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 WACO - On a brisk night in Waco, Andy Erickson was looking for someone to hug. He hugged adults and classmates. He hugged teammates and children. He said "thank you" to what seemed like a hundred people and expressed his love to a dozen more. The joy of victory is apparently never tiresome. Not even to someone who has been a part of 46 straight victories. "It never gets old; it never will," Erickson said. Erickson scored two touchdowns to help Lake Travis to a 24-17 victory over Longview in the Class 4A, Division I championship game. The victory gave the Cavaliers their 46th straight win and third consecutive state championship. Lake Travis got off to a great start in the game's opening minutes, holding Longview to a three-and-out on the Lobos' first series. Two plays after receiving the punt, the Cavalier scored on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Michael Brewer to Erickson. Longview counted Lake Travis' score with a field goal, but Lake Travis struck again on the third play of the second quarter. Brier threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Conner Floyd to give Lake Travis a 14-3 lead with 11:25 to go before halftime. Lake Travis painted its 11-point lead throughout the second quarter, but went into the locker room knowing it had blown opportunities to get more points. The Cavaliers turned the ball over on two of three drives after Brewer's touchdown pass to Floyd. Brewer threw an end zone interception, and Erickson fumbled away the football inside the Longview 20. Coach Chad Morris "just told us that we needed to start executing our plays," Erickson said. "We made some mistakes, but stuff like that happens. It's supposed to be a good game. It's the state championship of Texas." Lake Travis got a field goal on its first possession of the second half, but a quick scoring drive by Longview pulled the Lobos within 17-10 with 7:04 left in the third quarter. The Lake Travis offense sputtered on its next drive and was forced to punt the football back to a Longview offense that was picking up momentum. The Lake Travis defense soon made the biggest play of the game. On a first down from the Longview 33, Longview quarterback Aaron Johnson rolled out on a play fake and was quickly hit by Lake Travis linebacker Ian Lazarus. Cavalier defensive end Trevor Gillette finished the job with a sack and a forced fumble that Lake Travis recovered. The fumble recovery and a personal-foul penalty set Lake Travis up inside the Longview 10, and two plays later, Lake Travis took a 24-10 lead on a touchdown run by Erickson. "All night we just kept wanting to give the ball to the offense and keep giving them a chance," Lazarus said. Longview pulled within seven points with 2:37 to play in the game on a touchdown pass by Johnson, but the Lobos failed to recover the ensuing onside kick. Needing to run out the clock, Lake Travis lined up for a fourth-and-3 from the Longview 42. The Cavaliers tried to draw a Lobo offsides but accidentally snapped the ball. Brewer reacted quickly and found junior wide receiver Tanner Gillette down the sidelines for a 35-yard gain. Two kneel-downs later, the Cavaliers were state champions. Again. "It just keeps getting better every time," Lazarus said. "There are no words to describe how great it feels." The Cavaliers celebrated the victory among a sea of fans clad in Lake Travis apparel. Formers Cavaliers celebrated along cheerleaders, as players posed for pictures with family and friends. As the celebration eventually died down, Lake Travis junior cornerback Omar Duke-Tinson was approached by a young fan who asked for one of his gloves. Duke-Tinson, who had already given away one of his gloves, obliged and gave away the keepsake. "We've worked for this all year long and we've come so far," said Duke-Tinson. "There were all these different teams that were saying, 'We are going to end this streak now,' and finally we've got ourselves another ring. "LT three-eat, that's what it's all about." As for a 47th win in a row? "(I'm) definitely excited," Duke-Tinson said. "I feel like we can go at anybody." |