Midland – After spending half of Friday’s game being its own worst enemy, Lake Travis put things together and pulled away for a 41-20 win over Midland Legacy.

Vann Hopping rushed for 102 yards and 3 touchdowns – his 3rd straight multi-touchdown performance of the season – and Lake Travis’ defense dominated in the second half.

“Our defense in the second half was really good,” Lake Travis coach Hank Carter said. “Scoring 2 touchdowns on defense is a really good thing.”

Cam’Ren-Chance Brooks returned a 1st-quarter interception 69 yards for a score and Gus Cordova picked up a 4th-quarter fumble and returned it 23 yards for a score. Lake Travis’ defense allowed just 30 total yards after halftime.

But about that first half?

“We had 3 touchdowns called back and we made way too many mistakes,” Carter said. “Dropped passes are just a lack of focus. It was a test of our maturity, and we learned that we need to be sharper. You learn by experience, and we did some of that and we still won a game.”

The mistakes included penalties that negated a trio of Chaston Ditta to Josiah Thomas touchdown passes and a fumble late in the second quarter that nearly led to the Cavaliers facing their first half-time deficit of the season.

After recovering Lark Sidle’s fumble, the Rebels drove to the Cavaliers’ 2-yard line. After back-to-back incompletions, the Rebels appeared to settle for a short Jason Maltos field goal, but a bad snap cost them and Lake Travis took a 21-20 lead into the locker room.

Legacy gained 223 yards against Lake Travis’ defense in the first half. The second half was a different story. The Rebels gained 29 yards on their opening drive before failing on a 4th down try. They gained just 1 net yard the rest of the way.

Lake Travis didn’t kick things into high gear by any means, but the Cavaliers did enough – thanks in part to Cordova’s 2 fumble recoveries and 2 sacks from Pierce Atkins – to pull away for a comfortable win.

Braydon Doane added a pair of field goals, including a season-best 42-yarder.

“There were plenty of bright spots,” Carter said. “We won a game on the road.”