The Play-offs Round 1 - Westlake vs Round Rock

For the first round of play-off games, I decided to go back to Chaparral Stadium to see the Westlake Chaparrals take on the Round Rock Dragons.  I had seen each of these teams play earlier in the season. Since they had similar records (Westlake 9-1, Round Rock 8-2), I figured they were more evenly matched than many of the other first round games in the area.  I also wanted to start the play-offs right with some really good barbeque, so I headed to a place I knew well.

The Barbeque

John Mueller Meat Company

I took my wife and son with me to John Mueller Meat Company for lunch on Friday.  Located at 2500 East 6^th Street in deep east Austin, this is John’s third incarnation of a BBQ joint in Austin.  You probably know his history – the grandson of the great Louie Mueller out of Taylor, mentor to many of the great pit masters in and around Austin.  He can be cantankerous at times and his troubles have been well documented, but he consistently cranks out some of the best smoky goodness around.  His current place is a trailer parked behind Keele’s Place and you eat outdoors on picnic tables.  Another BBQ joint that would pass the Nana test.

Pork shoulder and turkey

I ordered my usual: a half pound of moist brisket and two pork ribs.  My wife ordered a chunk of pork shoulder and some lean brisket, while my son got moist brisket and a beef rib.  Oh it was good.  The moist brisket had a great bark and deep smoke ring.  Tender, juicy, and mouth watering.  The pork ribs were juicy and the meat fell off the bone.  My wife gave me a sample of her pork shoulder.  Great bark, really smoky.  And my son’s beef rib. . .  like eating a brisket popsicle. 

I have enjoyed John’s BBQ many times at each of his different locations.  He recognized me as we sat down to eat and waved hello, then went back to tending his smoker.  While other BBQ places in Austin may be a bit more well known, one of the best parts about eating at Mueller’s is that you don’t have to wait in line for hours and hours before you are served.  Easily one of the top three or four places for BBQ in Austin.  Any tour of great Austin BBQ must include a stop at Mueller’s.

The Football Game

A beautiful evening for football. It was 63 degrees at kick-off, with no real wind.  As for the Lake Travis game, the Westlake crowd was late to arrive.  There was a good size crowd for the Dragons, ringing their cowbells like crazy.  And so much maroon. . .

The Chaps took the opening kick-off on their 15 yard line and returned it to their 33.  Quarterback Sam Ehlinger led them downfield with strong runs and accurate passes.  Facing a second and 15 from the Dragon 19, Ehlinger connected with Kylen Granson on a post pattern for the first score of the night.  The extra point made it 7-0 with 7:48 to play in the first quarter.

Sam Ehlinger barking out the signals

The two teams traded punts on their next possessions.  On their second possession, the Dragons set up shop on their own 43 yard line.  On third and 11, quarterback Liam Beard’s pass was intercepted by Mack Kelley and returned to the dragon 24.  On third and 10, the Chaps ran a flea flicker play where Ehlinger again found Granson for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 1:31 left in the first.

The Dragons took the ensuing kick-off on their 10 and returned it to the 24.  They picked up a first down as the first quarter ended. After switching ends of the field, Round Rock could not move the ball.  A punt of just 20 yards gave Westlake the ball on the Dragon 40.

On third and 11, Ehlinger was pressured by the Dragon defense.  He threw a bad pass that was picked off by Donovan Armstrong of the Dragons and returned to the Chaps 47.  Round Rock converted two fourth downs on the drive and moved to first and goal on the Chaps 9 yard line.  The Westlake defense stiffened and forced another fourth down on their 4.  Beard found Andrew Stefani in the end zone for a touchdown.  The extra point cut the Chaps lead to 14-7 with 5:04 left in the second quarter.

Liam Beard back to pass

The Chaps caught the kick-off on their 19 and ran it out to the 32.  Ehlinger wasted no time moving the Chaps, picking up 12 yards on two strong runs.  He then hit Chase Cokely on a deep pass for 44 yards down to the Dragon 12.  Ehlinger ran for 3, then hooked up with Granson for a 9 yard touchdown.  With 3:16 in the second quarter, the Chaps extended their lead to 21-7.

The two teams traded punts to end the second quarter and went to the locker room with the Chaps up 21-7.  The temperature had fallen slightly to 60 degrees when the third quarter started.  Neither team could sustain a drive and traded punts. 

The Dragons took over on their own 9 after a Westlake punt.  They moved downfield behind Beard’s sharp passing and a steady diet of runs by Day’shus White.  He carried over from the 1 yard line with 3:18 left in the third to make it 21-14.

Day'shus White takes off around end

Westlake was unable to move the ball.  The Dragons took over on their 31 yard line after an 8 yard punt return.  They drove to the Chaps 29 as the third quarter ended.  Needing a touchdown to tie the score, Beard threw a wide receiver screen to Zech Nash-Kelly on the first play of the fourth quarter.  He fumbled when he was hit and Westlake took over on their 23.

Ehlinger moved the Chaps downfield with his passing and running.  On second and 7 from the Dragon 24, Ehlinger’s pass is intercepted in the end zone.  But the Dragons were offsides on the play, giving new life to the Chaps.  Ehlinger ran to the 14 for a first down, then ran the ball up the middle for a touchdown.  With 7:49 left, the Chaps were up by 14 at 28-14.

The Dragons returned the kick-off to their 21.  They went three and out and punted to the Westlake 21.  On third and 4, the Chaps hit a home run – a 73 yard touchdown pass to Granson.  The extra point made the score 35-14 with 4:33 to play.

Round Rock had another chance to score.  From their own 11, Beard tossed a swing pass to White who rumbled down to the Westlake 12 yard line.  The Chaps defense rose to the occasion.  Beard was pressured as he tried to throw on first and second downs.  He was sacked on third down and his pass on fourth down was batted away by a Westlake lineman.  The Dragons got the ball back one final time, but the game ended without them scoring. 

Westlake won 35-14.  Despite throwing his first interception of the season junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger ran for one score and hooked up with Kaylen Granson for four touchdown passes.  The Chaps will go on to play the Woodlands in the second round of the play-offs.  Playing from behind most of the night, the Dragons could not rely on their power running game as they did when I saw them beat Stony Point earlier in the season (Day'shus White ran for 204 yards against the Tigers).  Round Rock finished their season at 8-3.