Warriors win again, expect to get even better

The Westlake football team improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Marmonte League when it defeated Royal, 43-0, in a game played at Royal in Simi Valley last Friday night.

Senior running back Tahj Mowry and sophomore running back Jeff Rapoport both scored two touchdowns in the win and senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter threw for two TDs.

The Warriors players and coaches talked about the team’s progress after the win, agreeing that there’s still room for improvement as Westlake continues to chalk up victories.

The game against Royal was played in a steady rain.

"The conditions today weren’t ideal for a football game with the constant rain coming down," said Westlake head coach Jim Benkert. "I think there were a lot of things that we could do better, but, all in all, when you win like we won today, I can’t be disappointed. The defense shut them down."

Mike Leibin is the team’s defensive coordinator.

"The biggest thing is making sure we do get better because every team we’re playing against is getting better," said Leibin. "We definitely need to keep improving."

Leibin said it wasn’t a total loss that his players got some time off last week because of the fires.

"It was good in the sense that both teams couldn’t practice. A lot of these guys needed a softer week, but it’s good that Mother Nature did it to us and we could pull back and let them get a little healthier because we’ve been knocking it out every week."

Some of the Warriors senior leaders said the team could get even better.

"We’re playing well, but I don’t think we’re nearly as good as we can be," said tight end/defensive end Jimmy Miller. "We’re working towards perfection and we’re not quite there yet. But we’re getting closer."

Michael Stuart, a wide receiver/defensive end, had four receptions for 58 yards vs. Royal.

"I think there’s a lot of room for improvement," Stuart said. "This is the second week in a row we gave up some yards. Royal did okay against our defense and we can’t do that and be a championship team. The captains have to make sure we keep practicing hard."

Actually, though, Royal only gained 73 yards rushing and 31 yards passing vs. Westlake.

"A great team needs to practice hard and get better each week," said inside linebacker Greg Newman. "No matter who the opponent is, we need to play as hard as we can. We knew Royal was a two-back, run-team. The D-line did a fantastic job tonight."

Newman didn’t mind having a "softer" week due to the fires.

"I kind of enjoyed it," he said, "because it gave me a little break to sit back and we actually went over a lot of film and concentrated on mental aspects."

Quarterback Rudy Carpenter continued to make plays passing and running. He ran six times for 38 yards vs. Royal.

"We’re 8-0 right now, but I think we’re an 8-0 team that’s a little bit behind where we should be," said Carpenter. "Right now we’ve got some guys on different pages and we’re not mixing the way we should be. We’re not performing to our capabilities and I think that’s going to hurt us when we get to the playoffs and face some big teams.

"We need to start getting guys to go a hundred percent, full-speed, on every single play," added Carpenter. "I think once that starts happening, once we start having the team concept, we’re going to be tough to beat."

The Warriors are getting a balanced attack from their two lead running backs, Mowry, the senior, and Rapoport, the young sophomore. Mowry had 92 yards on 15 carries vs. Royal while Rapoport gained 65 yards on just five carries.

"I thought we played a good team football game today," Benkert said. "We still have a long way to go, we’ve got to play a good Simi (Valley) team next week and then a real good Moorpark team. Simi will play a single-back, all-over-the-field game and then, next week, Moorpark’s got a versatile offense.

"Simi needs a win to try and get a playoff spot," Benkert added. "You hate to play those types of team because they’re hungry."