Westlake beats Royal to tighten its grip on second place

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn HEAD OF STEAM-Westlake's Kent Sowell tries to make his way through the Royal defense during a Friday night game at Warrior Stadium. Westlake prevailed over the Highlanders, 28-10.

Royal head football coach Gene Uebelhardt was blunt after his team’s 28-10 loss vs. Westlake last Friday night in Westlake. He said it could have been worse.

"I thought if we played the way we played at Newbury Park that they would beat us 60-0."

Newbury Park upset Royal 34-28 the previous week at Royal. Meanwhile, Westlake battled through some rustiness after a week off and capitalized on two big first-half plays to gain a 21-10 lead on the way to the victory last Friday night.

"We had two huge plays tonight," said Westlake head coach Jim Benkert.

"B.J.’s interception for the touchdown and driving the football down, and getting that touchdown right at the end of the half–– those two plays were really key."

On Royal’s first possession of the game, senior defensive back B.J. Bush intercepted a pass and ran uncontested for a 39-yard touchdown. And with the score 14-10, and Royal knocking on the door to comeback, Westlake had a four-play 61-yard drive capped by a Todd Feiereisen pass to Ryan Wiesehan of 32 yards to up the lead to 21-10 with 19 seconds left in the second quarter.

Wiesehan played for Royal last year and transferred back to Westlake this year, after having been at Westlake as a freshman and sophomore.

"This is a very emotional game, coming against my old friends," Wiesehan said. "I just wanted to make a good appearance and try to play as hard as I could. It gave me some satisfaction to score against my old guys."

Between the Bush and Wiesehan (both seniors) touchdowns, Westlake’s Jonathon Contos topped off a seven-play, 64-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run with 7:19 remaining in the second quarter to make the score, 14-3.

"Contos got a lot of real tough yards," said Benkert, after Contos, a senior running back, ran for 42 yards on eight carries.

"Royal was really coming after us, and I thought Contos did a real good job, and I thought Feiereisen did a nice job—he stood in there throwing the football."

Feiereisen, a senior quarterback, was eight of 11 for 109 yards and completed two TD passes.

Westlake standout linebacker Kevin Hames, a senior, who Benkert has dubbed the captain of the Warrior defense, was injured late in the game when Royal’s senior Rene Martinez, usually a wide receiver, was inserted at running back and made an illegal block below the waist vs. Hames.

"I can’t fault the kid," said Westlake defensive coordinator, Mike Leibin. "It was the first time the kid ever played running back, he’s normally a wide receiver––so I don’t think he knew and their coaches seem sincere about it—that he didn’t know the rule. I don’t think he was trying to take him out, by any means."

Still, on the play after Hames was hurt, senior Kasey O’Brien, usually in the Westlake secondary, came in hard on an all-out blitz, and cleanly thwacked Royal senior quarterback James Cox, knocking him out of the game on a pass that fell incomplete.

"The defense, to give up 10 points against a good Royal football team––a quarterback that’s going to Colorado—I’ve got to be pleased with that," said Benkert. Cox will play for the Colorado Buffalos next fall.

For Westlake, it was the 10th straight win vs. Royal, an opponent for whom the Warriors come ready to play.

"In our league we prepare for Royal the hardest," said Steve Hall, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound senior offensive lineman. "And we play the hardest against Royal. It’s a big rivalry—two big teams with good athletes."

Other Warriors agreed that Royal is a big match up.

"There’s a lot of pressure going into this game," said Bill Thompson, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound senior defensive end.

"It might not be as big of a rival as T.O., but it runs a lot deeper, and it’s the whole winning-streak we have against them and we have to uphold the pride."

Said Contos, "There seems to be an incredible history with the Royal-Westlake game. We’ve had two weeks to build up for this. We’ve been gearing for this for a while and we know that’s it’s important for our playoff position as well as theirs."

Against Royal, Merrill Mullaly, a senior running back, ran for 22 yards on three carries, and Kenneth Mackins ran for 21 yards on six carries.

About the loss of Hames, Mackins said, "It’s a big loss but we can get over it. We have the talent."

Hall added, "He’s (Hames) the defensive leader and without him it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to pick it up, and we’re going to do what we have to do and take care of business."

Said Thompson, "Obviously it’s going to be tough, but we’re just going to have to make the adjustments in practice this week. We’ve got a lot of guys that want to step up and want to play on this team and I’m sure the position will be filled up nicely, but there’s going to be a hole there—Hames is a hell of a player."

Hames is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season but hopes to be back for the playoffs after suffering what was diagnosed as a slight tear of the medial collateral ligament in his knee.

The win over Royal (4-4, 2-2) was significant, not only because it secured Westlake (6-2, 3-1) at second place in league, but because Benkert earned his 100th career victory.

After his team unsuccessfully tried to douse Benkert with ice water after the game—the coach nimbly shifted position to avert the attempt—the Westlake coach said he planned to have his players visit his house Saturday, "... to have some pizza and soda and watch the football game tomorrow, so we’ll all celebrate it together."