This article was originally featured in the 2022 Austin High Schools Football Yearbook and was written by @HuskerlandBob.
There was lots of good high school football played in Austin last year — like usual — but it didn’t get much better than the seasons put together by 6A Division I state champion Westlake, 6A Bowie, and 4A LBJ.
Westlake High School
Westlake polished off a perfect 16-0 campaign with a 40-21 championship win over Guyer, the only remotely competitive game the Chaparrals played all season long. Guyer did hold a 14-13 halftime lead before Westlake put 27 second-half points on the board, with 6A player of the year Cade Klubnik passing for 280 yards and four TDs, three of them to junior sensation Jaden Greathouse.
In the semifinals, Westlake jumped to a 31-0 lead before polishing off Katy, 45-14. Klubnik was at it again, passing for 310 yards and five TDs, with Jack Kayser adding 141 yards rushing and a TD. Westlake was also untested in the quarterfinal round, blitzing Vandegrift (which won 12 games, remember that) 70-7, with Kayser rushing for 140 yards and six TDs.
Klubnik, later a Clemson recruit, passed for 258 yards and five TDs in Westlake’s 56-0 demolition of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo in the region game, and passed for three TDs and rushed for two more as his team drubbed New Braunfels 70-7, the area game. Racing to a 21-0 first-quarter lead, Westlake cruised to a 38-9 victory over Hutto in the bi-district.
James Bowie High School
4103 Slaughter Ln.
Austin, TX 78749
Phone: (512) 414-5247
2021 Record: 10-3 (5-2)
Bowie ended the season 10-3 overall, reaching the 6A Division regional semifinal round before losing to Brennan 59-36. The Bulldogs were overpowering the first month and change of the season, starting with five straight wins, allowing a total of just 21 points in four of them combined. They did suffer district losses to both eventual unbeaten 6A Division 1 state champion Westlake and to state semifinalist Lake Travis, but rallied with four straight wins, including playoff victories over Round Rock (13-3) and Smithson Valley (28-21) prior to the Brennan loss.
Lyndon B. Johnson High School
7309 Lazy Creek Dr.
Austin, TX 78724
Phone: (512) 414-2543
2021 Record: 15-1 (6-0)
LBJ took things a couple of steps further, reaching the 4A Division 1 state final and winning its first 15 games in a row before falling to Stephenville 38-21. The Jaguars suffered in that state final game, losing four fumbles in the first quarter alone and falling behind 17-0.
In the state semifinal game, LBJ edged Chapel Hill 38-35, the winning points scored on a pass from Oscar Gordon III to Noah Baker with less than a minute left in regulation. All-state running back Sedrick Alexander led the winners with 208 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
In the Region 4 final, LBJ rolled past Boerne 68-24, with Gordon throwing for 289 yards and six touchdowns and Alexander adding 115 yards rushing and two TDs. It was another LBJ blowout in the region semifinal as the Jags beat Calhoun 72-24, behind Alexander’s 247 yards rushing and five TDs, including a 97-yarder.
In LBJ’s playoff opener, the Jaguars rolled past La Vernia, with Gordon passing for 191 yards and three TDs, Phazzon Washington rushing for 115 yards and two TDs, and Alexander adding 104 yards and two TDs on the ground.
LBJ won its district title with a perfect 6-0 mark, its closest regular season scare coming against Parish Episcopal, a 44-42 victory over the eventual TAPPS Division 1 state champion.
Akins High School
10701 S 1st St.
Austin, TX 78748
Phone: (512) 841-9900
2021 Record: 4-6 (2-5)
Akins got off to a great start, winning four of its first five games, even posting shutout wins in their first two, before losing its final five games of the season. It should be noted three of those losses came in consecutive order to Bowie, state champion Westlake, and state semifinalist Lake Travis, all of which combined for 38 wins last season.
Anderson High School
8403 Mesa Dr.
Austin, TX 78759
Phone: (512) 414-2538
2021 Record: 3-7 (2-5)
The Trojans posted back-to-back wins in Weeks 2 and 3, beating Westwood (45-14) and Pflugerville (38-27), but didn’t win again until that crazy regular-season finale, a 68-61 win over Leander. In that game, junior QB Fred Dale passed for 406 yards and five TDs, with junior Cole Canaday catching five passes for 187 yards and two TDs, and senior Colin Page rushing for 186 yards and four scores.
Austin High School
1715 W Cesar Chavez St.
Austin, TX 78703
Phone: (512) 414-2505
2021 Record: 2-8 (0-7)
Things started out well for the Maroons as they won two of their first three games, beating Pflugerville Connally (23-21) and Lehman (38-30). In the Lehman win, the Maroons rallied for two late touchdowns and sophomore Anthony Rodriguez had a huge night, rushing for four touchdowns.
Crockett High School
5601 Menchaca Rd.
Austin, TX 78745
Phone: (512) 414-2532
2021 Record: 2-8 (2-4)
After an 0-5 start, the Cougars won consecutive starts, beating Navarro (41-34) and Northeast Early College (21-13). In the Navarro win, QB Michael Newton had a huge game, passing for 200 yards and four TDs and rushing for another 152 yards.
McCallum High School
5600 Sunshine Dr.
Austin, TX 78756
Phone: (512) 414-2519
2021 Record: 8-4 (5-1)
McCallum is another local team that enjoyed a big 2021 season, reaching the area round. After a 3-3 start, one which included a loss to 5A Division 2 state runner-up Liberty Hill, the Knights went on a tear, winning five games in a row. The first three victories in that stretch were all by shutout — very impressive — with the fourth a 38-7 victory over Travis.
In the bi-district game, McCallum beat Leander Glenn 27-21 in overtime, first stopping Glenn on fourth-and-one to end its overtime possession, then winning the game on a touchdown run by senior QB Jaxon Rosales. McCallum was then beaten in the area round by Alamo 55-28, with Alamo later reaching the regional final.
Northeast Early College High School
7104 Berkman Dr.
Austin, TX 78752
Phone: (512) 414-2523
2021 Record: 3-7 (1-5)
Northeast started the season 3-1 before losing out, the final three games in shutout fashion.
Travis Early College High School
1301-1399 E Oltorf St.
Austin, TX 78704
Phone: (512) 414-2527
2021 Record: 3-6 (3-3)
After a slow 0-4 start in which the Rebels scored only eight total points, they came to life with three straight wins, including a 19-13 verdict over Northeast and a 44-40 victory over Crockett.
Navarro Early College High School
1201 Payton Gin Rd.
Austin, TX 78758
Phone: (512) 414-2514
2021 Record: 0-10 (0-6)
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