Westlake Fells Top-Ranked Thousand Oaks

Westlake High played the game it needed to avoid if it expected to beat Thousand Oaks, the No. 1-ranked team in the Coastal Conference.

The Warriors turned the ball over too often, and they couldn’t run against the Lancers’ stingy defense. But Westlake used a little defense of its own to upset Thousand Oaks, 7-6, before a homecoming crowd of about 5,000 Friday night at Thousand Oaks High.

The loss was the Lancers’ first of the season in six games. Westlake is 4-2 overall and in first place in the league with a 3-0 record.

Led by guard Chris Millan and defensive back Evan Baker, the Warriors held Thousand Oaks (5-1, 2-1 in league) to 96 total yards in a scoreless second half. Westlake ganged up on running back Marc Monestime, who gained 132 yards but only 30 after halftime.

“We knew we’d have to come out aggressive if we wanted to win,” said Baker, Westlake’s team leader in tackles this season with 57. “And we were keying on Monestime.”

Baker then held up his right thumb and forefinger before saying: “Thousand Oaks had never ever been in a situation where they were this close to winning. They were always blowing people out.”

Westlake’s defense overcame three fumbles by its offense, a blocked punt and an interception. The Lancers went into the game having outscored their five previous opponents by 150 points. Everyone had heard of Thousand Oaks’ defense. But what of the Warriors, who had given up 273 yards a game in total offense?

“People for the whole year have been really maligning our defense,” Westlake Coach George Contreras said. “But we got our one big play, and then our defense did a tremendous job.”

Thousand Oaks trailed at halftime for the first time this season.

Westlake scored with 43 seconds left in the half on a 32-yard pass play from quarterback Bob Grandpre to halfback Keith Burke. On a third-and-12 play, the 6-foot Burke leaped over 5-9 defensive back Lance Alverson, stretched to make the reception on the five-yard line and flipped into the end zone.

Garret Messner added the conversion to give the Warriors a 7-6 lead.

Four plays earlier, Westlake defensive back Ken Eckman had intercepted Thousand Oaks quarterback Steve Sisco on the Warriors’ 41. Two players before that, the Lancers had recovered a fumble when Grandpre was sacked by Thousand Oaks’ Bryan Messina. Jay Harrah recovered the fumble for the Lancers on their 19-yard line.

Thousand Oaks scored twice in the first half on field goals by placekicker Sean Cheevers, who missed a 39-yard attempt with 7:54 left in the third quarter.

Twice the Lancers flirted with a touchdown but were forced to settle for three points. Cheevers’ field goals of 27 yards with 7:25 left in the first quarter and 32 yards with 5:51 remaining in the second were Thousand Oaks’ first of the season.

Monestime rushed for 102 yards in the first half, but Sisco’s interception and Monestime’s own fumble late in the first quarter sabotaged the Lancers’ offense.

Thousand Oaks limited the Warriors to 121 yards total offense in the half, but the Lancers were called for 60 yards in penalties, compared to Westlake’s 15. For the game, Thousand Oaks was penalized seven times for 75 yards.

Westlake leads the series, 5-3.