Alderman Bill Hamilton was the lone candidate to file for the mayor’s race in Rollingwood after Mayor Dale Dingley opted not to seek re-election, and incumbent Mayor Dave Claunch was the only candidate in West Lake Hills.

However, city council elections in both municipalities will feature contested races.

West Lake Hills Place 2 incumbent Councilman Andrew Schwartz will face former council member Katherine Loayza, and former council member Jane Noble will face Jean Goehring in Place 4. Place 4 incumbent Councilwoman Cindy Probst announced before filing began that she would not seek re-election. Loayza had previously filed to run for Place 4 but withdrew and filed for Place 2 shortly before the deadline.

Rollingwood, which features an at-large City Council election in which the top two vote-getters win, will have four candidates facing off for two positions. They are incumbent Alderwoman Shanthi Jayakumar, Sara Hutson, Kelli Carlton and Barry Bone. Incumbent Alderman Brian Nalle opted not to seek re-election.

Early voting in both cities runs from April 26-May 4 at Randalls, 3300 Bee Cave Road, from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and Sunday from noon -6 p.m., or at any of the other early voting polling locations provided by Travis County.

West Lake Hills’ polling place on Election Day is Valley View Elementary School, 1201 Capital of Texas Highway. Rollingwood’s polling place is at City Hall, 403 Nixon Drive.

Polls are open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day.

Ashley Maton finished third in the 800-meter run in 2 minutes, 30 seconds and placed fourth in the 1,600 in 5:38. Westlake teammate Ali Franklin edged Maton for third in the 1,600 in 5:35.

Hailey Thompson picked up a silver medal in the 300 hurdles with a time of 49.01 and finished third in the 100 hurdles in 17.78. Amy Paape placed third in the 300 hurdles in 50.05.

Hannah Hood completed Westlake’s medal contingent in individual events with a second-place time of 1:02.42 in the 400.

The Chaps’ relay teams delivered three medals. The 400 team of Carly Grandcolas, Hannah Mallios, Kamri Ball and Leslie Rice finished third in 53.48. Mallios and Rice also teamed with Hood and Myeisha Foley to finish third in the 800 relay in 1:50.19.

The 1,600 relay team of Mallios, Hood, Thompson and Grandcolas finished second in 4:18.11.

Grandcolas captured her second consecutive gold medal in the long jump and finished third in the triple jump.

Westlake’s Russell Bader knocked off Matt Dooley of New Braunfels 6-3, 6-1 to likely earn the top seed at next month’s Class 5A Region IV tournament, but the match couldn’t meet the commotion surrounding the New Braunfels tennis program and its relationship with the nearby Newcombe Tennis Ranch.

New Braunfels was stripped of two team tennis district championships garnered in 2008 and 2009 after a ruling by the District 26-5A Executive Committee on March 4, and the Unicorns could also lose its two Class 5A state championships won in those same years. The committee ruled to remove the Unicorns’ district titles because of private instruction from a non-school coach during school hours.
An off-campus physical education class authorized by New Braunfels High School throughout the school year at the Newcombe Tennis Ranch was deemed a violation of UIL rules by the DEC.
“Coaching during school hours is supposed to come from a full-time district employee,” San Antonio Reagan principal Bill Boyd, the chairman of the DEC, told the San Antonio Express-News. “I don’t think New Braunfels had an understanding that the rule applied to this off-campus class.”
According to the Express-News, the UIL also could place further sanctions on the school, including stripping its two most recent state team tennis titles. UIL spokeswoman Kim Rogers told the Express-News that any appeals would be reviewed at a state executive committee hearing. No time or date has been set for a hearing.
New Braunfels beat Westlake in the regional finals in both 2008 and 2009, and Chap parents have joined other schools’ parents in complaining about the relationship between the Unicorns’ tennis program and the Newcombe Tennis Ranch.

According to the Express-News, the complaint to the UIL came from outside of the San Antonio area.

“A parent hired a private investigator to come in and spy on New Braunfels,” Boyd told the paper.

New Braunfels and Westlake parents have long had an acrimonious relationship, and some parents of New Braunfels’ players believed that the complaint to the UIL originated from a Westlake parent.

No one from either school had a comment, pending an appeal by New Braunfels on the district ruling.

Such drama didn’t prevent Westlake from finishing third as a team and garnering plenty of wins in the first completed tournament of the spring.

Westlake’s doubles team of Robin Chou and Ryan Meek reached the quarterfinals before being knocked out 6-4, 6-4 by San Antonio Churchill’s Angel Alvarez and Jordan Mayer.

Chap Andie Ingram reached the quarterfinals before falling to defending state champion Lilly Kimball of New Braunfels. Teammate Jay Henton advanced to the quarterfinals in the boys singles bracket before a loss to Brandon Davis of New Braunfels.

Westlake’s mixed doubles team of Nemo Niess and Sydney Young also reached the quarterfinals before falling 6-2, 7-5 to San Antonio Reagan’s team of Chelsea Horan and Nick Isbell.

The loss by the two Chap freshmen didn’t faze Westlake coach Kim Riley, who liked her young team’s moxie.

“Those freshman are just getting warmed up,” she said. “There’s more to come from them, for sure.”

Westlake enters Tuesday’s District 25-5A opener against Bowie Tuesday with its first nondistrict winning record since 2003 despite replacing 10 starters, including two starting pitchers, from last season’s state semifinalist lineup.

Better yet, said Westlake coach Jim Darilek, Westlake has room for improvement as several youngsters still battle for spots in the starting lineup.

Those young players made some strong impressions in a 5-4 extra-inning setback to Round Rock Westwood in the third game of the Langerhans Invitational. Even after a brief rally in the bottom of the eighth inning fell short, Darilek had few grievances about his squad’s effort.

“We competed real well,” said the veteran skipper, who is traditionally parse with his praise. “I have no complains because we’re playing decent ball. We’re trying to gather some depth at some positions. I had some people in getting some work that haven’t been playing as much, and I thought they did OK.”

The newcomers to the lineup included third baseman Andres Mitre, who has battled for the starting nod at the hot corner. Mitre had an RBI single that tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, which was one of only four Chap hits against Westwood ace Brooks Eady. Mitre also had four putouts that included a nifty barehanded throw to first on a well-placed bunt down the third-base line.

“I was a little nervous at the beginning,” said Mitre, who has played shortstop throughout his subvarsity career. “But after that first pitch, it was fine. It [third base] is just like playing shortstop; see the ball and catch it.”

Like his coach, Mitre cited the competition for playing time as a team strength that will benefit the Chaps.

“This whole preseason [nondistrict], everyone is working hard and getting playing time to see who can do the best,” he said.

Several other reserves made a case for more playing time as well. Garrett Ochoa had a strong game behind the plate, and Hayden Ross manned second base without any mishaps.

In addition, reserve outfielder Lewis Guilbeau came off the bench and blasted a two-run homer over the centerfield wall that tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning. The shot against Westwood reliever Urbane Martinez not only kept Westlake in the game, but it also provided a dash of redemption for the free-swinging sophomore, who fanned five times in the previous game.

“Lewis is a good fastball hitter, and the guy was just pumping fastballs in there,” Darilek said. “I thought it was a good time for him to come in.”

Westlake’s most impressive performance may have come from junior pitcher Nathan Fleet, who handcuffed the potent Warriors in his first career start. Fleet gave up four hits and had six strikeouts in six innings of work. He may have tired in Westwood’s two-run sixth inning, but his 104 pitches easily marked a career-high.

“Fleet pitched real well,” Darilek said. “I didn’t want him to go as long as he did, but he was still in it, and I wanted him to try and finish it. He did a good job.”

Chaps close tournament with pair of wins

Westlake followed the setback to Westwood with an 8-6 win over Pflugerville Hendrickson. Collin Shaw earned the win on the mound after pitching five innings and helped himself with an RBI double. Davis Breedlove hit a two-run double, and Guilbeau continued to wield a hit bat with two singles and three RBIs.

The Chaps suffered a 9-8 loss to Seguin in Saturday’s tournament finale. Westlake surged to an early 4-1 lead before the Matadors battled back against a trio of Chap pitchers. Shaw, Guilbeau and Chris Watkins each hit doubles to pace Westlake’s offense.

The victory over the second-place Trojans helped Westlake (12-5-3 overall) improve to 9-3 in district while tightening its grip on first place. With a win over Austin High or Akins this week, the Chaps will secure their first district title since 2004.

The Chaps struck first with a fine run by Dillon Short, who dribbled through Anderson’s defense before unleashing a first-half goal. Westlake’s lead didn’t last long, as Anderson evened the score with a quick retort.

The two teams battled to a draw until a long free kick from Bailey Hinners was bobbled by the Anderson goalie late in the second half, and an alert Walker Hume drove the misplayed ball into the back of the net.

Goalie Buckley Willis backed a strong defensive effort from the Chaps.

Westlake may have passed another District 25-5A test Friday against visiting Anderson, but the Chaps didn’t exactly earn an A with a 2-0 win.

But then again, the grade came in more of a practice quiz than a pressure-packed postseason exam.

“It was a stressful win, but stress is good,” Westlake coach Rennie Rebe said. “We’re working toward the playoffs now. Maybe we need to manage the stress a little better and play a little better and finish our chances, but this game could help us come the playoffs.”

For much of the contest, the only stress occurred against a beleaguered Anderson defense that spent the bulk of the match bending against the Chaps’ relentless assault on the box. The first goal came with predictable haste, considering the string of shots and corner kicks produced by Westlake. Sophomore Katharine Noonan lobbed a corner into the box and then moved inside the 25-yard mark. Freshman Christy Goldberg tapped the ball back to Noonan, who rocketed a shot into the far corner of the net for a 1-0 Westlake lead nine minutes into the match.

Westlake (14-5-2 overall, 11-1 in district) spent the rest of the match organizing futile assaults on the Anderson goal while fending off the occasional Trojan counterattack. Some of the Chaps’ 13 shots ricocheted off the frame, while others couldn’t get past the Anderson keeper. As the time ticked off the clock, however, the Trojans grew bolder behind winger Kendyl Walker, who began to find holes in the Chap defense.

“They were thinking ‘We’re only down 1-0; we’re still in it,’ ” Rebe said. “And their game is counterattacking. It was like the playoffs a little, because that [counterattacking] is what playoff soccer is all about.”

Anderson had just one shot on goal in the first 60 minutes but produced a series of shots late in the match. Chap keeper Sarah Gross, a four-year member of Westlake’s varsity squad, suddenly had a busy Senior Night after spending most of the match as little more than a gloved cheerleader.

“It got a little scary near the end,” said Gross, who didn’t have to make her first save until the 61st minute. “But then I had to work a little. It turned into a lot of pressure on me, that’s for sure. I make a mistake, and it’s a shootout that we could lose.”

The match never got to that point, thanks to the reliable Gross and some quick footwork from Reilly Wheat. The junior stole a ball from an Anderson defender and dished out a pass to Goldberg, who poked a short shot into the Anderson net to give the Chaps a 2-0 lead in the 75th minute.

The performance of Goldberg and some of the other rising Westlake stars eased the evening’s sentimentality, said Gross, who carried the traditional pink boa and bouquet of flowers that accompany Westlake’s Senior Night.

“I think we’re leaving the team in good shape,” Gross said. ” think that we [the seniors] have made a big impact on the team, and I think they’re set for at least the next four years. But we still have some games to play.”

Westlake will clinch the 25-5A title with wins over Austin High and Akins next week. The postseason begins after Spring Break.

EEF administrators are still tallying proceeds and expenses from the night, but say they expect net proceeds to be strong, despite a 20-percent reduction in the number of partygoers from last year. They attribute the decrease in participants to a sluggish economy and competition with several other community events.

“While our revenue was off its peak, we were able to cut our expenses and net more proceeds available to be granted to the Eanes school district,” said Jerri Ann Yznaga of EEF.

The foundation hopes to raise close to $1 million in support of the Eanes school district for the 2011-12 school year. EEF members have already raised more than $700,000 through their annual giving campaign. Board members and administrators are banking on Saturday’s gala to provide the remaining funds.

The district garnered local student bands the Loose Wheels and High on Hotdogs to play the event along with Austin band the Kopy Kats. Tyler Rhodes performed classical guitar at the entrance of the gala.

Those attending the event seemed in high spirits as they enjoyed dinner, wine, games, entertainment and the chance to participate in live and silent auctions. Local author and photographer Kirk Tuck was there with his wife, Belinda Yarritu. They attended with their friends, Matt and Anne Hagan.

“We have been longtime supporters of the EEF and were delighted with the outpouring of generosity displayed collectively and individually by Eanes parents,” Tuck said. “The quality of EISD is why we live in the area. The evening was great fun and a very effective way to raise funds for important teaching positions, which otherwise would have to be left unfilled. Events like these are full of energy and good spirits. This year was one of the best we’ve ever attended. We can hardly wait for next year.”

EEF executive director Wally Moore and his wife, Polly, were also at the event.

“We are extremely grateful to the community, grateful for their commitment to this high performing Eanes school district and their willingness to be a partner in educational excellence,” Moore said. “As we move toward our goal of funding 20 teachers in the 2010-2011 school year, the support we receive through our annual gala is crucial, bringing in one-fourth to one-third of our annual revenue. We look forward to reporting more good news as we continue to move through our fundraising year.”

Westlake won’t get much home cooking early in the 2010 season, but the opener could prove close enough to suit Chap fans.

Although the details have not been solidified, the Chaps will tentatively open the season Aug. 27 against Lake Travis at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Eanes officials could not confirm the Friday-night showdown between the two burgeoning rivals Friday, but a source said the agreement to play on the University of Texas campus is almost finalized.

According to the source, Lake Travis and Westlake will meet in the season opener at DKR Memorial Stadium in both 2010 and 2011. Lake Travis will serve as the nominal host team in 2010, while Westlake will play host in the 2011 season, according to the source.

The three-time Class 4A champion Lake Travis has defeated Westlake in each of the past two seasons.

A pair of challenging road games follows the meeting with Lake Travis. The Chaps will journey to Abilene for a matchup with Abilene Cooper Sept. 3 before a trip to College Station’s A&M Consolidated Sept. 10. Both teams reached the playoffs last season.

Westlake will close out its nondistrict schedule will home games against Pflugerville Sept. 17 and New Braunfels Sept. 24. Pflugerville, a former District 25-5A rival reached the second round of the Class 5A playoffs last season, while New Braunfels advanced to a state semifinal in the 5A Division II bracket.

The Chaps will open their District 25-5A schedule Oct. 8 against visiting Anderson and host Austin High Oct. 15. After an Oct. 22 road trip to Del Valle and an Oct. 29 home date against Akins, Westlake will close the regular season Nov. 11 against Bowie at Burger Stadium.

All games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Chaps finished last season with a 13-3 record and an overtime loss to Euless Trinity in the Class 5A Division I championship game.

2010 Westlake schedule

Date Opponent location time
Aug. 27 Lake Travis *Lake Travis 7:30
Sept. 3 Abilene Cooper Abilene 7:30
Sept. 10 A&M Consolidated College Station 7:30
Sept. 17 Pflugerville Westlake 7:30
Sept. 24 New Braunfels Westlake 7:30
Oct. 8 Anderson Westlake 7:30
Oct. 15 Austin High Westlake 7:30
Oct. 22 Del Valle Del Valle 7:30
Oct. 29 Akins Westlake 7:30
Nov. 5 Bowie Burger 7:30

* tentatively scheduled for Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium

After surrendering a goal early in the first half, the Chaps (11-5-3 overall, 8-3 in district) rattled off four straight scores before the break to win their seventh consecutive match. The scoring started with a free kick from Bailey Hinners. Thomas Haws then sent a pass from Hinners into the back of the net, and Short rounded out the scoring with his goals.

Dylan Shomaker continued his strong play in goal, including a brilliant save off a penalty kick late in the first half.

The Chaps, who lead 25-5A with 29 points, can take a big step toward the district title with a win over second-place Anderson (27 points) Saturday at 10:45 a.m. at Nelson Field in Austin.

Both Chap pitchers delivered shutout wins in the first two games of the Langerhans Invitational yesterday. Watkins and Westlake (6-1) topped Vista Ridge 3-0 in the first game of the annual Central Texas tournament, which the Chaps co-host at Woerner Field. Outfielder Collin Shaw broke the scoreless deadlock with a three-run shot that cleared the left-field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Hanson tossed a complete game in a 3-0 over Keller Fossil Ridge in yesterday’s nightcap. Catcher Robert Baldwin continued his early-season barrage with a solo homer in the sixth inning that capped the scoring.

Westlake welcomes Westwood today at 4 p.m. and faces Hendrickson at 7 p.m.