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| WACO - For a moment, Austin Williams disappeared beneath the scrum. Chasing a fumble by Longview quarterback Aaron Johnson, the Lake Travis junior linebacker pounced on the ball and held on for dear life.
"I just used every ounce of strength to get that ball in my arms - and keep it in my arms," Williams said. "There were people grabbing and everything, but I got that ball." Williams' third quarter fumble recovery and a stingy, spirited defensive effort helped Lake Travis hold on for a third consecutive Class 4A state championship Saturday, with a 24-17 victory over Longview at Floyd Casey Stadium. "The (entire) playoffs, you've seen our defense just get better and better," Lake Travis coach Chad Morris said. "It's unbelievable how those guys have performed and made plays when they needed to make plays." During the regular season, Lake Travis allowed 14.5 points per game. During the postseason, the Cavaliers surrendered 13.7 points per game. And unlike during last year's postseason run, when the Cavaliers never scored fewer than 38 points, the defense's playoff dominance was not only more pronounced this year - it was more crucial. Witness a 27-20 victory over Cibolo Steel in the area round, a 27-14 victory over Alamo Heights in the quarterfinals and a just-as-harrowing victory Saturday. With the offense committing three turnovers - including two rare interceptions by Michael Brewer - the Cavaliers' defense supplied most of the big plays. None was big than Williams' fumble recovery, which came with the Cavaliers clinging to a 17-10 lead midway through the third quarter. Williams' recovery set up the offense at the Longview 9, and two plays later Andy Erickson's 2-yard plunge gave Lake Travis a 24-10 lead. Twice the Cavaliers (16-0) stopped Longview on fourth down in Lake Travis territory. The defense also came up with two big stops at the end of long first-half drives by the Lobos (14-2). On their second possession of the game, Longview embarked on a 16-play drive that chewed up more than eight minutes of the first quarter. But on third-and-4 from the Lake Travis 13, a pair of Cavaliers dropped Johnson for a 1-yard loss. Longview settled for a field goal. In the second quarter, Longview went on another clock-killing drive. On the 11th play of the possession - fourth-and-6 from the Lake Travis 31 - senior linebacker Quinton Crow tackled wide receiver Carey Fortson well short of a first down. "We knew if we didn't give up big plays, if they had to drive down the field, they were going to make a mistake at some point," said senior defensive lineman Trevor Gillette, who caused the fumble that Williams recovered. While Johnson gashed Lake Travis for 167 yards rushing, the Cavaliers limited Longview to 247 yards on the ground. In a state semifinal victory last week over Denton Guyer, the Lobos rushed for nearly 500 yards. |