THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Team to Be Named Later Finds Itself Winning Now at Westlake

Game days were always fun. With their slick Delaware wing-T offense, members of the Westlake High football team spent a lot of time cheering after touchdowns a year ago. It wasn’t hard having a good time when you put numbers on the scoreboard that would make the basketball team proud.

The Warriors beat Royal, 60-0. They scored 47 points against Santa Monica and 42 against Camarillo and Santa Marcos. Through the first eight games of the season, Westlake averaged more than 39 points a game.

The Warriors were a glamour team last year with stars Gary Wellman and Brad Gossen at the skill positions. The Warriors led the Valley in offense, averaging more than 400 yards. Wellman scored 23 touchdowns and earned a scholarship to USC. Gossen passed for more than 1,500 yards and went to Washington State.

Westlake wasn’t always a happy team. Practices didn’t end in fistfights, but players didn’t mingle either.

“It’s hard to describe, but there was just a sense that certain players thought the team was just them,” said Chris Lemieux, this year’s senior quarterback. “It wasn’t the Wellmans or Gossens, but there was pressure from the seniors. They just thought they had more control of what was going on. Certain games, they were right. But there were some times when we needed to pull together and we couldn’t.”

Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Westlake faded last year. The Warriors lost their final two regular-season games, scoring just 21 points in the process, and missed the playoffs a third straight year. Despite the glamour and the big numbers, Westlake is the only Marmonte League team that hasn’t reached the playoffs the past three years.

This season figured to be worse. Wellman and Gossen were gone. The team wasn’t just young, it was small; only one starter weighs as much as 200 pounds.

There was even talk Westlake would go the whole season without a win. And Coach George Contreras almost believed it.

“During the summer it got to the point where we thought, ‘Gosh darn it, we might go 0-10,’ ” he said. “We played Muir in summer league, and they could have named any score they wanted. We were honest with the kids and told them we weren’t that talented.”

So how is it that this untalented group is 2-0, including a 13-10 upset over highly regarded Lompoc? The Warriors aren’t sure themselves, but they’re not asking too many questions.

“I was talking to an assistant coach while the team was in the weight room,” Contreras said after Thursday’s win over Lompoc. “He said if a cloud rolled in these guys would be walking on it.”

Contreras permitted himself a smile. “Hey, we were looking at 0-10 if we didn’t get with it. Now we’ll at least be 2-8, and people are still talking to us.”

But they may not know the names yet. This a new group of Warriors who are still long on anonymity. Said assistant coach Dan Murphy: “We’re thinking of putting bags on their heads and calling them the no-name defense and no-name offense.”

Lemieux is one of the no-names, a little-used player a year ago who has completed 16 of 25 passes for 220 yards.His main target has been senior wide receiver Chris Mann (seven catches, 104 yards), who played last year.

Running back Todd Thompson also played a year ago as a sophomore but was hidden in the shadow of Wellman and fullback Steve Sidler. Thompson has emerged into the light and may be as explosive as Wellman. He has 161 yards on 11 carries, and has touchdown runs of 73 and 59 yards.

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been senior Rob Mandel, a 5-10, 180-pound transfer from Ventura. Mandel was a linebacker at Ventura, but in the two games since Contreras has moved him to offense, he has scored five touchdowns.

Westlake fans are used to big offenses. But what they’ve also seen this year is defense. Westlake was the Valley’s next-to-last defensive team last year, allowing 327 yards a game.

“Defense was a soft spot for us last year,” said Vic Topper, a senior wide receiver. “When Lompoc got down to the two- or three-yard line and we forced them to kick a field goal, that gave our morale a big boost. Last year a touchdown would have been automatic. We realized our defense can actually do something.”

Other Marmonte coaches have taken notice.

“We were very impressed with their defense against Lompoc,” said Dave Murphy, the Simi Valley coach and younger brother of Dan. “They hustled and hit people.”

Murphy made another observation that may be equally as telling about this year’s Westlake team. “They look like they enjoyed playing with each other,” he said.

The Warriors would agree.

“Last year everyone talked about the playoffs and how far we’re going to go and who’s going to get scholarships,” Topper said. “We don’t have that this year. Not having any superstars has helped us. We’re not worried about school records or championships, nothing individual. There’s no one to count on. We have to do it ourselves.”

Can Westlake actually be better without Wellman and Gossen? Contreras won’t go that far.

“I’d sure like to have Gary and Brad back,” he said. “Last year if we were in trouble, we’d wait for Gary to break one or for Brad to throw a big pass. Not this year. It’s the siege mentality. But that’s part of the camaraderie. Because we don’t have a star to rely on, we’re going to have to do it ourselves.”