Lake Travis 36, Highland Park 34

DCTF's Jake Shaw will be blogging live from the 2007 Class 4A Division II state championship between Highland Park (15-0) and Lake Travis (14-1) at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. Check in with Jake just before kickoff at 2 p.m. Question or comment? Send Jake an email.

LAKE TRAVIS WINS 4A DII TITLE(5:04 p.m.)The Lake Travis Cavaliers are the 2007 Class 4A Division II state champions -- the first time they can ever make that claim.The Cavs got a crucial stop of HP at the LT 25-yard line with under two minutes left. LT then took over and was able to run out the clock.Congratulations to the Cavs on an incredible run. I'll have more later, but right now, I'm headed to Irving to watch the 3A DII final between China Spring and Celina. I'll blog once I get there,4th down for HP(4:59 p.m.) HP is facing 4th-and-4 at the LT 31 -- the game will come down to this conversion. If HP gets it, the drive is alive.It LT gets a stop, they take over with less than two minutes left in a game LT leads 36-34. Huge play coming up.HP on the drive(4:53 p.m.) HP hadn't trailed in the 4th quarter all year. Today, they're trying to take their first lead of the game.HP is driving -- it has 2nd-and-1 at the LT 36 -- and LT just called a timeout with 3:02 left in the game.Lt still leads 36-34, but HP has a lot of momentum going its way.Hp stops Lake Travis short(4:50 p.m.) LT got one first down -- but no more. On third-and-5, a slant across the middle was completed, but two yards short.Lake Travis just punted away to HP, which starts at its own 29-yard line.LT still leads 36-34, and there's 4:10 left in the game.LT has long way to go(4:47 p.m.) Lake Travis will start its next drive at its own 10 yard line after a holding on the kickoff return.The score: Lake Travis 36, Highland Park 34. The time: 5:56 left in the game.Amazing plays get HP in end zone(4:45 p.m.) HP now trails by just two points again after QB Winston Gamso snuck it in from 1-yard out. The PAT made the score LT 36, HP 34 with 6:10 left in the game.Two HP receivers -- Chase Davis and Travis Bellinger -- had amazing catches that kep the drive alive. Davis caught a passon the sideline with one hand, while Bellinger hauled in a pass at the 1-yard line despite a defender draping him.This game is set up for a wild finish!Gret return for HP(4:41 p.m.) HP got a boost from its sepcial teams after just falling behind 36-27.Receiver Seth Gardner returned the kickoff to the 50-yard line, setting up HP with a short field.Again, Lake Travis leads 36-27, and there's now 6:36 left in the game.LT uses Boise State magic!! LT leads 36-27(4:40 p.m.) Lake Travis just scored on a 12-yard TD run by Chris Adyam, but it wasn't your average 12-yard run.LT QB Garrett Gilbert faked a pass, then handed off to Adyan -- behind his back -- a la the famous Boise State play against OU in the most recent Fieste Bowl.The perfectly-executed play just gave LT a two-score lead: 36-27. There's only 6:53 left in the game, so HP needs to score on this drive, or else the game might be over.INT of the game(4:36 p.m.) Just after HP got the ball back on a stop, Lake Travis took it right back away.Lake Travis safety Marcus Pate got an interception on a tipped ball and returned it to the HP 6. However, there was a holding on the return, so LT will now have to start at its 33.LT still leads 29-27 and there's 7:45 left in the game.Hit of the game(4:32 p.m.) Lake Travis was trying to put together a game-ending drive, but HP defensive captain Brett Martin broke through the line on a 3rd-and-1 for Lake Travis cand came up with a tackle for a 4-yard loss.LT now has to punt back to HP with exaclty 8 minutes left in the game.Lake Travis still leads by a slim margin, 29-27.Another HP punt(4:30 p.m.) Suddenly, neither offense can move. We've only had one score this half (HP TD in third quarter), so LT is holding onto a 29-27 lead and just got the ball back after stopping HP on its latest drive.HP had started its drive after intercepting LT, but HP wasn't able to capitalize.Gilbert's first mistake(4:25 p.m.) HP defensive back Johnny McKnight just made an incredible individual play, leaping for an INT of Lake Travis QB Garrett Gilbert.HP now has the ball at its own 34 with 11:35 to play, trailing Lake Travis 29-27.END OF THIRD: Lake Travis still up 29-27(4:23 p.m.) We've got one quarter left to decide the Class 4A DII title. LT leads 29-27 and has a first down at its own 45. This is easily LT's best drive of the second half.Penalty allows LT to convert(4:21 p.m.) The LT offense isn't nearly as explosive as it was in the first half, but it's moving right now.After picking up a third down perviously, LT just converted again thanks to an offsides call against HP. The HP defense had gotten a stop, but the penalty kept LT's drive alive.There's now 27 seconds left in the third quarter with LT still on top, 29-27.LT gets huge conversion(4:19 p.m.) Facing third-and-15 from inside its own 10, LT's offense just came up with a conversion that will prevent them from punting back to Highland Park.LT's Garrett Gilbert hit Jason Bird on an out route for a 20-yard gain, moving the ball up to its own 25.There's now about a minute left in the third quarter of a game LT leads 29-27.Highland Park drive stalls(4:15 p.m.) A promising drive for the Scots ended with two sacks from the LT defense. But HP then got the break from the wind, as a short punt got 15-20 more yards thanks to a strong wind that pushed a rolling ball downfield.LT has first down at its own 12 yard line, leading 29-27 with under three minutes to go in the third quarter.HP converts on fourth down(4:11 p.m.) Faced with a tough decision, HP went for it on 4th-and-1 from the LT 41-yard line. A QB keeper by Winston Gamso converted, so HP's drive is still going.HP has first at the LT 39, 4:52 left in the third quarter of a game LT leads 29-27.HP defense playing inspired(4:10 p.m.) Two Lake Travis drives in the second half, zero first downs. In fact, Lake Travis went backwards on its latest drive, losing two yards.Forced to punt, HP just signaled for a fair catch and will have excellent field position. HP starts this drive at the LT 45 with 6:21 left in the third quarter.Lake Travis is still hanging onto a 29-27 lead.LT fumbled kickoff return is over-ruled(4:07 p.m.) Replay was completely inconclusive, and so were the refs.But Lake Travis was first called for a fumble on their kickoff return after HP had scored to make it a 29-22 LT lead.Another referee came running in and said the LT return man was down, so LT hangs onto the ball and starts it drive at its own 17, leading 29-27 with 7:26 left in the third quarter.Lake Travis lead down to 29-27(4:04 p.m.) Highland Park QB Winston Gamso is matching Lake Travis' Garrett Gilbert play-for-play.Gamso's latest: a 35-yard strike to Chase Davis on a deep out for a TD that brings Highland Park with 29-27 of Lake Travis.HP converted twice on third downs on the drive, including one of more than 10 yards.LT is set to get the ball back with 7:41 left in the third quarter.Gamso can run, too(4:01 p.m.) Winston Camso entered the second half with 220 yards passing. The senior Highland Park QB can run too.Facing third and long, Gamso just sprinted out for a 15-yard gain to keep HP's drive alive with 8:15 left in the third quarter.Lake Travis still leads 29-20.HP sets the tone(3:57 p.m.) The Highland Park defense came out with a stop on LT's first possession to start the second half.The Scots sacked LT's Garrett Gilbert on first down, then forced Gilbert into an incomplete pass on third down.HP takes over at its own 47 after a short LT punt, trailing Lake Travis 29-20.Minutes away from second-half kickoff(3:51 p.m.) LT is set to receive the opening kickoff of the second half of a game it leads 29-20.I first stated that HP got the ball, but I was wrong (it happens from time to time).First half ends, LT on top 29-20(3:26 p.m.) If the second half matches the first, this might go down as the best game I've seen all year.Both offenses are living up to the hype -- Garrett Gilbert's monster junior campaign is headed toward a nice finish, as he has his Lake Travis team up 29-20. He's thrown three TDs so far.HP's offense has been just as good, but the team has to feel like its left 10 or 11 points off the scoreboard. HP had a TD opportunity squandered when it fumbled on the LT one-yard line and it went out of bounds for a touchback and a turnover.The Scots also have had a field goal blocked, and a 2-point try failed early in the first quarter.HP hasn't played from behind much this season, so the second half will be interesting. The Scots do start the second half with the ball, so it's imperative for their chances to score on the opening drive.Can't say enough about Gilbert(3:21 p.m.) With an incredible change in momentum.HP looked like it was going to take a 23-22 lead, but its FG attempt was blocked, setting up LT at its own 32 with only 40 seconds left.Four plays later, LT QB Garrett Gilbert connected with Cohl Walla from 52-yards out for a TD and a 29-20 lead. It appeared the play action forced busted coverage in the HP secondary, because there was no defender in sight.Gilbert made an incredible move -- dodging a would-be tackler -- before launching the pass to Walla.WIth six seconds left in the first half, LT now has a 29-20 lead and all the momentum.Hp defense finidng a groove(3:12 p.m.) After LT got the ball back on a crazy play (HP fumbled into the end zone), the Highland Park defense came up with its second straight stop of the game.HP forced an LT punt and has possession at its own 45, 2:30 left in the half.Lake Travis still leads 22-20.LT gets HUUUUUGE break(3:09 p.m.) Highland Park thought it struck gold. Instead, it was LT that got the break.Highland Park receiver Chase Davis appeared just ready to score on a 69-yard strike from QB Winston Gamso.But Davis was chased down from behind by Harry Hatch, brought down near the goal-line, and lost a fumble in the process. The ball rolled out the end zone, giving LT the ball on a touchback.To compund things for HP, there was a 15-yard penalty that sets up LT with a first down at its own 35, just under three minutes left in the half.Game is still led by Lake Travis, 22-20.Lake Travis can't convert(3:05 p.m.) Facing third-and-long for the first time all day, LT Garrett Gilbert was flushed from the pocket and tried to float a pass to WR Jason Bird. The pass was a bit too high, and LT just punted for the first time all game.It was a VERY short punt -- it stopped rolling at the HP 41, so the Scots will take over with 4:00 left in the half, trailing 22-20.Not it's Lake Travis' defense time to try to come up with a stop.Play of the half for HP?(3:03 p.m.) LT just called a timeout facing 3rd-and-11 at its own 28. So far, HP hasn't stopped Lake Travis on third down this game.HP needs a stop badly.Scoring spree continues: HP cuts deficit to 22-20(3:00 p.m.) HP just finished a 65-yard drive that took a decent chunk of time off the clock. QB Winston Gamso finished the drive that Dutch Crews started, throwing a 6-yard dart to Chris Morris for a TD. The HP PAT made the score Lake Travis 22, Highland Park 20. There's 5:10 left in the first half.Another positive from this drive: HP got its defense some rest. It needed the break to re-enregize, one, but also to find a way to stop the LT offense. IT hasn't on three drives so far.Somebody in the press box just said first one to 60 wins. I'm thinking 70.Crews remains under center(2:53 p.m.) Not sure if this is calculated or of HP coach Randy Allen liked what he saw from QB Dutch Crews on the last drive, but Crews is leading HP on its second straight possession.Winston Gamso opened as the starter for HP, leading the team to one score in two possessions.To catch up, HP has moved to the LT 33 with 7:30 left in the second quarter. LT still leads 22-13.HP takes over at its 35(2:51 p.m.) HP just took a fair catch on a short LT kickoff after LT drove for yet another TD that put the Cavs up 22-13 with just under 10 minutes left in the second quarter.HP defender saves TD -- only for a moment(2:48 p.m.) LT's Garrett Gilbert hit Cade MCCrary on a slant route, and it looked like McCrary would go all the way.But he was chased down by HP's Johnny McKnight at the HP 7-yard line, stopping McCrary short and keeping it at a 7-0yard gain.Nevertheless, two plays later, RB Chris Aydam ran it in from 2-yards out to give LT a 22-13 with 9:43 left in the second quarter.So far, HP has had two possessions and scored twice, while LT is 3-for-3 on its three possessions and also has a successful 2-point conversion.I don't see many more defensive stops in the cards. These offenses are rolling today.HP hits with deep strike, cuts deficit to 15-13(2:42 p.m.) Facing a third-and-long from inside its own 20, HP QB Dutch Crews (who shuttles in and out with Winston Gamso) threw a jump ball around midfield that Travis Bellinger came down with.Bellinger broke free from a defender and sprinted 50 more yards for an HP touchdown. LT's lead is now 15-13 with 11:04 left in the half.This is turning out to be an electrifying game already.LT using the wind; end of first, LT leads 15-6(2:38 p.m.) One more point to make -- Lake Travis has the wind this quarter, so that's certainly helping the passing game. That means HP will have the wind at their backs in the second and fourth quarters.LT just used the win to kick a touchback on the kickoff after its latest TD pushed the LT lead to 15-6.That's the end of the first quarter, folks, with LT on top by nine. HP will start the second quarter with a second and 8 from its own 22.Three plays and LT back in(2:36 p.m.) It took just three plays for LT to strike again. And who would you think got the TD reception?LT receiver Jason Bird -- who entered the game with a single-season state-record 140 receptions, was on the receiving end of a 21-yard TD pass from Garrett Gilbert.After a PAT, LT now leads 15-6 with only 15 seconds left in the first quarter.So far, LT has moved the ball at will, mainly because Gilbert is getting as long as he needs to pass it. The LT defense, meanwhile, has done a good job so far of creating pressure on HP QB Winston Gamso.Lt gets big KO return(2:33 p.m.) Rather than letting the ensuing HP kickoff go out of bounds, LT's Andy ERickson decided to field the kickoff -- good decision.Erickson returned its just past midfield, setting up the LT offense with a very short field.HP responds with trickeration, cuts LT lead to two points(2:31 p.m.) It's a very, very windy day (but clear skies), but that hasn't prevented either team from sticking to their passing gameplans.After LT took an 8-0 lead on their first drive of the game, Highland Park just responded with a very gutsy call. A fake 24-yard field goal worked to perfection when the holder, Dutch Crews, rolled out and hit Jake Murtha for a touchdown. HP went for the tie on a 2-point coversion but failed.With 1:21 left in the first quarter, Lake Travis leads HP 8-6.(Also -- I'll make sure to increase my blogging frequency. It's taken me a while to get a good wireless signal.)LT strikes first, up 8-0(2:19 p.m.) The first score of the game just came on a Garrett Gilbert screen pass to Chris Aydam from about 5 yards out. Aydum had a convoy of blockers in front of him and just one HP defender to stop the play. It was success from the start.The score capped an 8-play, 92-yard -- and Lake Travis faked the PAt and rushed it in for an 8-0 lead with 5:46 left in the opening quarter.Traffic is my worst enemy(2:07 p.m.) Once again, traffic forced me to be late to a game, but I'm here just in tiome for kickoff.Lake Travis won the toss and deferred to the second half, so HP took the opening kick and just had its drive extended to the LT 45 on pass interference call against LT on a third-down play. It was questionable to say the least.Not just two minutes gone by in the first quarter.Good morning -- less than four hours to go(10:30 a.m.) Greetings from my living room. In about 20 minutes, I'm heading down south from Dallas to Waco, where I'll be blogging the 4A DII title game between ... well, if you're reading this, you know who's playing. Highland Park takes on Lake Travis at 2 p.m. from Floyd Casey Stadium, of course.When that game ends, I'll book it up to Irving to catch the remainder of the 3A Division II championship between Celina and China Spring. I can't guarantee I'll make the 6 p.m. kickoff, but I'll blog as soon as I reach Texas Stadium.Meanwhile, DCTF's Travis Stewart will be blogging live from the Alamodome, keeping you updated with the 5A title games (DI: Trinity vs. Judson; DII: Pflugerville vs. Katy).Well, I'll check back in about 30 minutes before the HP/LT kickoff. Until then, I've got an hour-and-a-half drive to Waco and one last Christmas shopping stop I need to take care of.