Austin Westlake (3-0, 1-0) at Lake Travis (4-0, 2-0): The annual showdown between state ranked Austin Westlake and Lake Travis hasn’t quite gotten the buzz it usually has in recent years despite both teams coming into this one with unblemished records.

Despite being heavy underdogs a season ago, Lake Travis pushed Westlake to the brink, highlighting the often-unpredictable nature of this showdown.

A week ago, the Cavaliers battled through the elements and long lightning delay before taking care of an overmatched Austin Akins squad, 37-0. QB Kadyn Leon ran for a score and threw a touchdown pass, while sophomore RB Van Hopping ran for three scores as the Cavs put up all their points in the first half.

Westlake has the advantage of having two weeks to prepare for Lake Travis as the Chaparrals had their bye a week ago. Westlake easily took care of Akins, 64-0, in its last game as Jack Kayser and Nathan Acosta each ran for two scores and QB Paxton Land tossed a pair of touchdown passes.

I don’t have a great read on this one. Both teams appear to be a step below where they’ve been in the past (at least at this point), but Lake Travis was probably two steps off the pace a year ago. This one is going to come down to mistakes in the fourth, with the edge going to Westlake, which just has that big game experience and edge over LTHS at the moment.

Stepp’s Pick: Austin Westlake by 3