In a revamped spring game intended to create equal opportunities for the starting quarterback spot, the Chaps split into two teams via a draft.

Coaches did not divulge the first selection, but Lewis Guilbeau left little doubt about who should have gone No. 1 – at least for Friday’s game at Chaparral Stadium.

Guilbeau electrified the crowd with three touchdown runs while leading the Red team to a 28-7 win over the Blue squad. The incoming junior, one of three quarterbacks vying for the starting spot, rushed for 176 yards on 10 carries and added 37 yards on 5-of-10 passing. His scoring runs covered 4, 79, and 56 yards, respectively.

According to Chap coach Darren Allman, Guilbeau’s performance should come as no surprise after a sophomore season that included 303 yards rushing on 40 carries.

“Lewis’s ability to run the football is obvious, and it was obvious last year when he was a sophomore,” he said. “It’s no secret that he’ll be on the field when we’re on offense.”

Still, the question for Chap fans lingers: In what role will Guilbeau take the field?

Allman and the Westlake coaching staff will have about three months to decide that question, along with an inquiry about which Chap quarterback will enter the regular-season opener Aug. 28 against Lake Travis at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium as the starter.

Incoming senior Preston Dewey had a strong spring and entered Friday’s game as a favorite to win the starting spot, but he struggled with 54 yards and an interception on 7-of-15 passing for the Blue squad. He also failed to lead the Blue to a score despite playing approximately three quarters.

Dewey, a proven pocket passer, did not gain any yards rushing.

Incoming junior Blake Box played a quarter less than Dewey and Guilbeau under center, but he delivered touchdown drives for both teams while mixing in effective running with a live arm. He had 68 yards rushing and a touchdown on seven carries and 63 yards on 4-of-9 passing, including a 29-yard scoring strike to Graham Soto-Kerens on a rollout to the right.

Box’s showing capped his strong end to spring training and forced him into the competition for the starting spot, said Allman.

“He [Box] had a great spring,” he said. “That’s why we like to have spring training, because guys like Blake can be a pleasant surprise. He came on the last couple of weeks, and he’s competing for that starting spot.”

Allman said such a competition could only help his team, even as he hinted that the battle for the No. 1 quarterback spot could last through nondistrict play.

“We’ll never complain about having three guys [at quarterback] who can get the job done,” he said. “We trust all three of them. They’ll all help our football team.

“It [the quarterback position] is something we’ll have to sit down and talk about as a staff. When you have a running quarterback like Lewis, it’s such an advantage. It’s like having 12 guys on offense, and it puts a lot of pressure on a defense, so it’s going to be a big part of what we do. I think there’s a role for Preston and maybe Blake, too. I’m glad we have some nondistrict games; it’ll play itself out, because it always does.”

Regardless of who becomes the No. 1 quarterback, Allman said Guilbeau will play a pivotal role for the Chaps. A year ago, he relieved all-state quarterback Tanner Price in Westlake’s form of the Wildcat, and his ability to run will always have a role in the Chaps’ power spread formation.

“We did bring in Lewis even when we had Tanner, and right now, that’s our mindset,” Allman said. “We’ll have to decide how much we have him at the quarterback position. Lewis will either be at quarterback or at the running back or wide receiver position – and he can play defense, too. He’ll be on the field, we know that.”

Guilbeau says he will fill whatever role best helps the team.

“I pose a threat to run, and I can make things happen – that’s my job,” he said. “Tonight, the offensive line was playing really well, so it made it easy.”

An accomplished baseball player who led the District 25-5A champion Chaps in RBIs as a sophomore, Guilbeau will spend “about 90 percent” of his summer on the diamond.

“But come August, it’s 100-percent football,” he said.

Westlake’s quarterback quandary may have drawn the most attention, but several other facets of the 2010 team stood out Friday:

• Westlake’s defensive front impressed despite allowing several lengthy drives. The Chaps racked up four sacks with minimal blitzing and grew stronger as the scrimmage wore on. Expect a defensive line rotation of Matt Schwartz, Mac Brady, Curtis Loeffel, Roy Schwartz and Brayven Hager to wear down opposing offensive lines. All but Hager received extended playing time on varsity a year ago.

“I thought we played well in a game situation,” Roy Schwartz said. “We got to run a lot of stuff, and we got a good look at some young players.”

They also delivered the game’s biggest hit when the Blue team’s Matt Schwartz flattened wide receiver Collin Shaw on a screen pass in the second half.

“I was kind of talking smack to him [Matt] about not getting any sacks, then he had to show me up by getting that hit on Shaw,” said Roy Schwartz about his twin’s tackle.

• Westlake’s secondary must find two new cornerbacks, but the young Chaps showed a willingness to break on the ball. Incoming junior Quentin Buck, a likely starter at one CB spot, had an interception and broke up several passes. Safety Thomas Robison also played well and may have earned more playing time despite backing up proven veteran safeties Campbell McCrea and Sean Potter.

“I thought they [the defensive backs] played well from what I could see,” Allman said. “They’re an aggressive bunch, they’re athletic, and I think they’ll really grow some more over the summer.

• Westlake will run the ball. A combination of factors will likely make Westlake lean on its ground game in 2010; Price now plays for Wake Forest University, running back looks like one of the deepest positions on the team, and the offensive line appears bigger and more physical than last year’s bunch.

Starting RBs Van Gramann (seven carries, 35 yards) and Brice Dolezal (10 carries, 34 yards) looked crisp, and reserve Dorian Parris added 44 yards on eight carries.

Overall, Westlake ran on 54 of its 85 plays.