The Chaps (14-6-2 overall, 12-2 in district) clinched the 25-5A crown with a win over Anderson last week but didn’t show any letdown on the offensive end. The Chaps began their scoring onslaught when Thomas Haws found Dillon Short, who finished with a hard shot in the upper corner of the net.

The scoring onslaught continued with a header from Walker Hume off a corner kick from Bailey Hinners later in the half. Tucker Hume, Jordan Price, Mark Kasahara and Ryder McGough all added second-half goals

Buckley Willis recorded several stellar saves while complementing a stout defensive effort.

Girls blast Akins in finale

Westlake’s girls closed out their regular season with a 10-0 romp over struggling Akins Friday at Burger Center. The win lifted the Chaps to 15-6-2 overall and 12-2 in District 25-5A, which tied Westlake with Bowie for the district title.

Because the Chaps beat Bowie in both meetings, they will enter Tuesday’s playoff opener as the district’s top seed.

Caroline Furst, Reilly Wheat and Rachel Quigley each scored two goals. Sarah Gross, Westlake’s regular goalie, added a score while receiving minutes up top.

Alexandra Perez had two assists from Westlake’s midfield.

It’s Dillon Short on a breakaway that gives Westlake the lead. It’s Sarah Gross, soaring above a striker to punch the ball out of the box to preserve a Chap victory.

It’s soccer in Westlake, futbol in East Austin. It’s the beautiful game, taking a sweat, having a kick-about, playing footie.

It’s “Pelada,” an intriguing documentary celebrating the simple roots of the world’s most popular game that will make its global premiere at this weekend’s South By Southwest Film Festival.

A Portuguese word that translates literally to “naked,” the term “pelada” has a simple but deep meaning in Brazil. The word refers to the game of soccer stripped down to its core: a handful of players, a sliver of open space, and a sphere of any make or matter.

The term captures the sport’s spirit as seen through the lens of filmmakers Rebekah Fergusson, Luke Boughen, Gwendolyn Oxenham and Ryan White, who spent six months traveling to 25 different countries and playing pick-up soccer games in the most unexpected locales.

A Bolivian prison, in which a bribe allows the Americans inside the walls. A Chinese square, where the players learn moves via YouTube videos of Messi and Ronaldo. A dusty rocky pitch in Iran, which hosts a side of women in hijabs, booting the ball while all-encompassing black robes leaving trails of dust.

All the backdrops serve as stark contrasts to the familiar settings in the U.S., where manicured greens host swarms of well-fed youngsters, and families pay exorbitant sums for accredited lessons.

It’s still soccer, but it’s not “Pelada.”

“Pelada” will have three screenings at the 2010 South By Southwest Film Festival, which begins Friday at various theaters around Austin. The film shows: Sunday, 7:15 p.m., G-Tech Theatre at Austin Convention Center; Monday, noon, Alamo South Lamar; March 19, 3:30 p.m., Alamo South Lamar.

Visit sxsw.com for more information.

SETTING SCREENS

In addition to “Pelada,” the South By Southwest Film Festival has a handful of other sports films making their world premier.

Hood To Coast
“Hood to Coast” follows four unlikely teams on their epic journey to conquer the world’s largest relay race. Winning isn’t everything in a documentary that takes a celebratory look at personal motivation and attempting the extraordinary.
Saturday, 2:15 p.m., G-Tech Theatre at Austin Convention Center; Tuesday, 1 p.m., Paramount Theatre; March 20, 2 p.m., Alamo South Lamar.

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson
Director Steve James returns to his hometown of Hampton, Va., to examine the 1993 bowling alley brawl that landed Allen Iverson, the nation’s top high-school basketball player, in jail and divided the community along racial lines.
Sunday, 11 a.m., Paramount Theatre; March 19, 2:45 p.m., G-Tech Theatre at Austin Convention Center.

The Ride
A journey into the heart of America through the rough and tumble, rock ’n’ roll world of bull-riding cowboys.
Wednesday, 7 p.m., G-Tech Theatre at Austin Convention Center.

Thunder Soul
In the 1970s, Houston Kashmere High School band director Conrad Johnson turned his students into an international funk sensation. Thirty years later, his students return to pay tribute to the man who changed their lives.
Saturday, 11 a.m., Paramount Theatre; Monday, 6:45 p.m., Alamo South Lamar; March 19, 2:30 p.m., Paramount Theatre.

“The girls put on a show,” he said after his team shot a season-best 324 in the one-round event. “When teams start breaking into the 320s, you know each player has been working hard and seeing progress as a result of that commitment.”

Meg Healy had four birdies while shooting a personal-best 75 to pace the Chaps’ juggled lineup, which didn’t include regulars such as Haley Haught, Taylor Moreno, Kaylin Terry and Mariana Sims.

Christine Campbell fired a 78, Emily Singletary shot an 85 and Angela Jin fired an 86 for Westlake.

Cedar Park won the tournament with a 316, and Ilissa Riley-Jaggers claimed individual honors with a 70.

For the second time this season, Austin High defeated the Chaps (14-6-2 overall) in a shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation. Those setbacks, the only blemishes on the Chaps’ 11-2 district record, knocked Westlake into a tie for first place with Bowie entering the final game of the 25-5A slate.

If Westlake defeats last-place Akins tomorrow at Chaparral Stadium, the Chaps will ensure at least a share of the district title as well as the top playoff seed in 25-5A. Westlake has defeated Bowie twice this season, thus earning the tiebreaker between the two rivals.

The Bulldogs close the regular season against Anderson.

Austin High and Bastrop have also clinched spots in the postseason.

An Austin High goal in the 73rd minute forged the tie, and it negated the Chaps’ dominance of possession.

“We dominated and probably generated the best and most opportunities to score we have had all year,” Westlake coach Rennie Rebe said. ”We just couldn’t find the back of the net.”

Because of Austin High’s long-ball attack, Rebe altered the formations to account for the kick-and-run style.

“We maintained our composure, but it is always difficult to beat a team that plays hard and counts on playing balls over the top as a tactical style,” she said.

Caroline Furst scored for the Chaps in the first half

The playoffs can’t get here soon enough for a red-hot Westlake side suddenly toting an unfamiliar piece of hardware.

With the District 25-5A championship in their trophy case for the first time since 2004 because of a 7-0 win over visiting Austin High Tuesday, the Chaps (12-5-3 overall, 10-2-1 in district) can now focus on what eluded them a year ago: a postseason appearance.

First-year coach John Campbell, an assistant on last year’s squad, said the title more than makes up for the disappointments of 2009.

“I didn’t expect this, considering last season,” he said. “I knew the team was talented, without question. We just had to overcome that funk of last year and move on, and we did it. We’re playing well, and now we’re district champs.”

While Chap striker Dillon Short continued his rampage against District 25-5A defenses with a pair of first-half goals to open the scoring, a beautiful goal that capped a splendid buildup highlighted Westlake’s dominant first half.

Austin High’s Fredy Nunez Cruz skipped through Westlake’s midfield in the 34th minute, intent on cutting into the 2-0 lead that Short had given Westlake. Chap defenders finally collapsed on the diminutive Maroon, and Vince Dutton flicked a pass out to backrow mate Jason Ahuja.

Ahuja quickly found Thomas Haws in the midfield, and the Chaps cut toward the Austin High goal like a machete through a a withered vine. In a buildup that featured no less than seven passes, Ahuja, racing up the left wing, hammered home a pass from Tyler Richer for his first goal of the season and a 3-0 halftime lead.

“Beautiful,” Campbell said, when asked about the goal. “Tonight is probably the best we’ve switched the ball around all year. We played a lot of diagonal balls and played balls in space, and that’s what happened with that goal.”

According to Ahuja, his goal symbolized Campbell’s offensive philosophy.

“Coach all year has talked about working it inside and attacking outside,” he said. “He always talks about the backs getting up into the attack. I haven’t had the chance to do it that much, but it was fun.”

No other Westlake goal matched the quality of Ahuja’s score, although the Chaps had plenty of quantity to pick from. John Giankakopoulos triggered a scoring spurt that opened the second half when he headed home a pass from Tucker Hume in the 43rd minute. Hume then headed in a corner kick from Short four minutes later, and Haws followed with a goal off a 25-yard free kick.

By the time Dutton ripped a cross from Jordan Price into the net for the final goal in the 57th minute, the Chaps were substituting freely and sharing laughs on what became a festive Senior Night.

Austin High (1-9-2 in district) continued to struggle through one of the program’s worst seasons in recent history. The Maroons were outscored by Westlake 12-0 in two losses this season, and they have scored just seven goals in district play.

Ashley Maton finished third in the 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 30 seconds and placed fourth in the 1,600 in 5:38. Westlake teammate Ali Franklin edged Maton for third in the 1,600 in 5:35.

Hailey Thompson picked up a silver medal in the 300 hurdles with a time of 49.01 and finished third in the 100 hurdles in 17.78. Amy Paape placed third in the 300 hurdles in 50.05.

Hannah Hood completed Westlake’s medal contingent in individual events with a second-place time of 1:02.42 in the 400.

The Chaps’ relay teams delivered three medals. The 400 team of Carly Grandcolas, Hannah Mallios, Kamri Ball and Leslie Rice finished third in 53.48. Mallios and Rice also teamed with Hood and Myeisha Foley to finish third in the 800 relay in 1:50.19.

The 1,600 relay team of Mallios, Hood, Thompson and Grandcolas finished second in 4:18.11.

Grandcolas captured her second consecutive gold medal in the long jump and finished third in the triple jump.

Westlake’s Russell Bader knocked off Matt Dooley of New Braunfels 6-3, 6-1 to likely earn the top seed at next month’s Class 5A Region IV tournament, but the match couldn’t meet the commotion surrounding the New Braunfels tennis program and its relationship with the nearby Newcombe Tennis Ranch.

New Braunfels was stripped of two team tennis district championships garnered in 2008 and 2009 after a ruling by the District 26-5A Executive Committee on March 4, and the Unicorns could also lose its two Class 5A state championships won in those same years. The committee ruled to remove the Unicorns’ district titles because of private instruction from a non-school coach during school hours.
An off-campus physical education class authorized by New Braunfels High School throughout the school year at the Newcombe Tennis Ranch was deemed a violation of UIL rules by the DEC.
“Coaching during school hours is supposed to come from a full-time district employee,” San Antonio Reagan principal Bill Boyd, the chairman of the DEC, told the San Antonio Express-News. “I don’t think New Braunfels had an understanding that the rule applied to this off-campus class.”
According to the Express-News, the UIL also could place further sanctions on the school, including stripping its two most recent state team tennis titles. UIL spokeswoman Kim Rogers told the Express-News that any appeals would be reviewed at a state executive committee hearing. No time or date has been set for a hearing.
New Braunfels beat Westlake in the regional finals in both 2008 and 2009, and Chap parents have joined other schools’ parents in complaining about the relationship between the Unicorns’ tennis program and the Newcombe Tennis Ranch.

According to the Express-News, the complaint to the UIL came from outside of the San Antonio area.

“A parent hired a private investigator to come in and spy on New Braunfels,” Boyd told the paper.

New Braunfels and Westlake parents have long had an acrimonious relationship, and some parents of New Braunfels’ players believed that the complaint to the UIL originated from a Westlake parent.

No one from either school had a comment, pending an appeal by New Braunfels on the district ruling.

Such drama didn’t prevent Westlake from finishing third as a team and garnering plenty of wins in the first completed tournament of the spring.

Westlake’s doubles team of Robin Chou and Ryan Meek reached the quarterfinals before being knocked out 6-4, 6-4 by San Antonio Churchill’s Angel Alvarez and Jordan Mayer.

Chap Andie Ingram reached the quarterfinals before falling to defending state champion Lilly Kimball of New Braunfels. Teammate Jay Henton advanced to the quarterfinals in the boys singles bracket before a loss to Brandon Davis of New Braunfels.

Westlake’s mixed doubles team of Nemo Niess and Sydney Young also reached the quarterfinals before falling 6-2, 7-5 to San Antonio Reagan’s team of Chelsea Horan and Nick Isbell.

The loss by the two Chap freshmen didn’t faze Westlake coach Kim Riley, who liked her young team’s moxie.

“Those freshman are just getting warmed up,” she said. “There’s more to come from them, for sure.”

Westlake may have passed another District 25-5A test Friday against visiting Anderson, but the Chaps didn’t exactly earn an A with a 2-0 win.

But then again, the grade came in more of a practice quiz than a pressure-packed postseason exam.

“It was a stressful win, but stress is good,” Westlake coach Rennie Rebe said. “We’re working toward the playoffs now. Maybe we need to manage the stress a little better and play a little better and finish our chances, but this game could help us come the playoffs.”

For much of the contest, the only stress occurred against a beleaguered Anderson defense that spent the bulk of the match bending against the Chaps’ relentless assault on the box. The first goal came with predictable haste, considering the string of shots and corner kicks produced by Westlake. Sophomore Katharine Noonan lobbed a corner into the box and then moved inside the 25-yard mark. Freshman Christy Goldberg tapped the ball back to Noonan, who rocketed a shot into the far corner of the net for a 1-0 Westlake lead nine minutes into the match.

Westlake (14-5-2 overall, 11-1 in district) spent the rest of the match organizing futile assaults on the Anderson goal while fending off the occasional Trojan counterattack. Some of the Chaps’ 13 shots ricocheted off the frame, while others couldn’t get past the Anderson keeper. As the time ticked off the clock, however, the Trojans grew bolder behind winger Kendyl Walker, who began to find holes in the Chap defense.

“They were thinking ‘We’re only down 1-0; we’re still in it,’ ” Rebe said. “And their game is counterattacking. It was like the playoffs a little, because that [counterattacking] is what playoff soccer is all about.”

Anderson had just one shot on goal in the first 60 minutes but produced a series of shots late in the match. Chap keeper Sarah Gross, a four-year member of Westlake’s varsity squad, suddenly had a busy Senior Night after spending most of the match as little more than a gloved cheerleader.

“It got a little scary near the end,” said Gross, who didn’t have to make her first save until the 61st minute. “But then I had to work a little. It turned into a lot of pressure on me, that’s for sure. I make a mistake, and it’s a shootout that we could lose.”

The match never got to that point, thanks to the reliable Gross and some quick footwork from Reilly Wheat. The junior stole a ball from an Anderson defender and dished out a pass to Goldberg, who poked a short shot into the Anderson net to give the Chaps a 2-0 lead in the 75th minute.

The performance of Goldberg and some of the other rising Westlake stars eased the evening’s sentimentality, said Gross, who carried the traditional pink boa and bouquet of flowers that accompany Westlake’s Senior Night.

“I think we’re leaving the team in good shape,” Gross said. ” think that we [the seniors] have made a big impact on the team, and I think they’re set for at least the next four years. But we still have some games to play.”

Westlake will clinch the 25-5A title with wins over Austin High and Akins next week. The postseason begins after Spring Break.

After surrendering a goal early in the first half, the Chaps (11-5-3 overall, 8-3 in district) rattled off four straight scores before the break to win their seventh consecutive match. The scoring started with a free kick from Bailey Hinners. Thomas Haws then sent a pass from Hinners into the back of the net, and Short rounded out the scoring with his goals.

Dylan Shomaker continued his strong play in goal, including a brilliant save off a penalty kick late in the first half.

The Chaps, who lead 25-5A with 29 points, can take a big step toward the district title with a win over second-place Anderson (27 points) Saturday at 10:45 a.m. at Nelson Field in Austin.

Carly Grandcolas won the long jump with a mark of 16 feet, 5 3/4 inches and won the triple jump with a measurement of 35-4. Ashley Maton raced to gold in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:26.81, and Jackie Manzano won the discus with a mark of 110-2.

Hannah Hood finished second in the 400 in 1:01.93, C.J. Jordan placed third in the 800 in 2:32.89, and Maton added a bronze medal in the 1,600 in 5:33.75.

Haley Thompson clocked a 16.69 to finish third in the 100 hurdles, while Manzano placed second in the shot put with a toss of 31-5.

The 800 relay team of Hood, Myeshai Foley, Hannah Mallios and Paige Caridi placed third in 1:49.98. Thompson teamed with Amy Paape, Cally Anne McCrea and Codie Kyle to finish third in the hurdle relay in 1:12.45.

Boys track team shows youth at host meet

Westlake’s boys team showed its age while playing host at Saturday’s Chap Relays.
The youthful Chaps, who are battling a handful of early-season injuries, tallied 50 points to finish seventh at the meet. Georgetown rolled up 238 points to claim the team title.

“It was a bit of a disappointing finish, but we showed lots of promise for the future,” Westlake coach Mark Hurst said. “We are a young team, and we were missing some big-point juniors and seniors.”

The mile relay team of Jason Prideaux, Campbell McCrea, Andrew Stockton and Chris Irvin provided the day’s highlight with a second-place time of 3 minutes, 25.79 seconds. The distance medley relay team of Robert Waguespeck, Dylan Warnock, Andrew Stockton and Nick Mass also earned a medal with a third-place time of 11:35.