AUSTIN — The Westlake rugby team opened its season Saturday in front of an enthusiastic crowd of fans who descended on Burr Field in east Austin. The fans were treated to a full day of scrappy high school rugby.

The Chaps ended last season by winning district and coming in third in a run at the state championship. Despite losing a large number of seniors from last year’s squad, this year’s team looked impressive Saturday. The varsity played Alliance, a strong team from Dallas, to a 17-17 tie and then defeated a combative McAllen team 10-0 in a second match.

Meanwhile, Westlake’s second side easily handled McAllen’s second side 20-5 in one match and played the same McAllen team to a 0-0 tie in another match.

Against Alliance, the Westlake varsity showed superb tackling as it was constantly pressured by a larger and very aggressive back line and pack. Westlake showed some pressure of its own with some strong running by Pierce Boisvert, who had two tries; Justin Miller, who had a try of his own; and Daniel Twomey, who played well at fullback.

Boisvert’s second try came in the final five minutes of the match and brought Westlake within two points of Alliance. Justin “JB” Brown then made a clutch conversion kick to tie the game. Drew Nelson and Drew Potter were impressive in the scrum and played with an intensity that was necessary in light of the size and tenacity of the Alliance scrum.

The varsity was dominant in a second match that resulted in a 10-0 win against McAllen. Boisvert added a third try for the day with a long run, and Drew Potter made a try from the pack after getting a beautiful pass from Carson Klubnik.

The second side also had a great opening day. They played impressively in a 20-5 win against McAllen’s second side. Westlake scored four tries in this match with Grant Beadle, Nate Franke, Brian Keeney and Jack Lynn finding their way to the try zone.  The second side found their rhythm in this second game after playing McAllen to a 0-0 tie in their first match, earlier in the day.

Coach Jason Spodick said he was very pleased, despite it being the opening day of the season and having many brand new players.

“There were moments of brilliance, and I couldn’t be happier,” he said.

Westlake plays host to Stony Point Saturday. The JV plays at 1 p.m., and the varsity follows at 2:15 p.m.

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Westlake boys lacrosse kicks off the 2012 season with its first annual Hat Creek Burgers or Beans Game at Chaparral Stadium Saturday.

Westlake JV Red scrimmages Westlake JV White at 6 p.m. The D1/D2 Red/White scrimmage starts at 7 p.m.

Winning players and their coaches will receive gift cards to Hat Creek Burgers, while the losers receive cans of pork and beans. The game is inspired by a lacrosse tradition at Notre Dame University, where the winning team in the fall scrimmage receives a steak dinner cooked by the coaches, the losers, hot dogs.

“I’m happy to be back on the field,” coach Evan Whelchel said. “Our guys who were injured in the fall are healthy.”

Whelchel returns for his third year as Westlake head coach. His D1 varsity squad went 11-7 in 2011, and 7-2 in district play. Eight seniors return from last year’s team, including Robby Markus, Corey Schaeffer, Connor White, Blake Kemper, Ben Chabala and Jackson Grimes. Standouts Jacob Rockwell and Matthew Gabriel also return.

Both are expected to sign letters of intent next week, Rockwell with Colorado College and Gabriel with Goucher College.

“I’m looking forward to a great season,” Whelchel said. “The scrimmage is intended to get everyone excited, to bring together the whole Westlake lacrosse community. We want to show the parents how much work we’ve done in the off-season. I don’t think I have to worry about anyone playing hard. No one wants to go home with a can of pork and beans.”

Westlake lacrosse board president Rob Edwards shares Whelchel’s excitement.

“Lacrosse continues to grow in Westlake, at every level, from youth to high school,” Edwards said. “We have a great group of kids. This is the first season that we had to institute a cut at the high school level. It’s an unfortunate sign of the growth of the program.”

Senior Ben Chabala, who played last season as a long-stick midfielder, has high expectations. “We have ton of talented players, and not just seniors,” Chabala said. “I think we have a good shot at taking state. We’re ready to show the teams from Dallas and Houston what we can do.”

Before Saturday’s scrimmages, there will be a potluck tailgate in the parking lot of Chaps Stadium beginning at 4 p.m.

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Westlake’s best tournament performance came from senior co-captain Cooper Scott, who placed third at 220 pounds. He defeated the state’s seventh-ranked wrestler during the tournament and almost upset second-ranked David Jones of Bryan, the defending Region IV champion. Jones built up a 4-0 lead on Scott in the fourth round, but Scott scored a takedown in the third period and had a nearside cradle locked up, but could not turn Jones to his back to get the victory.

“It was unfortunate that Cooper ended up on Jones’s side of the bracket, because they were clearly the two best wrestlers in the tournament,” Westlake coach Pat O’Harra said.

Scott fought back through the consolation bracket, winning three more matches that included avenging an early-season loss to John Lindsey of Katy. That set up the consolation final against seventh-ranked Donavan Kleckner of Colleyville Heritage. The two grapplers struggled to a 1-1 score late in the third period before an offensive blast from Scott scored a takedown with 15 seconds left in the match, securing the bronze medal.

“It’s the best I’ve ever seen him wrestle,” O’Harra said. “He really opened up his offense and it paid off.”

Sophomore Ryan Elswick earned Westlake’s other place at 106 pounds. Like Scott, Elswick was barely challenged through the first three rounds. That should have set up a quarterfinal match with Dallas Jesuit’s Nick Barker, but Barker failed to make weight on Saturday, advancing Elswick to the semifinals where he faced Neiman Mitchell from Houston Westside. Mitchell advanced to the semis by upsetting state place winner Stephen Carni from Klein Collins. Mitchell scored two takedowns in the final seconds of each of the first two periods to build a 4-0 lead. Elswick then chose the top position and turned Mitchell to his back for a three-point near fall, but time ran out before he could do it again.

“That was unfortunate, because Ryan did not have enough time to earn an escape after those takedowns,” he said. “He learned a valuable lesson about not giving up points at the end of the period.”

Elswick then beat Sean Flannigan of Clear Falls 7-0 to set up a rematch of the Doc Hess Tournament championship a few weeks ago against Carni. In that match, Elswick fell to Carni 6-4 but never appeared to be in position to win. This time, the match was much closer, and Elswick scored a late reversal to pull within one point and had a cradle locked up with 15 seconds to go. Carni showed why he was a state placer and fought off the move, surviving with a 6-5 victory.

“Ryan wrestled a great tournament and almost had Carni in the last minute,” he said. “I think this proves to Ryan that he is among the state’s best wrestlers.”

Though falling short of placing, many other Westlake wrestlers had strong showings. Senior co-captain Sammy Ivester missed placing by one match at 132 pounds, as did sophomore Dalton Shults, who won four matches at 113 pounds. Junior Mack Murray and sophomore Jay Garza each won three bouts at 120 and 126 pounds, respectively. Senior Jack West won twice at 195 pounds, as did junior Alex Cabezas at 145 pounds.

“We had a lot of guys win enough matches to earn medals at some tournaments,” O’Harra said. “But this tournament is so big and so strong that they came up just a bit short. But I’m very pleased with how well they fought.”

The Chaparrals host crosstown foe Bowie on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before traveling to San Antonio Reagan for the Rattler Duals on Saturday. The 21-team tournament will be a good preview of the Region IV tournament in February, O’Harra said.

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Westlake had 30 wrestlers participate in the tournament, but only seven competed in the varsity bracket. Tournament organizers separated the grapplers based on age, leaving the young Chap team with few competitors in the varsity division.

“This tournament is very tough for varsity, but the JV is also very strong because it is a true JV tournament,” said Westlake coach Pat O’Harra. “All first-year wrestlers compete in a “rookie” division, so all the wrestlers are matched up against guys of equal experience.”

Westlake’s only finalist came in the first weight class, where sophomore Ryan Elswick dropped down to 106 pounds. Elswick followed up a first-round fall by pinning second-seeded Patrick Tafoya of Cy Ranch in the first period. That set up a District 26 showdown with Vandegrift’s Adrian Baraza. The two are familiar with each other from youth club wrestling, where they train together. Baraza jumped out to a five-point lead, but Elswick battled back tie the match in regulation. The bout went to double overtime, where Elswick got a two-point reversal and a three-point near fall to win 10-5.

The championship was a rematch from the first round of the state tournament last year, where Klein Collins dominated Elswick on his way to earning all-state honors. Elswick came out with a little more fire in this one, scoring a quick takedown. But Carni evened the match with a reversal. Elswick gained another two-point lead by reversing Carni in the second period, but Carni showed why he was all-state in 2010-11 by scoring the final six points of the match to win 8-4.

“It was a great tournament by Ryan, and even a great final,” O’Harra said. “He now knows he can go with anyone in the state.”

Senior co-captain Sammy Ivester had his best showing of the year by placing third at 132 pounds. After a first-period pin, Ivester caught a tough break by drawing top seed and eventual champion Casey Cowan of Kincaid. Ivester then won his next two matches to reach the consolation final, where he met Houston Westside’s Joe Koutani. The two battled back and forth, trading the lead four times before a late reversal by Ivester secured the 9-8 victory.

“That was a gutty performance today by Sammy,” O’Harra said. “He battled all day long, winning two of his matches in the final period. I think it is a great confidence booster to build off of in the coming weeks.”

Freshman Alex Pankhurst improved his tournament showing from a few weeks ago by moving one step up the podium with a third-place finish at 138 pounds. A first-round bye and second-round forfeit put Pankhurst in the semifinal against top seed Niles Peebles of Cinco Ranch. Pankhurst held his own but had trouble scoring against Peebles, who won the bout 6-3 on his way to winning the tournament. Pankhurst did not dwell on the loss for long, going out and pinning each of his next two opponents to win the bronze medal.

“We got a lot of tough draws today, facing the top seeds before the finals,” O’Harra said. “I think some of our guys could have placed second if they had gotten luckier in the draw, but that’s the way it goes. It’s just the luck of the draw.”

Junior Mack Murray had an up-and-down day, culminating in a fourth-place finish at 120 pounds. Like Ivester, Murray had a first-round pin but then drew the top seed and eventual champ in the second round. He followed that up with two wins to reach the consolation final and was in control of the match early, but Murray ran out of gas in the third period and fell to Morton Ranch’s Will Homalon.

Senior co-captain Cooper Scott appeared to be on his way to a top finish before he faced second-seeded and eventual champion Kielan Snyder of Katy Taylor. It was a low-scoring affair until a controversial near fall gave Snyder a two-point lead. Scott got within one point but could not score as time ran out. That set up a rematch in the consolation semifinal against Katy’s John Lindsay. Scott dominated the third-seeded Lindsay in the opening round, winning 8-2. But Lindsay did not make the same mistakes and forced the match into triple overtime. Scott was in control, but Lindsay maneuvered just enough to escape and earn the sudden-death victory.

“All in all, I was pleased with today,” O’Harra said. “I think we wrestled better than we did at Churchill a few weeks ago. We’ve got a long way to go, but we are headed in the right direction.

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The Chaps faced off against its two toughest foes in District 26, falling 61-6 to defending champion Vista Ridge on Dec. 7 before a 45-25 loss against Georgetown Saturday.

Vista Ridge hosted the fifth annual Lunchroom Brawl, a unique event that occurs at lunch during the school day so the student body of the host school can attend. The event also raises money for charity. This year, Vista Ridge chose to support the Ronald McDonald House. This was also the first year the event was actually wrestled in a lunchroom as a mat was placed on the stage in the Vista Ridge cafeteria, and students watched as they ate their lunches.

“The setting of the event was fantastic,” said Westlake coach Pat O’Harra. “To be up on the stage during lunch in front of all the kids was pretty cool. I wish we would have wrestled a little better, but the experience was neat.”

Vista Ridge showed why they are the favorites to win Region IV this year. The experienced Rangers won the first six bouts of the dual and 11 of 13 overall. It was shaping up to be a shutout before freshman sensation Alex Pankhurst finally got Westlake on the board with an 11-9 decision against Joe Garcia at 138 pounds. Pankhurst trailed 6-3 early in the match, but a flurry in the third period enabled him to earn two back points that were the difference in the match.

“Alex continues to impress the heck out of us,” O’Harra said. “He is in tremendous shape, and he never stops moving. That’s why he won today.”

After five more defeats by either pin or forfeit, senior co-captain Cooper Scott won the final bout of the day for Westlake when he beat Fidel Estrada 7-1 at 220 pounds. Scott pushed the action the entire match and was in control from start to finish.

“Cooper wrestled a very smart match,” O’Harra said. “He didn’t need to force anything, and his patience paid off.

“Vista Ridge has a ton of experience coming back from what was a great team last year. They are one of the best teams in the state, and we are a pretty young team in rebuilding mode. You are going to take your lumps in a matchup like that.”

Things did not get any easier for the Chaps when they hosted Georgetown Saturday. Two weeks ago, the Eagles lost by only one point to Vista Ridge, so Westlake knew its grapplers had their work cut out for them.

Senior co-captain Sammy Ivester got the Chaps of to a great start with a first period pin of Kyle Glandel at 138 pounds. Pankhurst, competing up to 145 pounds, wrestled a great match and appeared to have a pin in the second period, but ultimately lost in overtime 7-5.

Georgetown won the seven of the next eight matches, including three pins and three forfeits. Westlake was open at 195 pounds and heavyweight as two seniors were taking ACT exams and unable to compete. The Chaps then collected two forfeits of their own before Georgetown earned a pin at 126 pounds. Sophomore Jay Garza won the final bout of the day for Westlake at 132 pounds, 3-1.

“I like how we came out fighting today,” O’Harra said. “After what happened Wednesday, our guys could have come out flat against this very good team. But they had a lot of fire. Even the guys who lost wrestled much better today.”

The wrestlers take the week off for semester exams before heading to Bryan for the Doc Hess Classic on Saturday. The tournament features more than 40 teams from all over the state, and is one of the premier tournaments in Texas.

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The Chaps opened the year No. 30 at Anderson High School for a tri-meet that included Bryan High School. Westlake pulled out a 37-36 win over Anderson despite missing several competitors that had spent the fall playing football.

“Both teams had to forfeit a couple of weight classes, so we knew it was going to be close,” said Westlake coach Pat O’Harra. “Once our varsity football players have had a bit more mat time, we will fill in some of those open spots.”

The teams traded forfeits at 182 pounds and 195 pounds before Westlake co-captain Cooper Scott earned a first-period pin over Evan Hanson at 220 pounds. Anderson took the lead back after collecting a forfeit at heavyweight and a pin at 106 pounds. However, sophomore Ryan Elswick got the Chaps back to even with a pin at 113 pounds.

After getting another fall at 120 pounds, Anderson extended its lead when Carson Moore edged out Westlake junior Mack Murray at 126 pounds 5-3. Murray’s training partner, sophomore Jay Garza, got four points back for the Chaps at 132 pounds by earning a major decision over Alex Greene, 19-7.
Senior co-captain Sammy Ivester pulled Westlake closer with a 6-0 win over Scott Davidson at 138 pounds, and freshman Alex Pankhurst got Westlake the lead by pinning Matt Fagan at 145 pounds. A pair of victories by the Trojans put them ahead by five points, but Westlake freshman Gabe Duran collected the six points for the forfeit at 170 pounds, securing the one-point victory for the Chaps.

In the nightcap, Westlake fell to Bryan 42-36. Again, both teams had open weight classes, but the Vikings were able to grab a few more victories to win the dual.

Bryan built a 15-point lead with its strong upper weights before Westlake freshman Kevin Zarzana picked up the forfeit at 106 pounds. In the 113-pound bout, Elswick, who was a bit under the weather all night, ran out of gas and lost to Cameron McCann 12-6. Bryan added six more points when Rafael Aguilar pinned sophomore Dalton Shults at 120 pounds.

Westlake earned 18 straight points when an Ivester fall was sandwiched between a pair of forfeits for Murray and Pankhurst. However, senior Morgan Fisher, pressed into action due to an injury to junior Alex Cabezas, was pinned by Bryan’s Nate Jimenez at 145 pounds. After junior Brent Davis picked up a forfeit at 152 pounds, freshman Hugo Giordano put the Chaps ahead for the first time by pinning Kevin Davidson at 160 pounds. However, Bryan earned the final 12 points of the match with a fall at 170 pounds and a forfeit at 182 pounds to secure the victory.

“We are a pretty young team, and some of our guys are being forced into varsity duals before they have had a chance to wrestle many high school matches,” O’Harra said. “But some of them have valuable youth club experience that is helping a lot.”

On Saturday, the grapplers headed south for their annual appearance in the San Antonio Churchill Charger Classic. The tournament featured more than 20 teams, some from as far away as McAllen and El Paso. Westlake had eight wrestlers competing, but a few injuries limited the Chaps to only two place-winners. Elswick suffered an early loss at 113 pounds to San Antonio Johnson’s Thomas Turcol but stormed back to post a 4-1 record on the day. However, due to the mandated five-match limit for one day, Elswick was denied the attempt to avenge that loss in the third-place match and was forced to settle for fourth place.

“The tournament directors did not appear to seed the tournament very well, as Elswick and Turcol should not have met in such an early round,” O’Harra said. “But that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Perhaps the best showing of the day belonged to Pankhurst, as the freshman continued to impress by placing fourth at 138 pounds. A pair of wins put Pankhurst into the semifinals with eventual champion Trent Cooper of San Antonio Reagan. Pankhurst pushed the action all match but fell in a close decision 2-1. A win in the consolation semifinals put Pankhurst into the third-place match with Juan Rocha of McAllen Memorial. A controversial penalty point late in the third period allowed Rocha to tie the score and force overtime, where he scored a close takedown to beat Pankhurst 7-5.

“Alex wrestled great today, and I think two unfortunate calls cost him the third-place medal,” O’Harra said. “He definitely deserved it.”

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Ben Ussery finished seventh in the 100 butterfly, Paul Corbae placed 10th in the 200 individual medley and ninth in the 100 breaststroke, and Audie Embresto finished sixth in the 100 backstroke and 13th in the 200 individual medley.

David Cox placed seventh in the 100 backstroke, while Zach Thomas finished 13th in the 100 backstroke and 15th in the 200 individual medley. In relay competition, the 200 medley team of Cox, Corbae, Ussery and Thomas finished sixth. Cox, Thomas, Embresto and Ussery also finished sixth in the 400 freestyle relay.

Mackenzie Franklin (seventh, 50 freestyle and eighth, 100 freestyle), Alyssa Woltemath (11th, 100 backstroke) and Anne Shedlosky (14th, 100 breaststroke) all scored points for the Chap girls.

The next action for the Westlake swimmers will be the District 15-5A championship meet Jan. 27-28 at the University of Texas’ Jamail Swim Center.

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Westlake rallied from a sixth-place score following Friday’s first round for a third-place final of 332-310 642. The two-time state champion Chaps bested every team in the challenging field Saturday, including eventual winner The Woodlands (306-311 617). Considering that top Chap players Mariana and Sierra Sims both missed the tournament because of an AJCA event in Florida, the results held plenty of promise, Westlake coach Chuck Nowland said.

“The typical southeast winds blew hard both days, but our girls responded well,” he said. “I saw a lot of good decisions made with club selection, lots of saves or near saves, lots confident putting with good speed and line.

“I think that we sent a little message that we’re not ready to concede our title to anyone just yet.”

Meg Healy, who Nowland called “an emerging star,” tied for first place with a 77-72 149. Christine Campbell fired an 85-77 162, and Claire Wooldridge shot an 84-80 164. Jamina Solankee shot an 86-81 167, and Emily Singletary carded an 86-88 174.

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The Chaps were led by Stratton Nolen and Matthew Perrine, who finished second (74-76 150) and third (80-71 151), respectively. Perrine’s brilliant second round was the only round under par in the tournament.

Wehman Hopke shot a 76-84 160 for the Chaps, and Garrett Lynch added an 81-85 166. Andy Germann completed Westlake’s team score with an 80-78 158.

Westlake II ended with a team score of 668 behind an 84-77 161 by Charles Neel White.

Vandegrift’s William Martinez led all players with a 73-75 148.

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Generation next

Westlake’s athletic department had a busy fall signing day Nov. 9 with nine Chaps signing letters of intent to play collegiate sports. Participants in the signing ceremony included: (front row, from left) Emily Singletary, Savannah College of Art and Design golf; Mariana Sims, Wake Forest golf; Kathy Dzienkowski, Dartmouth softball; Heather Elswick, Arkansas gymnastics; (back row, from left) Westlake assistant athletic director and volleyball coach Al Bennett; Jaimie Grace, Texas State basketball; Cailin Bula, Southern Methodist University volleyball; Paige Caridi, Dartmouth volleyball; Hannah Baptiste, University of Texas at Arlington volleyball; Paul Corbae, Michigan swimming; and Westlake athletic director and football coach Darren Allman.

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