By Spencer Spilman

The Hays Rebels had a painful opening district game in more ways than one. 

Not only did they fall 49-13 to the powerhouse Lake Travis Cavaliers on Friday, they may have lost their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season due to a nasty knee injury.

It was a tall task for the Rebels even before the game started.

Charlie Brewer threw two early touchdowns for the Cavs and Lake Travis also returned a punt for a touchdown to take an early 21-0 lead in the first quarter. 

Hays quarterback Braeden Kent attempted to bring the Rebels back as he launched a deep pass to Brandon Hunter. Hunter made the catch and took it 69-yards for the touchdown. But Kent was struck in the knee after the throw and he did not return to the game. The severity of Kent’s injury is unknown at this time. 

Lake Travis returned another punt for a touchdown after Hays scored to make it 28-7 before the end of the first quarter. 

Early in the second quarter Brewer threw his third touchdown pass to take a commanding 35-7 lead over the Rebels.

Hays struggled to get the ball into Lake Travis territory all game. The Cavs added two more rushing touchdowns to take a 49-7 lead going into halftime. 

The Rebels successfully ran a fake punt in order to change up the momentum, but it did not end up in a score. 

Cody Gandy was one of the bright spots for the Rebels throughout the game. He continued to fight even with a large deficit in front of him.

The first play of the fourth quarter, Hays’ third-string quarterback Cody Reiley added the final score of the game with a 14-yard scramble for a touchdown. 

Hays battled until the final whistle and never quit, earning praise from head coach Neil LaHue, who said he was proud of the way his team kept fighting.  

“Our kids are resilient. I love the way we fought in the second half,” LaHue said.

At the end of the day, the Lake Travis talent was just too much for Hays, who succumbed despite its efforts. 

The Rebels will host Del Valle Friday at Shelton Stadium as they vie to obtain their first district win of the season.