Allen-Westlake, Mansfield-Lake Travis highlights Slovacek's I-35 Showdowns

Slovacek's logoTo honor the loyal football fans that travel great distances to support their favorite team, DCTF and our friends from Slovacek’s in West, Texas are proud to present The Slovacek’s I-35 Showdowns of the Week. Allen (14-0) vs. Austin Westlake (13-1) 7:30 p.m. Friday at Waco ISD Stadium Not very many people know what it’s like to walk around with a massive target on your back quite like the three-time defending state champs at Allen. Todd Dodge and his Westlake Chaps do. Dodge, you’ll recall, won multiple state championships in another life at Southlake Carroll. Westlake, through a lineage of star quarterbacks from Jay Rodgers to Drew Brees to Nick Foles, has been a state title contender for the better part of four decades and perennially a date circled in red on the calendars of just about every other team in the Austin area. The current Chaps will roll into Waco on Saturday as underdogs, however, as just about everyone has taking on Allen during the Eagles’ current 57-game win streak. Led by the two-headed quarterback monster of Seth Green and Mitchell Jonke, the Eagles employ an extremely balanced offensive attack that has adapted – seemingly with ease - to every challenging defensive scheme so far this year. It’s been their swarming defense that has made them lethal once again this season, though. Their suffocating dominance was on full display in the Regional Semifinal two weeks ago, when Arlington Martin’s normally potent offense was stifled to the point of attempting to rely on a series of trick plays just to keep the Warriors in the game. Spearheading the effort to thwart the Eagle defense will be the latest superstar Chaparral quarterback, junior Sam Ehlinger. Having thrown for 3,321 yards and rushed for 1,228, Ehlinger is a pure dual threat that has accounted for an astounding 63 touchdowns on the year. His favorite targets Reed Klubnick and Chase Cokely, a pair of seniors that have each amassed over 1,100 yards receiving. Lake Travis (14-0) vs. Mansfield (12-2) 2 p.m. Saturday at Waco ISD Stadium in Waco Over the past decade, Lake Travis has any memory of struggles in the past, transforming its program into a powerhouse that is feared nearly every corner of the state. Jeff Hulme and his Mansfield Tigers are looking to copy that feat. Injuries have hit Lake Travis hard this year, most notably running back Abe Willows going down with a torn ACL against Westlake and the multiple maladies suffered by defensive tackle Sammy Ochoa in a scary October car wreck. That hasn’t seemed to slow down the Cavaliers’ march toward what would be the program’s first state championship since 2011. A title drought of three years may not seem like a lot, but expectations have certainly been raised around the Cavalier program since they began their five-peat in 2007. In the absence of Willows, the Cavalier offense has been able to rely on a number of playmakers- featured by Charlie Brewer, Maleek Barkley and Cade Green. In fact, only Spring Westfield – whom the Cavaliers defeated 28-21 earlier in the playoffs – has been able to hold Lake Travis to less than 44 points in the six weeks since the Westlake game. The Cavalier defense has taken on challenges from a variety of potent offensive weapons like Westlake’s Sam Ehlinger, Hewitt Midway’s Eric Clayburn and Rockwall’s Sam Crawford. Perhaps their biggest test, though, comes in facing Mansfield junior tailback Kennedy Brooks. Coming off of a Week 3 loss to crosstown rival Mansfield Summit, the Tigers were 1-2 and looking at the potential of another in long line of middling seasons for the program. With Brooks leading the way, they were off to the races the next week with a 42-0 win over Eastern Hills that ignited the Tigers’ current 11-game win streak that earned them the crown in one of 6A’s most notoriously challenging districts. Averaging more than eight yards per carry, Brooks has amassed 3,354 rushing yards so far this season and scored 40 touchdowns. He’s hit the 300 yard mark in four separate games, the 200 yard plateau an additional six times and been held under 100 yards just once- in the season opener. He’s one of ten finalists for both the Mr. Texas Football award and the Ozarka North Texas FRESH Performance of the Year, and is racking up scholarship offers nearly as quickly as he is yards and touchdowns.