Austin – Chaston Ditta threw 5 touchdown passes – all in the first half – to spark Lake Travis to a 66-14 win over Bowie.

Ditta, starting for the second straight week following an injury to Kadyn Leon, picked apart Bowie’s defense from the start. He completed 12 of his first 13 passes and finished with 337 yards on 21 completions in 29 attempts, all career highs.

“Ditta has really stepped up and has been throwing the ball really well,” Lake Travis receiver Cole Munnerlyn, who caught a pair of touchdown passes, said. “The coaches have put a lot more trust in the receivers and we’ve been showing up.”

Nine different Cavaliers (8-2, 6-2 in District 26-6A) caught passes on the night, led by sophomore Lark Sidle’s 6 grabs for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dylan Cullers and Munnerlyn each caught 4 passes. Seth Galbraith returned after missing the bulk of the season to catch 3 passes, including a touchdown.

“I think we are throwing and catching it well,” Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said. “This was a good night for us overall and I was excited for our kids.”

Ditta and backup Noah Hopkins combined to complete 25 passes for 410 yards, by far season highs for the Cavaliers. Lake Travis’ previous best was 17 completions and 291 yards set in last week’s 62-14 win over Austin High.

Lake Travis also got a big game from Walker Moore. Moore returned a kickoff 98 yards for a 2nd-quarter touchdown and returned an interception 35 yards for a 4th quarter touchdown.

Bowie’s passing game found success as well. Cruz Tello passed for 233 yards, the most Lake Travis has given up this season, and ran for both of Bowie’s scores. Rowen Wells caught 3 passes for 106 yards to lead Bowie (4-6, 4-4).

“The past two weeks have felt really good, especially for us receivers,” Munnerlyn said. “The bounce back from Dripping Springs (a 24-6 loss on Oct. 20 in which Leon suffered a leg injury and Lake Travis managed just 174 yards of offense) has been good, especially going into the playoffs.”

Sidle’s arrival and Galbraith’s return come and an ideal time. Ditta had been one of Lake Travis’ leading receivers when Leon got hurt. Ditta’s move back to quarterback opened up a spot in the lineup, and Sidle, promoted from the junior varsity last week, stepped right in.

“I am very proud of Lark,” Carter said. “He was so valuable to the JV team that we didn’t want to bring him up until we knew he was going to get a lot of playing time, and he’s earned that. Now it’s about the playoffs.”

While Carter knew what he’d get when Sidle joined the varsity, Galbraith’s return from a leg injury proved a pleasant surprise. Lake Travis first thought his injury might be season-ending.

“We thought he was going to be done,” Carter admitted. “He rehabbed and let it rest for a number of weeks and he feels a lot better. To be honest, Seth was our number one playmaker a year ago, especially down the stretch, so it’s great to have him back.”

His return lifted his teammates’ spirits as well.

“We think we can beat almost anyone,” Munnerlyn said. “We have a lot of depth now. It’s great for practice. Having five really good receivers makes it tough for defenses to prepare for us.”

Despite the loss, Bowie joins Lake Travis, Westlake and Dripping Springs in the playoffs. Westlake and Lake Travis will play in the 6A, Division I bracket. Dripping Springs and Bowie will play in the Division 2 bracket. They won’t know their opponents until District 25-6A wraps up its regular season Friday night.