Feb 22, 2012
Lake Travis ends season for Dawson
December 12, 2011
SAN ANTONIO — There were flags and more flags and more flags in the game between Dawson and Lake Travis at the Alamodome in San Antonio in the Class 4A Division I state semifinal contest.
Dawson was facing four-time defending state 4A Division I champion Lake Travis who is looking for a state-record five straight titles. Sealy (3A) and Southlake Carroll (5A) are the only other teams in Texas that have won four straight state championships. Travis tied that mark last year and are in search for No. 5 this season.
The 45-14 win over the Eagles is not really indicative of how well Dawson played Lake Travis.
One thing for sure -- Dawson was not intimidated nor scared of the Cavaliers and the Eagles dished out their own share of punishment against the highly touted Lake Travis players.
It didn't take long for Lake Travis to score as Colin Lagasse crossed the goal line on a 5-yard run with 8:28 left in the opening period.
But Dawson answered in :31 seconds as sophomore Tony Upchurch got behind the Travis secondary and QB Garry Kimble threw a beautiful arching pass to Upchurch in stride for a 40-yard touchdown. Jacob Hood booted the extra point and the game was tied at 7-7 with 7:57 left in the first quarter.
Lake Travis drove the ball inside the Dawson 10, but the Eagles defense forced the Cavaliers to settle for a 20-yard field goal and a 10-7 lead.
Once again, the Eagles answered with a drive of their own as Issac Jardon caught a 4-yard pass from Kimble giving Dawson a 14-10 lead early in the second period.
The Cavaliers took 3:25 score as Lagasse scored again on a 3-yard run giving Lake Travis a 17-14 advantage.
That's when the game changed directions as the officials began to throw their flags at a record pace.
In an average game - if there are 20 penalties called in a game -- that is considered close to being too many. But the Dallas officiating crew went way beyond that as they tossed 43 penalty flags with Dawson getting 23 of those while Lake Travis got 20 for a total of 304 yards. There were 174 yards charged to Dawson.
Dawson head coach Eric Wells said his team had a tough time getting into a flow because of all the flags.
“It is almost impossible,” he said. “Every time we to see over 40 penalties called in any game, but especially in a big one like this.”
It was difficult for both teams to find the momentum in the game, but Lake Travis did take advantage of a couple of long passes covering 72 and 71 yards to help break out into a 28-0 scoring spree to post the 45-14 final score.
While Lake Travis had more experience at dealing with differenct circumstances, the ridiculous officiating wasn't something that either team was prepared for at this level of competition.
“We are still building a tradition here, and we aren’t quite there yet,” Wells said. “Only one team can be happy at the end of a season.
“I am really proud of these guys. It takes a lot to be one of the final four teams in Texas standing at the end.”
The game was much more closer than the score.
Lake Travis outgained Dawson 385 to 331 total yards.
Senior QB finished with 14-of-33 passing for 185 yards and two scores and two interceptions. Kimble also had 10 carries for 37 yards.
Junior running back James White had 14 carries for 83 yards and one catch for 16 yards.
Upchurch had nine catches for 121 yards and one score. Neiman Gilbert had 1 catch for 10 yards. Mike Williams had four catches for 33 yards. Colby Trahan had 1 grab for 13 yards. Jordon had one catch for four yards and one TD.
Dawson finishes with a 12-3 mark for the 2011 football season. There were only four 4A Division I teams left across the state of Texas and the players, coaches, and fans should be very proud of another great season by such a young football program.
One thing is for sure! The Dawson Eagles will be back again!