Football: Conlin will be key for Westlake against Saugus

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If Westlake is going to have a reasonable chance at defeating visiting Saugus on Friday night, Ben Conlin is going to have to be at his best. Come to think of it, an victory could be in the works considering the 6-foot senior quarterback was on top of his game in the season-opener for the Warriors.

Conlin was productive, completing 28 of 50 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-14 victory over host Paso Robles. It’s also worth noting that he scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter to ruin any hopes the Bearcats might have had at making an improbable comeback.

Duplicating the feat against Saugus figures to be difficult, not because the Centurions have the best defense around. It’s the offense, Ryan Zirbel in particular, the Warriors need to be concerned with. And that means Conlin is going to have to put points on the board to keep this game close.

-- Sean Ceglinsky