By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor

It’s taken two months, but the Chaps finally reached .500.

A big night by running back Ryan Swope keyed Westlake’s 42-22 win over Anderson Friday at Chaparral Stadium. Another win this week will do much more than lift Westlake (4-4 overall, 4-1 in District 25-5A) to a winning record, although Chap coach Derek Long feigned ignorance when confronted with this week’s game against rival Austin High at House Park.

“I don’t know who we play,” he said with a grin when asked about the Halloween matchup with bitter rival Austin High. “I’ll have to check the schedule.”

That schedule sets up a pivotal matchup against a Maroon team that has won the past two meetings between the schools. With a win, Westlake will clinch District 25-5A’s top Division I seed. In the process, they’ll ease the sting of the back-to-back losses drag bragging rights for West Austin back across the Colorado River.

“I started thinking about (Austin High) right when this game ended,” Westlake defensive tackle Omar Ontiveros said. “I can’t wait.”

Ontiveros played a big role in Westlake’s win over the Trojans. Although Swope dazzled the statisticians with 216 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries, Ontiveros and his defensive teammates made a possible shootout into a rout.

A dangerous Anderson team that has topped 40 points three times this season scored just one touchdown against Westlake’s first-team defense. Rugged running back P.J. Henderson accounted for 170 yards of offense, but his teammates combined for 146 yards as Anderson failed to mount consistent offense.

“I’m an old defensive coordinator, (so) I like the shutouts,” Long said. “But we really did play well, especially after their first couple of drives. We made some adjustments and slowed their running game.”

It took a pair of big plays by Westlake defensive back Tanner Twomey to slow the Trojans in the first quarter. On the game’s opening possession, Anderson moved 34 yards in five plays before Twomey deflected a second-down pass into the air.

A hustling Ontiveros, who had rushed the passer, rumbled toward the ball and snatched it before it hit the ground.

“I ran as fast as I could and saw the ball coming toward me,” Ontiveros said. “I thought I’d bust loose with the return, but they got me.”

Four snaps later, Swope sprinted around the right side of Anderson’s defense for a 20-yard touchdown run that gave the Chaps a 7-0 lead.

Undaunted, Anderson took over possession at its own 16-yard line and promptly marched 86 yards for the evener.

It took the Chaps just two snaps to answer with a 76-yard touchdown burst by Swope through the heart of the defense. Twomey then made another big defensive play when he stopped Anderson’s next possession at midfield with his first interception of the season.

Swope then followed a 34-yard pass from Tanner Price to Chris McKnight with his third touchdown run of the quarter, and the rout was on.

Defensive coordinator Lane Grigg credited Twomey’s two plays with shaking the Chap defense out of its early lethargy.

“We were a little flat, and he made some huge plays,” Grigg said. “That really got us going.”

After tallying 158 yards in the first period, Anderson netted just 20 yards the rest of the half. In comparison, Westlake scored second-quarter touchdowns on a 2-yard pass from Price to fullback Jeff Ballew and a 32-yard dash by Price.

“Our offensive line did a great job,” Swope said. “They’ve gained confidence each week, and that’s huge. Team unity is a big part of any team’s success, and you can see our offensive line really coming together and helping everyone out.”

That offensive line has suffered through an injury-plagued season, and Friday’s game marked the first time all season that the same five started two consecutive games.

“We’ve found our rhythm, and we’re playing well together,” said Kevin Noonan, the only lineman to start every game for Westlake this season. “And when you’re blocking for someone like Ryan or Jeff, it makes things easy. I just have to hold my block for a second and they’re gone.”

The second half did cause more than a little trepidation for the Chaps, however.

Their first drive in the third quarter ended with a fumble, and Price took a nasty hit to his left knee on a sack on Westlake’s next possession. On the next snap,

Price again suffered a sack and fumbled into the end zone for a Trojan touchdown that cut Westlake’s lead to 35-16.

That prompted Long to bring a rested Swope back into the game, and he promptly triggered an 80-yard touchdown drive capped by a 1-yard pass from Price to Colton Lye.

“I cringed a couple of times in the second half,” Long said. “I cringed when Tanner got hit, and I cringed that we had to put Swope in again because we fumbled a couple of times.”

Grins replaced cringes by the time the final whistle blew, however. And talk of

Austin High trumped much conversation about Anderson.