Westlake Hosted Inglewood for Football Game
The Austin school paid $15,000 to host the out-of-state opponent on August 28, 2026.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Football
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Westlake High School hosted Inglewood High School at Chaparral Stadium on August 28, 2026, marking the first time the school paid for an opponent to travel to Austin. Westlake defeated Inglewood 33-26 while generating significant revenue from the matchup.
Why it matters
The school utilized this arrangement to secure a non-district opponent after struggling to find local teams, while also avoiding top-tier state powers during the season opener.
Westlake realized a $74,460 profit from the $89,460 in total event revenue. This followed a $15,000 expenditure to host the game, which included $12,000 for the visitor booster club and $3,000 for consultant Brian Hercules.
The players
Westlake High School
This is an Austin-based educational institution that manages its own athletic department and football program.
Inglewood High School
This is a California-based high school that traveled to Texas to compete against Westlake.
Brian Hercules
He is a consultant who was hired to coordinate the scheduling of the out-of-state football game.
The details
To coordinate the out-of-state schedule, Westlake hired consultant Brian Hercules. The game served as an alternative to regional matchups, as the coaching staff aimed to avoid playing highly ranked state teams early in the season.
Timeline
August 28, 2026: Westlake hosted Inglewood for a football game.
September 11, 2026: Westlake played a road game against Prosper.
Season Trajectory
This game highlights the growing trend of high schools investing in out-of-state scheduling to solve local opponent availability issues. While this matchup provided a competitive alternative, Westlake has no further out-of-state games currently scheduled.
Westlake generated a $74,460 profit from this event, which contrasts with the $25,000 the school spent to play a road game against Prosper on September 11. These financial outcomes highlight the differing fiscal realities of hosting versus traveling for high-profile non-district matchups.
The takeaway
Schools may increasingly look to private consultants to secure non-district opponents when local scheduling becomes difficult. Managing these games requires balancing the high costs of travel and hosting against potential ticket revenue and program goals.
Further reading
For more on local high school athletics, see our coverage of Austin Football.
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Should your local high school football team pay to bring in out-of-state opponents to play?
