What’s riding on this game: Westlake is trying to avoid a second-straight loss while Cooper’s season could take off with a victory over the No. 10-ranked Chaps. Cooper has been competitive against teams of this caliber the past few years, but hasn’t been able to get over the hump. Cooper coach Mike Spradlin, however, doesn’t think his Coogs have anything to prove.

“It’s not a statement game,” he said. “You can’t put all your marbles on a game like this. Eight games down the road here, what matters is if we beat Permian, and that’s what this is all about. Each season is its own deal. From a program standpoint, we would love to win it. But for this team, it’s about going out Friday night and being a better football team than we were last Friday night.”

Last week: Lake Travis, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, rallied from a 21-10 third-quarter deficit to beat Westlake 32-21 and extend its winning streak to 47 consecutive games. Lake Travis also thumped Westlake last year, but the Chaps bounced back to reach a state title game for the seventh time in the program’s history. Cooper looked impressive in a 40-21 victory over Class 4A Wichita Falls Rider.

Scouting Westlake: The Chaps return six starters on both sides from a 13-3 Class 5A Division I state finalist team. Lewis Guilbeau replaces Tanner Price (Wake Forest) at quarterback, and he’s more of a runner than a thrower compared to Price. Guilbeau had a team-high 81 yards rushing on 21 carries last week, including a 15-yard touchdown run, while completing 15-of-25 passes for 137 yards and two interceptions. Guilbeau and RB Von Gramann make for a potent 1-2 rushing attack. Gramann (1,074 yards and five touchdowns in ’09) had 24 yards on 10 carries last week. Colin Shaw is the team’s top returning receiver, after catching 46 passes for 845 yards and five TDs last season. Brice Dolezal had two catches last week, including 60-yard TD catch. Lake Travis amassed 400 yards of total offense against the Chaps, including 289 in the air. Westlake did give up two 400-yard passing games last year despite seven interceptions by safety Campbell McCrea.

Cougars update: QB junior Clayton Nicholas, who hadn’t started a game since eighth-grade, threw for 354 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions last week. Khole Jackson had five catches for 135 yards and a TD. RB Alford Cooper ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns, while catching six passes for 83 yards and a TD. RB Davon Riddick led the team with 109 yards rushing, including a 40-yard TD run, on 13 carries.

What Cougars need to do to win: The Coogs must play pretty close to perfect. They can’t have the penalties like last week (16-137), must win the turnover battle, contain Westlake’s running game and execute on offense. Even if they do that, it could still come down to special teams play.

Joey D. Richards’ pick: Cooper 28, Westlake 24