Lindsay Runs Past Old Teammates : Transfer Leads Thousand Oaks to 24-6 Victory Over Westlake

Mike Lindsay, at first, said it was just another game. Bob Richards said it was just another primo performance from his defense. And George Contreras, apparently, thought the team bus was already too crowded after the game.

Lindsay, Thousand Oaks High’s tailback transfer from Westlake, rushed for 150 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown run that finally whipped the Warriors. His dash down the middle, with 10:04 left and safety Keith Burke in his wake, lifted the Lancers to a 24-6 victory in the Marmonte League game Friday at Thousand Oaks.

“I just thought of it as any other team,” said Lindsay, who transferred from Westlake before this, his junior year. “I just tried to concentrate on what I had to do.”

Lindsay, however, warmed to the feeling of beating his ex-teammates.

“I was just glad the coaches gave me an opportunity,” he said, “because if I went there (Westlake), I wouldn’t have even started.”

While Lindsay and fullback Jeff Moore, who rushed for 83 yards, controlled the game’s tempo, Westlake’s Delaware wing T offense was stymied by Thousand Oaks (5-2, 4-0 in league play). Warrior quarterback Todd Preston was sacked 7 times, including 3 by Steve Tenenbaum and 2 by Noah Rubinstein.

Westlake (1-6, 1-3) had 90 total yards, minus-30 on the ground.

“Steve Tenenbaum almost didn’t come out this year because he thought he was too small,” Richards, the Thousand Oaks coach, said. “We talked him out of it.”

In the meantime Contreras, Westlake’s coach, decided it was all too much to talk about. The normally gregarious coach greeted inquiring reporters from his front seat in the team bus with: “Off the bus. . . . off the bus.”

The Lancers scored on the second play of the second quarter to lead at halftime, 7-0. David Kuenstle beat Westlake cornerback Matt Wolcott to the right corner of the end zone and hauled in a 20-yard pass from Anthony Gonzales.

Westlake managed only 44 total yards in the first half and blew its best chance to score in the half when it failed to take advantage of a recovered fumble at Thousand Oaks’ 17. The Warriors punted 4 plays later from the Lancer 41.

Chris Foster scored on a 1-yard plunge on Thousand Oaks’ first drive of the third quarter, and the Lancers led, 14-0. John Mogler added a 30-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining in the quarter for a 17-0 lead. Lindsay scored about 2 minutes later.