Football: A changing of the guard in Westlake Village

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So long, Oaks Christian. Welcome back, Westlake. In case no one noticed, there was a changing of the power elite in Westlake Village.

Oaks Christian’s six-year reign as a Southern Section champion is over. Westlake is back at the top and should remain there for at least one more season. The Warriors won the Northern Division title and finished 14-0.

Oaks Christian isn’t really leaving the elite, but the Lions’ 42-41 loss to Gardena Serra in the Northwest Division final, combined with a move to the Marmonte League next season, is going to test the program.

I can say the Lions fought to the bitter end in a great game Friday night. So did Serra, whose players were falling down all over the place with cramps but still found a way to win.

What I’ll remember most was the heroic performance of Oaks Christian’s Malcolm Jones. Anyone who saw the game now knows why the UCLA-bound running back deserved to be the Gatorade national player of the year.

I’ll also remember the performance of Serra’s Robert Woods, a USC commit who’s as gifted an athlete as there is. Afterward, he and his mother were hugging and hugging and the joy was so nice to see.

The Westlake game also taught us a lesson. The Warriors had to turn to their backup quarterback because of an injury to Nick Isham. The lesson is you never know when you’re going to be needed. Remember, the original backup quarterback, Michael Bercovici, transferred to Taft earlier in the season. It should have been him leading the Warriors to victory when Isham went down. Instead, it was a freshman, Justin Moore.

What this season has shown is that the public schools are still alive and kicking in competition with the private schools. And the competition between Oaks Christian and Westlake, which are about a mile apart, isn’t going away.

-- Eric Sondheimer