'Friday Night Lights': Westlake Bested, Watch Out for Westwood

Tonight's pick game is easy: Westwood visiting Leander at A.C. Bible Stadium. Leave now, and you might still beat the 183 traffic. Maybe not, but still. QB Chase Rich has led the Warriors to their first-ever 4-0 start, including wins over Round Rock (behind Rich's 328 passing yards); Austin High (see below); and area 4A preseason favorite Lake Travis (who, by the way, are picking up steam, stomping Vista Ridge 49-14 last night behind four touchdowns from fabulously named senior back Austin Wrinkle). Beating Leander, 2-2, but still ranked No. 10 in the state in one poll and eminently dangerous, will go a long way toward proving the Warriors are for real, and put them in the 14-5A driver's seat to boot.

It will still be hard to top last week, with a 48-44 barn-burner between Wimberley and Liberty Hill, and an even better game at House Park. In what the Statesman called "the biggest win in school history," the Austin High Fightin' Maroons beat their suburban Westlake archnemeses 31-24 on a 72-yard TD pass from Cameron Jones to Emory Blake with 32 seconds left. How's that for a finish? Next up for the Maroons is 1-3 Anderson tonight at House Park, and Westlake must beat 1-3 Bastrop at home to avoid further damaging their playoff hopes.

Road trip of the week goes to the Mississippi School for the Deaf, who visit their Texas counterparts at Rudolph Gamblin Field (behind the school) 5pm Saturday. A&M Consolidated pays a call on Temple in a good 13-5A rivalry. Local neighborhood bragging rights are on the line when Crockett and Travis spar for 4A South Austin supremacy tonight at Burger Center, while Reagan and LBJ settle their perennial Northeastside grudge at Nelson Field. Lampasas at Burnet and Kerrville Tivy at Llano are two choice Hill Country showdowns, and La Grange at Luling is the hot ticket in Fayette and Caldwell counties. Closer to home, Cedar Park challenges McNeil at the RRISD Stadium, Stony Point comes to Dragon Stadium to battle Round Rock, and Wylie travels all the way from Abilene to lose to Wimberley. All times Friday 7:30pm unless noted.