Posted: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 10:26 AM - 11,122 Readers

By: Rick Cantu

Lake Travis could not celebrate a first-round football playoff victory over McCallum until the defense rested its case.

Tackle Jonathan Roberts and safety Omar Duke-Tinson combined to stop McCallum senior Michael Sorrells on a fourth-and-goal play at the 2 with 90 seconds remaining, preserving a 28-20 victory Thursday night at House Park.

Lake Travis (9-2) will play the winner of tonight's Hays-Kerrville Tivy game in a Class 4A, area-round matchup next week.

In a tougher-than-expected bidistrict game, Lake Travis senior quarterback Michael Brewer passed for three touchdown s and led the Cavaliers with 125 yards rushing and another touchdown. The victory keeps Lake Travis' bid for a fourth consecutive Class 4A state championship alive.

McCallum (6-5) trailed 28-20 in the closing minutes and drove to the Lake Travis 5. The Knights were stopped on four straight plays, capped by the combined tackle by Roberts and Duke-Tinson.

"I was proud of the way our guys finished the game," first-year Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said.

Brewer's 8-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Gillette gave the Cavaliers their 28-20 lead in the fourth quarter, and then they kept the Cavaliers out of the end zone.

"If one part of our game isn't doing great, the rest of the team picks us up," Brewer said. "Tonight the defense backed us up."

The victory overshadowed a terrific performance by McCallum quarterback Colton Lusson, who consistently kept the Cavs guessing with his option runs. He scored the game's first touchdown on a 43-yard run and finished with a team-high 103 yards.

It was an exceptional effort by the Knights to keep up with the Cavaliers. McCallum consistently blitzed Brewer, who threw two interceptions and finished with 29 yards passing.

"Coming into the game I told our kids to have fun, play with heart and we'll be in it," McCallum coach Todd Raymond said. "Lake Travis is the team with all the pressure, the team with three stars on their helmets. I figured we had nothing to lose."

McCallum led 17-14 before Sorrells busted loose for a 22-yard touchdown run early the fourth quarter. Sorrells, used as a decoy on many plays, finished his high school career with 88 yards rushing.

Lake Travis, trailing 10-0 after the first quarter, rallied behind Brewer to take a 14-10 halftime lead. A 10-yard scoring pass to Griffin Gilbert was followed by an 11-yard touchdown throw to Turney Maurer .

If Tivy wins tonight, it will set up a rematch of one of the most exciting games in Central Texas this season, when Lake Travis, a week after ending its 48-game winning streak, rallied for a 37-33 victory over Tivy.