Last night of the 2018 regular season. . . I went to Chaparral Stadium on the campus of Westlake High School to see the Chaps play the Bowie Bulldogs. Jeff Abels has been the head coach of Bowie for seventeen seasons. They entered this game with a 7-2 record. Their only losses were to Lake Travis and Hays. Win or lose in this game, they were guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.
Westlake is coached by Todd Dodge. They entered this game with an 8-1 record and were ranked #10 in the state. Their only loss came in week 2 at the hands of Cypress Ranch, currently ranked #9 in the state. Win or lose this game, the Chaps would still claim the district title and a spot in the playoffs.
It was about 52 degrees at kickoff. A strong wind out of the north kind of cut through you. But before I say more about the football game, let me tell you about the barbecue I had earlier. . .
The
Barbecue
Kasey Studdard is a big bear of a man. There was a time when you really didn’t want to line up in front of him. Like when he played in the offensive line for the Longhorns (he blocked for that quarterback guy, Vince somebody or other) or later when he played in the NFL for the Houston Texans. But now Kasey is serving up barbecue and lots of smiles, so lining up in front of him is way more fun than it used to be.
Kasey, chef Josh Watkins, and Scott Fogel are the team
behind Whitfield’s, a new barbecue joint located at the corner of Brodie and
Davis Lanes in south Austin. When I ate
at Snow’s BBQ back in July (TP episode 307), their pit master Clay gave me a
glowing recommendation for Whitfield’s.
Now I was going to get to try it for myself.
I ordered my usual moist brisket and pork ribs. My wife ordered some brisket, pulled pork,
and their beef fat fried potatoes.
Everything came with homemade pickles and pickled onions. Even with the sun shining, the temperature
was in the low fifties and the breeze cut right through you. If the shade cover could be turned ninety
degrees, it could block the wind instead of being a tunnel. So my wife and I headed back home to eat. Everything smelled so good it made the drive
up Mo-Pac seem even longer.
The barbecue was excellent. The brisket had a delicious, peppery
bark. The meat was tender and moist,
with a deep smoky flavor. The ribs were
juicy and tasty, but I had to work just a bit to get the meat off the
bone. I am not much for pulled pork, but
I stole a bite from my wife and it too was very good. The sauce we took home had a nice spicy kick
to it that paired well with the meats.
The taters were also very tasty.
Since we ate at home, I didn’t get a chance to circle
back and tell the guys at Whitfield’s how much I enjoyed their cooking. Of course, they will probably figure that out
when they see me back in line in the near future, ordering a bunch of their
outstanding barbecue.
I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!
The
Game
The Westlake defense started the scoring when Bowie
quarterback Evan Mallett fumbled and linebacker William Robertson scooped up
the ball for a touchdown. The extra
point made it 7-0.
After a Bowie punt,
Chap quarterback Taylor Anderson threw deep to a wide open Penny Baker. The point after pushed the Westlake lead to
14-0.
Bowie started a drive from their 26 yard line. Elijah Higgins picked up good yardage on a
run up the middle. Higgins threw to Kyle
Carter for a big gain to midfield. Terance Durst
took a handoff and ran down the left sideline for another big chunk of
yardage. But the Bulldogs drive stalled
and their 42 yard field goal attempt was no good.
Westlake answered quickly. Anderson threw deep to Mason Mangum for a 47
yard gain. Anderson capped off the drive
with a 12 yard touchdown run. The Chaps
went to half time ahead 21-0.
In the fourth quarter, the Anderson to Mangum
connection worked again for a 32 yard touchdown. Westlake inserted their second and third
teamers into the game. They scored a late
touchdown to make the final score 35-0.
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