong play will force Salazar and his staff to make a tough decision for the game against North Shore.
But Salazar said having options at quarterback can only help his team.
“We have two quarterbacks that have started a game (this year), and both guys have taken the challenge to lead this football team,” he said. “All along, Brett’s been working his craft, and the football team responded to (Skinner) today. He brought some thing with his legs and hit some wide-open receivers. Whoever’s hot (at quarterback), we’re going to put that guy in there.”
Fourth-round playoff results
Class 6A Division I
Westlake 47, San Antonio Brennan 7
Class 6A Division II
Vandegrift 27, Dripping Springs 24
Class 5A Division II
Liberty Hill 63, Corpus Christi Flour Bluff 43
Class 4A Division II
Wimberley 49. Lago Vista 30
Class 2A Division II
Granger 66, Burton 27
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Division 1 State Semifinals set: Austin's Westlake to play Galena Park North Shore
