Bastrop was able to bounce back from an early deficit to take a 40-14 win at Westgate in a second round Class 4A playoff game Friday night.  

It wasn’t easy, however.  

The No. 25 Tigers took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when a shanked punt was caught in the end zone by outside linebacker Keith Lopez.  

“That had us feeling like we could make a run at this,” WHS head coach Ryan Antoine said.  

After watching film of Bastrop, Antoine and his staff were concerned about stopping BHS quarterback Quaterius Hawkins, but the Tigers kept the senior under wraps in the first quarter.

Hawkins was able to complete only one of his first seven passes and that one completion went for zero yards, and the Rams were held to minus-one yards of total offense in the first quarter.

“We were going with different coverages here and there,” Antoine said.  “I felt like we were getting to him enough to rattle him and make him make throws out of the pocket, but he threw two big touchdown passes (in the second quarter) that made us change coverages in the second half.”

The 6-0, 180-pound Hawkins connected on 13-of-31 passes for 239 yards with five touchdowns and an interception and contributed 113 yards rushing on nine carries.

“We started out slow and that’s something we usually don’t do, so after halftime we had to come back strong,” Hawkins said.  “I missed a couple of reads in the first half but I came back and got everything right.”

Bastrop (9-2) made it 7-6 when sophomore defensive tackle Jordan Doaty picked up a fumble near midfield and returned it for a touchdown with 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Westgate (7-5) turned the ball over five times – four in the first half – and had a punt blocked.

“They were just the better team tonight,” Antoine said.  “We started off well and I was thinking we were in our same element, but then we hit some rough spots and never could rebound from it.”

In the second quarter, Hawkins hurled a 35-yard touchdown pass to Calvert Johnson and a 51-yarder to Jordan Manfield to give the ninth-seeded Rams (9-2) an 18-7 lead at the half. 

Bastrop’s receiving corps was able to consistently get open deep after the first quarter. 

“That’s what we do,” Hawkins said.  “We have great receivers and I’d like to thank my offensive line because we couldn’t do it without them.”

Westgate reduced the lead to 18-14 early in the third quarter on another punting mistake by the Rams.  

On fourth-and-long from their own 35-yard line, the Bastrop punter kicked the ball low.  It then bounced off a BHS player and was recovered by Westgate defender Ronald Bernard, who took it to the house.  

The Rams regained momentum on their next possession, however, as Hawkins moved the offense down the field on a six-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Christian Smith. 

“(Hawkins) has a great arm and he’s a threat,” Antoine said.  “He can run the ball as well.  They have some weapons.  They’re talented and those guys made the plays tonight.”

Westgate drove inside the BHS 10-yard line three times and came away with no points.

On their second possession of the game, the Tigers were stopped on fourth-and-goal from the Bastrop 1.

“That’s tough,”  Antoine said.  

“That’s 21 points right there that we didn’t capitalize on.  With us scoring the way we’d scored all year, I was confident that our offense would be able to get in there.  

“I’m second-guessing thinking maybe we should have gotten points (with field goals), but I trust our guys and they wanted to go for it.”

Westgate successfully recovered an onside kick after its first touchdown but couldn’t cash in on the opportunity.

“We had a couple of bad snaps here and there and we had a punt blocked,” Antoine said.  “They recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. 

“They capitalized on our guys.  

“They did what a good team does and took advantage of things.  It just wasn’t our night.”

WHS running back Tyreese Jackson gained 42 yards on 15 carries 

“We still had a chance to win the game despite four turnovers in the first half,” Antoine said.  “It was 18-14 in the third quarter.  

“We still had a chance to do some things, but they did a good job on defense by putting us in some binds and we didn’t do a good job of converting.”