AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Few things went the way of the Westlake Chaparrals Friday night - especially in the second half - as a battle of two unbeaten state-ranked teams ended in the Chaps' first regular season home loss since 2018.
Despite Westlake holding a 21-17 lead at halftime, the ninth-ranked Atascocita Eagles dominated the second half, shutting out the fourth-ranked Chaps on the way to a 39-21 victory behind a stifling defense and quarterback Cardae Mack.
One of Mack's most impressive plays came in the fourth quarter. After a fumble by Troy Blalock, Mack scooped up the loose ball and raced 56 yards for a touchdown, extending Atascocita's lead to 10 points.
Westlake's offense struggled in the second half, allowing Atascocita to seal the win with a late fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Mack to Kyran Pate.
Chaps QB Rees Wise threw three interceptions during the game; Westlake's other touchdowns came from Lawson Grimes on a 43-yard reception and Justice Johnson on a 20-yard double-pass.
"We need to go back to the drawing board and evaluate our performance," said Chaps head coach Tony Salazar postgame. "They made key plays down the stretch in the second half."
Atascocita (3-0) will begin district play against Houston King next week, while Westlake (2-1) faces No. 10 Cibolo Steele on the road in their final non-district game before beginning District 26-6A competition the following week.
Westlake Chaps coverage on Talk 1370 is powered by Prime Bank... put the power of Prime in your pocket with Prime Bank. Find out more online at Prime.Bank.