Texas crowned their Boys HS state champion Sunday with Westlake defeating Lake Travis 17-12 in the final.

The teams played semifinals on Saturday, with Westlake winning comfortably over Kingwood, while Lake Travis got up early on Woodlands, led 17-0 at halftime, and held on 29-17.

The teams in the final, then, had enjoyed very different buildups. Westlake had been able to rest some of their starters, while Lake Travis had needed to battle all the way through.

The wind was a big factor in the final, and Westlake opted to go with the wind in the first half. The Chaps wanted to use scrumhalf Ryan Rees to pin Lake Travis back with his box kicking, and that’s exactly what happened. Rees’s deft kicking made if very difficult for Lake Travis to get a purchase on the game, and when Stu Lassiter scored on a quick tap, that got them rolling.

“Ryan’s such an intelligent player and he really worked the wind nicely,” said Westlake Coach Jason Spodick.

Led by an inspirational game from No. 8 and captain Bobby Butchofsky, who has sprained his ankle on Saturday but gutted it out on Sunday, Westlake ran out to a 17-7 lead at halftime. But the Chaps 

Now it was Lake Travis’s turn to use the wind, but they didn’t quite do it well enough. Some kicks rolled too far and rolled dead, and that slight difference allowed Westlake to get out of trouble more than once. As the game wore on, both sides started to get into penalty trouble as referee Mark Richards kept a sharp eye on the high tackles. Eventually, three players got yellow cards, with Lake Travis fielding 14 players and Westlake 13. Lake Travis scored late in the gem to make it 17-14, and had time for one more attacking sequence. But Rees restarted with a deep kick, and Westlake’s defense held until they forced a knock-on.

In the end it was a very tight contest and one you’d expect from a state championship game. And at a school where football is breakfast, lunch, and dinner, rugby has at least found a little time at the table.

“We’ve getting comments and texts from parents whose kids don’t play rugby congratulating us,” said Spodick. “It’s a big deal at school.”

Full scores from the Texas Boys HS playoffs:

Bowl Semis
Plano 70 Memorial 17
Allen 33-27 Cy-Fair

Plate Semis
Jesuit Dallas 22 St. Thomas 7
Rock Rugby 38 Katy 17

Cup Semis
Lake Travis 29 Woodlands 17
Westlake 49 Kingwood 0

11th/12th Cy-Fair 55 Memorial 5

Bowl Final Plano 48 Allen 0

7th/8th St. Thomas 28 Katy 19

Plate Final Jesuit Dallas 23 Rock Rugby 14

3rd/4th Kingwood 26 Woodlands 10

Cup Final   Westlake 17 Lake Travis 14