Here to Prove.

[djp73]

Someday
Autumn 2018

She leaned back in her chair closing her eyes for a moment as she took in the sounds of the game unfolding in front of her.

"Grier gets the ball and he drops back! The defense is coming for him fast."

"Stills is open!"

"Grier throws the ball to Stills just before he gets hit!"

She opened her eyes to watch the ball sail through the air, a tight spiral that was on target. The receiver tracked the ball over his shoulder and looked it into his hands, scampering into the endzone and spiking it with authority before being enthusiastically embraced by his quarterback.

"West Virginia wins the national championship! West Virginia wins the national championship!" They yelled at the top of their lungs.

She smiled and clapped for the boys as she turned her attention back to the mostly red spreadsheet on her laptop screen.

---

Cam and Dillon sat at the table barely able to stay still as they ate their sandwiches and discussed their future success on the football field together.

The two had become fast friends shortly after Cam moved in a few houses up the street. They shared many interests, at first it was monster trucks and super heroes now their primary focus was sports, especially all things West Virginia football.

"Mom?" Cam shouted to the other room.

"What?" She asked, still distracted by the laptop.

"How long until the game?"

"Umm... about an hour."

West Virginia had started their season with five straight wins. Enciting hope in all their fans, perhaps none moreso than Cam and Dillon. They had spent many of their fall Saturday afternoons together watching the game at each other's houses.

With a rare night game on the slate against Iowa State the duo had schemed up a full day of playing together followed by a viewing of the game and a sleepover.

---

"I still can't believe we lost." Cam said as he pouted and picked at his bowl of now soggy imitation fruity pebbles.

"Those other guys aren't even that good!" Dillon exclaimed.

"Mom, do you still think they can win the national championship this year?"

"Anything is possible but they would probably have to win the rest of their games."

Cam groaned.

"Well if they can't do it we will." Dillon said with the utmost confidence.

"Someday."

[djp73]

FOOTBALL
Lake Travis dominates Johnson, moves on to regionals
Jay Plotkin American-Statesman Correspondent
Published 7:14 p.m. CT Nov. 17, 2023


CAM FITZPATRICK GETS READY TO DELIVER ONE OF HIS FIVE TOUCHDOWN PASSES

AUSTIN - After a close win against Vandergrift last weekend Lake Travis left no doubt in their area playoff game against Johnson, coming away with a 49-3 victory.

After a somewhat slow start Lake Travis led 7-3 early in the second quarter until a trio of Cam Fitzpatrick touchdown passes put things all but out of reach for a Johnson team that struggled to move the ball on offense and had no answers for Fitzpatrick and the talented group of Lake Travis receivers.


SAM SELF HEADS FOR THE ENDZONE

Johnson got a heavier dose of Nico Hamilton in the second half and a pair of scores by him plus one more through the air made it 49-3 after three leading to a mass exodus of Lake Travis starters.

Fitzpatrick finished the game 22 of 30 for 349 yards and five touchdowns while Hamilton picked up 140 yards and a pair of scores on 17 carries. Kadyn Leon, who missed some time in the second and third quarters, was under 100 yards receiving for the first time this season, tallying 74 yards and a score on four receptions.


KADYN LEON CHECKS ON THE DEFENDERS

Tight end Sam Self stepped up, hauling in eight passes for 125 yards and two scores while Dylan Cullers chipped in 30 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions.


SELF FINDS HIMSELF ALL ALONE IN THE ENDZONE

Johnson QB Ty Hawkins completed seven of 11 pass attempts for 70 yards and an interception. Lorenn Johnson was held to 53 yards on 19 carries.

Johnson could only muster 137 yards of total offense to Lake Travis' 522.

"Just really great complimentary football all around." Coach Hank Carter said of Lake Travis' dominant performance. "Maybe we'll see some things to work on when we get a look at the tape but right now we're feeling pretty good about this win."

Fitzpatrick now has 44 touchdown passes on the season, moving into a tie for sixth best all time at Lake Travis, he is one behind Baker Mayfield and needs 13 to break the record of 56 held by Garrett Gilbert and Charlie Brewer. He is also closing in on the leaders for yardage with 3,886 which is fifth all time. Gilbert has the first and second best with 4,851 and 4,824.

Hamilton's 1,555 rushing yards trails only Shaun Nixon's 1,747. His 17 touchdowns is good for a three way tie at sixth.

Kadyn Leon is tied for seventh with 72 receptions, he is fifth with 1,703 yards and his 24 touchdowns is tied for fourth best, just three short of the record.

"It's some pretty historical stuff for us." Carter said when asked about the performances of Lake Travis' three stars. "It's pretty fun watching those three go get it out there."

Brennan, who took down Pharr-San Juan-Alamo by a score of 36-14, awaits the Cavaliers in the regionals.

[djp73]

Phone calls and emails
November 20th, 2023

"What's this stack?" She asked, picking up a dozen or so unopened envelopes from various schools off the desk.

"Too far away." Cam replied, quickly glancing up from the few opened letters spread out on his bed.

She shuffled through the stack, noticing that some of the schools weren't all that far away.

Cam picked up one of the letters, found the address and picked up his phone.

"Six hours." He said to himself. He thought for a second then set the letter aside.

"Lubbock isn't that far Cam." She said, noticing the Texas Tech logo on the letter.

"I don't want to be that far away."

"Far away from what?"

"From you."

"Cam..." She sat next to him on the bed, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "You don't have to do that. This is an amazing opportunity for you and you should take advantage of it. You should go wherever you want. I'll be fine and there will be plenty of time to visit."

"I want to be here for you in person. Not phone calls and emails."

She squeezed him tighter.

"Go wherever feels right. We'll figure it out."

Cam sat in silence for a moment. Imagining what life could be like if he was thousands of miles away.

"Close to you feels right."

[djp73]

FOOTBALL
Lake Travis takes down Brennan, will face Westlake in the quarterfinals
Jay Plotkin American-Statesman Correspondent
Published 6:19 p.m. CT Nov. 24, 2023


CAM FITZPATRICK CELEBRATES A RUSHING TOUCHDOWN IN LAKE'S WIN OVER BRENNAN

AUSTIN - "You always kind of had the feeling we would see those guys again." Lake Travis head coach Hank Carter said when asked about the upcoming rematch against Westlake after having knocked off Brennan by a score of 45-24.
"We're ready. We're going to do our best to be prepared for the game and we're going to give them everything we've got."

"Get your popcorn." Lake Travis runningback Nico Hamilton exclaimed when he was told Westlake had beaten United.

Lake Travis punched their ticket to the quarterfinals leaning on their trio of Hamilton, QB Cam Fitzpatrick and WR Kadyn Leon.

Fitzpatrick threw for 342 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Leon and the fourth to Hamilton, while also scoring on a one yard QB sneak.

Hamilton ran 24 times for 195 yards and a score while also catching three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.

Hamilton's performance gives him 1,750 yards on the season, surpassing the previous record of 1,747 set by Shaun Nixon in 2013.

Leon led all receivers with 223 yards on six receptions, including three touchdowns.

Leon also had a record-setting day as his season total of 1,926 is the most all-time at Lake Travis. He passes Jason Bird's 1,815 set in 2007. Leon also tied the single season record for receiving touchdowns, matching Garrett Willson's 207 set in 2017.

After being held to a field goal on their first possession Lake Travis scored on the first play of their second possession when Fitzpatrick found Leon all alone over the top for a 72 yard touchdown.



Fitzpatrick and Leon connected again for a 20 yard score before the end of the first quarter.



Brennan finally got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter when Macai Thompson scored on a 13 yard run.

Nico Hamilton got in on the action in the second quarter, extending Lake's lead to 31-7 with a 30 yard touchdown run followed a few minutes later by a five yard touchdown reception from Fitzpatrick.



After connecting with Dylan Cullers for a 20 yard gain down to the two yard line Fitzpatrick called his own number and punched in a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak to put Lake up 38-7 early in the third quarter.

Brennan made it 38-17 with a field goal and a 57 yard Cayden Glass to Brandon Wells touchdown pass.

Not to be outdone Fitzpatrick and Leon connected once again, this time on a 67 yarder to make it 45-17.



Malik White would add a late rushing touchdown for Brennan against Lake Travis' second team defense.

As mentioned earlier Westlake, who defeated Lake Travis 24-21 back on September 22nd, will host the Cavaliers next week after then took down United by a score or 59-14.

[djp73]

Cam Fitzpatrick 2023 Stats:
REGULAR SEASON
08/25/2023 vs Martin W 17-14 17/30 271Yds 1TD 1Int, 1Car 39Yds 1TD
09/01/2023 vs Steele W 20-10 19/29 277Tds 2TD 1Int
09/08/2023 vs Johnson W 56-28 20/28 333Yds 6TD 0Int
09/14/2023 @ Akins W 35-0 18/28 313Yds 4TD 0Int
09/22/2023 vs Westlake L 21-24 24/39 363Yds 2TD 0Int
10/06/2023 @ Del Valle W 55-0 10/13 282Yds 4TD 0Int
10/14/2023 vs Anderson W 42-20 21/36 359Yds 6TD 0Int
10/20/2023 @ Dripping Springs W 31-24 22/34 319Yds 3TD 2Int
10/27/2023 vs Austin W 63-14 11/12 319Yds 4TD 0Int
11/02/2023 @ Bowie W 63-3 19/26 416Yds 4TD 0Int
-----------------------------------
PLAYOFFS
11/10/2023 vs Vandergrift W 31-24 17/24 285Yds 3TD, 1Car 34Yds
11/17/2023 vs Johnson W 49-3 22/30 349Yds 5TD
11/24/2023 vs Brennan W 45-24 15/22 342Yds 4TD, 1Car 2Yds 1TD
-----------------------------------
Totals through 13 Games: 235/357 67% 4,228Yds 48TD 4Int, 3Car 75Yds 2TD

[djp73]

FOOTBALL
Fitzpatrick's heroics lead Lake Travis past Westlake, into semifinals
Jay Plotkin American-Statesman Correspondent
Published 5:58 p.m. CT Dec. 2, 2023


KADYN LEON PULLS DOWN THE GAME WINNING TOUCHDOWN PASS AGAINST WESTLAKE

AUSTIN - Lake Travis last beat Westlake in October of 2019. Since that win they had lost three straight. That streak has now come to an end after Lake Travis went into Westlake's house and topped them 28-21 to punch their ticket to the semifinals.



Westlake would get on the board first when QB Rees Wise connected with Cal Liven good on a six yard touchdown pass on their second possession of the game.



Lake Travis answered by putting together a long drive that saw Cam Fitzpatrick connect with his favorite target Kadyn Leon to score from three yards out.



The teams would exchange punts and turnovers on downs until late in the second quarter when Lake Travis' Keiondre Lewis picked off a Wise pass and set up a 38 yard Fitzpatrick touchdown pass to Dylan Cullers.

Midway through the third quarter Westlake tied the game at 14-14 when Jack Kayser scored on a 12 yard touchdown run.

Westlake would regain the lead after a Lake Travis punt with Kayser scoring his second touchdown of the game on the first play of the fourth quarter.



The lead was short-lived as Fitzpatrick found Leon for a four yard score on the ensuing possession, making it 21-21 with around six minutes to play.

Westlake would come up empty on a promising drive that stalled in the red zone when Wise was picked off for a second time, this one by Lake Travis' Chance Brooks.

Lake Travis' offense took possession at their own 15 yard line with just over three minutes to play.

On a third and two at their own 42 yard line Fitzpatrick took the snap and was immediately pressured. He stepped up in the pocket and was hit as he released a pass to Cullers, picking up eight yards and the first down.

A few plays later on a fourth and six at Westlake's 47 Fitzpatrick rolled out on a bootleg and found tight end Sam Self down the sideline for a big gain down to the 17 yard line.

After a run for no gain Lake Travis used a time out to stop the clock at 31 seconds.

Fitzpatrick took the snap, dropped back and threw a perfect jump ball to Leon in the left corner of the endzone. The senior receiver came down with it to put Lake Travis back on top.

Lake Travis' defense knocked down a pair of Wise passes and sealed the win when Keiondre Lewis picked off a desperation heave.

Fitzpatrick, who passed for 283 yards and four touchdowns, moves into a tie for third place for touchdown passes in a season with Garrett Golbert, who threw 52 in 2007. He now trails only Charlie Brewer (2016) and Gilbert's 2008 performance with 56.

Lake Travis will face North Shore, who narrowly defeated Atascocita by a score of 34-28, next week in the semi final with a trip to the championship game on the line.

[djp73]

Cam Fitzpatrick 2023 Stats:
REGULAR SEASON
08/25/2023 vs Martin W 17-14 17/30 271Yds 1TD 1Int, 1Car 39Yds 1TD
09/01/2023 vs Steele W 20-10 19/29 277Tds 2TD 1Int
09/08/2023 vs Johnson W 56-28 20/28 333Yds 6TD 0Int
09/14/2023 @ Akins W 35-0 18/28 313Yds 4TD 0Int
09/22/2023 vs Westlake L 21-24 24/39 363Yds 2TD 0Int
10/06/2023 @ Del Valle W 55-0 10/13 282Yds 4TD 0Int
10/14/2023 vs Anderson W 42-20 21/36 359Yds 6TD 0Int
10/20/2023 @ Dripping Springs W 31-24 22/34 319Yds 3TD 2Int
10/27/2023 vs Austin W 63-14 11/12 319Yds 4TD 0Int
11/02/2023 @ Bowie W 63-3 19/26 416Yds 4TD 0Int
-----------------------------------
PLAYOFFS
11/10/2023 vs Vandergrift W 31-24 17/24 285Yds 3TD, 1Car 34Yds
11/17/2023 vs Johnson W 49-3 22/30 349Yds 5TD
11/24/2023 vs Brennan W 45-24 15/22 342Yds 4TD, 1Car 2Yds 1TD
12/02/2023 @ Westlake W 28-21 16/22 283Yds 4TD
-----------------------------------
Totals through 14 Games: 251/373 67% 4,511Yds 52TD 4Int, 3Car 75Yds 2TD

[djp73]