Westlake Has No Problem With Keppel

The Keppel High football team’s first clue that it was outclassed against Westlake on Friday night might have been when Billy Miller jumped over a Keppel tackler.

Actually, the Aztecs probably knew it long before that play, which came midway through the first quarter of Westlake’s 55-14 drubbing in the first round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs at Thousand Oaks High.

The Warriors, after all, started the playoffs as the No. 1 team in the division, and Keppel made the playoffs by winning a coin toss.

The Aztecs probably wish they would have lost it .

“They are the most explosive team I’ve ever seen,” Keppel Coach Tony Sumida said. “They have five guys who can break one from any place on the field.

“They’ve got too many weapons. I don’t know how anyone is going to stop them.”

Westlake (10-1) gained 418 yards. Keppel (4-7) managed 248, but only 125 against the first-string defense in the first half. Most of those yards came on a 73-yard touchdown pass play during a Westlake breakdown.

The Warriors will face Diamond Bar, a 36-28 winner over Buena, in the quarterfinals next Friday.

Westlake quarterback Scott Spruill completed eight of 10 passes for 172 yards. Miller caught seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, playing only in the first half.

“This was fun,” Miller said, “to get the game taken care of in the first half and then watch the sophomores in the second half.”

After holding Keppel to three plays and a punt on the game’s first possession, Westlake’s fun began.

Westlake scored on all but two of its possessions.

There were rushing touchdowns: a two-yard run by Jamal Harris, a one-yard dive by Craig Walendy and a 53-yard run by Jason Victor.

There were passing touchdowns: a 75-yard scoring play on a screen from Spruill to Harris, 26- and 27-yard passes to Miller and a 40-yard scoring play on a screen from Steve Aylsworth to Walendy.

Aylsworth also returned his eighth interception 70 yards for a touchdown.

Westlake began substituting before halftime. In the second half, the Warriors rotated three quarterbacks--Spruill, Brian Shubin and Aylsworth--on every offensive play.

Aylsworth completed all three of his passes for 81 yards. Shubin completed three of four passes for 59 yards.