LEANDER ­– Sometimes, a victory means more than just another mark in the win column.

Friday’s gritty 24-14 comeback win over Cedar Park at A.C. Bible Stadium did more than give the Chaps a season-opening win. It provided a jolt of confidence to a Westlake program that entered a new era with the offseason hiring of Darren Allman and an overhauling of the coaching staff.

“It’s a big load off to get this first win out of the way,” said Allman, whose squad faces two-time Class 4A champion Lake Travis next week in Lakeway. “Tonight showed that we’re resilient. I think we learned some things about the kids, and they learned some things about us. We’ve been to war together now, and when you win, it’s a whole lot easier to come together.”

Westlake had problems coming together early against a physical Cedar Park squad that pounded the Chaps a year ago. The Timberwolves dominated the first half, but stellar special-teams play kept Westlake within 14-7 at halftime.

And that small deficit, Allman said, gave the Chaps a second wind in the second half.

“We felt fortunate just to be down a touchdown considering how poorly we played in the first half,” he said. “We said, ‘Let’s take advantage of this and win these next two quarters.’ ”

It didn’t take long for the Chaps to follow that advice. After forcing a three-and-out on Cedar Park’s first possession of the second half, Westlake scored on its first offensive snap of the half when Van Gramann busted through the heart of Cedar Park’s defense for a 25-yard touchdown run that helped even the game at 14-14.

Louie Swope, who set up the score with a 30-yard punt return, credited the team’s positive mentality for the quick swing in momentum.

“We didn’t really change that much; we just decided that we weren’t going to lose,” he said. “We came together and really clamped down.”

After Swope helped force another Cedar Park three-and-out by stopping James Sahebi for no gain on third down, the Chaps marched 38 yards to set up a 29-yard field goal by Cody Rademacher that gave the Chaps their first lead of the game.

The Timberwolves responded with a 13-play, 76-yard drive, but Swope blocked a 26-yard field-goal attempt by Travis Johnson. On Westlake’s subsequent snap, Lewis Guilbeau slipped through a crack in Cedar Park’s defense and raced 80 yards for a touchdown and a 24-14 Chap lead.

“We were a little down in the first half, but we got that momentum and never stopped,” said Guilbeau, a sophomore who led Westlake with 85 yards rushing.

The deliberate Cedar Park attack couldn’t match the Chaps’ quick strikes. The Timberwolves accumulated 405 yards of offense on 74 snaps, compared to 232 yards on 39 plays for Westlake. Cedar Park senior quarterback Nathan Thornhill, a University of Texas baseball recruit who hadn’t played football since his sophomore year, led the Timberwolves with 231 yards on 20-of-33 passing and added 38 yards rushing and a touchdown.

However, Cedar Park never recaptured the momentum in the second half, said Allman,

“Those two runs we had were huge,” he said. “They came right when we needed them.”

The Allman era began with an inauspicious string of plays. On their first series of the game, the Chaps had three incompletions and a pair of penalties. After Cedar Park scored a touchdown on its opening drive, Westlake had another three-and-out capped by a fumble on third down.

Chap defensive back James Robison gave Westlake a boost when he picked off Thornhill on the next possession, setting up a 13-yard touchdown run by Brice Dolezal.   

Cedar Park answered with a 61-yard touchdown drive and a two-point conversion, but they couldn’t add to their lead against the resilient Chaps.