Three days after his team surrendered 42 points in a loss to Lake Travis, Westlake coach Darren Allman opened Monday’s practice with a keen eye toward his team’s posture.

“They didn’t have their heads down,” he said. “They came out ready to work, and we had the best week of practice we had all year.”

That week carried over into Friday’s home opener against a potent A&M Consolidated squad as Westlake (2-1) tamed a ferocious Tiger rushing attack while closing out its nondistrict schedule with a 20-7 win. Consolidated (1-2), which scored 93 cumulative points in its first two games, managed just 254 yards and a lone touchdown against a swarming Chap defense intent on making amends for its lopsided loss to Lake Travis.

” Our speed on defense showed tonight,” Allman said. “There weren’t a whole lot of solo tackles because everyone was getting to the ball.”

Powered by a series of blitzes from inside linebackers Bryce Hager and Lance Duran, the Chaps sacked Consol’s quarterbacks six times.

“I think getting hit so much intimidated him [Consol quarterback Dillen Ashton] a little,” said Duran, a sophomore who moved up to varsity after the first game. “We started to get more stops as the game went along.”

One of Westlake’s key defenders, Louie Swope, helped get the Chaps’ offense going early. On the second play from scrimmage, he lined up at wide receiver and sprinted away from single coverage before hauling in a 77-yard touchdown pass from Tanner Price.

“We knew we would have single coverage on that play,” Allman said. “If Louie got off the line of scrimmage, we knew that he had the speed to get behind the defender and make a play.”

Cody Rademacher added a 32-yard field goal on Westlake’s next possession, but Consol responded with a 16-play, 98-yard touchdown drive capped by a 21-yard touchdown from Ricky Smith on an end around. The score cut Westlake’s lead to 10-7 entering halftime.

That would be all the points A&M Consolidated would muster as Westlake flexed its defensive muscle.

“They converted five first downs in the first half, but our defense rebounded and did a great job of staying focused,” Allman said. “Eventually, we got some stops.”

Westlake sealed the game with a bit of chicanery. On fourth-and-seven from the Tigers’ 43-yard line midway through the third quarter, Price lined up in a shotgun formation. The Tiger defenders, who watched Price quick-kick a punt to their own 3-yard line earlier in the game, lined up in a preparation for another kick. The Chaps recognized that receiver Miles Berger faced a linebacker in single coverage, and Price took the snap and lofted a perfect pass to the wideout for a touchdown.

“The defense has to be ready for a punt, and it opened up the secondary for a pass,” Price said. “I saw that Miles had single coverage. We had a receiver on an outside linebacker, and we’ll win that every time.”

Rademacher booted a 33-yard field goal to end the scoring.

Price had 166 yards passing and 56 yards rushing. Van Gramann paced Westlake’s ground game with 87 yards on 17 carries.