A new region hasn’t changed Westlake’s attitude toward its nondistrict schedule.

As customary, Westlake will face a challenging nondistrict slate in 2010 that includes five playoff teams from this past year. The Chaps will open the season against three-time defending Class 4A champion Lake Travis before facing, in order, Abilene Cooper, A&M Consolidated, Pflugerville and New Braunfels.

Times and places have not yet been set, but the opener against the Cavs will take place during zero week. Westlake will have a bye before beginning play in the six-team District 15-5A that also includes Austin High, Bowie, Anderson, Akins and Del Valle.

“I think it’s a good schedule with a lot of tough teams, and I think it will get us ready for district,” Westlake coach Darren Allman said about the Chaps’ new schedule and new alignment.

Allman and most of his coaching brethren finalized their schedules for the 2010 and 2011 schedules in the wake of this morning’s biennial realignment by the UIL. The Chaps moved from District 25-5A to District 15-5A.

A quick glance at Westlake’s 2010 nondistrict football foes:

Lake Travis: The Cavaliers and the Chaps are quickly developing a fierce rivalry that belies its lack of history. Lake Travis has won the past two meetings to even the series at 2-2, and Westlake is the last team to beat the Cavs. Since that setback, Lake Travis has won 46 consecutive games.

Abilene Cooper: A Class 4A playoff team a year ago, Cooper has rejoined its West Texas 5A brethren in a rebirth of the Little Southwest Conference. The Chaps lone meeting with Cooper came in 1996, when Westlake defeated the Cougars in the Class 5A Division II championship game.

A&M Consolidated: These two programs have faced each other in each of the past 10 seasons, and the rivalry has produced many memorable moments. The Tigers won a share of a district title a year ago.

Pflugerville: The Panthers will no longer play in Westlake’s district, but they’ll remain a formidable foe on the schedule. Pflugerville’s District 16-5A will face Westlake’s 15-5A in the first round of the playoffs for the next two seasons; however, the Panthers will likely compete in Division II, leaving little chance that they will face Westlake in the postseason.

New Braunfels: This game will renew a once-fierce rivalry between the Unicorns and Westlake, two district foes in the late 1990s. New Braunfels returned to Class 5A in 2008 after an eight-year stint in 4A, but the tougher competition didn’t prevent them from reaching a 5A state semifinal this past season.