Beginning in the 2010-11 school year, Westlake will spend at least the next two seasons competing in a new District 15-5A that also includes Austin High, Anderson, Bowie, Akins and Del Valle, which has moved up to 5A for the first time in school history.

Westlake has an enrollment of 2,486. The UIL cutoff for Class 5A schools was 2,065 students, a drop from the previous cutoff set at 2,085.

Bastrop and Connally, which currently compete with Westlake and the Austin schools in District 25-5A, will drop to Class 4A. Current district foe Pflugerville will compete in District 16-5A with schools from Williamson County.

Because four teams make the playoff in each sport, the move almost guarantees a playoff spot for every Westlake program.

“I think it’s a breath of fresh air,” said Darren Allman, Westlake’s head football coach and the Eanes school district athletic director. “Del Valle is talented and a program on the rise, and the playoffs will offer some new challenges.”

While district competition appears weakened for most sports, the postseason looks more perilous. Westlake’s football team has competed in Class 5A Region II four times and has a 4-4 record, including back-to-back first-round playoff losses in 2004 and 2005.

In comparison, the Chaps have a 35-5 record in 12 trips through Class 5A’s Region IV.

With the possible exception of volleyball, Region II offers an upgrade in every sport. The region includes the entire Austin area, Dallas and its eastern suburbs, the northern suburbs of Houston, East Texas and the Waco and Killeen metropolitan areas.

Scheduling emerged as the first challenge for Westlake’s coaches. Because the Chaps’ district lost two teams, the start of district play in every team sport will be pushed back two weeks. That particularly helped basketball, which will start district play after the Christmas break, but it caused some consternation for other coaches.

“This does cause some scheduling problems, and I will have to find four more games for next year,” Westlake baseball coach Jim Darilek said. “But it does give us more time to improve [for district].”

Realignment notes
Westlake hasn’t competed in a six-team district since the 2000-2002 school years. …. Only one of the nine Class 5A or 4A districts that contain Central Texas teams will have eight schools. During the past two years, five of the eight Central Texas districts had at least eight teams. … The UIL enrollment cutoff marked the first time since 1990 that the UIL lowered the minimum enrollment number for a Class 5A school. … There will be 245 Class 5A schools in the state for the 2010-12 school years.

Solving the nation’s health care quandary, for example. Or, say, finding a suitable way to withdraw from Afghanistan. Perhaps, even discovering a way to implement a playoff system in college football.

But since President Obama and his legislative ilk in Washington D.C. have refused to address the UIL realignment, we’ll have to tackle the issue ourselves.

The UIL, the governing body of the state’s high school athletics, will reveal its new alignments for each district in all five classifications Monday at 9 a.m. at www.uil.utexas.edu.

With the understanding that no certainty exists until that time, let’s answer some questions on how realignment will affect Westlake for the school years that start in 2010 and 2011.

It’s a true-or-false format, kids. Like the UIL, you have a 50-percent chance of getting a correct answer.

Theory: Westlake will remain in Region IV.

Answer: False, despite a wealth of reports that predict the Chaps staying in District 25-5A. According to respected high school poster Carl Padilla, the UIL will lower its enrollment cutoff for Class 5A from 2,085 to 2,039. Such a shift would result in a net gain of three 5A schools in Region IV, which currently includes the most Class 5A school of any region. Schools such as San Marcos and Seguin will return to Class 5A, while the likes of Bastrop and Pflugerville Connally drop to 4A.
A quartet of schools with 4A numbers have petitioned the UIL to compete at the 5A level, including Austin Anderson and a trio of schools from Laredo. The UIL almost always agrees to such a petition, thus creating a 10-team district in 29-5A that includes seven Laredo schools and three schools in Del Rio and Eagle Pass, according to Padilla. If the UIL culls the Del Rio and Eagle Pass schools into a district that includes southern San Antonio schools, Westlake will move into Region II.

Theory: Westlake will remain in a district with the Austin 5A schools.

Answer: True, although the Chaps’ historical ties with schools such as Austin High and Bowie don’t matter a spoonful of beans to the UIL mapmakers. Westlake will be one of the three schools in Central Texas that hold the coveted status of a single-high school 5A district, along with Pflugerville and Del Valle. Thus, Westlake can be moved to fill gaps in districts stretching from Williamson County to the northern suburbs of San Antonio.

Remember, the UIL broke up the Little Southwest Conference two years ago when they attached Abilene to a district centered in the Forth Worth area. Tradition matters little when matched against cold statistics.

Theory: Westlake will renew district rivalries with old foes San Marcos, New Braunfels and Seguin.

Answer: False, unless the Chaps stay in Region IV. San Marcos and Seguin will likely move back into Class 5A after a two-year hiatus, and they will be a part of Region IV’s northernmost district. However, look for Westlake to join Anderson, Austin High, Bowie, Akins and Del Valle in a second Central Texas Region II 5A district. Don’t be surprised if the UIL slots San Marcos into that district as well, despite the town’s proximity to Seguin and New Braunfels.

Theory: Westlake will face a much different nondistrict schedule in football.

Answer: True. Westlake coach Darren Allman can’t finalize his nondistrict slate until after realignment, but it’s unlikely that he will want to play more than one Class 4A school.

That school will remain Lake Travis because of the budding rivalry and corporate sponsorship dollars from Chik-fil-A. Cedar Park will likely drop to Class 4A and fall from the Chaps’ schedule. Longtime nondistrict foe A&M Consolidated faced Westlake because their coach, Jim Slaughter, had an established relationship with former Westlake coaches Ron Schroeder and Derek Long. Allman doesn’t have such familiarity with Slaughter, thus a two-year renewal with the Tigers isn’t guaranteed.

Current Class 5A area alignments
District 16-5A
Cedar Park
Leander
CP Vista Ridge
Georgetown
Round Rock
RR Westwood
RR McNeil
RR Stony Point

District 25-5A
Westlake
Austin Bowie
Pflugerville Connally
Pflugerville
Austin High
Bastrop
Austin Akins
Austin Anderson

District 26-5A
New Braunfels
SA Churchill
SA Johnson
SA Lee
SA MacArthur
SA Madison
SA Reagan
SA Roosevelt
Smithson Valley

Westlake Picayune’s predicted 2010-2012 Class 5A area realignments

District 13-5A
Pflugerville
Leander
Georgetown
Round Rock
RR Westwood
RR McNeil
RR Stony Point

District 14-5A
Westlake
Austin Akins
Austin Anderson
Austin Bowie
Austin High
Del Valle
San Marcos

District 25-5A
New Braunfels
Seguin
Cibolo Steele
Converse Judson
Converse Wagner
SA East Central
CC Carroll
CC KIng

Carl Padilla’s predicted 2010-2012 Class 5A area realignments

District 14-5A
Del Valle
Leander
Pflugerville
Georgetown
Round Rock
RR Westwood
RR McNeil
RR Stony Point

District 25-5A
Westlake
Austin Bowie
Austin High
Austin Akins
Austin Anderson
San Marcos
Seguin
New Braunfels

District 26-5A
Cibolo Steele
SA Churchill
SA Johnson
SA Lee
SA MacArthur
SA Madison
SA Reagan
SA Roosevelt

Sure, there’s one or two somewhere in the field house, but they’re sequestered away from the public, waiting for the holiday season to end before emerging from their den.

So in the hopes of extending the Chaps’ success into the New Year, here are some suggested resolutions for the Westlake coaches.

For football coach Darren Allman:
Resolve to redshirt quarterback Tanner Price. The senior signal caller did suffer a knee injury in middle school that kept him out of football until 2007. It’s not too late for the UIL to grant a medical redshirt, is it? Of course, the coaches at Wake Forest University won’t be too happy, but finding a new QB could mean the difference between another lengthy playoff run and a first-round exit for the Chaps.

For volleyball coach Al Bennett:
Resolve to influence the UIL’s realignment in order for Amarillo to fall into Class 4A. The Sandies have beaten Westlake in the last three Class 5A title matches, but the shrinking Panhandle school could fall into 4A in next month’s realignment. Few tears would fall in the Westbank.

For boys soccer coach John Campbell:
Resolve to bring stability back to the Chap program. Since longtime manager John Fitzsimons left in 2006, Westlake has had four head coaches. A program with such talent and history – last year marked just the second time in school history that Westlake missed the postseason – deserves a firm coaching foundation.

For girls soccer coach Rennie Rebe:
Resolve to keep cracking that whip. The Chaps responded to Rebe’s hard-nosed approach in the coach’s first year, winning District 25-5A and advancing to the regional quarterfinals. They have to replace a wave of departing seniors but appear ready to build on last season’s success.

For boys basketball coach Tres Ellis:
Resolve to enjoy the season. Before a recent game, Ellis eyed his team during warm-ups and quipped that he could coach another 20 years and not ever have as much talent on one team. Coaches often measure their achievement by wins and losses, but Ellis has already done a masterful job while blending these Chaps into a state contender.

For girls basketball coach Keith Smith:
Resolve to play three guards. Sure, Westlake has an impressive collection of depth on the frontcourt with 6-footers Courtney Duever, Jackie Manzano and Jamie Grace. But guard play determines success in high school girls basketball; if Hannah Coley, Cherrell Mays and Rose Minutaglio develop into a three-pronged backcourt force, Westlake could have an ideal complement to the multifaceted post Duever.

For baseball coach Jim Darilek:
Resolve to let his toddling ballplayers take a few stumbles while learning how to walk. Westlake lost eight starters from last year’s state semifinalist team to graduation, and the young Chaps will likely endure growing pains during a rugged nondistrict slate.

Sure, there’s a barrelful of awards picked up during a most remarkable decade that built on the success of the 1990s. But with the honors came plenty of upheaval in the 2000s.

Longtime coaches left, and some took success with them. New leaders arrived, while the highest of expectations remained. Teams triumphed, others stumbled, but every sport in one of the state’s top athletic programs continued to pile up the wins at the highest level of high school competition in the nation.

And, thus, the Chaps enter the second decade of the 21st century in a familiar spot at the top of the prep pecking order.

The decade didn’t begin with promise, as the departure of longtime girls basketball coach Cathy Self broke up a championship triumvirate. Westlake won state titles in girls basketball, volleyball and football in the 1990s. Each sport had a lone coach during the entire decade, and the presence of Self, Ron Schroeder (football) and Al Bennett (volleyball) served as a linchpin to the athletic program.

In addition, Ebbie Neptune governed with a steady hand as the only athletic director the Eanes school district had ever known.

But Self’s exit portended a coaching commotion. Schroeder left Westlake in 2003 after a remarkable 16-year string that included multiple district titles and a state championship. The girls hoops program went through three coaches in the 2000s, and the beloved Neptune retired before suffering a debilitating stroke that shocked the Chap community.

Ripples of change also swept through programs such as soccer, cross country and softball.

Only volleyball – still under the direction of Bennett – seemed immune from transformation while building a dynasty of regional and state titles.

Change hasn’t, well, changed the track of Westlake sports, however. Football coaches Derek Long and Darren Allman have each led the Chaps to state title games, and the girls soccer program reemerged as a state power.

The boys basketball team reached a new level of achievement despite three coaches in the past six years.

Of course, many programs have stayed in-house while maintaining their winning ways. Coaches such as tennis’ Kim Riley and boys golf’s Callan Nokes, groomed in Westlake’s system, have each led the Chaps to state titles, and steady Jim Darilek stays true to his hardball roots while guiding the baseball team to long playoff runs with regularity.

Westlake’s girls golf team remains among the best, and the cross country squads continue to persistently excel in the postseason. Chaps have won gold medals in swimming, wrestling and track.
All remains good at Westlake, where every sport reached the playoffs multiple times in the past decade.

Because at Westlake, one truth remains undeniable. Student-athletes enter each program with the highest of goals, and they rarely shirk from the work needed for such reach.

And that fact is as concrete as the cups and plaques that continue to collect decades’ worth of dust in the Westlake trophy case.

The decade’s best:

Boys cross country

A consistent regional qualifier, the Chaps haven’t taken the next step toward a state title but remain a contender every year.

Team of the decade: The 2007 team won a district title and finished 16th at the regional race.

Player of the decade: In 2002, Jaziel Crisostomo became the lone Chap to reach the state meet this decade.

All-decade team
Jaziel Crisostomo, 2001-04
Collin Sansom, 2004-06
Rob Secker, 2003-06
Jake Shaw, 2006-2008
Ben Stephenson, 2006-09

Girls cross country

With three trips to the state meet, the Chaps have proven themselves as one of the most consistent programs in Central Texas, regardless of which coach guides the team.

Team of the decade: In 2001, Maribel and Alejandra Apud-Martinez led the Chaps to ninth place at the state meet.

Player of the decade: Lucy Stephenson made two appearances at the state meet, including an individual showing in 2005.

All-decade team
Alejandra Apud-Martinez, 2002-03
Maribel Apud-Martinez, 2000-02
Emily Mase, 2002-04
Ashley Maton, 2008-2009
Lucy Stephenson, 2005-08

Tennis

Coach Kim Riley became the storied program’s all-time leader in wins while leading Westlake to one team tennis title.

Team of the decade: After four straight trips to the state tournament without a title, the 2007 squad finally broke through to claim the school’s first Class 5A championship.

Player of the decade: Drew Petersen played four years on the tennis team and captured a state doubles title with Cal Alpar in 2007.

All-decade team
Boys
Cal Alpar, 2006-07
Russell Bader, 2006-09
Alex Durham, 2006-09
Drew Petersen, 2005-08
Stephen Shields, 2002, 2005
Girls
Emily Cippele, 2003-06
Alysha Kishan, 2004-07
Sophie Lantta, 2004-08
Stefanie Peana, 2005-08
Leonora Slatnick, 2005-08

Girls golf

After years of mediocrity, Coach Chuck Nowland has turned the Chaps into perennial state-tournament participants.

Team of the decade: Westlake has yet to win a state title, but the 2006 team came close with a second-place score of 616.

Player of the decade: Ginny Brown won individual honors in 2005 and placed second behind teammate Daphne Vines in 2006.

All-decade team
Ginny Brown, 2003-06
Haley Brown, 2002-04
Daphne Vines, 2003-06
Kaylin Terry, 2007-09
Jenna Stene, 2006-2009

Boys golf

Two state titles, one state champion and a fresh wave of talent that surges through the program each year. The 2000s were good for one of the state’s premier programs.

Team of the decade: The 2009 squad, loaded with an experienced lineup, shot a 575 to win a state championship.

Player of the decade: Tyler Duncan helped the Chaps win the 2001 state title by shooting a 137 to win individual honors.

All-decade team
Tyler Duncan, 2000-01
Jeff Lanier, 2000-02
Brenden Redfern, 2007-09
Rob Mayo, 2005-07
Trent Redfern, 2006-2009

Football

Despite a relative amount of upheaval at the top, the Chaps ended the decade right where they started: near the pinnacle of the sport.
Of course, the program had plenty of change in between, including an end to a record-setting district winning streak and its dominance over Austin Class 5A schools.

But the Chaps played the best when it mattered most, reaching four state title games and two more regional finals.

Team of the decade: The 2006 squad overcome a frightening heart failure to team captain Matt Nader and a first loss to Austin High to reach the state title game, where they fell 43-29 to Southlake Carroll.

Player of the decade: Quarterback Nick Foles, now starring for the Arizona Wildcats, broke a bevy of school records held by Drew Brees while guiding that 2006 squad.

All-decade team
Offense
QB: Nick Foles, 2005-06
RB: Scott Ballew, 2000-01
RB: Ryan Swope, 2006-08
WR: Aaron Garza, 2000-02
WR: Staton Jobe, 2004-05
TE: Joey Thomas, 2001-02
OT: Matt Nader, 2004-06
OT: Phillip Reed, 2008-09
OG: Gino Troy, 2002-03
OG: Tory Dawson, 2005-06
C: Brandon Behrens, 2007-09
K: Justin Tucker, 2005-07
Defense
DL: Patrick Massey, 2004-05
DL: Omar Ontiveros, 2006-08
DL: Mark Meroney, 2002-03
LB: John Anderson, 2004-05
LB: Craig Welborn, 2000
LB: Bryce Hager, 2007-09
LB: Tyler Gatewood, 2000-01
DB: Steven Jackson, 2003-04
DB: Huston Street, 2000
DB: Jordon Street, 2003-04
DB: Erick Smart, 2000
P: Richard Grey, 2003-04

Boys basketball

Long known more for producing touted big men than playoff wins, the Chaps have become a regional power.

Team of the decade: The 2004 team may have lacked a superstar, but it had plenty of grit while becoming the only squad in school history to reach the regional finals.

Player of the decade: The second McDonald’s all-American in school history, Brad Buckman had a brilliant prep career that predated four strong years at the University of Texas.

All-decade team
F: Connor Kemper, 2007-09
F: Nick Foles, 2004-06
G: Cody Doolin, 2007-09
G: Matt Slatnick, 2002-04
P: Brad Buckman, 2000-02

Girls basketball

Once one of the proudest programs in the state, Westlake remains a perennial playoff team but has spent much of the decade trying to regain the glory days of the 1990s.

Team of the decade: Westlake’s lone appearance at the state tournament came in 2003, when a team led by three-year starters Katie Gross, Blair Massey and Lauren Balon garnered a 29-8 record.

Player of the decade: In her three years on varsity, Blair Massey led the team in scoring three times and rebounding twice.

All-decade team
F: Blair Massey, 2001-03
F: Katie Gross, 2001-03
G: Caroline Wren, 2003-06
G: Caroline Durbin, 2006-09
P: Courtney Duever, 2007-09

Boys soccer

Once a bastion of stability, the program has had four coaches since John Fitzsimons resigned in 2006 and hasn’t won a playoff match since 2007.

Team of the decade: Despite a third-place finish in district, the 2007 squad rallied behind interim head coach Steve Ramsey and reached the regional finals, where Westlake fell to Brownsville Rivera 1-0 in a grueling matchup.

Player of the decade: In his four seasons on varsity, Andres Cuero evolved from a gifted striker to a playmaking team captain.

All-decade team
G: Michael Lisch, 2007-08
D: Carl Kenyon, 2001-03
D: Andy Retersdorf, 2004-06
D: Austin Pyhrr, 2005-07
D: Tyler Walsh, 2006-08
MF: Davey Lozano, 2002-05
MF: Jackson Widner, 2007-09
MF: Andres Cuero, 2004-07
MF: Colby Bishop, 2004-06
F: Grant Rodell, 2004-07
F: Sharad Sood, 2000-01

Girls soccer

Westlake has gone through three coaches in the past five years but hasn’t suffered any dropoff in success. After a mid-decade string of first-round playoff losses, the Chaps have gone at least three rounds in three of the past four years.

Team of the decade: In 2007, a gifted and rugged team won a regional crown for the first time in the decade before falling in the state semifinals.

Player of the decade: Jaime Wheeler capped a splendid career with eight goals in Westlake’s 2007 playoff run.

All-decade team
G: Tara Brace, 2000-02
D: Lauren Peterson, 2006-09
D: Laurie Walker, 2004-07
D: Carmela Doerr, 2006-09
MF: Lauren Torres, 2002-05
MF: Jaime Wheeler, 2004-07
MF: Melissa Nixon, 2000-02
F: Emily Anderson, 2003-06
F: Lauren Crosby, 2002-05
F: Brittany Johnson, 2005-08
F: Lexi Iverson, 2006-09

Softball

In one of the best prep athletic programs in Texas, softball has long been overshadowed by its more successful brethren. The team has gone through four coaches this decade, but playoff appearances have become the norm rather than the exception.

Team of the decade: The 2009 Chaps made school history by reaching the third round of the Class 5A playoffs for the first time.

Player of the decade: Kelly McKee did a little bit of everything in her four seasons on varsity, including pitching, playing third base and popping plenty of hits.

All-decade team
P: Celia Browning, 2006-08
C: Donia Crouch, 2002-04
IF: Kelly McKee, 2004-07
IF: Amber Mockler, 2002-04
IF: Hannah Slovacek, 2007-09
IF: MacKenzie Whyte, 2007-09
OF: Adrianna Martinez, 2007-09
OF: Megan Reichert, 2003-05
OF: Lana Thormahlen, 2000-03

Baseball

The program suffered one season without a playoff berth but closed the decade with four lengthy playoff runs, culminating with a spot in last season’s state tournament.

Team of the decade: A senior-laden and scrappy 2009 bunch broke through a regional semifinal barrier that had stood for three years before falling in a state semifinal.

Player of the decade: Whether at the plate or on the mound, Michael Dixon delivered for the Chaps.

All-decade team
P: Michael Dixon , 2005-07
P: James Ferguson, 2007-09
C: Andrew Stauch, 2005-06
1B: Mark Fisher, 2001-02
2B: Robert Icenogle, 2005-06
3B: Jordan Etier, 2006-08
SS: Huston Street, 2000-01
OF: Aaron Garza, 2001-03
OF: Max Minor, 2005-07
OF: Bryan Bailey, 2003-05

Volleyball

How do you define dominance? Just repeat Westlake’s accomplishments this decade under longtime coach Al Bennett: two state titles, seven state tournament appearances, waves of all-state players.

Team of the decade: One of the best teams in Texas history, the 2004 squad boasted a state title, a 43-1 record and eight future Division I college players.

Player of the decade: Bennett has called outside hitter Sara Shaw, a four-year starter and the school’s career leader in kills, the best player he’s ever coached.

All-decade team
S: Elly Barrett, 2006-08
OH: Sara Shaw, 2006-09
OH: Lauren Dickson, 2004-06
OH Jessica Mihm, 2000-02
MB: Meghan Kainz, 2001-03
MB: Shannon Davis, 2002-04

Shaw, a 6-foot-2-inch outside hitter committed to the University of Southern California, now becomes a finalist for national player of the year honors, the company said in a news release. The national player of the year will be announced later this month.

Shaw had 453 kills this season while helping Westlake advance to the Class 5A state title match for the third straight year. She is the all-time leader in kills at Westlake, and longtime Chap coach Al Bennett has proclaimed her “as the best player I’ve ever had.”

A member of the United States’ junior national team this past summer, Shaw also had 322 digs, 59 aces and 47 blocks for the Chaparrals, who finished with a 39-7 record.

“Shaw is the best hitter we came up against all year — probably the best I’ve seen the last couple of years,” said Amarillo coach Jan Barker, whose team defeated Westlake in the 5A state final. “She’s very difficult to block and she’s even a great back-row player. … Just a very talented player all-around.”

Shaw became the second Texas volleyball player of the year from Westlake. In 2004, Chaparrals middle blocker Kelsey Bryant received the award.

By capping one of the best careers in school history with another standout year that ended in the state volleyball championship match.

Shaw, a 6-foot-1-inch Southern Cal recruit dubbed “Sassy” by her teammates, easily earns the Westlake Picayune’s District 25-5A Most Valuable Player honor after leading the Chaps to a district title and a spot in the state finals. She amassed 453 kills, 291 digs and 59 aces along the way, despite missing most of nondistrict play with an ankle injury.

Shaw leaves Westlake as the heralded program’s all-time leader in kills. She also holds the record for kills in a single season with 698 in 2008.

Libero Tessa Hunt joins Shaw on the first team, and opposite Ella Praisner and setter Avery Edwards earn spots on the second team.

Westlake Picayune’s 2009 25-5A All-District volleyball team

Most valuable player:
• Sara Shaw, OH, Westlake: The senior shook off an ankle injury to lead the Chaps to the District 25-5A title.

Coach of the year:
• Al Bennett, Westlake: Once again, he led team to district title and state title match.

First team:
• S: Alix DeJernett, 12, 5-10, Austin High: Senior captain doled out 7.1 assists per game and led district in aces.

• OH: Sara Shaw, 11, 6-2, Westlake: USC recruit also a good defender and major threat on the service line.

• OH: Sydney Wilhelm, 12, 5-10, Bastrop: Versatile athlete averaged 3.1 kills, 4.7 digs a game and had 44 aces.

• OH: Cassidy Vaughn, 10, 6-0, Bowie: Rising youngster averaged 3.9 kills a game, defended well at net.

• MB: Haley Outon, 12, 6-1, Pflugerville : Thunderous swinger led
district with 5.8 kills a game; will play softball at Houston.

• L: Tessa Hunt, 10, 5-8, Westlake: Backrow stalwart averaged 5.3 digs a game for district champs .

Second team:
• S: Avery Edwards, 11, 5-6, Westlake: Averaged 6.3 assists per game in Chaps’ 6-2 rotation.

• MB: Latifa Brager, 12, 5-8, Connally: Quick middle had 3.3 kills a game and collected 64 blocks.

• OH: Ella Praisner, 11, 5-11, Westlake: Moved to opposite from middle and averaged 2.5 kills a game with 42 blocks.

• OH: Layne Hubbard, 11, 5-10, Austin High: High-rising junior led Maroons with 3.8 kills a game.

• MB: Kenzie Hume, 11, 6-0, Westlake: Steady presence in middle led district with 88 blocks.

• L: Avery Lewis, 12, 5-10, Bowie: District leader in digs (6.0 a game) helped boost Dawgs to playoffs.

Note: Statistics from regular season only

The 100 players selected to the first- and second-teams represent 27 states and 81 high schools.

Shaw and the 23 other players on the first team will be invited to play in the Under Armour All-America volleyball match and skills competition Dec. 20 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., in conjunction with the 2009 AVCA annual convention.

The Chaps fell to top-ranked Amarillo in five games in the state championship match Nov. 21 and ended the season with a 39-7 record.

In his comments about next season, pollster Butch Hart expressed doubt about Amarillo’s ability to win a fifth consecutive title.

“I love the Sandies but even I don’t think they can five-peat,” he wrote. “Graduation hits everybody this year. Early guess is teams from Arlington ISD and Greater San Antonio will rise up and be joined by one of the Fort Bend schools or Katy schools. Really wide open in 5A.”

Amarillo may not get a chance to defend its 5A crown. The rumor mill surrounding this winter’s biennial UIL realignment has the Sandies dropping to Class 4A.

Final TGCA poll
1. Amarillo
2. Westlake
3t. Georgetown
3t. Katy Cinco Ranch
5. San Antonio Reagan
6. Round Rock Westwood
7. San Antonio O’Connor
8. Houston S tratford
9. Lewisville Hebron
10. College Park
11. Lewisville Marcus
12. A&M Consolidated
13. El Paso Coronado
14. The Woodlands
15. Coppell
16. Fort Bend Travis
17. Arlington Lamar
18. Fort Bend Dulles
19. Amarillo Tascosa
20. Pearland
21. San Antonio Southwest
22. McAllen Rowe
23. Clear Lake
24. Harlingen South
25. El Paso Franklin

In another classic between the two dominant teams of the 2000s, Amarillo (47-3) fought off Westlake 19-25, 25-20, 28-26, 23-25, 16-14 at Strahan Coliseum for its fourth consecutive state championship and fifth of this decade.

The last three titles have come at the expense of Westlake (39-7), much to the frustration of the Chaps.

“It [a championship] is all I wanted,” Shaw said, “It’s the one thing [in volleyball] that I didn’t have, and it’s all I worked so hard for. It’s a huge rivalry, so to get this close and not win is so frustrating.”

Westlake coach Al Bennett made no attempt to mask his own frustrations after watching his team squander a match point in a taut fifth game that had the crowd of 2,735 standing together in anxiety.

“We didn’t come here to get some more silver medals,” he said. “We just didn’t get it done at the end, and you can only hope for that one chance. This loss is a bitter, bitter pill to swallow.”

Westlake had its chance to snap the Sandies’ stranglehold on the state tournament. Senior middle blocker Hannah Kolar spiked a free ball to the floor and teamed with classmate Katie Sorenson for a block to give the Chaps a 14-13 lead and a match point.

After an Amarillo timeout, Westlake’s Tessa Hunt served the ball into the net, and teammate Avery Edwards drew a net violation after crossing the midcourt line on a sliding set. Amarillo then made the most of its first championship point when Madelyn Robinett hammered a shot off a block attempt to end the match.

“They [the Chaps] have been gritty all season, and they battled to the end,” Bennett said. “You have to finish; we did it in game four, but we didn’t do it in game five.”

Westlake forced a fifth game after rallying from a 16-13 deficit in game four behind Shaw, an outside hitter committed to the University of Southern California. The 6-foot-2-inch Shaw, a favorite to earn Class 5A Player of the Year honors this year, had seven of her match-high 23 kills in the fourth game, including two consecutive kills to close out the set.

Shaw and the Chaps raced out to a quick lead in the first game while cruising to the relatively easy win. The six-point Westlake win proved an exception as both teams then engaged in a high-powered dual that Bennett called “another classic between the two top teams in the state.”

Westlake leaned on Shaw and Paige Caridi (17 kills) to attack Amarillo, while the Sandies relied on a frenetic defense keyed by libero and Most Valuable Player Eden Williams (25 digs). The Sandies seemed to win every lengthy rally, preventing the Chaps from stringing together any runs after the opening stanza.

Micah Nolan led Amarillo with 17 kills, but Robinett had her team’s biggest points. In the pivotal third game, Robinett fended off a game point by Westlake with a kill that evened the score at 25-25 and provided that game’s final point with a kill down the middle of the court.

“I’m happy we made it this far, but I’m frustrated that we lost,” Shaw said, her silver medal dangling loosely from her hand. “Hopefully, they [the Chaps] get back here next year and beat them.”

Chaps stave off Cinco Ranch in semis

Westlake survived a spirited rally by Katy Cinco Ranch for a 25-18, 25-23, 25-27, 26-24 win a Class 5A state semifinal Friday.

The victory propelled Westlake to its third consecutive state championship match and fifth in the past six years.

Shaw had 26 kills to lead both teams. Caridi added 17 kills and 17 digs for Westlake, and Ella Praisner had 14 kills.

Jennifer Sanders had 17 kills to lead Cinco Ranch (40-7), which made its first appearance in the state tournament.

News and notes<img

Neither Westlake nor Amarillo hit at a high clip in the championship match. Amarillo had 25 hitting errors on 160 swings and tallied a .206 hitting percentage. The Chaps committed 27 hitting errors on 165 swings and had a .218 hitting percentage. … Sara Shaw took 130 of Westlake's 332 swings in the two matches. She compiled a cumulative 49 kills and 17 hitting errors. … Ella Praisner had an efficient tournament on the right side with 23 kills and five hitting errors on 47 swings. … Chap libero Tessa Hunt had 36 digs in the tournament. … Middle blocker Kenzie Hume had seven kills against Amarillo. … Amanda Welsh had 27 assists in each match to lead the Chaps.

The Chaps held off a spirited rally by Katy Cinco Ranch for a 25-18, 25-23, 25-27, 26-24 win in a Class 5A state semifinal match at Strahan Coliseum in San Marcos. With the victory, Westlake advances to the state championship match for the third consecutive year.

A familiar foe awaits Westlake in three-time defending champion Amarillo, which has beaten the Chaps in the past two state finals.

The match begins at 5 p.m.