A year after falling to Lake Travis 35-14, the Warriors ventured down IH-35 for the return engagement and delivered one of the state’s most stunning results. Coach Bob Wager’s team stifled the Cavaliers’ usually potent offense and soundly defeated the state’s third-ranked team 35-14.

Martin used KJ Polk’s timely interception to wrest momentum from the Cavaliers and methodically marched to the win, holding Lake Travis scoreless in the second half.

“It was a dogfight all night long,” Martin coach Bob Wager said. “It was a game of momentum. There are a couple of times in every game where you have to make things happen and we made it happen. We did a great job from the start.”

Quarterback Zach Mundell made things happen all night for the Warriors, rushing for 174 yards and three scores and while adding a touchdown pass. His 71-yard touchdown run in the first quarter got the Warriors moving, and his third quarter touchdown put them ahead to stay. Time and again, he escaped Lake Travis’ pass rush and made the Cavaliers pay.

“I thought Zach played really well,” Wager said. “He gave us great effort, and a lot of his plays were made with second and third effort. That’s something you’re proud to see as a coach.”

Wager’s also proud of the defensive effort that held Lake Travis quarterback Hudson Card to just 14 completions in his final 37 attempts after starting the game with nine straight completions.

“We have really, really good players, and nobody wins without really good players,” Wager said. “We have a lot of athleticism in the back end of our defense, and we did a nice job staying with their receivers. We couldn’t do that last year. We were able to get some pressure and rush some throws, and we did a very good job against the run.”

Now Wager wants to see his players put the win – regardless of its significance – behind them and begin focusing on Hebron.

“We need to show the maturity to go back to work,” Wager said. “The Hebron Hawks couldn’t care less about what happened to us on Friday night.”

While the veteran coach liked what he saw from his team in its season-opening win, he knows plenty of work remains before his team hits its potential. Yes, they made timely plays on offense and rode a talented defense past Lake Travis, but communication can be better, starting from the top.

“The thing about communication is actually the illusion that it is happening,” Wager said. “We need to be crystal clear in our communication as coaches and transfer that to the players so that everyone is on the same page.”

With more performances like their opening act, the Warriors could put themselves squarely in the race for the District 4-6A title and start a run that could extend to Thanksgiving and beyond.