Preseason Power Poll: No. 1 Lake Travis
By Danny Davis - American-Statesman StaffJames Bailey interview
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
PRESEASON POWER POLL
Coach: Hank Carter (fifth season, 51-6)
2013: 12-2, Class 5A, Division II semifinalist
james bailey interviewHello: QB Dominic DeLira, DB James Bailey
Goodbye: RB Shaun Nixon, DB Luke Hutton
Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense
2013 stats: Averaged 40.0 ppg; allowed 14.3 ppg.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
1. Will Lake Travis’ defense overcome the loss of three All-Central Texas honorees?
2. With Nixon now at TCU, who steps up for Lake Travis’ offense?
3. After winning its six district games by an average of 35.8 points in 2013, will Lake Travis be challenged in District 14-6A?
CONNECT THE DOTS
DeLira threw for 2,329 yards and 25 touchdowns during his junior season, and he will head into this fall as an Iowa State pledge. Five straight full-time quarterbacks at Lake Travis have been recruited to the Big 12, and an easy line can be drawn from the first recruit to the most recent: Mark Mangino, who was Todd Reesing’s head coach at Kansas, is the current offensive coordinator at Iowa State.
WALL BALL
Lake Travis will have a new offensive coordinator this season as Michael Wall takes over for David Collins, who was hired as Longview Pine Tree’s head coach in the off-season. Central Texas football fans might remember Wall as the coordinator of a Georgetown offense that averaged 45.4 points per game in 2012, when the Eagles reached the Class 4A, Division I title game.
NO FREE PASSES
Half of Lake Travis’ eight District 14-6A opponents will have new starting quarterbacks this fall, but the Cavaliers’ secondary won’t be rolling out the welcome mat. Bailey, who has committed to Fresno State as a linebacker, will be a safety this fall. Lake Travis senior defensive back Chris Roller, a member of the All-Central Texas preseason football team, recorded five interceptions as a junior.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lake Travis has topped the American-Statesman’s preseason power poll on five occasions since 2008. The only other teams to claim the No. 1 spot during that span are Stony Point (2009) and Cedar Park (2013). In three of the four previous years that Lake Travis earned the top spot in the preseason poll, the Cavaliers won a state championship.
OUR TAKE
Q: Will Lake Travis be led by its offense or defense in 2014?
Rick Cantu: With linebacker John Brewer creating havoc, I’m banking on a defense that yielded a mere 14 points a game last year.
Danny Davis: Offense. The loss of Nixon definitely hurts, but I am expecting DeLira to step up like the quarterbacks before him.
PAST THREE SEASONS
2013: 12-2
Lake Travis reached the state semifinals, but it couldn’t overcome a fourth-quarter rally by eventual Class 5A, Division II champion Cedar Hill.
2012: 9-2
Lake Travis topped District 15-5A in its Class 5A debut, but Pflugerville beat the Cavaliers in the bidistrict playoffs.
2011: 16-0
The Cavs bid goodbye to Class 4A as newcomer Baker Mayfield led Lake Travis to a record fifth-straight state title.
RANKINGS IN REVIEW
10. McCallum
9. Manor
8. Round Rock
7. Liberty Hill
6. East View
5. Georgetown
4. Hendrickson
3. Rouse
2. Cedar Park
1. Lake Travis
— Danny Davis, AA-S staff
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