Since Westlake and Lake Travis began their fledgling rivalry three years ago, many pundits foresaw the series as a preview of inevitable district foes.

But keep those September dates open next year if you want to see the Cavs and Chaps vie for the tiebreaker in a series now tied at two games apiece. Based on Lake Travis’ enrollment, the Cavs won’t join Westlake’s Class 5A district any time soon.

According to an official in the Lake Travis attendance office Tuesday, the school’s enrollment hovers around 1,900. Such a number marks significant growth since the UIL marked Lake Travis High School down for 1,751 students during its last realignment in 2008, but it will likely fall far short of the next Class 5A standard. 

In 2008, the UIL drew the line between Class 4A and Class 5A at 2,085 students. That cutoff number will likely approach 2,200 during the next biennial realignment in February, considering that the cutoff grew by 100 students from 2006 to 2008.  

So don’t expect the rivalry between the Chaps and Lake Travis to shift onto a district playing field until 2012 at the earliest. Westlake will still wade into conference battles against its longtime Austin foes like Bowie and Austin High, while Lake Travis will retain rivalries with Hill Country burgs such as Dripping Springs and Marble Falls.

The two football teams may have found equality on the gridiron, but the student numbers on campus don’t yet match up.